Friday, February 19
East Lansing, Mich.
5 PM ET
Michigan State University
vs
No. 4 Michigan
Photo by: Sam Janicki
No. 23 Michigan State Wrestling Tangles With In-State Rival No. 4 Michigan Friday Night
2/18/2021 6:45:00 PM | Wrestling
Spartans square off with Wolverines on Big Ten Network
| No. 23 MICHIGAN STATE (2-4, 2-4 B1G)Â vs. No. 4 Michigan (4-1, 4-1 B1G)Â Â Â | |
| DATE | Friday, Feb. 19, 2021 |
| TIME | 5 p.m. ET |
| LOCATION | East Lansing, Mich. • Jenison Field House |
| TICKETS | NO TICKETSÂ |
| TELEVISION | Big Ten Network |
| STREAMING | FoxSportsGo {WATCH LIVE} |
| LIVE RESULTS | TrackWrestling {LIVE RESULTS} |
| ROSTERS/TENTATIVE LINEUPS | FLIP CARD |
| MATCH NOTES | Michigan State  | Michigan |
| SOCIAL MEDIA |   @wrestlingmsu  |   MichiganStateWrestling  |   @wrestlingmsu |
No. 23 Michigan State wrestling wraps up regular-season action with its final home match of the shortened season by hosting in-state rival, No. 4 Michigan, on Friday, Feb. 19. The in-state clash between the Spartans and Wolverines gets underway at 5 p.m. ET from Jenison Field House and the ranked vs. ranked battle will be nationally televised on the Big Ten Network.
Friday evening's action will be streamed on FoxSportsGo.com and the FoxSportsGo app, with live results available at MSUSpartans.com and updates on twitter @wrestlingmsu.
Due to current Michigan State University restrictions, no fans will be allowed at Friday's dual, only a small amount of student-athletes' and staff families are permitted.
Friday is MSU's final match of the abbreviated 2021 ledger. The Spartans' abbreviated 2021 season was book-ended by home matches, opening the season with a home tri-meet, then scheduled for the next three weekends away from home before closing with back-to-back Friday night matches.
Last time out, Michigan State was topped by No. 17 Purdue by the palindromic score of 21-12, last Friday, Feb. 12, while then-No. 2 Michigan was edged by No. 3 Penn State, 18-13, the same night. The Penn State dual was only the Wolverines' second match after a nearly three-week UM Athletic Department shut down.Â
SENIOR NIGHT
• Friday night is Michigan State's Senior Night, and the MSU will honor six Spartan seniors who will be wrestling in their final home action for the Green & White:
•   Nick Cooper
•   Drew Hughes
•   Matt Lloyd
•   Austen Malczewski
•   Jackson Renicker
•   Jake Spiess
"All of these seniors were part of our first two recruiting classes, so there is no doubt they have a special place with me," MSU head coach Roger Chandler said. "They helped set the trend for change within the program that MSU wants to be nationally relevant on year in and out basis. They have left their mark with Spartan Wrestling and have left it in a better place than when they started."
All six seniors are slated to graduate this upcoming spring.
COACH CHANDLER CHAT
On facing Michigan in final home match of regular-season:
"I think it's great to have a high level opponent to end the regular season. It's preparation for the Big Ten Championships, where we have to take our level of intensity up a notch and be ready to battle."
On having the rivalry match on national television:
"This is great exposure for our program to be seen to masses. There is no doubt that our guys recognize this opportunity and I know they'll be ready to compete on the biggest stage."
On what it means to program and to him on honoring the six seniors:
"All of these seniors were part of our first two recruiting classes, so there is no doubt they have a special place with me. They helped set the trend for change within the program that MSU wants to be nationally relevant on year in and out basis. They have left their mark with Spartan Wrestling and have left it in a better place than when they started."
On what he hopes to see in final regular-season match to get momentum going into Big Ten Championships:
"I want to see championship level intensity and focus in each and every match. Each guy needs to take advantage of their openings to put points on the scoreboard and compete for an entire seven minutes.
FOLEY FACING HOMETOWN TEAM
• Michigan State 125-pounder, redshirt-junior Rayvon Foley, is a native of Ann Arbor, Mich., where he was a 2017 State Champion at Pioneer HS, becoming the first champion from Pioneer since 1989, and compiled a 53-3 record his senior year.
• At MSU, Foley is a two-time NCAA Qualifier, including earning All-American honors in 2019 after finishing seventh at the NCAAs, before redshirting the 2020 season recovering from an injury ... as a freshman in 2018, Foley became only the third true freshman Spartan since 1978 to qualify for NCAA Championships.
• After being ranked No. 2 earlier in the season, Foley is currently ranked No. 10 by FloWrestling, with an even 3-3 ledger.
SPARTANS FROM GREAT LAKES STATE
• Michigan State has 24 wrestlers from the state of Michigan, including four in the tentative starting lineup:
• 125  No. 13 Rayvon Foley (R-JR, Ann Arbor, Mich.)
• 133  Jordan Hamdan (R-FR, Hudson, Mich.)
• 141  Matt Santos (R-SR, Saginaw, Mich.)
• 184  No. 13 Layne Malczewski (R-SO, Macomb, Mich.)
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS WRESTLING STYLE
• Friday's in-state clash with the Wolverines marks the Spartans' third and final Friday night match of the season, with all three coming in a stretch of the last four weekends of the regular-season in action on Friday nights ... MSU's first Friday night action was a dual at then-No. 11 Ohio State on Jan 29 ... last Friday night, Feb. 12, the Spartans were topped by then-No. 17 Purdue, 21-12.
HOME FOR TWO
• After competing away from home for the previous three matches, Michigan State wraps up the regular-season with back-to-back home matches on the final two Fridays, starting last week vs. No. 17 Purdue on Feb. 12, dropping a 21-12 dual, before wrapping up regular-season action with current No. 2 Michigan this Friday night.
• After opening at home on Jan. 16 with a tri-meet vs. Maryland and then-No. 14 Minnesota, the Spartans' next action on Jan. 24 at then-No. 2 Penn State was postponed due to COVID-19 concerns. Michigan State took on then No. 11 Ohio State on Jan. 29 in Columbus, before last week's scheduled quad meet turned tri-meet at Indiana and then-No. 7 Nebraska, as No. 24 Rutgers was scheduled to compete at Indiana, but had to withdraw due to COVID-19 concerns.
RANKED FOES
• Friday's dual against the No. 4-ranked Wolverines in the Spartans third-consecutive match-up with a ranked opponent, as part of a stretch of five ranked foes out of the now updated seven matches on the abbreviated regular-season, after matches against then-No. 2 Penn State and then-No. 24 Rutgers were postponed due to COVID-19 concerns in both programs.
• Overall, the Spartans have faced a ranked opponent in five of their seven matches so far, with No. 14 Minnesota on Jan. 16, No. 11 on Jan. 29, No. 7 Nebraska on Feb. 6, No. 17 Purdue last Friday night and No. 4 Michigan this Friday ... that leaves only the season-opener against Maryland and the first match of a tri-meet at Indiana on Feb. 6 as the only regular-season matches against unranked opponents.Â
• MSU's took on then-No. 14 Minnesota on Jan. 16 in the second match of day after facing Maryland in the opener ... The Spartans opened the season by shutting out Maryland, 42-0, before losing to Minnesota, 28-6 ... On Friday, Jan. 29, Michigan State took on No. 11 Ohio State, dropping a 24-9 contest  ... the Spartans opened up the tri-meet at Indiana last week by beating the host Hoosiers, 28-10, before wrapping up action with a 27-10 loss to No. 7 Nebraska ... last Friday, MSU was topped by No. 17 Purdue by a palindromic, 21-12 score.
SPARTAN WRESTLING IN NWCA RANKINGS
• Michigan State remains ranked in this week's NWCA Coaches Poll, sliding a spot back to No. 23 after climbing up to No. 22 last week, after being ranked No. 23 for the previous two weeks ... MSU was No. 21 in this season's preseason rankings (1/1/21), sliding out of the first week's (1/5/21), but back in the second week's at No. 25 ... it was the first time since 2009 that the Spartans are in the NWCA's regular-season rankings, when MSU was No. 21 in the Nov. 11, 2009 poll ... prior to 2009, the Spartans were ranked in most of the 2007 weekly rankings.
Preseason 1-1Â Â Â 21
Week 1 - 1/5Â Â Â -- (31)
Week 2 - 1/12Â Â Â 25
Week 3 - 1/19Â Â Â 24
Week 4 - 1/26Â Â Â 23
Week 5 - 2/2Â Â Â 23
Week 6 - 2/9Â Â Â 22
Week 7 - 2/16Â Â Â 23
RANK 'EM
• Along with the NWCA rankings, MSU is in several different team rankings, as high as No. 19 by Wrestle Stat's Dual Rankings to No. 24 in both WrestleStat's Tournament Rankings and FloWrestling's Dual Rankings, to several spots in between in other polls, as well as No. 23 in the NWCA Coaches Poll. {See rankings box on pg. 3 for more info}
• Individually, seven different Spartans are ranked in at least one of the five rankings from Flowrestling (Top 25 individuals in each weight class), Intermat (Top 20), OnTheMat (Top 33), Trackwrestling (Top 33) and Wrestle Stat (Top 33).Â
• Redshirt-junior 197-pounder Cameron Caffey is one of three highest-ranked Spartans, coming in at No. 4 in WrestleStat's, and is in the Top 10 in all five rankings ... redshirt-junior 125-pounder Rayvon Foley is as high as No. 7 in the WrestleStat rankings ... redshirt-sophomore 184-pounder Layne Malczewski is also in the Top 15 of all five rankings.
• Caffey, Malczewski and Foley are the only three Spartans to be ranked in all five polls, while 165-pounder Jake Tucker (R-SR) and 174-pounder Drew Hughes (R-SR) are in four of the five and 157-pounder Chase Saldate (FR) is in three of the five.
HIGHLY CAFFEY-NATED
• Despite moving up to 197-pounds this season after wrestling at 184 last year, redshirt-junior Cameron Caffey opened up the 2021 season by picking up right where he left off in 2020 ... Caffey had a streak of 14-straight regular-season victories halted on Feb. 6 with a hard-fought, 6-5, loss to No. 2 Eric Schultz of Nebraska, but bounced back with a thrilling, 9-7 win over No. 12 Thomas Penola of Purdue, rallying from down 5-3 early in the third period ... Caffey has won 17 of his last 19 matches overall and 19 of his last 22 matches.
• Prior to the loss to Schultz on Feb. 6, Caffey's previous loss in his prior 18 matches was to No. 1-seed Aaron Brooks of Penn State in a close 3-2 decision in the 184-pound Big Ten Championship on March 8, 2020.Â
• To open up the 2021 season, Caffey went 2-0 in his first matches in his new weight class ... Caffey posted a 14-4 major decision over Kevin Makosy of Maryland and beat Garret Joles of Minnesota in a 12-5 decision during the tri-meet on Jan. 16 ... he topped No. 25 Gavin Hoffman of Ohio State in a hard-fought 3-2 decision ... Caffey opened the tri-meet at Indiana with a 4-2 win over No. 28 Nick Willham of Indiana, before the showdown with Schultz.
VICTORY LAYNE
• Redshirt-sophomore Layne Malczewski climbed up in the 174 rankings to as high as No. 8 last week after opening the season 5-0, before a 6-1 loss to No. 14 Max Lyon of Purdue last time out, snapping Malczewski's nine-match win streak ... along with winning his last nine of 10 matches, Malczewski has won 12 of his last 15 overall matches.
• Malczewski began the season barely ranked in the Top 20 of all five rankings, but climbed up into the Top 10 in four of the top five and in the Top 12 in all five rankings last week, including as high as No. 8 in both FloWrestling and InterMat's rankings, and is still in the Top 15 in all five.
• Malczewski's previous two wins before the recent loss came on a pair of quick-pin wins, with two pins in just 2:50 total, at the Indiana tri-meet with Nebraska on Feb. 6 ... he opened the day by pinning Drayton Harris of Indiana in just 1:12 ... that's the second-fastest pin of the season for the Spartans this season ... the Spartan then rounded out the day with a fall over Nathan Haas at 1:38.Â
SALDATE SHUTOUT STREAK
• Freshman Chase Saldate is 4-2, with his two losses coming to then No. 6 and 7-ranked opponents by a total of three points ... last time out, Saldate was edged by No. 7 Kendall Coleman of Purdue, 6-4 in sudden victory 1 ... prior to the loss to Coleman, Saldate's only other loss was to then-No. 6 Brayton Lee of Minnesota, 5-4, in the opening weekend.
• Before the loss to Coleman last week, Saldate had won his previous three matches all by shutouts ... Saldate started the streak with a 4-0 shutout over No. 23 Elijah Cleary of Ohio State on Feb. 29, then registered an 8-0 major decision over Indiana's Matt Ortiz in the opener of the tri-meet on Feb. 6, then a sequel of an 8-0 major decision over Nebraska's Jevon Parrish in the second match of the day.
• Saldate moved to 4-1 on the season with the two shutouts on Feb. 6, with a fall and two major decisions on the season ledger.
• After starting the season unranked across the board, Saldate climbed into the top 25 in three of the five rankings, as high as No. 23 in The Open Mat's rankings. Â
ABOUT MICHIGAN
• The No. 4-ranked Wolverines bring a 4-1 overall and 4-1 B1G ledger into Friday night's in-state rivalry battle ... last time out, then-No. 2 Michigan was edged by No. 3 Penn State, 18-13, last Friday ... the Penn State dual was only the Wolverines' second match after a nearly three-week UM Athletic Department shut down.
• Prior to the battle with Penn State, Michigan's first match back was an 18-16 win over rival Ohio State ... UM had four matches postponed from Jan. 31-Feb. 7, including a showdown with No. 1 Iowa scheduled for Jan. 31 ... before their shutdown, the Wolverines topped unranked Indiana, 32-6, on Jan. 17 ... UM opened the season with a 26-10 win at Rutgers on Jan. 8, then went to unranked Maryland on Jan. 10, and won, 38-3.Â
Michigan Tentative Lineup
125Â Â Â Jack Medley (R-JR | 5-2) / No. 16* Dylan Ragusin (FR | 3-1)
133Â Â Â Jack Medley (R-JR | 5-2) / No. 16* Dylan Ragusin (FR | 3-1)
141Â Â Â Drew Mattin (R-JR | 2-3)
149Â Â Â No. 7 Kanen Storr (R-SR | 4-1)
157Â Â Â No. 10 Will Lewan (R-SO | 4-1)
165Â Â Â No. 14 Cameron Amine (R-FR | 4-1)
174Â Â Â No. 6 Logan Massa (R-SR | 4-1)
184Â Â Â Jaden Bullock (FR | 2-2)
or   Jelani Embree (R-JR | 0-1)
197Â Â Â No. 1^ Myles Amine (R-SR | 2-0)
HWTÂ Â Â No. 2 Mason Parris (JR | 5-0)
* = D. Ragusin is No. 16 in 125 rankings
^ = M.Amine was No. 1 at 184 last week, moving up to 197 this week
UP NEXT
The Spartans prepare for the Big Ten Championships at University Park, Pa., hosted by Penn State, Saturday and Sunday, March 6-7 at PSU's Bryce Jordan Center.
NEW SEASON, NEW RESTRICTIONS DURING THESE UNPRECEDENTED TIMES
• Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 season will feature several Michigan State University, Big Ten, local, state and national restrictions and guidelines during these unprecedented times.
• There will be no fans in the stands, however, a limited number of family members of the student-athletes will be allowed when restrictions allot, unfortunately there will be no fans allowed this Friday.
• Due to the NCAA granting a blanket waiver for 2020-21, all wrestlers will be eligible to compete in varsity action this season without losing the ability to redshirt.
• The Big Ten Conference will be competing in conference-only matches, with each team competing in nine matches on either six or seven dates, with the Big Ten Championships slated for March 6-7 at University Park, Pa., hosted by Penn State and the NCAA Championships, scheduled for March 18-20 at Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Mo.
• 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.
MOVIN' ON UP
Four of the Spartans NCAA Qualifiers from a year ago have moved up a weight class:
• Jake Tucker • R-SR: From 157 to 165
• Drew Hughes • R-SR: From 165 to 174
• Layne Malszewski • R-SO: From 174 to 184
• Cameron Caffey • R-JR: From 184 to 197
MSU'S RETURNING NCAA QUALIFIERS
• The Spartans have five returning NCAA Qualifiers, featuring four from 2020, before the Championships were cancelled, plus one from 2019 in redshirt-junior Rayvon Foley, who redshirted the 2019-20 season.
• Rayvon Foley • R-JR • 125: Redshirted 2019-20 ... NCAA All-American at 125 in 2019 Championships, finishing seventh.
• Jake Tucker • R-SR • 165: 27-9 in 2019-20 at 157 ... sixth at B1G Championships.
• Drew Hughes • R-SR • 174: 18-11 in 2019-20 at 165 ... MSU's 1st three-time NCAA Qualifier since '15 ... seventh at B1G Championships.
• Cameron Caffey • R-JR • 197: 27-7 in 2019-20 at 184 ... B1G Runner-Up ... 2020 NWCA All-American ... 2020 NWCA Scholar All-American ... Won gold medal at 87 kg at the 2020 U23 Greco-Roman Championships.
• Layne Malszewski • R-SO • 184: 25-13 in 2019-20 at 174 ... seventh at B1G Championships.
SPARTAN WRESTLING PREVALENT IN PRESEASON PROGNOSTICATIONS
• Michigan State wrestling will open the 2021 season in the top 20 of four different polls and have several wrestlers ranked in their respective weight classes, as of Dec. 29, 2020.
• In the team rankings, MSU is ranked as high as No. 13 in Wrestle Stat's team tournament rankings to No. 19 in Intermat's team dual rankings. Along with being No. 13 Wrestle Stat's team tournament rankings, the Spartans are No. 14 in Wrestle Stat's team tournament rankings. The Green & White is also No. 15 in Trackwrestling's team rankings and tied for No. 17 in FloWrestling's rankings, along with No. 16 in Intermat's team tournament rankings and No. 19 in their team dual rankings.
• Individually, a total of eight different Spartans are ranked in at least one of the four rankings from Flowrestling (Top 25 individuals in each weight class), Intermat (Top 20 individuals), Trackwrestling (Top 33 individuals) and Wrestle Stat (Top 33 individuals).
• MSU's highest-ranked wrestler is 125-pounder Rayvon Foley, as the redshirt-junior is No. 2 in all four rankings. Foley redshirted last season after a recovering from an injury, but was an NCAA All-American at 125 pounds in 2019 following a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Championships, ending with a 36-6 overall record.
• At 133 pounds, redshirt-freshman Jordan Hamdan is ranked No. 23 by Wrestle Stat and No. 25 in the Trackwrestling rankings. While redshirting last season, Hamden competed only in open tournaments, leading all freshmen with 18 wins on way to 18-5 mark.
• Redshirt-freshman Peyton Omania returns to action at 149 pounds and is No. 31 in the Trackwrestling rankings. Omania took an Olympic redshirt last season to train for the originally scheduled 2020 Olympics. He secured a bronze medal at the US Junior World Greco-Roman Championships at 67kg in Tallinn, Estonia in August, 2019, and captured the gold medal at 67 kg in the U23 Greco-Roman championship at the USA Wrestling Greco-Roman National Championships in Omaha, Nebraska this past November.
• In the 157-pound rankings, redshirt-junior Nathan Atienza checks in at No. 21 by Wrestle Stat and No. 31 by Trackwrestling. Atienza went 10-8 last season, competing at 149 and 157 pounds for the Spartans in open tournaments, including three wins by fall on the way to claiming a first-place finish at the Edinboro Open.
• At 165, redshirt-senior Jake Tucker is ranked No. 14 by both Wrestle Stat and Intermat, as well as No. 16 by Trackwrestling and No. 19 by Flowrestling. Tucker was a 2020 NCAA Qualifier at 157 pounds, posting a 27-9 record sharing the team-lead in victories, including two wins over top 25 opponents, while finishing sixth at the Big Ten Championships.
• Fellow redshirt-senior Drew Hughes is in all four rankings at 174, including No. 13 by Trackwrestling, No. 15 by Intermat, No. 17 by Flowrestling and No. 18 by Wrestle Stat. Hughes also was a 2020 NCAA Qualifier at 165 pounds, becoming the first Spartan wrestler to become a three-time NCAA Qualifier since John Rizqallah in 2015. Hughes finished with an 18-11 record, ending sixth at the Big Ten Championships.
• At 184, redshirt-sophomore Layne Malczewski is ranked No. 14 by Trackwrestling, No. 17 by Wrestle Stat and No. 22 by Flowrestling. Also a 2020 NCAA Qualifier, Malczewski finished third on the team with 25 wins, ending with a 25-13 ledger, finishing seventh at the Big Ten Championships at 174 pounds.Â
• Rounding out the eight Spartans in the preseason rankings is redshirt-junior Cameron Caffey, who is MSU's second-highest ranked individual, collecting four top 10 rankings. Caffey will enter the 2021 season ranked No. 3 by Wrestle Stat, along with No. 6 by Trackwrestling, No. 7 by Intermat and No. 8 by Flowrestling. Caffey was a 2020 NCAA Qualifier, as well as 2020 Big Ten finalist at 184 pounds, on the way to finishing with a 27-7 record, sharing the team-lead for wins, finishing as an NWCA All-American. Caffey, who also topped the Spartans in dual wins with 16, finishing with a 16-2 dual mark, also led MSU with nine falls as well as topping the team with 67 dual points.
MSU WRESTLING SHINES AT USA WRESTLING NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
• Michigan State wrestlers collected nine All-American accolades, including two national champions, at the USA Wrestling Greco-Roman National Championships over the weekend of Nov. 14-15 in Omaha, Nebraska.Â
• Cameron Caffey won the 87 kg U23 Greco-Roman championship, while Peyton Omania captured the 67 kg U23 Greco-Roman championship. Caffey won on a 10-2 technical fall over Guy Patron of Dubuque Wrestling Club, rallying from an early 2-0 deficit by reeling off 10 unanswered points. This is the second national title for Caffey, who won the UWW Junior Nationals in 2019 and competed in the 2019 UWW Junior Worlds.
• Omania won his title bout by forfeit over Benjamin Peak of Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club. Omania collected his second-straight U23 National crown, and won a bronze medal at the 2019 Junior Worlds in Greco-Roman.
• Other Spartans earning All-American honors in the U23 division were Matt Santos finishing seventh at 60 kg and Jackson Renicker placing fourth at 63 kg. In the UWW Junior division, Andrew Chambal was fourth at 55 kg and Jordan Hamdan was fifth at 60 kg.
• In freestyle in the U23 division, Caffey was third at 86 kg, while Rayvon Foley was fifth at 57 kg. In the UWW Junior division, Layne Malczewski was fourth at 86 kg.
• Caffey and Omania qualified for the 2021 Senior World Team Trials.Â
Greco-Roman
U23:
60kg - Matt Santos - 7th
63kg - Jackson Renicker - 4th
67kg - Peyton Omania - ChampionÂ
87kg - Cameron Caffey - Â Champion
UWW Junior:
55kg - Andrew Chambal - 4th
60kg - Jordan Hamdan - 5th
Freestyle
U23:
57kg - Rayvon Foley - 5th
86kg - Cameron Caffey - 3rd
UWW Junior:
86kg - Layne Malczewski - 4th
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