Wrestling Closes 2021 Calendar with Tri-Meet at Olivet

Michigan State (3-0) vs. Baldwin Wallace (2-0)
Date: Saturday, Dec. 18
Time: 5:30 p.m. ET
Location: Cutler Event Center (Olivet, Mich.)
Watch: OlivetComets.com

Michigan State at Olivet (2-4)
Date: Saturday, Dec. 18
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Location: Cutler Event Center (Olivet, Mich.)
Watch: OlivetComets.com

EAST LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan State wrestling team will take part in its final two dual matches of the calendar year on Saturday, Dec. 18 with a tri-meet at Olivet. MSU's opponents both enter the weekend ranked among the Top-25 in the NWCA Division III poll.

The Spartans face Baldwin Wallace at 5:30 p.m. inside the Cutler Event Center, before taking on the host Comets in the nightcap at 7 p.m.

Last Time Out

For the Green and White, they are coming off a 29-12 victory over Gardner-Webb last Saturday that improved MSU to 3-0 in dual meets.
MSU won six of the ten bouts, picking up bonus points in all six victories and did not allow the Runnin' Bulldogs to earn any bonus points in the four losing bouts.
185-pound redshirt junior Layne Malczewski was the first highlight of the night with his 15-0 technical fall over fellow 2021 NCAA qualifier Jha'Quan Anderson.
The other highlight was redshirt senior Brad Wilton pinning his foe, Peyton McComas, in the final bout of the night, earning the 6:35 fall in the heavyweight class.
Redshirt seniors Rayvon Foley (133) and Cameron Caffey (197), along with sophomore Chase Saldate (157), all had major decisions, while redshirt sophomore Peyton Omania had a win via injury default at 149.

Scouting the Spartans

Freshman Luke Daly has the most overall wins on the season with a 13-6 record, all coming in tournament action, while Saldate is behind him at 12-1 on the campaign.
Foley, Saldate, Malczewski and Caffey are all undefeated in dual competition at 3-0.
Malczewski and Wilton are the only two Spartans to record pins in dual bouts so far, and Caffey is lone MSU wrestler to score bonus points in every dual match he's been in.
Saldate leads the way with six pins on the season, while Caffey has the most overall victories by major decisions at four.

Ranking Michigan State

The Spartans are once again receiving votes in the NWCA Division I coaches poll, and are slotted No. 28 in the WrestleStat dual rankings. In tournament rankings, MSU sits 34th according to WrestleStat, 40th for FloWrestling and 43rd in the WIN Magazine list.
Rayvon Foley enters in the top-15 of all four 133 rankings: No. 11 on Intermat and WrestleStat, and No. 15 for FloWrestling and WIN Magazine.
Chase Saldate comes in 21st on WrestleStat, while sitting No. 21 on Intermat and No. 24 for FloWrestling.
Sophomore Caleb Fish holds the No. 24 spot on WrestleStat, earning honorable mention from FloWrestling this week.
Layne Malczewski finds himself No. 19 on FloWrestling, No. 20 on WrestleStat and No. 26 with Intermat.
For Cameron Caffey, he enters Saturday at No. 16 for WrestleStat, No. 20 on Intermat and WIN, and receiving honorable mention by FloWrestling.

Scouting Baldwin Wallace

The Yellow Jackets are coming off the 57 North Central Invitational, where they placed first out of 15 teams. BWU also has dual victories over then-No. 11 Mount Union and Otterbein.
Baldwin Wallace sits at No. 5 in the NCWA Division III poll, while ranking No. 6 according to Intermat and WrestleStat, with FloWrestling putting BW at No. 9 in their weekly rankings.
FloWrestling ranks 125-pound Jacob Decatur at No. 2 nationally, while Lucas Salmon (No. 6 at 184), Doug Byrne (No. 8 at 197) and Dalton Leightner (No. 9 at 165) are all top-10 wrestlers as well in the Division III individual rankings.
The Yellow Jackets won their fifth Ohio Athletic Conference title last season, with seven wrestlers earning all-conference honors.

Scouting Olivet

After winning two of its first three duals, Olivet has dropped three-straight but also earned first place at the Ohio Northern Invitational earlier this month.
Olivet came in tied for No. 24 in the most recent NCWA DIII coaches poll, but are 36th in the WrestleStat rankings for Division III.
Donovan King sat No. 3 for heavyweights and Dylan Briggs was the sixth-best wrestler at 165 according to the latest FloWrestling rankings.

Series History

Saturday will be first-ever meeting between MSU and Baldwin Wallace in dual competition.
The Spartans are 2-0 in dual matches with Olivet, as MSU took a Feb. 14, 2014 win by a 40-0 score before notching a 44-0 victory on Nov. 15, 2014.

Up Next

Michigan State will return in the New Year, heading to the Southern Scuffle on Jan. 1-2.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Cameron Caffey

Skyler Crespo

Luke Daly

Jaden Enriquez

Caleb Fish

Rayvon Foley

Jordan Hamdan

Miles Hoey

Eddie Homrock

Nathan Jimenez

Tristan Lujan

Layne Malczewski

Peyton Omania

Julian Saldana

Chase Saldate

Matt Santos

Brad Wilton