Spartan Wrestling Announces 2022 Team Award Winners

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State's wrestling program held its annual team banquet on Thursday, April 14, as head coach Roger Chandler and his staff unveiled their 2021-22 award winners.

The Spartans posted a 10-4 dual record for its best winning percentage (.714) since 1995, tallied a 4-4 Big Ten mark that was the program's best since 2005, and sent five wrestlers to the NCAA Championships in Detroit.

Sophomore Chase Saldate was recognized for being the team's statistical leader in falls, as the 157 pounder tallied seven pins on the season, including four in the opening weekend that helped him take home the 157-pound title at the MSU Open.

The Tom Muir Most Improved Award was given to redshirt senior Brad Wilton, who bumped up to the heavyweight class from 197 pounds after an early-season injury to Christian Rebottaro. Wilton posted a 7-7 record in duals, including winning decisions at Lock Haven and Indiana that secured comeback victories for MSU, and tallied the third-most pins on the team with five.

Having the Most Improved honor named after him, Muir began wrestling as a senior in high school and joined the Spartans as a walk-on. After a slow start to his wrestling career at Michigan State, Muir went on to become a Big Ten Champion his senior season in 1969.

Graduate student Matt Santos and redshirt senior Rayvon Foley shared the Commitment Award, as both showed dedication to the team on the mat, in the practice room and in the classroom. Santos returned for his sixth year with the program, serving as a team leader and mentor to the younger wrestlers while earning a starting spot at 141 pounds. For Foley, he battled through nagging injuries to earn a top-10 seed at the NCAA Championships and share the team lead with 29 victories on the season, including a 13-1 dual record and a B1G Wrestler of the Week award.

Earning the Outstanding Freshman Award was 165-pound Caleb Fish, as the second-year Spartan entered into the starting lineup at the beginning of the season and never looked back en route to qualifying for the NCAA Championships. After winning the underclassman division at the MSU Open, Fish went on to post a 22-12 overall record and an 8-6 mark in duals, highlighted by his 9-5 decision over No. 10 Zach Hartman of Bucknell his third career dual match.

Sophomore Jeremy Sarter received the Grady Peninger Scholastic Achievement Award, named after the longtime Spartan head coach. The 125-pound Sarter showed excellence in the classroom by tallying a cumulative GPA of 3.884 while majoring in kinesiology.

Sharing the Perseverance Award were sophomore Tristan Lujan and graduate student Julian Saldana. Lujan overcame an early-season injury that kept him out of action for most of November and December before coming back to make his dual season debut at Olivet with a 1:39 pin. Lujan would hold down the starting spot at 125 pounds the rest of the way, posting a 13-13 record on the season and barely missing out an automatic qualification to the NCAA Championships. The sixth-year Saldana drew into the lineup during Lujan's absence, going 5-9 on the season and taking fourth place at the Navy Classic, before serving as Lujan and Foley's backup the rest of the campaign.

The Collins-Mikles Leadership Award went to redshirt senior Cameron Caffey and redshirt junior Layne Malczewski, the mainstays of the Spartan upperweights. The 184-pound Malczewski and 197-pound Caffey combined for 98 dual points and 52 overall victories, continually winning ranked matchups to lead MSU to victory, while also serving as team captains and being individually ranked for most of the season by all the major media outlets.

The Collins-Mikles Leadership Award is named after two Spartans, Fendley Collins and Gale Mikles. Collins was the head coach of the Spartans from 1930 to 1962, coaching 43 All-Americans, 12 NCAA Champions and 14 NCAA Top-10 team finishes, including three runner-up finishes at the NCAA Championships. Mikles was a NCAA Champion for the Spartans in 1947 and a three-time All-American at 155 pounds, being inducted into the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1992.

Caffey also took home the Outstanding Wrestler Award, pacing the team in overall wins (29), dual points (50) and major decisions (eight). Caffey's 14-0 dual record made him the first MSU grappler to post an undefeated dual record since MSU Hall of Famer Franklin Gomez went 17-0 in duals in 2007-08. A pair of ranked wins over No. 6 Greg Bulsak and No. 2 Max Dean earned the 197-pounder the Big Ten Wrestler of the Week on Jan. 26, as he would be the only wrestler to defeat the eventual NCAA champion in Dean.

The team also announced that the Special Moment of the 2021-22 season was the Spartans' 19-17 comeback win at Lock Haven to open the dual schedule on Dec. 2. Dealing with a rowdy Lock Haven sellout crowd and down 17-5 with three bouts left, Malczewski (6:58 fall), Caffey (14-5 major decision) and Wilton (13-5 major decision) all captured bonus-point victories to propel MSU to their first dual win of the campaign.

Additionally, the team gave out Manager Awards to student managers Maddie Coon, Kylee Chandler and Taylor Newstead for their dedication and service to the program.

Coach Chandler and his staff also gave plaques to Foley, Saldate, Fish, Malczewski and Caffey for being the team's NCAA qualifiers this season, and recognized Santos, Malczewski, Caffey and redshirt sophomore Peyton Omania for their leadership roles as the team's four captains in 2021-22.

Michigan State Wrestling 2022 Team Awards
Most Falls Award
Chase Saldate

Tom Muir Most Improved Award
Brad Wilton

Commitment Award
Matt Santos
Rayvon Foley

Outstanding Freshman Award
Caleb Fish

Grady Peninger Scholastic Achievement Award
Jeremy Sarter

Perseverance Award
Tristan Lujan
Julian Saldaña

Collins-Mikles Leadership Award
Cameron Caffey
Layne Malczewski
Outstanding Wrestler Award
Cameron Caffey

Special Moment Award
December 2, 2021
Michigan State 19 Lock Haven 17
184 - Layne Malczewski (Fall 6:59)
197 - Cameron Caffey (Major Decision 14-5)
285 - Brad Wilton (Major Decision 13-5)

Manager Awards
Maddie Coon
Taylor Newstead
Kylee Chandler

Players Mentioned

Cameron Caffey

Caleb Fish

Rayvon Foley

Tristan Lujan

Layne Malczewski

Peyton Omania

Christian Rebottaro

Julian Saldana

Chase Saldate

Matt Santos

Jeremy Sarter

Brad Wilton

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