Michigan State University
Kent State
No. 24 Michigan State Wrestling Defeats Kent State, 22-15
1/6/2004 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Jan. 6, 2004
KENT, Ohio - No. 25 Michigan State wrestling team opened the new year with a victory over Kent State in Kent, Ohio, Tuesday night. The 22-15 win is the first dual meet victory of the season for Michigan State as the Spartans opened the season with a loss to No. 1 Oklahoma State and No. 18 Central Michigan. The Spartans are 1-2 overall.
The Golden Flashes jumped to an early 6-0 lead with victories at both 125 and 133 pounds. For MSU, Craig Trombly lost a 12-6 decision to Kent State's Drew Opfer as the Golden Flash scored a takedown and three-point near fall in the final 30 seconds to put the win in Kent State's favor. At 133, redshirt freshman Tony Greathouse faced Kent's Jared Opfer, losing by pin in 4:21 as the Golden Flashes took a 9-0 lead into the 141-pound match.
With a win over Nate Daugherty, redshirt freshman Andy Simmons has now won 12 of his last 14 matches. Simmons pinned Daugherty in 5:33 to put the Spartans on the board. His victory gave MSU six team points, pulling them to within three of Kent State.
At 149 pounds, Michigan State's Darren McKnight gave the Spartans the win they needed to tie the match as he defeated Jason Bake, 3-1. McKnight's takedown in the second period was the difference in the meet and marks McKnight's 18th win this season.
Senior Arsen Alexsanyan could not keep the Spartans on the winning track, dropping a hot contest to Mike Tolar, 6-4. Tolar led by a score of 5-1 at the end of the second period while Alexsanyan made his charge late in the bout. The loss put the Golden Flashes ahead by the narrow margin of 12-9 and marks the first dual meet loss of the season for Alexsanyan at 157 pounds.
Matt McCarty brought the Spartans back to even in team scoring, winning 3-2 against Nick Brenner in the 165-pound match. Tied 2-2 at the end of the second period with Brenner holding a 44-second riding time advantage, McCarty maintained control throughout the final period to earn the victory with a one-point riding time advantage. His three-point team victory made the score 12-12 heading into the 174-pound matchup. The win also marks the first victory of the season at 165 for the junior.
At 174 pounds, senior Anton Hall wrestled Ardian Ramadani to a scoreless tie through the first period. Ramadani led at the end of the second stanza, 1-0, while Hall held the riding time edge with a 1:37 advantage. Hall pulled through in the final 11 seconds, scoring a takedown to make the score 4-3. The extra point for riding time gave Hall a 5-3 win and put Michigan State ahead in team scoring for the first time of the match, 15-12. It is also the second-straight dual-meet victory for Hall, bringing his record to 17-7 on the season.
At 184 pounds, like his teammate before him, Nate Mesyn battled Alex Camargo to a scoreless tie at the end of the first period before taking a 1-0 lead at the end of the second period. With an escape and riding time advantage in his favor, Mesyn scored the 2-0 win to give the Spartans three team points and an 18-12 advantage.
At 197 pounds, sophomore Jeff Clemens squared off against Nick Hiller and led 2-0 at the end of two periods before scoring eight points - including three takedowns - in the final minutes to earn a 10-2 major decision and guaranteed a Spartan victory with the 22-12 advantage.
Wrestling in his first dual meet for the Green and White, redshirt freshman Spencer Nadolsky took to the mat against Willie Leonard. At the end of the first period, Nadolsky led, 4-2, while Leonard evened the score in the second period at four, and held the 1:32 riding time advantage. Nadolsky could not reduce the advantage time, while Leonard scored four additional points in the final minutes to make the final score, 8-4.
Michigan State returns to East Lansing for nearly two weeks of practice before traveling to Cleveland, Ohio, and the National Duals, Jan. 17-18. The Spartans open the Big Ten season at Jenison Field House against Minnesota on Jan. 23 at 7 p.m.
Players Mentioned
