Michigan State University
Bucknell
No. 25 Bucknell Tops Spartan Wrestling, 25-12
1/4/2015 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Although the Michigan State wrestling team recorded four victories against No. 25 Bucknell, bonus points were the difference as the Bison topped the Spartans, 25-12, Sunday afternoon at Jenison Field House.
Bucknell had a pin, a technical fall and two major decisions among its six victories. Hermilo Esquivel (133 pounds), Ryan Watts (165), Nick Proctor (174) and John Rizqallah (184) each recorded wins for MSU.
"We got off to a slow start," said MSU head coach Tom Minkel. "We picked it up later in the dual, but then lost our momentum again in the last two matches. We've been off for a few weeks, and I think it showed today. This is a sport where you need to pick yourself up and get right back to work. We have a big dual with Michigan a week from right now, and so our focus will be having a great week of practice to get ready for next Sunday."
Bucknell's 16th-ranked Paul Petrov started the dual off at 125 pounds by pinning Mitch Rogaliner in 19 seconds to give the Bison a quick 6-0 lead.
The Spartans (3-5) bounced back as Esquivel held off Grim Gonzalez at 133 pounds, 4-3. After a scoreless first period, Esquivel escaped to start the second, but Gonzalez equaled the match with an escape of his own in the third. Esquivel went back on top, 3-1, with a single-leg takedown with 1:10 left. In a late flurry, Gonzalez recorded a reversal with 15 seconds remaining to tie it at 3, but a last-second escape by Esquivel - which was upheld by video review - gave the Spartans their first win of the day, 4-3.
The Bison (4-1) won the next three matches to take a 17-3 lead into intermission. Tyler Smith had a major decision at 141 pounds over Garth Yenter, 9-1, Victor Lopez edged Nick Trimble at 149, 2-0, and Rustin Barrick defeated Roger Wildmo by major decision at 157, 12-3.
Michigan State started off strong after intermission, winning three straight matches to cut its deficit to 17-12. Watts had a quick strike with a takedown 10 seconds into his match at 165 pounds, and he led the entire way in the 8-3 victory against Robert Schlitt. Watts also had a takedown in the second and third periods and added 3:03 of riding time to pick up his ninth win of the season.
Proctor was equally as aggressive in the 174-pound bout, notching two first-period takedowns in his eventual 4-2 win over Rory Bonner.
Rizqallah continued MSU's run at 184 pounds by edging Tom Sleigh, 3-2. Rizqallah went up 2-0 with a takedown two minutes into the first period, and added an escape point in the second to take a 3-1 lead. Although he gave up an escape in the third, he held off multiple shots from Sleigh to hang on for the victory. Rizqallah is now 11-3 on the season.
Bucknell won the final two matches of the dual to pull away for the 25-12 win. At 197, after a scoreless first period, Tyler Lister recorded three near-fall points in the second to take a 3-0 advantage, but Nick McDiarmid rallied with a reversal to make it 3-2. McDiarmid surrendered a reversal with 1:10 left in the third and eventually lost a 5-2 decision to Lister.
In the final bout, No. 20 Joe Stolfi had a 15-0 technical victory over Luke Jones in 4:49.
Michigan State returns to action Sunday, Jan. 11 to face Michigan at Jenison Field House.
No. 25 Bucknell 25, Michigan State 12
125: No. 16 Paul Petrov (BU) pinned Mitch Rogaliner (MSU), 0:19. BU leads, 6-0
133: Hermilo Esquivel (MSU) dec. Grim Gonzalez (BU), 4-3. BU leads, 6-3
141: Tyler Smith (BU) major dec. Garth Yenter (MSU), 9-1. BU leads, 10-3
149: Victor Lopez (BU) dec. Nick Trimble (MSU), 2-0. BU leads, 13-3
157: Rustin Barrick (BU) major dec. Roger Wildmo (MSU), 12-3. BU leads, 17-3
165: Ryan Watts (MSU) dec. Robert Schlitt (BU), 8-3. BU leads, 17-6
174: Nick Proctor (MSU) dec. Rory Bonner (BU), 4-2. BU leads, 17-9
184: John Rizqallah (MSU) dec. Tom Sleigh (BU), 3-2. BU leads, 17-12
197: Tyler Lyster (BU) dec. Nick McDiarmid (MSU), 5-2. BU leads, 20-12
HWT: No. 20 Joe Stolfi (BU) tech. fall Luke Jones (MSU), 15-0 (4:49). BU wins, 25-12
Attendance: 203
Players Mentioned
