Michigan State University
Franklin & Marshall
Wrestling Begins Dual Season at Franklin & Marshall
12/1/2023 4:24:00 PM | Wrestling
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State wrestling begins its dual season on Sunday traveling to Lancaster, Pa. to square off against a trio of teams - Franklin & Marshall, Bloomsburg, and Presbyterian at the Mayser Center. First whistle is set for 10 a.m.
THE LAST TIME OUT
The last time the Spartans were in action was two weeks ago (Nov. 19) when they traveled to West Point, N.Y. to compete in the Black Knight Invite. Six wrestlers placed top-three in their respected weight classes: 125-pounder Tristan Lujan, 157-pounder Chase Saldate, 165-pounder Caleb Fish, 174-pounder DJ Shannon, 197-pounder Kael Wisler and 197-pounder Luke Daly.
IN THE RANKINGS
Four Spartans crack the top-30 in this week's Intermat rankings. Junior 125-pounder Tristan Lujan is slated at No. 30, senior 157-pounder Chase Saldate enters at No.14, Senior Caleb Fish remains at No.12 in the 165-pound weight class and grad-student 184-pounder Layne Malczewski comes in as the highest-ranked Spartan at No.11.
HEAD COACH Roger chandler said...
"I'm looking forward to seeing our team in dual competition. Up to this point we have wrestled only tournaments which is a completely different dynamic from a team standpoint. What really gets me excited is to see each of these guys take the mat battling for each other, where every individual outcome affects the team as a whole."
SCOUTING FRANKLIN & MARSHALL
· Franklin & Marshall is led by 14th-year head coach Mike Rogers. Rogers wrestled for Lock Haven University where he was a two-time All-American and a three-time national qualifier. The Diplomats will have their first dual competition this season after opening the season with four tournaments.
· Franklin and Marshall were in the city of brotherly love (Philadelphia, Pa.) on Nov. 19 where they competed in the Keystone Classic hosted by University of Pennsylvania. 184-pounder James Conway placed first and John Crawford placed second lifting the team to a fourth-place finish.
· The Diplomats have two nationally ranked wrestlers in their respective weight class. Junior 184-pounder James Conway ranks No. 17 and 197 pound senior John Crawford is slotted at No. 30.
SCOUTING BLOOMSBURG
· The Huskies are led by eighth-year head coach Marcus Gordon. Gordon has compiled a 29-68 record at BU and will kick off the dual season in Lancaster. The Huskies last competed at the Navy Classic on Nov. 18 where they put up 10 total team points with victories from Bronson Garber, Cade Balestrini, William Morrow, Macon Myers and Kolby Flank.
· Bloomsburg had a 4-12 overall record in the 2022-23 season with a 0-7 record in the MAC.
· Returning for the Huskies is back-to-back NCAA national qualifier grad-student Josh Mason who is coming off a 23-16 campaign. Mason has two, 10 or more pin seasons and is fifth all-time at BU in pins with 37.
SCOUTING PRESBYTERIAN
· The Blue Hose wrestling program enters their fifth season in program history, led by second-year head coach Mark Cody. In Cody's first season, Presbyterian showed signs of growth with a program-high four wins in 2022-23, along with its first-ever conference victory, defeating Gardner-Webb.
· Presbyterian returns last year's team-leader in total victories, junior 197-pounder Malcolm Wiley. Wiley went 17-9 for the Blue Hose.
· PC is 1-2 through the early part of the season. The Blue Hose kicked off against No. 3 NC State falling 48-0, bounced back with a 29-21 victory over Sacred Heart, then dropped their last matchup against Northern Colorado, 44-5.
Players Mentioned
