Saturday, December 7
Edwardsville, Ill.
All Day
Michigan State University
vs
Cougar Clash Invite
Photo by: Rey Del Rio/MSU Athletic Communications
Spartan Wrestling Set to Take on Cougar Clash in Edwardsville
12/6/2019 2:57:00 PM | Wrestling
East Lansing, Mich. - After a 2-0 start to the dual season, Michigan State wrestling is set to participate in the Cougar Clash Invite on Saturday, Dec. 7. Action begins at 10 a.m. inside Southern Illinois-Edwardsville's Vadalabene Center in Edwardsville, Ill.Â
"I am really looking forward to seeing our guys compete again," said MSU head coach Roger Chandler. "The Cougar Clash is a smaller tournament, but our guys will need to be ready to go right away. There are two top-12 programs in Wisconsin and Missouri, plus many individuals from all teams that have made an impact all year."
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The Spartans, who finished in third place at the Navy Classic on Nov. 23, have 15 wrestlers set to compete in the all-day event. All action will streamed live by TrackWrestling.
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"We will approach Saturday just as we have every time we have stepped on the mat this season," Chandler said. "We will continue to improve, score points, and always look to score bonus points. If we are looking to scoring points all the time, then good things will happen."
About the Spartans
MSU begins the season with a 2-0 dual record, with wins over No. 20 Oklahoma and Kent State. The Spartans secured a third-place finish at the Navy Classic on Nov. 23 in Annapolis, Md. Redshirt junior Jake Tucker (157 pounds) is leading the way for MSU, with an 11-2 overall record and an individual title at the Navy Classic. Redshirt sophomore Cameron Caffey (184 pounds) is 9-3 in tournament action and holds a 2-0 mark in dual play. Caffey placed fifth at the MSU and finished in third place at the Navy Classic after a major decision win over No. 12 Andrew Morgan of Campbell. Redshirt freshman Layne Malczewski entered the 174 pound TrackWrestling rankings at No. 25 after a third-place finish at the Navy Classic. Redshirt junior Drew Hughes (165 pounds) recorded two falls in dual action and is 6-3 overall, while redshirt senior Logan Griffin sits at 8-4 overall after a pair of dual victories at 125 pounds. Michigan State's Garrett Pepple entered this week's FloWrestling rankings at No. 21 at 133 pounds after a 4-1 outing at the Navy Classic. Â
The Field
Six teams are set to compete in the Cougar Clash, highlighted by appearances from No. 8 Wisconsin and No. 19 Missouri. Brown, Little Rock and host SIUE are among the other teams joining the Spartans at the invite. Wisconsin sports three wrestlers in the top-5 of every poll while the Tigers have five wrestlers ranked in the top-20. SIUE's Colton McKiernan is ranked in every poll at 285 pounds. No ranked wrestlers for Brown or Little Rock.
Ranked Wrestlers in the Field
Rankings by: The Open Mat/TrackWrestling/FloWrestling/InterMat
Michigan State
133 - Garrett Pepple NR/32/21/NR
157 - Jake Tucker 17/16/21/15
174 - Layne Malczewski NR/28/NR/NR
184 - Cameron Caffey 13/16/20/16
285 - Christian Rebottaro NR/33/NR/NR
Wisconsin
133 - Seth Gross 2/2/2/2
141 - Tristan Morgan 11/11/10/10
149 - Cole Martin 15/18/14/17
165 - Even Wick 3/3/3/3
184 - Johnny Sebastian 20/26/21/20
285 - Trent Hillger 5/5/3/4
Missouri
133 - Allan Hart 18/23/NR/18
141 - Grant Leeth 5/4/5/5
149 - Brock Mauller 2/2/2/2
157 - Jarrett Jacques 14/15/14/NR
174 - Connor Flynn 12/19/20/11
SIU-Edwardsville
157 - Justin Ruffin NR/26/23/NR
285 - Colton McKiernan 14/19/16/15
Players Mentioned
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