TULSA, Okla. – Michigan State wrestling gears up for the finale of its 2022-23 season, as the Spartans send a quartet of qualifiers to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to take part in the 2023 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. Matches inside the BOK Center are slated to begin on Thursday, March 16 and run through Saturday, March 18.
Action begins on Thursday afternoon at 12 p.m. (ET), with pigtail matches followed immediately by the Round of 32. Session II later Thursday evening features Round of 16 matches and the start of consolation action at 7 p.m. Friday begins with Session III, including Championship Quarterfinals and further rounds of consolation action at 12 p.m. Session IV begins at 8 p.m., with Championship Semifinals and the Round of 12. The final two sessions of competition are slated for Saturday, with Session V featuring the National Placement Matches at 11 a.m., followed by the 10 National Championship bouts beginning at 7 p.m.
HEAD COACH ROGER CHANDLER SAID…
"At this point in the season, every individual has to focus solely on themselves and not worry about anything else. That's the great thing about the national tournament; if you take care of what you are supposed to take care of, then the team component will follow suit. I expect us to have a great tournament. These guys have worked all year to get to this point, and in many ways, these four guys have led the way for our entire program this year. Any time you can get an All-American, that's great. But, the reality of the situation is that you have to control the controllable. It's all about what you as the individual can do. That has been my message to our guys. Control what you can control. Go out there on the mat and dictate the pace of the match. If you do that, if you execute at the level to which you are capable of performing, then we will have guys on the podium."
THE NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
MSU learned the seeds and opening-round matchups for its four national qualifiers, as the NCAA published brackets and individual seeding for the 2023 Division I Wrestling Championships on Wednesday, March 8. Junior 157-pounder Chase Saldate garnered the highest individual seed out of MSU's four qualifiers, coming in at the No. 11 position in his third NCAA Championship appearance. The Gilroy, California, native is poised for an impressive run in his true junior season, opening the tournament against No. 22 seed Derek Holschlag of Northern Iowa.
Redshirt senior 184-pounder Layne Malczewski gears up for his fourth qualification and third appearance in the NCAA Championships as the No. 15 seed in Tulsa. The Macomb, Michigan, native will open his national tournament run against Big Ten-foe and 18th-seeded Brian Soldano of Rutgers, who Malczewski dominated in a 14-6 major decision on the road in Piscataway during the dual season.
Graduate 197-pounder Cameron Caffey prepares for his fourth and final NCAA Championship appearance, also landing his fifth qualification. The Carbondale, Illinois, native brought in the No. 19 overall seed at 197 pounds, and will challenge fellow-Big Ten competitor and 14th-seeded Jacob Warner of Iowa in the opening round of action on Thursday.
Junior 165-pounder Caleb Fish will enter his second consecutive NCAA Championships as the No. 29 seed at 165 pounds, starting out against fourth-seeded Cornell star Julian Ramirez. The Eaton Rapids, Michigan, native landed an appearance with an at-large bid this season.
Four of MSU's five NCAA Championship participants from last season return for another chance at the national spotlight, with graduate 133-pounder Rayvon Foley the lone non-returning national qualifier. MSU finished 40th at the 2022 NCAA Championships in Detroit, logging 4.0 team points at the event. Foley picked up a win for the Green & White while Caffey published a pair of individual victories en route to a 2-2 finish last year.
POWERED BY THE PODIUM
Spartan wrestling saw a trio of student-athletes reach the podium on the final day of the 2023 Big Ten Wrestling Championships on Sunday, March 5. Saldate, Malczewski and Caffey each guaranteed automatic qualifications to the 2023 NCAA Wrestling Championships. Saldate led the way for the Green & White, placing fifth at 157 pounds while Caffey finished sixth in the 197-pound bracket. Malczewski rounded out the Spartans on the podium with an eighth-place result at 184. In the fifth-place match, Saldate was pitted against the nation's sixth-ranked wrestler and third-seeded Big Ten grappler in Purdue's Kendall Coleman. In his most complete match to date, Saldate rolled to a thrilling 6-1 decision, securing his highest-ranked win of the 2022-23 season and one of the best individual wins of his collegiate career.
As a team, Michigan State published a 13th-place finish in the nation's best wrestling conference, scoring a total of 28.0 team points through the conclusion of the Big Ten Championships. The Green & White finished ahead of 14th-place Maryland, which hauled in a total of 24.0 points at the event.
Penn State collected yet another Big Ten title with a 147.0-point outing at the tournament, finishing 12.5 points ahead of second-place Iowa. Nebraska, Ohio State and Michigan rounded out the top five teams in the B1G after the weekend wrapped up in Ann Arbor.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
All eight mats will have continuous live coverage throughout the weekend on the ESPN family of networks. Live footage from each mat will be available via ESPN+, with select sessions and matches available on linear television via ESPNU and ESPN. Follow the Spartans on Twitter (@MSU_Wrestling) for live updates and mat assignments throughout the weekend. Additionally, fans are encouraged to visit TrackWrestling for the latest information, including live results, mat assignments, schedules and more throughout the NCAA Championships.
Click the link here to be redirected to the NCAA's live updates surrounding the 2023 Division I Wrestling Championships. Fans interested in purchasing tickets for this season's tournament are encouraged to click here.
msuspartans.com
Action begins on Thursday afternoon at 12 p.m. (ET), with pigtail matches followed immediately by the Round of 32. Session II later Thursday evening features Round of 16 matches and the start of consolation action at 7 p.m. Friday begins with Session III, including Championship Quarterfinals and further rounds of consolation action at 12 p.m. Session IV begins at 8 p.m., with Championship Semifinals and the Round of 12. The final two sessions of competition are slated for Saturday, with Session V featuring the National Placement Matches at 11 a.m., followed by the 10 National Championship bouts beginning at 7 p.m.
HEAD COACH ROGER CHANDLER SAID…
"At this point in the season, every individual has to focus solely on themselves and not worry about anything else. That's the great thing about the national tournament; if you take care of what you are supposed to take care of, then the team component will follow suit. I expect us to have a great tournament. These guys have worked all year to get to this point, and in many ways, these four guys have led the way for our entire program this year. Any time you can get an All-American, that's great. But, the reality of the situation is that you have to control the controllable. It's all about what you as the individual can do. That has been my message to our guys. Control what you can control. Go out there on the mat and dictate the pace of the match. If you do that, if you execute at the level to which you are capable of performing, then we will have guys on the podium."
THE NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
MSU learned the seeds and opening-round matchups for its four national qualifiers, as the NCAA published brackets and individual seeding for the 2023 Division I Wrestling Championships on Wednesday, March 8. Junior 157-pounder Chase Saldate garnered the highest individual seed out of MSU's four qualifiers, coming in at the No. 11 position in his third NCAA Championship appearance. The Gilroy, California, native is poised for an impressive run in his true junior season, opening the tournament against No. 22 seed Derek Holschlag of Northern Iowa.
Redshirt senior 184-pounder Layne Malczewski gears up for his fourth qualification and third appearance in the NCAA Championships as the No. 15 seed in Tulsa. The Macomb, Michigan, native will open his national tournament run against Big Ten-foe and 18th-seeded Brian Soldano of Rutgers, who Malczewski dominated in a 14-6 major decision on the road in Piscataway during the dual season.
Graduate 197-pounder Cameron Caffey prepares for his fourth and final NCAA Championship appearance, also landing his fifth qualification. The Carbondale, Illinois, native brought in the No. 19 overall seed at 197 pounds, and will challenge fellow-Big Ten competitor and 14th-seeded Jacob Warner of Iowa in the opening round of action on Thursday.
Junior 165-pounder Caleb Fish will enter his second consecutive NCAA Championships as the No. 29 seed at 165 pounds, starting out against fourth-seeded Cornell star Julian Ramirez. The Eaton Rapids, Michigan, native landed an appearance with an at-large bid this season.
Four of MSU's five NCAA Championship participants from last season return for another chance at the national spotlight, with graduate 133-pounder Rayvon Foley the lone non-returning national qualifier. MSU finished 40th at the 2022 NCAA Championships in Detroit, logging 4.0 team points at the event. Foley picked up a win for the Green & White while Caffey published a pair of individual victories en route to a 2-2 finish last year.
POWERED BY THE PODIUM
Spartan wrestling saw a trio of student-athletes reach the podium on the final day of the 2023 Big Ten Wrestling Championships on Sunday, March 5. Saldate, Malczewski and Caffey each guaranteed automatic qualifications to the 2023 NCAA Wrestling Championships. Saldate led the way for the Green & White, placing fifth at 157 pounds while Caffey finished sixth in the 197-pound bracket. Malczewski rounded out the Spartans on the podium with an eighth-place result at 184. In the fifth-place match, Saldate was pitted against the nation's sixth-ranked wrestler and third-seeded Big Ten grappler in Purdue's Kendall Coleman. In his most complete match to date, Saldate rolled to a thrilling 6-1 decision, securing his highest-ranked win of the 2022-23 season and one of the best individual wins of his collegiate career.
As a team, Michigan State published a 13th-place finish in the nation's best wrestling conference, scoring a total of 28.0 team points through the conclusion of the Big Ten Championships. The Green & White finished ahead of 14th-place Maryland, which hauled in a total of 24.0 points at the event.
Penn State collected yet another Big Ten title with a 147.0-point outing at the tournament, finishing 12.5 points ahead of second-place Iowa. Nebraska, Ohio State and Michigan rounded out the top five teams in the B1G after the weekend wrapped up in Ann Arbor.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
All eight mats will have continuous live coverage throughout the weekend on the ESPN family of networks. Live footage from each mat will be available via ESPN+, with select sessions and matches available on linear television via ESPNU and ESPN. Follow the Spartans on Twitter (@MSU_Wrestling) for live updates and mat assignments throughout the weekend. Additionally, fans are encouraged to visit TrackWrestling for the latest information, including live results, mat assignments, schedules and more throughout the NCAA Championships.
Click the link here to be redirected to the NCAA's live updates surrounding the 2023 Division I Wrestling Championships. Fans interested in purchasing tickets for this season's tournament are encouraged to click here.
Four Spartans Set for 2023 NCAA Wrestling Championships - Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State wrestling gears up for the finale of its 2022-23 season, as the Spartans send a quartet of qualifiers to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to take part in the 2023
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