EAST LANSING – On Friday evening, the Michigan State wrestling team looked to finish Big Ten play strong, as they hosted No. 6 Ohio State, and the Spartans looked to end their two-match losing streak to get a win over the Buckeyes.
The Buckeyes took down the Spartans in dominating fashion, winning 38-7.
“We let some things get away tonight,” head coach Roger Chandler said. “We need to hand fight at a championship level, and we got a crash course on that tonight.”
The dual started in the 125th level with MSU’s Tristan Lujan going against Ohio State’s Brendan McCrone, who was ranked No. 22 in his weight class. With the match going into extra time, McCrone got a takedown with less than 10 seconds left to win the match to take an early 3-0 lead.
“I thought Lujan out-wrestled that guy [McCrone],” Chandler said. “Probably seven or eight shots to none. I want Lujan to continue to attack like he did tonight because he is good in those positions.”
In the 141 level, Jordan Hamdan went up against No. 3 ranked Jesse Mendez from Ohio State. The match’s first points came with a Mendez’s takedown with less than a minute left in the first period. Mendez continued that momentum in the second period, with nine points to take a 12-0 lead going into the third. The match ended with Mendez winning 18-2. Ohio State extended its lead to 14-0.
At the 157 level, No. 20 ranked Chase Saldate from MSU went up against Gavin Brown from Ohio State. Saldate took a quick lead with a takedown in the first period, making it 3-0 after the first. Saldate continued on the attack with an early reverse and went straight to the offense with another takedown, making it 8-0 after the second. In the third, Saldate went into defense mode with that lead, taking a 9-0 victory.
The last match of the night came at the 285 weight class, with Josh Terrill from the Spartans up against No. 7 Nick Feldman from Ohio State. Feldman had all the offense in the first with two takedowns, making it 6-1 at the end of the first. Feldman continued its offensive attack with another three takedowns, making it 17-4 after the second. In the third, Feldman forced a takedown and then a pin to win the match.
“Senior Malczewski is our energizer bunny that keeps this group together,” Chandler said. “He is very proud of being a Spartan and is proud of what he has built here over the last five years; it is going to be a bittersweet moment, losing not just Malczewski but all of the seniors.”
The Spartans look to end their three-game losing streak against Central Michigan on Friday, Feb. 23 for senior night at 6:30 p.m.
