Michigan State University
Mat Town Open
Kendle Wins 165-Pound Title At Mat Town Open
11/29/2008 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Nov. 29, 2008
Complete Mat Town Open Results
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - Michigan State senior Rex Kendle took the Mat Town Wrestling Open title in the 165-pound division on Saturday, Nov. 29, marking his second tournament title this season. Six other MSU wrestlers finished in the top four of their weight class to give the Spartans a strong showing.
Kendle went 5-0 on the day, winning four close matches before pinning Jeremy Brooks (Millersville) in 3:27 for the title. Kendle, who is ranked No. 15 in the country by InterMat/NWCA/NWMA, pushed his season record to 15-2 and leads the team in wins.
"Rex has really stepped up this year, this being his second tournament win," said MSU head coach Tom Minkel. "He gets more and more solid every week, and it's nice to see all of his hard work paying off."
Junior Kyle Bounds finished second in the 157-pound class, winning his first three matches by a combined 31-15 margin before falling to Steve Fittery (Unattached) in the finals.
Senior Tim Hammer (149 pounds), redshirt freshman Tyler Dickenson (197) and junior Alan O'Donnell (285) finished third in their respective classes, while redshirt freshman Collin Dozier and sophomore Eric Anderson finished fourth at 141 and 184, respectively.
With most of the early-season tournament action complete for the Spartans, Minkel says that the experience taken from the open tournaments can prove to be invaluable to a young team.
"We have a lot of guys seeing the lineup for the first time this year," Minkel said. "So it's important to identify where your weaknesses are early on. The good thing is that we've had a lot of matches in November, which gives us a solid foundation to work from."
The Spartans return to the mat on Friday, Dec. 5, when they take on Eastern Michigan in Ypsilanti, Mich.
Players Mentioned
