MSU Wrestling Staying Spartan Strong

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Back in March of 2020, Michigan State wrestling team was ready to go for the 2020 NCAA championships, looking forward to having seven qualifiers, the most since 2012, compete.

It was another significant step in the recent upswing for MSU wrestling, which finished last season with an 8-10 record. It was the second-highest win total under head coach Roger Chandler, who was in his fourth year at the helm of the Spartans.

The season ended without the NCAA championships being contested, as the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the big event. But Chandler can see the progress his program is making, as he remains steadfast in developing a new culture in MSU wrestling. Chandler has keyed in on recruiting, ensuring the wrestlers that come to MSU fit in with his team-first philosophy.

Chandler's emphasis on team over individual orientation was evident in the 19-17 upset win against No. 4-ranked Wisconsin, the Spartans' first upset of a Top 4 team since 2003. In this meet, Chandler made key match-up changes by usual starter Drew Hughes and putting his backup, Austin Hiles, in the lineup.

"Last year was affirmation to everybody, that this is what it's all about," Chandler said. "It doesn't matter if you're number one on the depth chart or number three, commit to the process, for yourself and your team and good things are going to happen."

This season's Spartans are still dealing with the pandemic but are looking forward to wrestling. They open the season on Saturday, Jan. 16 ranked No. 25 in the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Poll, marking the first time since 2009 that the NWCA's regular-season rankings include Michigan State listed.

Wrestlers such as All-American standout Rayvon Foley, the No. 2-ranked 125-pounder in the nation, are back. He was sidelined all of last season with a torn meniscus in his right knee. In Foley's absence, redshirt-senior Logan Griffin stepped in and created his own legacy by reaching the NCAA's as the No. 30-seeded wrestler in class.

Chandler said Griffin's story was a perfect example of the determination and willingness he wants from wrestlers at MSU.

"Logan is a program guy; he was the only guy that remained from his freshman class," said Chandler. "You couldn't have written a better Cinderella story than that - he stayed committed to it and good things happened."

Griffin was a redshirt-freshman in Chandler's first season and saw the program grow and develop under the new leader and coach.

"I went from my freshman year of us literally not winning a match, we got skunked by teams we shouldn't have, things felt a little bit non-organized," Griffin said this week during a break at his job. "Then, throughout the years I watched everything and everyone grow and we saw that 'hey, we're actually good, we have good guys on the team, and we can put stuff together so we can actually start winning,' like our coaches were pushing us to make us better and everything kind of grew from there."

After graduating last spring, Griffin now works at American Manufacturing Operations, Inc., in Ohio, where he is a supervisor for the company's shipping operations. He is also an assistant varsity wrestling coach at Airport High School, applying life and wrestling lessons he learned from his time as a Spartan wrestler under Chandler.

"He helped me in wrestling, but he also helped me grow as an actual person. He kept me humble, but also taught me life lessons and stuff like that, just things like how to keep myself organized, how to see everything," Griffin said. "I apply the leadership he taught me to my job, since I supervise people, and then things from wrestling that will help me out in the long run, along with leadership, learning from my actions and other stuff."

Wrestling is an individual sport, where athletes compete solely on their own. Turning a solo sport into a team-oriented program is a challenge, but Chandler's group focus is showing up in the wrestlers he coaches.

"I came up with this concept, 'Spartan Strong', which means character, commitment and consistency within our program," said Chandler. "The consistent day in and day out approach to be a part of this program."

The current squad of Spartans look to revamp themselves for this season, hoping to build on their previous success. Now fully healthy, Foley looks to sprout new facets of his craft and sharpen his approach to the sport.

"My focus and what I want with the sport has changed," said Foley. "I've built my own philosophy when it comes to the sport; I'm going to work on my craft and perfect my style of wrestling."

On top of developing a new philosophy emphasizing a stronger emphasis on the mental side of wrestling, Foley has also taken major changes to his approach of the sport.

"I used to stay up and play video games and do stupid stuff before matches, but I've grown," said Foley. "I've learned to take care of my body more and focus on the little things and be fully prepared in every aspect whether it be mentally, physically or emotionally."

Fellow MSU All-American wrestler Cameron Caffey has taken the similar approach of his teammate, in developing new facets of his craft. Caffey has taken full advantage of the time the pandemic has warranted to retool himself as a wrestler.

"What's good about the quarantine is I have more time to focus on my craft, my work and myself," said Caffey.

Caffey has also made a switch to a different weight class for this upcoming season. With a walking weight north of 200-pounds, cutting down to 184-pounds became difficult on Caffey's body last season. He decided moving up to 197 was the best fit for his health and his craft.

"I've been scheming on it for a while since I've gotten here," said Caffey. "Last year became a struggle; I put on a lot of muscle and those weight cuts were getting to me. I wanted to focus more on my craft rather than spending time on weight cuts."

Sophomore Layne Malczewski will also move up a weight class, replacing Caffey at 184. The former 174-pound wrestler had a breakout year last season, finishing with a 25-13 overall record and an NCAA Championship qualification in his redshirt freshman year.

"The new goal is to become an NCAA All-American," said Malczewski.

Taking that next step forward is the new goal for the entire program, and Chandler is happy to see the signs of his wrestlers being ready.

"In any sport, it's tough to give 100 percent every single day," said Chandler. "By and large, our guys have committed to that 'Spartan Strong' philosophy that we've stressed here. We know that there's going to be a winner and a loser, but what is the process of getting to a win and that's about execution."

That execution is what has helped the Spartans grow and succeed, and everyone involved has played a part.

"It's good to see and I'm proud seeing that we actually made progress, and we're doing the stuff that we all talked about when I first got there and everything else throughout my time as a Spartan wrestler," Griffin said.

Day in, day out, getting Spartan Stronger everyday.

Michigan State University Athletics

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Cameron Caffey

Rayvon Foley

Logan Griffin

Austin Hiles

Drew Hughes

Layne Malczewski

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