Chandler Earns 50th Dual Victory, No. 24 Spartans Down No. 22 Indiana on Senior Night

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Seventh-year head coach Roger Chandler secured the 50th dual victory of his career, and No. 24 Michigan State wrestling took home a 20-16 senior night win over the No. 22 Indiana Hoosiers on Friday inside Jenison Field House. MSU utilized back-to-back bonus point victories from redshirt senior Layne Malczewski and graduate Cameron Caffey to clinch the match at 184 and 197 pounds, respectively.

Chandler became just the fourth head coach in Michigan State program history to reach the 50-win threshold, joining Spartan legends in Grady Peninger, Tom Minkel and Fendley Collins. Chandler also became the second-fastest head coach to reach that accomplishment, doing so in under seven seasons. MSU has experienced a resurgence in dual success under Chandler's guidance, going from 2-11 in the season prior to his assumption of the top job to improving the team's season win tally in each of the next three years. The Hoosier alum directed Michigan State's first winning season in 14 years during the 2018-19 campaign, going 10-8 overall.

Following the victorious result, Michigan State climbs to 9-6 overall with a 2-6 mark at the finish line of the Big Ten dual season. Friday's dual victory guaranteed that MSU would finish the season with a winning record for the second consecutive year. Indiana drops to 7-5 overall with a 3-4 ledger in the B1G, facing off against the Michigan Wolverines on Sunday afternoon in Ann Arbor.

Before the first whistle, Spartan wrestling celebrated Caffey, Skyler Crespo, Rayvon Foley, Benny Gomez, Miles Hoey, Cameron Monzadeh, Peyton Omania and Ryan Vasbinder, as well as student manager Maddie Coon in a special senior night recognition. Both Caffey and Foley will finish inside the top 10 all-time in career victories at MSU with 117 and 114 wins, respectively. All nine individuals have left an indelible mark on the Spartan wrestling program, and their commitment has culminated in a combined 45 victories since the start of the 2017-18 season.

Friday night's dual began at 125 pounds, with Spartan junior Tristan Lujan taking the mat against Indiana junior Jacob Moran. Lujan got in on a single leg shot late in the first but failed to notch the opening takedown. The Selma, California, native Spartan took bottom to start the next period and escaped after 10 seconds, taking a 1-0 lead into the final stanza. Moran chose to start the third in neutral, and after neither wrestler mustered a score, Lujan scored the match-opening decision for MSU and his third individual win over Moran in less than two years. A nationally ranked bout at 133 followed, with 29th-ranked Hoosier freshman Henry Porter utilizing three takedowns and a tough third period showing to score a 10-5 decision against 17th-ranked Foley.

The Hoosiers won their second bout in a row at 141 pounds, as senior Cayden Rooks turned four takedowns into a 12-5 decision for Indiana over MSU redshirt junior Jordan Hamdan. Leading the dual by a 6-3 tally, 29th-ranked 149-pounder and Hoosier redshirt senior Graham Rooks notched five takedowns to score the first bonus point win of the evening, completing a 13-4 major decision over Omania that put Indiana out in front, 10-3. At the 157-pound weight class, Michigan State turned things around in the most highly anticipated bout of the evening between 12th-ranked junior Chase Saldate and 23rd-ranked Hoosier and Novi, Michigan, native Derek Gilcher.

Both wrestlers opened the first period with extensive hand fighting but neither managed to secure a score through the first three minutes. Gilcher took bottom to start the second, a decision he would come to regret after a pair of vicious Saldate mat returns paved the way for a two-minute ride by the Gilroy, California, native Spartan. After Saldate chose bottom to start the final frame, he tallied an escape in less than five seconds and landed a late takedown to finalize a 4-0 decision that cut Indiana's lead to 10-6.

The contest at 165 pounds between 21st-ranked MSU junior Caleb Fish and Indiana redshirt junior Nick South saw the Green & White pick up their second straight individual result. Fish scored a quick takedown followed by a hurried escape from South, making the score 2-1 in MSU's favor after the first. Fish started on bottom in the second and registered an escape less than 10 seconds into the frame. After South took bottom to start the third, Fish utilized an excellent ride and remained tough on top for long enough to secure the riding time point and finalize a 4-2 decision. Despite Indiana's return to the win column at 174 pounds, with No. 15 DJ Washington defeating freshman Ceasar Garza in a 4-0 decision, MSU remained within striking distance, trailing the dual 13-9.

No. 13 Malczewski took center stage against Clayton Fielden at 184 pounds, with the Macomb, Michigan, native Spartan wasting no time in a physical opening frame. After scoring the opening takedown a minute into the match, Malczewski sought opportunities to turn Fielden for back points to no avail, taking a 2-0 lead into the second period. Despite Fielden's attempt for a go-behind takedown, Malczewski miraculously managed to maintain control and roll to his right to finalize a pin at the 3:39 mark to put Michigan State ahead by a 15-13 score.

In order to clinch the senior night dual victory, MSU would need at least a technical fall in the 197-pound competition to ensure that Indiana would remain out of reach. No. 18 Caffey delivered just that. In a virtuosic display that was punctuated by eight takedowns and a four-point near fall at the very end, Caffey dismantled Hoosier junior Drayton Harris to secure an individual victory in his final match at Jenison Field House. One of the most dominant wrestlers in program history, the Carbondale, Illinois, native finished a 21-5 technical fall that afforded Michigan State an insurmountable 20-13 advantage. After 26th-ranked IU heavyweight Jacob Bullock got past Vasbinder in a 3-1 decision, the Spartans were able to complete the 20-16 win.

Following Friday night's result, Saldate became the second straight Spartan to finish the Big Ten dual season with an unblemished 8-0 individual record, joining Caffey's undefeated B1G effort from a season ago. Saldate owns a 21-4 overall record and has a 14-1 mark in dual match action, with his only loss coming against then-No. 1 and newly minted 165-pound Princeton star Quincy Monday during the Garden State Grapple. Saldate needs just five more wins to match his career-best mark of 26 set last year. Additionally, Fish extends his MSU-leading win tally to 22 overall after his victory against the Hoosiers.

Malczewski's reputation as one of the most dominant individual wrestlers in the Big Ten continues to grow, as the Spartan logged his team-best 10th win by fall in the 2022-23 season. Malczewski's record climbs to 12-2 in dual matches with a 20-3 mark overall, making him the fourth Spartan to cross the 20-win threshold this season. Finally, Caffey saw continued success at 197 pounds, as the MSU graduate student improved to 17-3 overall and 12-3 in dual match competition with his tech fall over Harris. Caffey owns five technical falls this year, tying him with Foley for the team lead in the category.

UP NEXT
No. 24 Michigan State wrestling hits the road for its final dual competition in the 2022-23 season, as the Spartans travel to face the in-state rival Central Michigan Chippewas on Friday, Feb. 17, with first whistle slated for 7 p.m.

POSTMATCH QUOTES
MICHIGAN STATE QUOTES
Head Coach Roger Chandler
On the significance of earning his 50th career win…
"To be honest, I didn't know that was going to be my 50th. Truthfully, it's bittersweet. Just like I told my team in the locker room, guys like Cameron Caffey and Rayvon Foley have been here for six of my seven years as head coach. Those guys earned most of those wins. I look at the plaque, and my name may be on it as head coach, but these are their wins that they earned. I could not be prouder of our guys."

On the leadership of MSU wrestling's graduating class…
"We have built a really good culture within, and one of the things we talk about is leadership. These guys are mentoring our younger guys about leadership and things like that. We have true freshman that are leaders in our program because of the example our graduating guys have set. It's all about the example that those ahead of you set, so we are definitely in a good place as a program."

WRESTLING MATCH RESULTS
#24 Michigan State 20, #22 Indiana 16
Jenison Field House – East Lansing, Mich.
125 | Tristan Lujan (MSU) dec. Jacob Moran (IU) 1-0 | MSU 3-0
133 | #29 Henry Porter (IU) dec. #17 Rayvon Foley (MSU) 10-5 | TIED 3-3
141 | Cayden Rooks (IU) dec. Jordan Hamdan (MSU) 12-5 | IU 6-3
149 | #29 Graham Rooks (IU) major dec. Peyton Omania (MSU) 13-4 | IU 10-3
157 | #12 Chase Saldate (MSU) dec. #23 Derek Gilcher (IU) 4-0 | 10-6
165 | #21 Caleb Fish (MSU) dec. Nick South (IU) 4-2 | IU 10-9
174 | #15 DJ Washington (IU) dec. Ceasar Garza (MSU) 4-0 | IU 13-9
184 | #13 Layne Malczewski (MSU) fall over Clayton Fielden (IU) 3:39 | MSU 15-13
197 | #18 Cameron Caffey (MSU) tech. fall over Drayton Harris (IU) 21-5 | MSU 20-13
285 | #26 Jacob Bullock (IU) dec. Ryan Vasbinder (MSU) 3-1 | MSU wins 20-16

Attendance: 443

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Chandler Earns 50th Dual Victory, No. 24 Spartans Down No. 22 Indiana on Senior Night

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Players Mentioned

Cameron Caffey

Skyler Crespo

Caleb Fish

Rayvon Foley

Ceasar Garza

Benny Gomez

Jordan Hamdan

Miles Hoey

Tristan Lujan

Layne Malczewski

Cameron Monzadeh

Peyton Omania

Chase Saldate

Ryan Vasbinder