Wrestling Kicks Off Season At Eastern Michigan Open
11/2/2007 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Nov. 2, 2007
MICHIGAN STATE at the EASTERN MICHIGAN OPEN
Saturday, November 3, 2007 • All Day
Bowen Field House • Ypsilanti, Michigan
PDF of Complete Eastern Michigan Open Notes
THIS WEEK FOR THE SPARTANS
Michigan State's wrestling team opens its 2007-08 campaign in Ypsilanti, Mich., Nov. 3 for the one-day double elimination Eastern Michigan Open. Action begins in all weight classes (125, 133, 141, 149, 157, 165, 174, 184, 197, 285) Saturday morning at the Bowen Field House on EMU's campus.
Last year, three Michigan State wrestlers captured individual titles at the 2006 Eastern Michigan Open.
Franklin Gomez eased his way to a title at 125 pounds, while former Spartan Nick Simmons won the crown at 133 pounds. Gomez went 5-0 on the day, winning the title with a 9-1 major decision over Alex Usztics of Navy in the finals. Simmons went 4-0 and pinned Joe Baker of Navy in 3:38 in the championship at 133.
Additionally, former Spartan Tony Greathouse won at 157, while Joe Williams compiled a 3-1 record at 184. Greathouse was a perfect 5-0 and beat Aaron Hynes of Michigan in the finals, 5-4.
SCOUTING THE SPARTANS
The Spartans return 18 letterwinners, including seven starters - Franklin Gomez, Jeff Wimberley, Rex Kendle, John Murphy, Joe Williams, Nick Palmieri and Alan O'Donnell - and welcome a class of 10 freshmen. Gomez and Williams are ranked 10th and 16th in their respective weight classes, 133 and 197, in the preseason USA Today/NWCA/InterMat Preseason Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll.
UP NEXT
Michigan State returns home to host its first dual of the season, welcoming Old Dominion to East Lansing for the first time in program history. The Spartans will take on the Monarchs Friday, Nov. 9 in the IM West Arena at 7 p.m. For tickets, please contact the MSU Ticket Office at www.msuspartans.com or by calling 517.355.1610 or 1. 800.GO.STATE.
2007-08 OUTLOOK
Leading Michigan State's wrestling program for the 17th year, head coach Tom Minkel returns an experienced roster for the 2007-08 season. Last year, Nick Simmons closed his illustrious Spartan career with a third-place finish at the NCAA Wrestling Championships while younger brother Andy was forced to default because of injury in the tournament's second round.
The 2007-08 roster includes two seniors, 12 juniors, six sophomores, seven redshirt freshmen and 10 true freshmen. With most of the upperclassmen being juniors, Minkel looks to his pair of seniors, Greg Goidosik and Joe Williams, to step up initially and lead the team.
"Both Greg and Joe are fifth-year seniors, so they have a lot of experience; they've both been in the starting line up a lot," stressed Minkel. "In this business, particularly in the Big Ten, and with our schedule, that experience means a great deal. We look to them to provide some guidance to the kids who are just coming up."
Minkel also expects sophomore wrestler Franklin Gomez to show leadership qualities on the mat. Dubbed the fan favorite by his coaches and teammates, "Franklin is a very exciting wrestler to watch. Invariable, when we compete, he gets a great deal of applause," explained Minkel. "The kids love him because he is small. Some of the adults in our crowds, they can identify with him. But especially the kids - the kids can really identify with him."
125
Junior Clint Frutiger, who heads up the smallest weight class at 125 pounds, posted a combined 8-11 overall record at 125 and 133 last season. Challenging for the starting position will be redshirt freshman Joel Trombly, who went 8-8 in the 133-pound class last year.
"We have three wrestlers at 125, but Eric Olanowski is going to redshirt his freshman year. So that leaves the job to either Joel Trombly or Clint Frutiger. Clint is a junior but has not started for us. He's just been a solid kid, and I think he is in the position now as a fourth-year junior to step up and do a good job.
"There will be challenges by Trombly as a redshirt freshman. He is probably more naturally a 133-pounder but with Franklin [Gomez] and Micah [Carter' in the 133 class - and the need to have at least two wrestlers at each class - Joel is making the cut to 125. But Joel is a very scrappy wrestler and he's competitive. So we'll kind of sort it out in the first part of the season between the two of them to see who starts."
133
Gomez moves up to the 133-pound weight class this year, and is ranked 10th in the class by USA Today/NWCA/InterMat Preseason Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll. The Puerto Rican native went 31-8 overall and 10-4 in duals in his freshman season at 125 pounds, having started the year with a 17-match winning streak. He picked up a 23-3 record during his redshirt season for a career record of 54-11.
"Franklin is clearly the favorite at 133. He's moved up from 125, which is probably a little better fir for him. He hurt a little at the end of last year when we got into the heart of the Big Ten Championship, and that was a function of maturity and experience. But now he's had a year in the starting lineup, and I'm sure he'll have an outstanding season," said Minkel.
Challenging for the starting position at 133 is Micah Carter, a redshirt sophomore who went 8-6 overall last year and 5-6 in NCAA duals.
"Micah Carter is very quick and a gifted young athlete. He's a hard working young man, and while he'll seriously challenge Franklin at that weight class, what he doesn't have is the experience or background that the other wrestlers have. But he's worked very hard to make up his ground," Minkel said.
141
Michigan State has top wrestlers for the 141-pound class, a returning junior and a true freshman. Even though Colin Dozier is a high-profile recruit with tremendous potential, he will redshirt for the 2007-08 season while Jeff Wimberley takes the No. 1 spot at 141. Last year Wimberley wrestled in various classes, going 9-3 at 144, 9-3 at 141 and 1-8 at 149, for an overall record of 19-14 (all NCAA duals).
"It's a good situation, having two outstanding wrestlers," explained Minkel. "Colin is a top recruit, but he'll redshirt. Jeff was kind of a utility wrestler for us last year. He came in behind Andy Simmons and often other times when we needed him, and the year before that he was actually a starter. He works very hard, and he's got a lot of skill."
149
Two juniors will compete at 149, Tim Hammer and Edward Skowneski. Skowneski earned the majority of his experience his freshmen year before struggling through injuries as a sophomore. Hammer saw action at 141 and 149 as a sophomore, going 4-2, and 14-13, respectively.
"Tim and Eddie kind of have similar experience so both of them will challenge at 149," Minkel said. "They're the same age so they're good friends, and both are hard working kids. We'll just have to see how it plays out."
157
The 157 class returns the most wrestlers, as four Spartans will battle for the spot in the lineup. Junior Nick Fallico is the probable starter given his experience, whereas Nick Shafer could see some time on the mat in duals. Two redshirt freshman, John Fulger and Ben Boudro, round out the class.
"Nick Fallico is probably the favorite here. He's seen some actions in the previous years, but this will probably be the first year where he'll really step in for a more active role," said Minkel. "We also have Nick Shafer, who is in the same academic class; he hasn't wrestled much for us, but he's trained hard and made some progress.
"Then there's two redshirt freshman, Fulger and Boudro," continues Minkel. "We really have four solid returning wrestlers. I expect competition in the weight class which really helps the starter to be a pretty solid kid. When you have three or four good kids in a weight class, your starter has to hustle pretty hard in practice."
165
MSU's 165-pound class will be led by senior Goidosik, who enters his final season with four years of collegiate experience, while Rex Kendle shows promise and will compete for the starting spot.
"We have a senior, Greg, who has a lot of experience and has had really solid performance levels. Then we have Rex, who wrestled in the Big Ten Championships for us. Rex is a very hardworking young man; so my guess is one of those two will be our starter," said Minkel.
174
The 174 class' top position will most likely go to John Murphy, a junior who started for the Spartans last year, tallying a 16-19 NCAA record.
"John Murphy has really developed some consistency over the last few years," explained Minkel. "And while Jeremy Bloom may go down to the 165, Murphy is our returning starter in the weight class. His work ethic gets consistently better, and I expect him to have a really good season."
Freshman Blake Mesyn will redshirt his first year but will contribute greatly in keeping Murphy at the top of his class.
"Blake has wrestled John Murphy pretty closely when they have competed in the past. The two will get great practice wrestling against each other," said Minkel.
184 & 197
"In 184 and 197, we have a switch that's gone on. Nick Palmieri was our 197 last year, but Nick's gone to 184; he was always kind of small for the 197 class. But I think this is going to work out well for Nick at 184 while Joe Williams will be our starter at 197; he wrestled at 184 last season," Minkel continued.
Williams, though wrestling in the 197 weight class, is ranked 16th in the USA Today coaches poll in the 184-pound class. At 184 last year, Williams was 25-11 overall and 24-10 in NCAA duals, whereas Palmieri went 12-22 overall and in NCAA duals in the 197 class.
Joining Palmieri at 184 are junior Abe Cross, who will challenge Palmieri, as well as redshirt freshman Eric Anderson and true freshman Ian Hinton. The 197 class is rounded out with true freshman Tyler Dickenson, who is expected to redshirt for the 2007-08 season.
"Our other guys in the 184 and 197 classes will be strong challengers, but more importantly, they are incredible workout partners for the starters," explained Minkel.
285
Michigan State boasts four wrestlers at heavyweight, led by returning starter Alan O'Donnell. The sophomore posted a 10-23 overall record and 8-23 NCAA mark as a redshirt freshman last year.
Redshirt junior Freddie DeRamus will wrap up his career this year graduating in four years and forfeiting his last year of eligibility. The class also includes two redshirt freshmen, Nick Anurak and Alex Strachan, who gained some experience last year.
"With this group, I think we have a lot of talent, and we're pretty solid. O'Donnell is probably a little more experienced, given that he was our starter last year. But what I'm impressed with the most in this group is their work ethic. And while wrestling is an individual sport, the team is still really important, and these guys stress that," said Minkel.
SCHEDULE
Michigan State looks to tackle another season facing a nationally-competitive schedule. The Spartans will wrestle against 15 programs that competed in the 2007 NCAA Championships, including defending national champion and Big Ten rival Minnesota.
The fall schedule is packed with five tournaments and two duals. The Spartans will host their annual Michigan State Open, while traveling to the other tournaments, the Eastern Michigan Open, the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, the Penn State Open and the Midlands Championships. The duals will be split at home and on the road, as MSU hosts Old Dominion and travels to Central Michigan.
"The Michigan State Open is just a good, solid opening tournament. It's kind of grown into a monster. Then the new school on our schedule is Old Dominion; they've rally grown into a pretty solid wrestling program. This will be the first time we've ever wrestled them in a dual," said Minkel.
MSU will face three more non-conference programs before taking on Big Ten competitors in the spring. In the coaches' poll, of the 14 duals on MSU schedule, 10 programs are ranked in the top 25, including No. 1 Minnesota, No. 5 Michigan, No. 6 Northwestern, No 8 Ohio State, No. 10 Central Michigan, No. 11 Penn State, No. 12 Wisconsin, No. 15 Indiana, No. 19 Oklahoma and No. 20 Pittsburgh.
"Our schedule has some nice adjustments and some nice changes that we haven't had before. But the Big Ten portion is, of course, what is always is. It's an extremely tough conference," explained Minkel. "What's a little different this year is we finish our season at Michigan. We usually wrestle them a little earlier in the year, but this will be a good match for us."
"It's a tough schedule, but it's manageable. We've started practice, things look good, and we're ready to go."
Players Mentioned
