Friday, January 6
East Lansing, Mich.
6 PM
Michigan State University
28
vs
9
Bucknell
No. 23 Wrestling Books Seventh-Straight Dual Win Against Bucknell
1/6/2023 9:07:00 PM | Wrestling
Spartans Improve to 7-0 for the First Time in 49 Years
EAST LANSING, Mich. – No. 23 Michigan State wrestling opened 2023 in style Friday night, as the Spartans came away with their seventh-straight win following a 28-9 dual victory over the Bucknell Bison inside Jenison Field House. MSU honored multiple generations of Spartan Wrestling alumni at the intermission of Friday night's contest.
With their home-opening win, the Green & White improved to 7-0 for the first time since the 1973-74 season in which MSU got out to an 11-0 opening. The 1973-74 edition of the Green & White went on to record 12 overall dual victories and finish third in the Big Ten Championships. Additionally, Michigan State booked a win in its home-opening dual for the first time since drubbing Maryland in a 42-0 rout on Jan. 16, 2021. In defeat, Bucknell falls to 2-3 overall and will return to EIWA dual action against Hofstra on Monday, Jan. 9.
The Spartans entered the new year at 125 pounds, with Tristan Lujan registering a 14-5 major decision against Grayson McLellan that saw the Selma, California, native improve to a perfect 6-0 in dual competition. A nationally-ranked contest followed at 133, with the 11th-ranked Spartan graduate Rayvon Foley squaring off against Bucknell's No. 22 Kurt Phipps. Foley got out to a quick start in the first period and amassed over two minutes of riding time by the start of the third. With the bout tied at 4-all with less than a minute remaining, Foley stymied Phipps' momentum and utilized his riding time advantage to finalize the 5-4 result.
Bucknell replied with a laborious decision in the bout at 141, with Dylan Chappell registering a 2-1 victory over Jordan Hamdan in the third match of the evening. The Bison continued their early run with another decision at 149 pounds, with Braden Bower toppling Spartan redshirt junior Peyton Omania by a 3-1 score. Looking to halt Bucknell's momentum, No. 21 Chase Saldate roared out of the gates against Riley Bower, scoring a takedown in the first period followed by a reversal in the second. Leading 5-0 at the start of the third period after Bower was called for his second stall, Saldate opened the third with a takedown and added another point by accumulating over five minutes of riding time to publish the 8-0 major decision. The Spartans went to intermission with an 11-6 lead.
After MSU's alumni recognition, the Green & White got right back to work at 165 pounds with junior Caleb Fish working for a 5-3 decision over Chase Barlow that extended Michigan State's lead to 14-6. At 174 pounds, freshman Ceasar Garza made his collegiate dual match debut against Sam Barnes. Garza took command towards the end of the second period, registering two takedowns and an escape that turned a 3-all draw into an 8-3 decision for the Green & White, culminating in a 17-6 MSU lead with three bouts to go.
At 184 pounds, No. 20 Layne Malczewski faced off against Mikey Bartush and dominated from the first whistle, immediately seeking bonus points for the Spartan squad in the first period. Malczewski published a takedown and accumulated over two minutes of riding time in the first frame but was looking for more at the start of the second. The Macomb, Michigan, native capitalized on a failed shot by Bartush and closed the match out only 17 seconds into the second frame. Malczewski's pin at the 3:17 mark of the match put the Spartans ahead by a 23-6 score. No. 15 Cameron Caffey continued Michigan State's run in his contest against Nolan Springer. Leading by a 9-2 margin with just over 30-seconds remaining, Caffey logged a takedown and two four-point near falls to close out a resounding 19-2 tech fall in six minutes and 48 seconds. Bucknell's Dorian Crosby won by 5-3 decision over MSU graduate Ryan Vasbinder at heavyweight, closing out the 28-9 Spartan victory.
On an individual basis, Malczewski's dominant 2022-23 campaign continued with his eighth fall of the year, the highest mark on MSU's roster thus far. The redshirt senior captain improved to 15-1 overall Friday night in addition to booking his seventh-straight win in dual action. His 30 dual points scored lead all Michigan State grapplers before the start of Big Ten Conference competition. Caffey's tech fall marked his fourth of the season, moving into a tie with Foley for the most technical falls on the team this year. Finally, Garza became the third Spartan to earn his first career dual victory this year, joining the likes of Blake Noonan at 141 and Miles Hoey at 165. The Oakdale, California, native Garza climbs to 12-3 through the first 15 matches of his collegiate career.
UP NEXT
No. 23 Michigan State wrestling remains on the Banks of the Red Cedar for a crucial rivalry matchup, as the Spartans get set to open Big Ten dual action against the fifth-ranked Michigan Wolverines on Friday, Jan. 13. First whistle is slated for 6:30 p.m. inside Jenison Field House, with live streaming available via B1G+.
POSTMATCH QUOTES
MICHIGAN STATE QUOTES
Head Coach Roger Chandler
On returning to work following the holiday break...
"Our guys are still competing. You can tell that we haven't competed in almost three weeks. You could see some of the sluggishness there. I think the biggest thing is that it was good for us to wrestle Bucknell tonight. They wrestled us hard in all 10 matches. Even in the two or three matches where we got bonus points, they wrestled us hard. That's what we were looking forward to in this dual. We needed to get pushed as we head into the Big Ten season."
On preparing for next week's home dual against No. 5 Michigan...
"I think it's going to be easy for our guys to get up for that dual. IT's an in-state rivalry, and all of the guys on both teams know each other pretty well. We have five; six days of training before we come back into Jenison and get on the mat with Michigan. They are a tough program, but we are looking forward to the match and having it at home."
Graduate 133-pounder Rayvon Foley
On what was working in his hard-fought win over No. 22 Phipps...
"I just stayed focused. I stayed composed out there, and I was doing my best to stay patient, and not let things get in my head. Things happen. Things didn't go my way too much tonight, but I stayed focused and did what I needed to do to get the win for our team."
On preparing for the grueling Big Ten slate ahead...
"I think that the most important thing is focusing on what we need to improve on. Our guys just got back from the holidays, and we're still getting into the groove of things. So, focusing on what we need to work on individually, whether that's offensively or defensively, and just getting back into the groove we were in during the fall is going to be important. We're a good team. Everybody on this team is really good. We just need to recognize what went well tonight, what didn't go well, and get back to the drawing board this week."
WRESTLING MATCH RESULTS
Michigan State 28, Bucknell 9
Jenison Field House – East Lansing, Mich.
125 | Tristan Lujan (MSU) major dec. Grayson McLellan (BUCK) 14-5 | MSU 4-0
133 | #11 Rayvon Foley (MSU) dec. #22 Kurt Phipps (BUCK) 5-4 | MSU 7-0
141 | Dylan Chappell (BUCK) dec. Jordan Hamdan (MSU) TB-2, 2-1 | MSU 7-3
149 | Braden Bower (BUCK) dec. Peyton Omania (MSU) 3-1 | MSU 7-6
157 | #21 Chase Saldate (MSU) major dec. Riley Bower (BUCK) 8-0 | MSU 11-6
165 | #33 Caleb Fish (MSU) dec. Chase Barlow (BUCK) 5-3 | MSU 14-6
174 | Ceasar Garza (MSU) vs. Sam Barnes (BUCK) 8-3 | MSU 17-6
184 | #20 Layne Malczewski (MSU) fall over Mikey Bartush (BUCK) 3:17 | MSU 23-6
197 | #15 Cameron Caffey (MSU) tech. fall over Nolan Springer (BUCK) 19-2 | MSU 28-6
285 | Dorian Crosby (BUCK) dec. Ryan Vasbinder (MSU) 5-3 | MSU wins, 28-9
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.
With their home-opening win, the Green & White improved to 7-0 for the first time since the 1973-74 season in which MSU got out to an 11-0 opening. The 1973-74 edition of the Green & White went on to record 12 overall dual victories and finish third in the Big Ten Championships. Additionally, Michigan State booked a win in its home-opening dual for the first time since drubbing Maryland in a 42-0 rout on Jan. 16, 2021. In defeat, Bucknell falls to 2-3 overall and will return to EIWA dual action against Hofstra on Monday, Jan. 9.
The Spartans entered the new year at 125 pounds, with Tristan Lujan registering a 14-5 major decision against Grayson McLellan that saw the Selma, California, native improve to a perfect 6-0 in dual competition. A nationally-ranked contest followed at 133, with the 11th-ranked Spartan graduate Rayvon Foley squaring off against Bucknell's No. 22 Kurt Phipps. Foley got out to a quick start in the first period and amassed over two minutes of riding time by the start of the third. With the bout tied at 4-all with less than a minute remaining, Foley stymied Phipps' momentum and utilized his riding time advantage to finalize the 5-4 result.
Bucknell replied with a laborious decision in the bout at 141, with Dylan Chappell registering a 2-1 victory over Jordan Hamdan in the third match of the evening. The Bison continued their early run with another decision at 149 pounds, with Braden Bower toppling Spartan redshirt junior Peyton Omania by a 3-1 score. Looking to halt Bucknell's momentum, No. 21 Chase Saldate roared out of the gates against Riley Bower, scoring a takedown in the first period followed by a reversal in the second. Leading 5-0 at the start of the third period after Bower was called for his second stall, Saldate opened the third with a takedown and added another point by accumulating over five minutes of riding time to publish the 8-0 major decision. The Spartans went to intermission with an 11-6 lead.
After MSU's alumni recognition, the Green & White got right back to work at 165 pounds with junior Caleb Fish working for a 5-3 decision over Chase Barlow that extended Michigan State's lead to 14-6. At 174 pounds, freshman Ceasar Garza made his collegiate dual match debut against Sam Barnes. Garza took command towards the end of the second period, registering two takedowns and an escape that turned a 3-all draw into an 8-3 decision for the Green & White, culminating in a 17-6 MSU lead with three bouts to go.
At 184 pounds, No. 20 Layne Malczewski faced off against Mikey Bartush and dominated from the first whistle, immediately seeking bonus points for the Spartan squad in the first period. Malczewski published a takedown and accumulated over two minutes of riding time in the first frame but was looking for more at the start of the second. The Macomb, Michigan, native capitalized on a failed shot by Bartush and closed the match out only 17 seconds into the second frame. Malczewski's pin at the 3:17 mark of the match put the Spartans ahead by a 23-6 score. No. 15 Cameron Caffey continued Michigan State's run in his contest against Nolan Springer. Leading by a 9-2 margin with just over 30-seconds remaining, Caffey logged a takedown and two four-point near falls to close out a resounding 19-2 tech fall in six minutes and 48 seconds. Bucknell's Dorian Crosby won by 5-3 decision over MSU graduate Ryan Vasbinder at heavyweight, closing out the 28-9 Spartan victory.
On an individual basis, Malczewski's dominant 2022-23 campaign continued with his eighth fall of the year, the highest mark on MSU's roster thus far. The redshirt senior captain improved to 15-1 overall Friday night in addition to booking his seventh-straight win in dual action. His 30 dual points scored lead all Michigan State grapplers before the start of Big Ten Conference competition. Caffey's tech fall marked his fourth of the season, moving into a tie with Foley for the most technical falls on the team this year. Finally, Garza became the third Spartan to earn his first career dual victory this year, joining the likes of Blake Noonan at 141 and Miles Hoey at 165. The Oakdale, California, native Garza climbs to 12-3 through the first 15 matches of his collegiate career.
UP NEXT
No. 23 Michigan State wrestling remains on the Banks of the Red Cedar for a crucial rivalry matchup, as the Spartans get set to open Big Ten dual action against the fifth-ranked Michigan Wolverines on Friday, Jan. 13. First whistle is slated for 6:30 p.m. inside Jenison Field House, with live streaming available via B1G+.
POSTMATCH QUOTES
MICHIGAN STATE QUOTES
Head Coach Roger Chandler
On returning to work following the holiday break...
"Our guys are still competing. You can tell that we haven't competed in almost three weeks. You could see some of the sluggishness there. I think the biggest thing is that it was good for us to wrestle Bucknell tonight. They wrestled us hard in all 10 matches. Even in the two or three matches where we got bonus points, they wrestled us hard. That's what we were looking forward to in this dual. We needed to get pushed as we head into the Big Ten season."
On preparing for next week's home dual against No. 5 Michigan...
"I think it's going to be easy for our guys to get up for that dual. IT's an in-state rivalry, and all of the guys on both teams know each other pretty well. We have five; six days of training before we come back into Jenison and get on the mat with Michigan. They are a tough program, but we are looking forward to the match and having it at home."
Graduate 133-pounder Rayvon Foley
On what was working in his hard-fought win over No. 22 Phipps...
"I just stayed focused. I stayed composed out there, and I was doing my best to stay patient, and not let things get in my head. Things happen. Things didn't go my way too much tonight, but I stayed focused and did what I needed to do to get the win for our team."
On preparing for the grueling Big Ten slate ahead...
"I think that the most important thing is focusing on what we need to improve on. Our guys just got back from the holidays, and we're still getting into the groove of things. So, focusing on what we need to work on individually, whether that's offensively or defensively, and just getting back into the groove we were in during the fall is going to be important. We're a good team. Everybody on this team is really good. We just need to recognize what went well tonight, what didn't go well, and get back to the drawing board this week."
WRESTLING MATCH RESULTS
Michigan State 28, Bucknell 9
Jenison Field House – East Lansing, Mich.
125 | Tristan Lujan (MSU) major dec. Grayson McLellan (BUCK) 14-5 | MSU 4-0
133 | #11 Rayvon Foley (MSU) dec. #22 Kurt Phipps (BUCK) 5-4 | MSU 7-0
141 | Dylan Chappell (BUCK) dec. Jordan Hamdan (MSU) TB-2, 2-1 | MSU 7-3
149 | Braden Bower (BUCK) dec. Peyton Omania (MSU) 3-1 | MSU 7-6
157 | #21 Chase Saldate (MSU) major dec. Riley Bower (BUCK) 8-0 | MSU 11-6
165 | #33 Caleb Fish (MSU) dec. Chase Barlow (BUCK) 5-3 | MSU 14-6
174 | Ceasar Garza (MSU) vs. Sam Barnes (BUCK) 8-3 | MSU 17-6
184 | #20 Layne Malczewski (MSU) fall over Mikey Bartush (BUCK) 3:17 | MSU 23-6
197 | #15 Cameron Caffey (MSU) tech. fall over Nolan Springer (BUCK) 19-2 | MSU 28-6
285 | Dorian Crosby (BUCK) dec. Ryan Vasbinder (MSU) 5-3 | MSU wins, 28-9
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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Braden Stauffenberg | Will To Serve | Spartans All-Access
Tuesday, February 18
Spartans All-Access: Layne Malczewski
Monday, January 22
Spartans All-Access: Mayhem at the Mainstage
Tuesday, December 12
Spartans All-Access: Tristan Lujan
Wednesday, December 21