No. 17 Spartan Wrestling Heads To Nittany Lion Open
12/2/2005 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Dec. 2, 2005
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A LOOK AT THE WEEK AHEAD- After an impressive, five-win outing against the three-time defending national champion Oklahoma State Cowboys, MSU heads to State College, Pa., to compete in the Penn State Open. Because of scheduling conflicts, the Spartans could not defend their title at the North Carolina Open, so they will make their first appearance at the PSU Open in 2006. The Green and White look to build some momentum as they wrestle two dual meets next week, at intra-state rival Central Michigan, and at Jenison Field House against the Vikings of Cleveland State.
SPARTANS HANG TOUGH WITH NATIONAL CHAMPS- In its first dual meet of the 2005-06 campaign, the Spartans split their ten matches with three-time defending national champions Oklahoma State, but lost the dual, 21-15. Nick Simmons (125 lbs.), Andy Simmons (141 lbs.), R.J. Boudro (174 lbs.) and Joe Williams (184 lbs.) all looked impressive in victories, but the most exciting victory of the day came when junior Tony Greathouse upset No. 8 Kevin Ward at 157 lbs. Greathouse trailed 3-0 midway through the third period, but scored two takedowns and two near-fall points late to claim a 6-4 decision against the 2005 Big 12 Champion.
"To take five matches from the team that is clearly No. 1 in the nation is outstanding for our squad," head coach Tom Minkel said. "I am really proud of our team. This is a great way to start out the season."
Andy Simmons REMEMBERS MARCH 19- On March 19, 2005 at the NCAA Championships in St. Louis, Mo., Andy Simmons was forced to injury default his final match of the season to Oklahoma State's Daniel Frishkorn after Frishkorn continuously attacked Simmons' already-ailing knee in their consolation semifinal match. That match was surely on Simmons' mind as he defeated Frishkorn at MSU's dual meet with the Cowboys Nov. 27, 7-1. Simmons notched takedowns in the second and third periods, and tacked on two near-fall points to beat the No. 13 wrestler in the nation. He improved his record to 9-1 on the season with the victory.
MOVING UP AMONGST THE LEGENDS- With four falls in his first two tournaments of the season, Nick Simmons has moved into sole possession of fifth place on MSU all-time falls list with 37. Most recently, he past Erich Harvey (1992-97) and sits three behind fourth place Eli Blazeoff (1982-84). Jim Mason (1980-84) is first on the list with 45 career pins. Nick's younger brother Andy is also on the list, currently tied for ninth.
ULTIMATE FIGHTER Rashad Evans JOINS STAFF- Three weeks after claiming the Ultimate Fighter 2 Heavyweight Championship, former Spartan grappler Rashad Evans has been named volunteer assistant coach for the MSU wrestling squad. Evans competed for head coach Tom Minkel from 2000-03, compiling a career record of 48-34. The Niagara Falls, N.Y., native was a two-time NCAA qualifier, claiming fourth place at the Big Ten Championships in 2002, and third in 2003.
"We are excited about Rashad joining our team for the season," head coach Tom Minkel said. "He is a marvelous athlete and we look forward to him bringing the same as an integral part of our coaching staff."
FORMER SPARTAN WECHTER TAKES BRONZE AT DEGLANE CHALLENGE- Former Spartan wrestler John Wechter compiled a 3-1 record competing at the Henri Deglane Challenge in Nice, France Nov. 25, bringing home a bronze medal for Team USA at 184 pounds. The Saginaw, Mich., native defeated wrestlers from Iran, Bulgaria and Spain in the Greco-Roman division. Wechter wrestled at Michigan State from 1998-2003, taking sixth at the 2002 Big Ten Championships.
Nick Simmons AND SAM HAZEWINKEL CLASH AT THE 2005 NWCA ALL-STAR MEET- For the second-straight year, junior All-Americans Nick Simmons and Oklahoma's Sam Hazewinkel kicked off the Marines/NWCA All-Star Classic at 125 pounds, at Gallagher-Iba Arena on the campus of Oklahoma State. Despite a hard-fought battle by both men, Hazewinkel notched his fourth-consecutive victory over Simmons, this time by a 6-2 decision.
TWO SPARTANS PLACE AT THE 2005 ASHLAND OPEN- Although it sent just five wrestlers to the 2005 Ashland Open, Nov. 19 at Ashland University, the Michigan State wrestling team brought home two medals courtesy of redshirt freshman Clint Frutiger at 125 pounds and freshman Nick Palmieri at 197 pounds. Frutiger posted a 4-2 record on the day, notching all four of his victories by shutout en route to a fifth-place finish. He tallied three major decisions and a technical fall in his third tournament of the season. Palmieri won his first two matches, by fall and a 4-3 decision, before being forced to injury default his remaining bouts. The Mayfield Heights, Ohio native still took fourth place and now sits second on the team in falls with three.
Players Mentioned
