MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS
The Michigan State Spartans are 3-0 with wins over Shippensburg (50-0), Harvard (31-10) and Binghamton (19-15). They will face Northern Illinois Friday at 7 p.m. (CT) in DeKalb, IL. Head Coach Tom Minkel has a 145-170-4 record in 21 seasons with the Spartans, and a 160-188-4 mark in 23 years as a collegiate head coach. He is assisted by Roger Chandler (Indiana, 1997) and Chris Williams (Michigan State, 2002).
The Spartans are led by juniors David Cheza (149), Ian Hinton (184) and Tyler Dickenson (197), and sophomore Dan Osterman (149). Cheza is ranked eighth by AWN, 13th by Intermat and 19th by WIN with a 6-2 record. Hinton is ranked 17th by WIN with a 6-1 mark, while Osterman ranked 18th by AWN with a 10-2 record.
THE SERIES
Iowa leads the series with Michigan State, 33-15-2, and has won the last three meetings with the Spartans. The Hawkeyes hold an 18-6-1 advantage in Iowa City. Michigan State's last win in the series was Feb. 5, 2006, when the Spartans posted a 19-17 victory in East Lansing.
LAST MEETING - IOWA 37, MICHIGAN STATE 0
Led by two pins and an upset at 133 pounds, the top-ranked Hawkeyes blanked its sixth opponent of the 2009-10 season, beating Michigan State, 37-0, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The six dual season shut-outs was an Iowa school record, beating the previous record of five set in the 1980-81, 1989-90, 1990-91 and 2008-09 seasons. Iowa held Michigan State to one takedown on the night.
Hawkeye senior
Daniel Dennis won the evening's marquee match-up, scoring a 3-2 win in the first tiebreak period over defending NCAA and Big Ten champion Franklin Gomez at 133. Gomez, a senior who was ranked first in the nation, entered the dual on a 29-match winning streak. Dennis, who was ranked fourth in the country, was the last collegiate wrestler to beat Gomez. After a scoreless first period, Gomez scored a quick escape in the second to take a 1-0 lead. Dennis started down in the third period and scored a reversal to take a 2-1 lead. Gomez escaped with 13 seconds left in regulation to tie the score at 2-2. Dennis had only accumulated 59 seconds of riding time when Gomez escaped, so the match was forced to overtime. Neither wrestler scored in the one minute sudden victory period. Dennis started down in the first 30-second tiebreak period, escaping with 16 seconds left to take a 3-2 lead. Gomez needed an escape in the second 30-second tiebreak to force the match to a second sudden victory period, but Dennis rode him out to hold on for the 3-2 win.
Picking up extra team points for the Hawkeyes were seniors
Brent Metcalf (149) and
Jay Borschel (174) and redshirt freshman
Matt McDonough (125). Also scoring decisions for the Hawkeyes were seniors
Ryan Morningstar (165),
Phillip Keddy (184) and
Dan Erekson (Hwt), juniors
Aaron Janssen (157) and
Luke Lofthouse (197) and sophomore
Montell Marion (141). Marion (6-0), Janssen (1-0) and Morningstar (3-0) held their Spartan opponents scoreless, while Keddy, Lofthouse and Erekson only allowed a combined total of 10 Michigan State points in their matches.
Iowa 37, Michigan State 0
125 -
Matt McDonough (I) pinned Brennan Lyon (MSU), 2:52
133 -
Daniel Dennis (I) dec. Franklin Gomez (MSU), 3-2 TB-1
141 -
Montell Marion (I) dec. Dan Osterman (MSU), 6-0
149 -
Brent Metcalf (I) pinned David Cheza (MSU), 3:37
157 -
Aaron Janssen (I) dec. Anthony Jones (MSU), 1-0
165 -
Ryan Morningstar (I) dec. Kyle Bounds (MSU), 3-0
174 -
Jay Borschel (I) maj. dec. Ian Hinton (MSU), 8-0
184 -
Phillip Keddy (I) dec. Nick Palmieri (MSU), 8-1
197 -
Luke Lofthouse (I) dec. Tyler Dickenson (MSU), 10-7
Hwt. -
Dan Erekson (I) dec. Alan O'Donnell (MSU), 8-2
HAVEN'T WE MET?
Hawkeye senior
Luke Lofthouse is the only Iowa wrestler who has faced his probable Michigan State opponent in previous seasons. Lofthouse is 1-0 against Spartan Tyler Dickenson, winning a 10-7 decision at the 2009-10 dual.
MARQUEE MATCH-UP
157 - Derek St. John (Iowa) vs. David Cheza (Michigan State)
This will be the first collegiate meeting between St. John and Cheza. The Spartan junior qualified for the NCAA Championships at 149 pounds last season. He is 6-2 this year and is ranked eighth by AWN, 13th by Intermat and 19th by WIN.
http://www.hawkeyesports.com/sports/m-wrestl/spec-rel/113010aab.html
