Friday, January 27
East Lansing, Mich.
6:30 PM
Michigan State University
37
vs
9
Maryland
No. 22 Spartans Trounce Terrapins for First B1G Victory
1/27/2023 9:08:00 PM | Wrestling
Four Spartans Earn Bonus-Point Victories, MSU Wins Eight Bouts Overall
EAST LANSING, Mich. – No. 22 Michigan State wrestling secured its first Big Ten dual victory of the season in dominant fashion on Friday night, as the Spartans dismantled the Maryland Terrapins by a 37-9 margin inside Jenison Field House.
The Green & White improved to 8-4 overall on the season and booked their first Big Ten dual win since defeating the Terrapins by a 29-6 score on the road last year. MSU is now 1-4 in Big Ten competition, with all four losses coming against teams that were ranked inside the top 25 of the National Wrestling Coaches Association poll. MSU's 28-point margin of victory was its largest win differential in Big Ten dual action since finalizing a 42-0 result, also against Maryland, on Jan. 16, 2021.
Michigan State took home four bonus-point victories on the night, highlighted by a pair of pins from junior 157-pounder Chase Saldate and redshirt senior 184-pounder Layne Malczewski, as well as tech falls from graduate 133-pounder Rayvon Foley and redshirt junior 149-pounder Peyton Omania. Foley assumes the top spot on MSU's tech fall leaderboard with five this season, while Malczewski improves upon his team lead in pins with his ninth. Freshman 174-pounder Ceasar Garza earned a milestone win in the dual, securing the first Big Ten victory of his career with a 5-3 decision against Terrapin captain Dom Solis.
Maryland opened the night at 125 pounds with No. 18 Braxton Brown squaring off against No. 29 Tristan Lujan for the Green & White. Brown opened the match with a takedown and Lujan responded with an escape later in the first period, but the Terrapin managed to build up a significant edge in riding time en route to a 4-1 decision. Michigan State turned the tides on Maryland in the ensuing competition at 133 pounds, with No. 18 Foley securing his second B1G dual match win of the year against Conner Quinn. After booking a couple of takedowns in the first period and surrendering an escape, Foley utilized a dominant second frame and capped off a 17-2 tech fall with a takedown early in the final stanza.
Foley's result afforded the Spartans an early 5-3 lead in the dual leading into a contentious bout at 141 between Maryland's Kal Miller and Michigan State's Jordan Hamdan. The first period passed without incident, but a Hamdan escape followed by Miller's second stall call in the next period culminated in a 2-0 advantage for the Spartan entering the final two minutes. Miller built up enough riding time to secure the point after time expired, but Hamdan came away with the 2-1 decision that put MSU ahead by an 8-3 score.
At 149 pounds, Omania logged a ferocious takedown on a spectacular Greco-Roman style throw and turned Maryland's Joe Fisk for a four-point near fall moments later. Omania tallied over two minutes and 45 seconds of riding time in the first period alone and added another four-point near fall for good measure to take a 10-0 lead into the second. With the bout well under control, Omania tacked on a four-point and two-point near fall in quick succession to finalize his first Big Ten win of the year in a 16-0 tech fall result.
Spartan dominance continued at 157 pounds, as No. 13 Saldate recorded an early first-period takedown against Kevin Schork and never looked back, notching a pin at the 2:08 mark of the match to put MSU ahead by a 19-3 margin. No. 27 Caleb Fish returned to the win column with a 3-1 decision over John Martin Best at 164 pounds. Fish and Best grappled for the first three minutes scoreless, but the Spartan junior logged the first score of the bout on a solid takedown with 1:30 remaining in the second. Best registered an escape soon thereafter, but Fish recorded one of his own that sealed the 3-1 result.
Garza was next on the mat against Maryland's Solis at 174 pounds. The Oakdale, California, native Spartan notched a first-period takedown but allowed a quick escape to take a 2-1 lead after the first frame. Solis started on bottom in the second period and mustered an escape to deadlock the bout at 2-all, but Garza responded with a swift takedown to retake the lead. Solis escaped once more to cut into Garza's lead, but after Maryland conceded an escape to start the third period, the Spartan newcomer was able to close out the 5-3 decision that put Michigan State ahead in the dual by an insurmountable 25-3 tally.
With the dual already in hand, No. 14 Malczewski took center stage against Chase Mielnik, booking a takedown midway through the first period before ending his night early with a spectacular pin at the 2:48 mark of the match. Michigan State's scoring concluded with a forfeit at 197 pounds by Maryland, with 14th-ranked Cameron Caffey earning credit for the forfeited win. The Terrapins bookended their night in mid-Michigan with a pin at heavyweight, as No. 27 Jaron Smith logged a 3:42 fall over Ryan Vasbinder that locked down the 37-9 victory for MSU.
UP NEXT
No. 22 Michigan State wrestling prepares for its final road trip in Big Ten dual action, as the Spartans travel to face the No. 6 Ohio State Buckeyes on Sunday, Jan. 29. First whistle from inside the Covelli Center is slated for 1 p.m., with the dual set for streaming worldwide via B1G+.
POSTMATCH QUOTES
MICHIGAN STATE QUOTES
Head Coach Roger Chandler
On earning the team's first Big Ten Win...
"Nothing has changed all year. That's how we approach every match. Obviously, any time you get a big win like that in this conference, it's an important result. I'm happy for our guys more than anything else. They haven't changed course in their minds, and they went in with the same mindset that they had last week. I'm proud of them, and they deserved to come out on top tonight."
On what he thought the team improved on...
"I thought we did a good job tonight of initiating action and attacks. That is something that we focused on this past week. Instead of counterattacking, we really focused on initiating contact, and we did a great job there. The other thing is, you saw it in two to three matches where they wouldn't go down and choose bottom against us, and that is where we built our identity at the beginning of the year."
On how the team can carry this momentum into the Ohio State dual...
"I know it's cliché, but it's real with this program. We never talk about the next opponent until the next opponent is up. We are going to talk about Ohio State first thing tomorrow morning at practice and there is no doubt in my mind that they are a national title contending team. It's a great opportunity for our guys to jump up another level. I'm a firm believer that in order to jump levels and improve, you have to wrestle against the best. We have that opportunity again on Sunday."
Redshirt senior 184-pounder Layne Malczewski
On how it felt to get the team's first Big Ten win of the season...
"Obviously, the main thing is getting that first Big Ten win. That's huge for our team. We had a few tough goes at the beginning of the year. In the first four duals we had four nationally ranked opponents. It happens. Unfortunately, they didn't go our way. Today we stayed strong as a team. I focused on my attacks, my positions and not what the guy was going to do next. I got on top, I got to my best position, and I knew it was history from there. Getting my wing and wrist in; I knew I was going to end it right there. I just focused on staying tough, and our team did the same tonight."
WRESTLING MATCH RESULTS
#22 Michigan State 37, Maryland 9
Jenison Field House – East Lansing, Mich.
125 | #18 Braxton Brown (UMD) dec. #29 Tristan Lujan (MSU) 4-1 | UMD 3-0
133 | #18 Rayvon Foley (MSU) tech. fall over Conner Quinn (UMD) 17-2 | MSU 5-3
141 | Jordan Hamdan (MSU) dec. Kal Miller (UMD) 2-1 | MSU 8-3
149 | Peyton Omania (MSU) tech. fall over Joe Fisk (UMD) 16-0 | MSU 13-3
157 | #13 Chase Saldate (MSU) fall over Kevin Schork (UMD) 2:08 | MSU 19-3
165 | #27 Caleb Fish (MSU) dec. John Martin Best (UMD) 3-1 | MSU 22-3
174 | Ceasar Garza (MSU) dec. Dom Solis (UMD) 5-3 | MSU 25-3
184 | #14 Layne Malczewski (MSU) fall over Chase Mielnik (UMD) 2:48 | MSU 31-3
197 | #14 Cameron Caffey (MSU) by forfeit | MSU 37-3
285 | #27 Jaron Smith (UMD) fall over Ryan Vasbinder (MSU) 3:42 | MSU wins 37-9
Attendance: 562
FOLLOW THE SPARTANS
Visit MSUSpartans.com for more information on Michigan State wrestling. Fans can keep up to date with the Spartan wrestling team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter by following @MSU_Wrestling.
The Green & White improved to 8-4 overall on the season and booked their first Big Ten dual win since defeating the Terrapins by a 29-6 score on the road last year. MSU is now 1-4 in Big Ten competition, with all four losses coming against teams that were ranked inside the top 25 of the National Wrestling Coaches Association poll. MSU's 28-point margin of victory was its largest win differential in Big Ten dual action since finalizing a 42-0 result, also against Maryland, on Jan. 16, 2021.
Michigan State took home four bonus-point victories on the night, highlighted by a pair of pins from junior 157-pounder Chase Saldate and redshirt senior 184-pounder Layne Malczewski, as well as tech falls from graduate 133-pounder Rayvon Foley and redshirt junior 149-pounder Peyton Omania. Foley assumes the top spot on MSU's tech fall leaderboard with five this season, while Malczewski improves upon his team lead in pins with his ninth. Freshman 174-pounder Ceasar Garza earned a milestone win in the dual, securing the first Big Ten victory of his career with a 5-3 decision against Terrapin captain Dom Solis.
Maryland opened the night at 125 pounds with No. 18 Braxton Brown squaring off against No. 29 Tristan Lujan for the Green & White. Brown opened the match with a takedown and Lujan responded with an escape later in the first period, but the Terrapin managed to build up a significant edge in riding time en route to a 4-1 decision. Michigan State turned the tides on Maryland in the ensuing competition at 133 pounds, with No. 18 Foley securing his second B1G dual match win of the year against Conner Quinn. After booking a couple of takedowns in the first period and surrendering an escape, Foley utilized a dominant second frame and capped off a 17-2 tech fall with a takedown early in the final stanza.
Foley's result afforded the Spartans an early 5-3 lead in the dual leading into a contentious bout at 141 between Maryland's Kal Miller and Michigan State's Jordan Hamdan. The first period passed without incident, but a Hamdan escape followed by Miller's second stall call in the next period culminated in a 2-0 advantage for the Spartan entering the final two minutes. Miller built up enough riding time to secure the point after time expired, but Hamdan came away with the 2-1 decision that put MSU ahead by an 8-3 score.
At 149 pounds, Omania logged a ferocious takedown on a spectacular Greco-Roman style throw and turned Maryland's Joe Fisk for a four-point near fall moments later. Omania tallied over two minutes and 45 seconds of riding time in the first period alone and added another four-point near fall for good measure to take a 10-0 lead into the second. With the bout well under control, Omania tacked on a four-point and two-point near fall in quick succession to finalize his first Big Ten win of the year in a 16-0 tech fall result.
Spartan dominance continued at 157 pounds, as No. 13 Saldate recorded an early first-period takedown against Kevin Schork and never looked back, notching a pin at the 2:08 mark of the match to put MSU ahead by a 19-3 margin. No. 27 Caleb Fish returned to the win column with a 3-1 decision over John Martin Best at 164 pounds. Fish and Best grappled for the first three minutes scoreless, but the Spartan junior logged the first score of the bout on a solid takedown with 1:30 remaining in the second. Best registered an escape soon thereafter, but Fish recorded one of his own that sealed the 3-1 result.
Garza was next on the mat against Maryland's Solis at 174 pounds. The Oakdale, California, native Spartan notched a first-period takedown but allowed a quick escape to take a 2-1 lead after the first frame. Solis started on bottom in the second period and mustered an escape to deadlock the bout at 2-all, but Garza responded with a swift takedown to retake the lead. Solis escaped once more to cut into Garza's lead, but after Maryland conceded an escape to start the third period, the Spartan newcomer was able to close out the 5-3 decision that put Michigan State ahead in the dual by an insurmountable 25-3 tally.
With the dual already in hand, No. 14 Malczewski took center stage against Chase Mielnik, booking a takedown midway through the first period before ending his night early with a spectacular pin at the 2:48 mark of the match. Michigan State's scoring concluded with a forfeit at 197 pounds by Maryland, with 14th-ranked Cameron Caffey earning credit for the forfeited win. The Terrapins bookended their night in mid-Michigan with a pin at heavyweight, as No. 27 Jaron Smith logged a 3:42 fall over Ryan Vasbinder that locked down the 37-9 victory for MSU.
UP NEXT
No. 22 Michigan State wrestling prepares for its final road trip in Big Ten dual action, as the Spartans travel to face the No. 6 Ohio State Buckeyes on Sunday, Jan. 29. First whistle from inside the Covelli Center is slated for 1 p.m., with the dual set for streaming worldwide via B1G+.
POSTMATCH QUOTES
MICHIGAN STATE QUOTES
Head Coach Roger Chandler
On earning the team's first Big Ten Win...
"Nothing has changed all year. That's how we approach every match. Obviously, any time you get a big win like that in this conference, it's an important result. I'm happy for our guys more than anything else. They haven't changed course in their minds, and they went in with the same mindset that they had last week. I'm proud of them, and they deserved to come out on top tonight."
On what he thought the team improved on...
"I thought we did a good job tonight of initiating action and attacks. That is something that we focused on this past week. Instead of counterattacking, we really focused on initiating contact, and we did a great job there. The other thing is, you saw it in two to three matches where they wouldn't go down and choose bottom against us, and that is where we built our identity at the beginning of the year."
On how the team can carry this momentum into the Ohio State dual...
"I know it's cliché, but it's real with this program. We never talk about the next opponent until the next opponent is up. We are going to talk about Ohio State first thing tomorrow morning at practice and there is no doubt in my mind that they are a national title contending team. It's a great opportunity for our guys to jump up another level. I'm a firm believer that in order to jump levels and improve, you have to wrestle against the best. We have that opportunity again on Sunday."
Redshirt senior 184-pounder Layne Malczewski
On how it felt to get the team's first Big Ten win of the season...
"Obviously, the main thing is getting that first Big Ten win. That's huge for our team. We had a few tough goes at the beginning of the year. In the first four duals we had four nationally ranked opponents. It happens. Unfortunately, they didn't go our way. Today we stayed strong as a team. I focused on my attacks, my positions and not what the guy was going to do next. I got on top, I got to my best position, and I knew it was history from there. Getting my wing and wrist in; I knew I was going to end it right there. I just focused on staying tough, and our team did the same tonight."
WRESTLING MATCH RESULTS
#22 Michigan State 37, Maryland 9
Jenison Field House – East Lansing, Mich.
125 | #18 Braxton Brown (UMD) dec. #29 Tristan Lujan (MSU) 4-1 | UMD 3-0
133 | #18 Rayvon Foley (MSU) tech. fall over Conner Quinn (UMD) 17-2 | MSU 5-3
141 | Jordan Hamdan (MSU) dec. Kal Miller (UMD) 2-1 | MSU 8-3
149 | Peyton Omania (MSU) tech. fall over Joe Fisk (UMD) 16-0 | MSU 13-3
157 | #13 Chase Saldate (MSU) fall over Kevin Schork (UMD) 2:08 | MSU 19-3
165 | #27 Caleb Fish (MSU) dec. John Martin Best (UMD) 3-1 | MSU 22-3
174 | Ceasar Garza (MSU) dec. Dom Solis (UMD) 5-3 | MSU 25-3
184 | #14 Layne Malczewski (MSU) fall over Chase Mielnik (UMD) 2:48 | MSU 31-3
197 | #14 Cameron Caffey (MSU) by forfeit | MSU 37-3
285 | #27 Jaron Smith (UMD) fall over Ryan Vasbinder (MSU) 3:42 | MSU wins 37-9
Attendance: 562
FOLLOW THE SPARTANS
Visit MSUSpartans.com for more information on Michigan State wrestling. Fans can keep up to date with the Spartan wrestling team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter by following @MSU_Wrestling.
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