Michigan State’s wrestling squad got a late Christmas present by winning the Cradle Gear Invitational by a 19-point margin. They surpsassed second-place Bloomsburg University, who had a scoring total of 86 points.

Three of MSU’s wrestlers fought their way to first place: 149-pounder Nick Trimble, 184-pounder John Rizqallah and heavyweight Mike McClure.

Sophomore Nick Trimble fought his way through the 149-pound bracket and ended up upsetting Lock Haven University’s top-seeded, Macaulay Maldarelli, in the championship round, 4-1.

Second-seeded John Rizqallah picked up four victories on the path to the 184-pound title. He defeated No. 15 Fred Garcia of Lock Haven in the first-place bout, 7-4.

Mike McClure, who was top-seeded in the tournament, improved to 17-2 on the year and dominated the competition on the way to his fifth career tournament title. The ninth-ranked senior eviscerated his competitors with two pins and a 7-1 victory over Justin Grant of Bloomsburg in the championship match.

It was a great victory for the team and a good motivational victory for MSU, as they face the third-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday in Iowa City.

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Nick Carver is the host of Pinned Down for Impact Sports.

Photo: Michigan State University Wrestling