OTHER MSU SPORTS Wrestling: Two Spartans Reach Podium at B1G Championships, Two More Punch Tickets to NCAA Tournament
- By Kevin Knight
- Spartans Illustrated Message Board
- 3 Replies
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State wrestling capped off another 10-win season for the third-straight year, the first of this feat since 1993-96. Now it gears its focus on the 2023-24 postseason this weekend, as the Green and White set to take part in the 2024 Big Ten Wrestling Championships on Saturday and Sunday, March 9-10, at the Xfinity Center on the campus of the University of Maryland.
The tournament will have two sessions on Saturday, with first round, quarterfinals and wrestleback matches beginning at 10 a.m. Action will continue in session two with consolation matches and wrestlebacks at 5 p.m., then will close out with semifinal matches beginning at 7 p.m. The weekend will conclude on Sunday with sessions three and four. Consolation semifinals and seventh-place matches kicks off at noon, followed by the final session slated for 4:30 that features first, third and fifth-place matches. The event will be live on the Big Ten Network for session one, two and the championship rounds. The consolation rounds and seventh-place matches will be carried on BTN Plus.
HEAD COACH ROGER CHANDLER
"This is the weekend that every program looks to at the beginning of each season. This is where you need to be at your best to punch your ticket to the NCAA Championships. The Big Ten Championships is no doubt the best conference championship in the nation and our guys need to embrace and look forward to this tournament."
"I'm looking forward to watching our guys lay it on the line and give their best effort. We use the term, 'it's pay day,' each time we compete, and this is a big pay day weekend coming up. There is no doubt that we have guys like Jordan Hamdan, Chase Saldate, Caleb Fish and Layne Malczewski who can make a run at a championship but need to take it one match at a time."
SPARTANS YEAR IN REVIEW
With a 10-6 overall record and a 2-6 mark against Big Ten conference challengers in the regular season, it marks the third-straight season with double-digit victories for the Spartans. It's the third time in program history to accomplish this feat (1981-84 and 1993-96). It's also the fourth 10+ win season under the leadership of Chandler.
Highlighted with two dual ranked victories over No. 17-ranked Wisconsin (22-15) and No. 26-ranked Illinois (29-10), Michigan State also saw success in four open tournaments. It boasted three top six team finishes, placing sixth at the Clarion Open and a pair of fourth place finishes at the Black Knight Invite and Midland Championships. A total of 22 individual Spartans placed in tournaments this season, with an impressive 16 placing at the MSU Open on Nov. 11th. Redshirt freshman Kael Wisler, who is the No. 30-ranked 197-pounder, walked out of West Point with a first-place finish after a 4-0 performance at the Black Knight Invite back on Nov. 19th.
SALDATE AND TERRILL AMONG DIVISION I LEADERS
Senior 157-pounder Chase Saldate and redshirt freshman heavyweight Josh Terrill put up big numbers that were among the best in the country. Saldate, a native of Gilroy, California, racked up a career-high 10 falls this season which is best for fourth among all Division I wrestlers. His 27 career falls puts Saldate 10th overall for the most falls in program history.
Terrill had a big first season in the starting lineup, his 25 total wins is best for fifth in the country. The local Holt, Michigan, native is tied for second on the team with four tech falls this season and owns the teams quickest pin with a blazing 17 seconds.
B1G CHAMPIONSHIPS PRE-SEEDS
Michigan State wrestling landed six individuals as Top 10 pre-seeds for the 2024 Big Ten Wrestling Championships as announced by the conference on Monday, March 4. Senior 165-pounder Caleb Fish leads as the highest-ranked Spartan coming in at No. 4, Graduate 184-pounder Layne Malczewski and Saldate enters at No. 6, redshirt senior 141-pounder Jordan Hamdan nabs the No. 8 seed, Terrill gets the No. 9 seed and redshirt junior Tristan Lujan rounds out the list as the No. 10 seed.
Four wrestlers will be making their Big Ten Championships debut: Andy Hampton (133 | No. 12 seed), Braden Stauffenberg (149 | No. 12 seed), Wisler (197 | No. 11 seed) and Terrill (HWT | No. 8 seed).
Redshirt senior DJ Shannon will make his B1G Championship appearance repping the Green and White after making two conference championship appearances while competing for Illinois.
SPARTAN ENTRIES
125 | No. 10 Tristan Lujan
133 | No. 12 Andy Hampton
141 | No. 8 Jordan Hamdan
149 | No. 12 Braden Stauffenberg
157 | No. 6 Chase Saldate
165 | No. 4 Caleb Fish
174 | No. 13 DJ Shannon
184 | No. 6 Layne Malczewski
197 | No. 11 Kael Wisler
HWT | No. 8 Josh Terrill
CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE (All times Eastern)
Saturday, March 9
10:00 AM: Session One - First Round, Quarterfinals, Wrestlebacks
5 PM: Session Two - Consolation Matches, Wrestlebacks
7 PM: Semifinals
Sunday, March 10
Noon: Session Three - Consolation Semis, 7th-place matches
4:30 PM: Session 4 - Placement matches
Preview courtesy of MSU Athletics.
The tournament will have two sessions on Saturday, with first round, quarterfinals and wrestleback matches beginning at 10 a.m. Action will continue in session two with consolation matches and wrestlebacks at 5 p.m., then will close out with semifinal matches beginning at 7 p.m. The weekend will conclude on Sunday with sessions three and four. Consolation semifinals and seventh-place matches kicks off at noon, followed by the final session slated for 4:30 that features first, third and fifth-place matches. The event will be live on the Big Ten Network for session one, two and the championship rounds. The consolation rounds and seventh-place matches will be carried on BTN Plus.
HEAD COACH ROGER CHANDLER
"This is the weekend that every program looks to at the beginning of each season. This is where you need to be at your best to punch your ticket to the NCAA Championships. The Big Ten Championships is no doubt the best conference championship in the nation and our guys need to embrace and look forward to this tournament."
"I'm looking forward to watching our guys lay it on the line and give their best effort. We use the term, 'it's pay day,' each time we compete, and this is a big pay day weekend coming up. There is no doubt that we have guys like Jordan Hamdan, Chase Saldate, Caleb Fish and Layne Malczewski who can make a run at a championship but need to take it one match at a time."
SPARTANS YEAR IN REVIEW
With a 10-6 overall record and a 2-6 mark against Big Ten conference challengers in the regular season, it marks the third-straight season with double-digit victories for the Spartans. It's the third time in program history to accomplish this feat (1981-84 and 1993-96). It's also the fourth 10+ win season under the leadership of Chandler.
Highlighted with two dual ranked victories over No. 17-ranked Wisconsin (22-15) and No. 26-ranked Illinois (29-10), Michigan State also saw success in four open tournaments. It boasted three top six team finishes, placing sixth at the Clarion Open and a pair of fourth place finishes at the Black Knight Invite and Midland Championships. A total of 22 individual Spartans placed in tournaments this season, with an impressive 16 placing at the MSU Open on Nov. 11th. Redshirt freshman Kael Wisler, who is the No. 30-ranked 197-pounder, walked out of West Point with a first-place finish after a 4-0 performance at the Black Knight Invite back on Nov. 19th.
SALDATE AND TERRILL AMONG DIVISION I LEADERS
Senior 157-pounder Chase Saldate and redshirt freshman heavyweight Josh Terrill put up big numbers that were among the best in the country. Saldate, a native of Gilroy, California, racked up a career-high 10 falls this season which is best for fourth among all Division I wrestlers. His 27 career falls puts Saldate 10th overall for the most falls in program history.
Terrill had a big first season in the starting lineup, his 25 total wins is best for fifth in the country. The local Holt, Michigan, native is tied for second on the team with four tech falls this season and owns the teams quickest pin with a blazing 17 seconds.
B1G CHAMPIONSHIPS PRE-SEEDS
Michigan State wrestling landed six individuals as Top 10 pre-seeds for the 2024 Big Ten Wrestling Championships as announced by the conference on Monday, March 4. Senior 165-pounder Caleb Fish leads as the highest-ranked Spartan coming in at No. 4, Graduate 184-pounder Layne Malczewski and Saldate enters at No. 6, redshirt senior 141-pounder Jordan Hamdan nabs the No. 8 seed, Terrill gets the No. 9 seed and redshirt junior Tristan Lujan rounds out the list as the No. 10 seed.
Four wrestlers will be making their Big Ten Championships debut: Andy Hampton (133 | No. 12 seed), Braden Stauffenberg (149 | No. 12 seed), Wisler (197 | No. 11 seed) and Terrill (HWT | No. 8 seed).
Redshirt senior DJ Shannon will make his B1G Championship appearance repping the Green and White after making two conference championship appearances while competing for Illinois.
SPARTAN ENTRIES
125 | No. 10 Tristan Lujan
133 | No. 12 Andy Hampton
141 | No. 8 Jordan Hamdan
149 | No. 12 Braden Stauffenberg
157 | No. 6 Chase Saldate
165 | No. 4 Caleb Fish
174 | No. 13 DJ Shannon
184 | No. 6 Layne Malczewski
197 | No. 11 Kael Wisler
HWT | No. 8 Josh Terrill
CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE (All times Eastern)
Saturday, March 9
10:00 AM: Session One - First Round, Quarterfinals, Wrestlebacks
5 PM: Session Two - Consolation Matches, Wrestlebacks
7 PM: Semifinals
Sunday, March 10
Noon: Session Three - Consolation Semis, 7th-place matches
4:30 PM: Session 4 - Placement matches
Preview courtesy of MSU Athletics.