Michigan State University
Michigan State Open-Medal Rounds
Andy Simmons Takes MSU Open Championship
11/21/2004 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Nov. 21, 2004
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
The Spartan wrestling team had a solid outing at its own tournament, the MSU Open this weekend, taking home eight medals in seven different weight classes. The Green and White were led by sophomore Andy Simmons, who took the championship at 141 pounds. Jeff Wimberley (125 lbs.), Darren McKnight (149 lbs.), Justin Mora (165 lbs.), R.J. Boudro (174 lbs.), and Joe Williams all placed in the top four in their respective weight classes.
"All in all I think we had a solid tournament," said head coach Tom Minkel. "This was a great opportunity for our team to wrestle some quality competition before we kick off our dual meet season. I am particularly proud of Andy who wrestled outstanding for us. But, we still have plenty to work on to become a well rounded team."
Wimberley took third place with an undefeated 3-0 performance on Sunday. He defeated Kent State's Brent Good for the second time in the tournament, then made it to the consolation finals by an injury default. Wimberley redeemed himself in that match by beating Chad Vandiver of Northern Illinois who beat him yesterday, 4-2.
Simmons took the tournament championship by defeating Ron Tarquinio of Pittsburgh in the championship match, 6-2. Simmons ended the tournament a perfect 5-0, recording three-straight pins and outscoring his other two opponents 16-3. He is now 8-0 on the season with two tournament victories.
McKnight improved on his fourth place finish at the 2003 MSU Open, by taking second this year. He won a hard-fought match against Kent State's Jason Bake, 7-6, before falling in the championship finals to Jeremiah Tobias. McKnight finished a respectable 4-1 for the tournament, doubling his win total on the year.
Mora finished off a solid debut in East Lansing by taking fourth. He finished off the tournament with a 4-2 record, including a major decision over Joe Whelan of Kent State. It is Mora's first medal performance in Division I competition.
Boudro took second place in his first competition as a Spartan. After beating Andrew Lowther of Ohio State to reach the finals, he lost a heartbreaking 5-4 decision against Mitch Hancock of Central Michigan. Boudro finished the tournament 4-1, including a technical fall and two major decisions.
Williams also lost a tough match in the championship finals, falling to No. 1 seed Alex Camargo of Kent State 3-1 in overtime to take second place. Nonetheless, Williams improved on last year's fourth place finish with a 4-1 record and one fall on the tournament.
Although they took injury defaults in Sunday's competition, Matt McCarty (157 lbs.) and Bryan Harney (165 lbs.) both took home sixth place finishes. Max Lossen also finished the day strong, beating Scott Johnson of Northwestern, 4-3, to take seventh place.
The Spartans will return to action in their first dual meet of the season Nov. 30, against Eastern Michigan. The scheduled start time is 7 p.m. EDT.
Players Mentioned
