Wrestling Heads to Midlands Championships
12/28/2007 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Dec. 28, 2007
MIDLANDS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Dates: Saturday, Dec. 29-Sunday, Dec. 30, 2007
Time: All Day
Location: Evanston, Ill.
Arena: Welsh-Ryan Arena
TV: Big Ten Network [Sunday, Dec. 30 only]
5th- and 7th-place matches [tape delay]: 7 p.m.
1st- and 3rd-place matches [live]: 8-10:30 p.m.
NEXT FOR THE SPARTANS
Michigan State wrestling returns to tournament action at the 45th Annual Midlands Championships from Dec. 29-30 in Evanston, Ill. The tournament features 350 of the nation's top college teams, clubs and individuals.
TOURNAMENT TIMES & TICKETS
Saturday Dec. 29
1st Sesssion: 10:30 a.m.
2nd Session: 8 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 30
1st Session [Big Ten Network - Tape Delay] : 1 p.m.
2nd Session [Big Ten Network - Live]: 8 p.m.
Ticket prices vary per session; contact Northwestern's ticket office at 847.491.CATS or visit www.NUsports.com for details.
WRESTLING COMING TO YOUR LIVING ROOM
Michigan State wrestling will make its 2007-08 TV premier at the Midlands Championships as the Big Ten Network will televise Sunday's action, featuring early rounds on tape delay and later rounds live. Fifth- and seventh-place matches will air delayed at 7 p.m., followed by first- and third-place bouts televised live from 8-10:30 p.m.
MIDLANDS 45 - AN ANNIVERSARY YEAR
In anticipation of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the Midlands Championships will honor all competitors who have represented their countries in past Olympic Games. Those Olympians in attendance will be honored Sunday evening prior to the final session.
MSU MIDLANDS MEMORIES
In last year's tournament, four Michigan State wrestlers earned medals, including Joe Williams, who placed second at 184, Franklin Gomez, who claimed third at 125, and Alan O'Donnell, who took eighth at heavyweight. Additionally, then-senior Nick Simmons won his third straight individual title. Simmons previously won titles at 125 pounds.
LAST TIME OUT
Michigan State's wrestlers closed out the fall semester competing at the annual Nittany Lion Open hosted by Penn State University on Sunday, Dec. 2. Senior Joe Williams finished second in the 197 bracket, nearly defending his title from last year, while junior Clint Frutiger placed fourth at 125 pounds.
SCOUTING THE SPARTANS
Michigan State is led by a pair of ranked wrestlers, No. 6 Franklin Gomez and No. 15 Joe Williams. Boasting an MSU tournament title, Gomez leads the Spartans with a perfect 9-0 record so far this fall as the 133-pound starter. His flawless start to the season includes one technical fall, one major decision and three wins over ranked opponents.
While Gomez ranks sixth in five national polls, senior starter Joe Williams sits as high as 15th in the 197-pound class. Williams has earned a 14-4 overall record this year, including three wins over ranked opponents as well as six pins and four major decisions. Additionally, three of Williams' four losses have come against top-five ranked opponents. Williams is also the only Spartan to record medal finishes in all three tournaments this year, with second-place finishes at the Eastern Michigan Open, MSU Open and Nittany Lion Open.
MINKEL MEMORIALIZED
Head coach Tom Minkel, along with former Chippewa wrestler John Matthews, will be honored on Jan. 20 with the retirement of their singlets at Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, Mich.
The pair will become the first wrestlers in school history to have their singlets ceremoniously raised to the rafters of Rose Arena. CMU is hosting a special recognition event when the Chippewas host the Michigan Wolverines for a dual meet beginning at 2 p.m.
There will be a pre-meet reception hosted by the Chippewa Club at 1 p.m. in Rose Arena, and the group will reconvene at O'Kelly's Sports Bar and Grille after the match.
Minkel was a three-time All-American, earning both Division I and Division II honors in 1970 and Division II honors in 1971 (Division II athletes were eligible to wrestle in the Division I tournament at the time). Minkel was also a two-time team MVP, earning the honor in 1970 and `71. Additionally, he won a pair of Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles in 1969 and `70.
Both wrestlers then went on to earn sports on the USA Greco Roman Olympic team. Matthews represent the USA in 1976 and 1980, and Minkel wrestled for the Red, White and Blue in 1980.
Both wrestlers were inducted into the Central Michigan University Athletic Hall of Fame, with Matthews going in with the inaugural class of 1984, and Minkel the following year in 1985.
QUITE FRANKLIN
Sophomore standout Franklin Gomez has jumped out to an incredible start to the season, going undefeated (9-0) through tournament and dual action. The 133-pound starter ranks sixth nationally in his weight class, a standing propped up by his MSU Open title, Big Ten Wrestler of the Week accolades and wins over three ranked opponents.
Topping off his outstanding performance at the Spartans' home tournament, Gomez defeated Indiana's then-ranked No. 3 Andrae Hernandez 5-2 for the 133-pound title.
At Nov. 17's ACC-Big Ten Clash, Gomez defeated his second ranked opponent of the season, taking down Virginia's No. 9 Eric Albright in a 7-1 decision. And most recently, Gomez picked up the Spartans only win in the Central Michigan dual, besting No. 14 Conor Beebe, 10-3.
Gomez began last year in similar fashion, running an 18-match winning streak in 2006-07.
NOT YOUR AVERAGE JOE
Senior captain Joe Williams continues to be a driving force for the Spartans, as the fifth-year 197-pounder leads by example for the MSU wrestlers, having defeated three ranked opponents in his 12 bouts.
Ranked as high as 15th in the nation, Willams paces the Spartans with a team-high 14 wins, six pins, four major decisions and three shutouts. Williams ties for second among teammates in winning percentage (.778, 14-4), a mark matched by Ian Hinton's 7-2 record.
Having participated in the fall's three tournaments, Williams is the only Spartan to place in all events, earning second at the Eastern Michigan Open, the MSU Open and the Nittany Lion Open.
SWEEPING SPARTANS
Franklin Gomez and Alan O'Donnell represent the only two Spartans to remain undefeated in dual action this season. Gomez has chalked up five dual wins, going against Old Dominion, North Carolina, Virginia, North Carolina State and Central Michigan, while O'Donnell picked up his solo dual victory against Old Dominion.
UP NEXT
Michigan State's next dual isn't until next year, when MSU hosts Ohio at 7 p.m. in Jenison Field House on Friday, Jan. 4, 2008.
SIGNING CLASS
MSU signed two nationally ranked recruits, adding Steve Andrus of Manhattan, Kan., and Kirk Tank of Curtice, Ohio, to fill out its fall recruiting class.
"Kirk and Steve are two outstanding young men who I am certain will make a real impact here during their careers as Michigan State Spartans," said Minkel.
Andrus, who ranks seventh nationally by Amateur Wrestling News, won the heavyweight Kansas High School State Championship in 2007, after placing third as a sophomore in 2006. He also excels in Greco-Roman and Freestyle wrestling, earning multiple All-American honors in Fargo, N.D. Additionally, Andrus won the 2006 Cadet Freestyle National Championships. Andrus will continue to wrestle at 285 pounds when he joins Michigan State next fall.
Tank, who is ranked 15th by W.I.N. Magazine, is a two-time all-state wrestler from Oak Harbor High School in Ohio. He placed fourth at the Ohio State High School Championships as a sophomore and second as a junior, both at 145 pounds. Tank is expected to wrestle at 157 or 165 pounds as a freshman for the Spartans.
Players Mentioned
