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Published Feb 10, 2023
Spartan wrestlers defeat Indiana on senior night for Chandler’s 50th win
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David Harns  •  Spartans Illustrated
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The No. 24-ranked Michigan State wrestling team defeated the No. 22 Indiana Hoosiers in front of 443 fans at Jenison Field House on senior night by a final score of 20-16. It was the back-to-back bonus point victories from Layne Malczewski (184 pounds) and Cameron Caffey (197 pounds) that clinched the match for the Spartans.

The win marked the 50th dual victory in MSU head coach Roger Chandler’s seven-year career. Chandler, who graduated from Indiana University, is now just the fourth head coach in Michigan State program history to reach the 50-win threshold, joining Grady Peninger, Tom Minkel, and Fendley Collins in that club.

“Truthfully, it’s bittersweet,” said Chandler. “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.”

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By notching his 50th victory in less than seven seasons, Chandler became the second-fastest head coach to do so. Under Chandler’s guidance, MSU improved its season win tally in each of his first three years in the program. In the season prior to Chandler’s arrival, MSU went 2-11 on the season; he directed Michigan State’s first winning season in 14 years during the 2018-19 campaign, going 10-8 overall. MSU is guaranteed a winning record again this season – for the second consecutive year – as the victory over the Hoosiers moved the Spartans to 9-6 overall (2-6 Big Ten).

Before the match started, MSU honored 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.

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Friday night’s dual began at 125 pounds, with Spartan junior Tristan Lujan giving MSU the early lead by defeating Indiana junior Jacob Moran, 1-0. A nationally-ranked bout at 133 was next on the docket, and 29th-ranked Hoosier freshman Henry Porter scored a 10-5 decision against 17th-ranked Foley.

The 141-pound bout also went to the Hoosiers, as senior Cayden Rooks turned four takedowns into a 12-5 decision for Indiana over MSU redshirt junior Jordan Hamdan.

Indiana led the dual by a score of 6-3 and stretched their lead to 10-3 as 29th-ranked 149-pounder Hoosier 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 by seven.

After that, things started turning around for the Spartans, beginning at the 157-pound weight class in the most highly anticipated bout of the evening between 12th-ranked Spartan junior Chase Saldate and 23rd-ranked Hoosier Derek Gilcher. Both Saldate and Gilcher opened the first period with extensive hand fighting in the first period but neither scored in 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. After Saldate chose bottom to start the final frame, he tallied an escape in less than five seconds and landed a late takedown to 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 MSU win their second straight individual result. 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. After scoring the opening takedown a minute into the match, Malczewski took a 2-0 lead into the second period. Fielden attempted a go-behind takedown and Malczewski 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.

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MSU needed at least a technical fall in the 197-pound competition to ensure that Indiana would remain out of reach and No. 18 Caffey delivered that with eight takedowns and a four-point near fall at the very end. Caffey defeated Hoosier junior Drayton Harris to secure an individual victory in his final match at Jenison Field House. Caffey is considered one of the most dominant wrestlers in program history, and he finished a 21-5 technical fall that gave the Spartans a 20-13 advantage that they were able to hold on to.

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26th-ranked Indiana heavyweight Jacob Bullock got past MSU’s Vasbinder in a 3-1 decision, but the Spartans took the overall victory by a score of 20-16.

Saldate became the second straight Spartan to finish the Big Ten dual season with an unblemished 8-0 individual record, joining Caffey who did the same thing last year. Saldate is 21-4 overall and is 14-1 in dual match action, with his only loss coming against then-No. 1 Princeton star Quincy Monday during the Garden State Grapple.

Malczewski continues to be one of the most dominant individual wrestlers in the Big Ten, logging his team-best 10th win by fall in the 2022-23 season. Malczewski is now 12-2 in dual matches with a 20-3 mark overall, making him the fourth Spartan to cross the 20-win threshold this season. 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.

“We have built a really good culture within, and one of the things we talk about is leadership,” said Chandler. “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.”

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Here's how the scoring happened:

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


Michigan State wrestling hits the road for its final dual competition in the 2022-23 season against in-state rival Central Michigan Chippewas on Friday, Feb. 17, starting at 7 p.m.


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