Friday, January 29
Columbus, Ohio
4 PM ET
Michigan State University
9
at
24
No. 11 Ohio State
Photo by: Matthew Mitchell/MSU Athletic Communications
No. 23 MSU Wrestling Defeated In Hard-Fought Battle With No. 11 Buckeyes
1/29/2021 8:38:00 PM | Wrestling
Spartans get wins from Saldate, Malczewski and Caffey
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- No. 23 Michigan State wrestling battled No. 11 Ohio State tough before falling, 24-9, Friday evening at OSU's Covelli Center.
The Spartans got wins at 157 pounds from freshman Chase Saldate, at 184 from redshirt-sophomore and No. 18 Layne Malczewski, and at 197 from redshirt-junior and No. 6 Cameron Caffey.
"Today was a mixed bag throughout our lineup and how we competed. Were we better than the last time we competed? Yes. Championship level wrestling is happening every time we step on the mat since it's a Big Ten schedule only this season. We need to step up to a championship level of wrestling in all 10 weight classes," MSU head coach Roger Chandler said.Â
Along with getting wins in three of the 10 weight classes, the Spartans had two bouts that were only one-point defeat, including one near upset.
"There was some good that came out of the day in our loss, Chandler said. "Peyton Omania goes toe-to-toe with the number one guy in the country and out-scores the guy, three takedowns to two. He's right there with the best and figuring some things out."
Chandler had high praise for the three Spartans that collected wins in the dual.
"Chase Saldate goes out and dominates a match in all three positions: top, bottom and neutral. He has a championship mindset. I think Layne Malczewski proved to himself that he can be on the podium this year; he is that good! Cam Caffey continues to pave the way and lead this team with his mindset of always looking to score and figuring out a way to find his openings to attack," Chandler said.
Caffey earned a tough, 3-2, decision over No. 25 Gavin Hoffman of OSU, getting an escape in the second period and a takedown in the third frame, and held off Hoffman at the end. Friday's win not only improved Caffey to 3-0 on the season, but it was his 13th-consecutive regular-season victory, as part of winning 15 of his last 16 matches overall, picking up right where he left off in 2020, despite moving up a weight class. Caffey's lone loss in his last 16 matches was to No. 1-seed Aaron Brooks of Penn State in a close 3-2 decision in the 184-pound Big Ten Championship.Â
Saldate knocked off No. 23 Elijah Cleary of Ohio State with a 4-0 decision. After a scoreless first two periods, Saldate scored an escape in the third period, then a takedown and adding riding time advantage for the win. The Spartan freshman moves to 2-1 on the year, with his lone loss to No. 6 Brayton Lee of Minnesota in a 5-4 decision on Jan. 16.
Like Saldate, Malczewski upset a higher-ranked opponent, edging the Buckeyes' Rocky Jordan, ranked No. 16, in a 4-2 decision. However, unlike like Saldate, Malczewski's bout saw early scoring, as the Spartan scored a takedown in the first frame, and scored an escape early in the second for a 3-0. Malczewski controlled most of the rest of the action, adding up riding time, before Jordan scored a takedown in the waning moments, but Malczewski tacked on the riding-time point for the 4-2 decision.
Two other Spartans suffered one-point decision losses in hard-fought fashion. At 125 pounds, redshirt-junior No. 10 Rayvon Foley was edged by No. 12 Malik Heinselman in a 5-4 decision, while at 149, redshirt-freshman Peyton Omania's upset bid of No. 2 Sammy Sasso came up short with a 7-6 loss, after Omania led early on.
"We are close as to being a very good team," Chandler said. "We just have to get all 10 guys, not seven or eight willing to battle for all seven minutes with an aggressive willing to fight mindset. If we do that, great things will happen."
Michigan State's next action will be on Saturday, Feb. 6, heading to Bloomington, Ind., for a quad meet hosted by Indiana, taking on the host Hoosiers, along with Nebraska and Rutgers.
The Spartans return home to host Purdue on Friday, Feb. 12, before wrapping up regular-season action with Michigan on Friday, Feb. 19.
No. 11 Ohio State 24, No. 23 Michigan State 9
125: No. 12 Malik Heinselman (OSU) dec. No. 10 Rayvon Foley (1-1), 5-4; OSU leads, 3-0
133: No. 24 Jordan Decatur (OSU) dec. No. 28 Jordan Hamdan (MSU), 5-0; OSU leads, 6-0
141: Anthony Echemendia (OSU) dec. Jake Spiess (MSU), 6-3; OSU leads, 9-0
149: No. 2 Sammy Sasso (OSU) dec. No. 31 Peyton Omania (MSU), 7-6; OSU leads, 12-0
157: No. 29 Chase Saldate (MSU) dec. No. 23 Elijah Cleary (OSU), 4-0; OSU leads, 12-3
165: No. 6 Ethan Smith (OSU) maj. dec. No. 18 Jake Tucker (MSU), 17-6; OSU leads, 16-3
174: No. 4 Kaleb Romero (OSU) maj. dec. No. 17 Drew Hughes (MSU), 13-3; OSU leads, 20-3
184: No. 13 Layne Malczewski (MSU) dec. No. 16 Rocky Jordan (OSU), 4-2; OSU leads, 20-6
197: No. 6 Cameron Caffey (MSU) dec. No. 25 Gavin Hoffman (OSU), 3-2; OSU leads, 20-9
HWT: No. 8 Tate Orndorff (OSU) maj. dec. Christian Rebottaro (MSU), 12-1; OSU wins, 24-9
Extra Matches:
125: Tristan Lujan (MSU) dec. Brady Koontz (OSU), 5-3
141: Matt Santos (MSU) dec. Dylan D'Emilio (OSU), 3-2
157: Â Nathan Atienza (MSU) dec. Isaac Wilcox (OSU), 11-4
165: Caleb Fish (MSU) (2-0) dec. Kevon Freeman (OSU), 4-0
197: Chase Singletary (OSU) fall over Austen Malczewski (MSU), 2:07
157: Bryce Hepner (OSU) fall over Nathan Atienza (MSU), 2:50
133: No. Â 28 Jordan Hamdan (MSU) dec. Brady Koontz (OSU), 4-2
125: Jordan Decatur (OSU) dec. Tristan Lujan (MSU), 3-2
Attendance: 86
* = Rankings according to TrackWrestling
*Extra Matches: Due to only wrestling within the conference, the Big Ten will permit schools to hold extra matches on competition dates. Though they will not count towards dual scoring, they will count towards an individual's varsity record for purposes of seeding for the conference and national tournament.
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The Spartans got wins at 157 pounds from freshman Chase Saldate, at 184 from redshirt-sophomore and No. 18 Layne Malczewski, and at 197 from redshirt-junior and No. 6 Cameron Caffey.
"Today was a mixed bag throughout our lineup and how we competed. Were we better than the last time we competed? Yes. Championship level wrestling is happening every time we step on the mat since it's a Big Ten schedule only this season. We need to step up to a championship level of wrestling in all 10 weight classes," MSU head coach Roger Chandler said.Â
Along with getting wins in three of the 10 weight classes, the Spartans had two bouts that were only one-point defeat, including one near upset.
"There was some good that came out of the day in our loss, Chandler said. "Peyton Omania goes toe-to-toe with the number one guy in the country and out-scores the guy, three takedowns to two. He's right there with the best and figuring some things out."
Chandler had high praise for the three Spartans that collected wins in the dual.
"Chase Saldate goes out and dominates a match in all three positions: top, bottom and neutral. He has a championship mindset. I think Layne Malczewski proved to himself that he can be on the podium this year; he is that good! Cam Caffey continues to pave the way and lead this team with his mindset of always looking to score and figuring out a way to find his openings to attack," Chandler said.
Caffey earned a tough, 3-2, decision over No. 25 Gavin Hoffman of OSU, getting an escape in the second period and a takedown in the third frame, and held off Hoffman at the end. Friday's win not only improved Caffey to 3-0 on the season, but it was his 13th-consecutive regular-season victory, as part of winning 15 of his last 16 matches overall, picking up right where he left off in 2020, despite moving up a weight class. Caffey's lone loss in his last 16 matches was to No. 1-seed Aaron Brooks of Penn State in a close 3-2 decision in the 184-pound Big Ten Championship.Â
Saldate knocked off No. 23 Elijah Cleary of Ohio State with a 4-0 decision. After a scoreless first two periods, Saldate scored an escape in the third period, then a takedown and adding riding time advantage for the win. The Spartan freshman moves to 2-1 on the year, with his lone loss to No. 6 Brayton Lee of Minnesota in a 5-4 decision on Jan. 16.
Like Saldate, Malczewski upset a higher-ranked opponent, edging the Buckeyes' Rocky Jordan, ranked No. 16, in a 4-2 decision. However, unlike like Saldate, Malczewski's bout saw early scoring, as the Spartan scored a takedown in the first frame, and scored an escape early in the second for a 3-0. Malczewski controlled most of the rest of the action, adding up riding time, before Jordan scored a takedown in the waning moments, but Malczewski tacked on the riding-time point for the 4-2 decision.
Two other Spartans suffered one-point decision losses in hard-fought fashion. At 125 pounds, redshirt-junior No. 10 Rayvon Foley was edged by No. 12 Malik Heinselman in a 5-4 decision, while at 149, redshirt-freshman Peyton Omania's upset bid of No. 2 Sammy Sasso came up short with a 7-6 loss, after Omania led early on.
"We are close as to being a very good team," Chandler said. "We just have to get all 10 guys, not seven or eight willing to battle for all seven minutes with an aggressive willing to fight mindset. If we do that, great things will happen."
Michigan State's next action will be on Saturday, Feb. 6, heading to Bloomington, Ind., for a quad meet hosted by Indiana, taking on the host Hoosiers, along with Nebraska and Rutgers.
The Spartans return home to host Purdue on Friday, Feb. 12, before wrapping up regular-season action with Michigan on Friday, Feb. 19.
No. 11 Ohio State 24, No. 23 Michigan State 9
125: No. 12 Malik Heinselman (OSU) dec. No. 10 Rayvon Foley (1-1), 5-4; OSU leads, 3-0
133: No. 24 Jordan Decatur (OSU) dec. No. 28 Jordan Hamdan (MSU), 5-0; OSU leads, 6-0
141: Anthony Echemendia (OSU) dec. Jake Spiess (MSU), 6-3; OSU leads, 9-0
149: No. 2 Sammy Sasso (OSU) dec. No. 31 Peyton Omania (MSU), 7-6; OSU leads, 12-0
157: No. 29 Chase Saldate (MSU) dec. No. 23 Elijah Cleary (OSU), 4-0; OSU leads, 12-3
165: No. 6 Ethan Smith (OSU) maj. dec. No. 18 Jake Tucker (MSU), 17-6; OSU leads, 16-3
174: No. 4 Kaleb Romero (OSU) maj. dec. No. 17 Drew Hughes (MSU), 13-3; OSU leads, 20-3
184: No. 13 Layne Malczewski (MSU) dec. No. 16 Rocky Jordan (OSU), 4-2; OSU leads, 20-6
197: No. 6 Cameron Caffey (MSU) dec. No. 25 Gavin Hoffman (OSU), 3-2; OSU leads, 20-9
HWT: No. 8 Tate Orndorff (OSU) maj. dec. Christian Rebottaro (MSU), 12-1; OSU wins, 24-9
Extra Matches:
125: Tristan Lujan (MSU) dec. Brady Koontz (OSU), 5-3
141: Matt Santos (MSU) dec. Dylan D'Emilio (OSU), 3-2
157: Â Nathan Atienza (MSU) dec. Isaac Wilcox (OSU), 11-4
165: Caleb Fish (MSU) (2-0) dec. Kevon Freeman (OSU), 4-0
197: Chase Singletary (OSU) fall over Austen Malczewski (MSU), 2:07
157: Bryce Hepner (OSU) fall over Nathan Atienza (MSU), 2:50
133: No. Â 28 Jordan Hamdan (MSU) dec. Brady Koontz (OSU), 4-2
125: Jordan Decatur (OSU) dec. Tristan Lujan (MSU), 3-2
Attendance: 86
* = Rankings according to TrackWrestling
*Extra Matches: Due to only wrestling within the conference, the Big Ten will permit schools to hold extra matches on competition dates. Though they will not count towards dual scoring, they will count towards an individual's varsity record for purposes of seeding for the conference and national tournament.
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Monday, January 22
Spartans All-Access: Mayhem at the Mainstage
Tuesday, December 12
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Wednesday, December 21