Huskers Set to Host Nittany Lions, Spartans in B1G Weekend

The No. 7 Nebraska wrestling team welcomes two Big Ten opponents to Lincoln this weekend, facing off against No. 2 Penn State in a high-stakes dual on Friday night before grappling with Michigan State on Sunday afternoon. Friday's action will begin at 6 p.m. and be televised by BTN (with streaming available on the Fox Sports App) while Sunday's matchup starts at 2 p.m. and can be streamed online via BTN+ (subscription required). 

The Nittany Lions (6-1, 3-0 Big Ten) have won eight of the last nine NCAA Championships. Despite season-ending injuries to both 2019 NCAA Champion Anthony Cassar (HWT) and Kent State graduate transfer and 2018 NCAA Championships third-place finisher Kyle Conel (197), Penn State has continued its on-mat success. Their lone loss of the 2019-20 campaign came at the hands of then-No. 6 Arizona State, a 19-18 setback during which PSU forfeited a match, giving the Sun Devils six critical team points. 

Michigan State (5-5, 1-3 Big Ten) is coming off their first conference victory, a 36-0 blanking of Maryland on Jan. 19. The Spartans' lineup features ranked wrestlers No. 20 Jake Tucker (157) and No. 17 Cam Caffey (184), who have a combined record of 22-6 on the season. MSU wrestles Clarion in East Lansing, Mich., on Jan. 24 before their matchup with the Huskers on Jan. 26.  

The Huskers (5-2, 0-2 Big Ten), meanwhile, are looking to snap a two-meet losing streak. NU is coming off a 26-6 setback at Iowa, a matchup which saw seven bouts decided by three points or less. Of those seven decisions, only one involved a Husker grappler getting his hand raised in victory. Bright spots for the Big Red included two top-five upsets, as Chad Red Jr. (141) was a 6-2 winner over then-No. 5 Max Murin and Eric Schultz (197) was a 3-1 victor over then-No. 5 Jacob Warner.    

Friday's dual marks the return of the Pepsi Pack the House promotion, featuring $1 admission and $1 Pepsi products. Sunday's dual will be part of Tumble N' Rumble, a combined event featuring the Nebraska wrestling and men's gymnastics teams competing simultaneously. There will also be a giveaway on Sunday, with free t-shirts being given to the first 500 fans and free pop sockets given to the first 300 fans. 

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit Huskers.com 

Last Time Out: No. 1 Iowa defeated No. 7 Nebraska 26-6 in Iowa City, Iowa, on Jan. 18..  

Up Next: Nebraska hosts No. 4 Ohio State on Sunday, Feb. 2. Dual meet action begins at Noon and will be televised by BTN.  

Nebraska's Projected Starters*: 
125: Alex Thomsen RFr. • Neola, Iowa (6-9)  
133: #13 Ridge Lovett Fr. • Post Falls, Idaho (8-5) 
141: #8 Chad Red Jr. Jr. • Indianapolis, Ind. (11-4) 
149: #14 Collin Purinton Sr. • Banks, Ore. (10-5) 
157: #11 Peyton Robb RFr. • Owatonna, Minn. (12-3)
165: #5 Isaiah White Sr. • Chicago, Ill. (12-2) 
174: #6 Mikey Labriola So. • Easton, Pa. (13-4) 
184: #8 Taylor Venz Jr. • Farmington, Minn. (11-5)  
197: #8 Eric Schultz Jr. • Tinley Park, Ill. (15-2) 
285: #15 Christian Lance Sr. • Nixa, Mo. (9-5)
*InterMat rankings used

BACK POINTS
Quick Notes 
• Nebraska has outscored its seven dual oppoents by a combined score of 191-82
• NU has won 46 of 70 (65.7%) individual dual meet matches this season.
• Team leaders by category among starters: 
Dual Record: Eric Schultz (7-0)
Dual Points: Eric Schultz (31 pts) 
Dual Takedowns: Eric Schultz (53) 
Pins: Taylor Venz (5) 
Technical Falls: Eric Schultz (5) 
Major Decisions: Mikey Labriola (4) 
Quickest Pin: Mikey Labriola (0:13)   
• With the win over Northern Iowa on Nov. 24, Coach Manning picked up his 250th victory at Nebraska.     

NU Looks to Stop Streak Against Penn State  
    Nebraska and Penn State have met on the mat five times since the Huskers joined the Big Ten Conference ahead of the 2011-12 season. The Nittany Lions have won all five meetings by a combined score of 140-45. The Big Red are looking for their first victory against Penn State since a 20-16 triumph at the National Duals on Jan. 10, 2009.   

Huskers Strive for Continued Success Against Spartans
    Nebraska has topped Michigan State in each of their five meetings as conference opponents. The Big Red have outscored Sparty 153-42 in those contests. Michigan State last defeated the Huskers on Jan. 18, 1998 by a final score of 23-18. 

Robb, Schultz Shine for Huskers
    Peyton Robb (5-1) and Eric Schultz (7-0) have dominated dual meet competition this season.
    Robb (157), a redshirt freshman from Owatonna, Minn., has scored 27 dual points for the Huskers and has recorded three pins and three technical fall victories, both of which rank second among NU's starters. 
    Schultz (197), a junior, leads the team with five technical fall victories and has amassed 53 dual takedowns while yielding only three. The Tinley Park, Ill., native has also scored a team-high 31 dual points for the Big Red. He is coming off of a 3-1 upset victory against Iowa's then-No.5 Jacob Warner on Jan. 18.  

Lovett Sheds Redshirt, Enters Starting Lineup
    Freshman Ridge Lovett (133) had his redshirt pulled when he entered the starting lineup at Northern Iowa on Nov. 24, 2019. An undefeated four-time state champion at Post Falls High School in Post Falls, Idaho, Lovett came to Nebraska a highly-touted recruit but was expected to redshirt this season. An injury to Tucker Sjomeling altered those plans, however.
    Since being inserted into the starting lineup, Lovett has defeated a top-ten rated opponent (Utah Valley's Taylor LaMont) and placed third at the Cliff Keen Invitational. 

Returning All-Americans Anchor Huskers  
    Nebraska welcomed back four wrestlers from the 2018-19 squad who have earned All-America accolades during their careers. Much was expected from them and so far, the quartet has lived up to its billing. 
    Chad Red Jr. (141) has a 5-1 mark in dual meets this season. Isaiah White (165) is 12-2 overall, including 4-2 against ranked competition, and added a second consecutive Cliff Keen Invitational individual title to his resume in December. Mikey Labriola (174) leads the team in major decision victories and has scored 24 dual points while yielding only six over the course of the season. Lastly, Taylor Venz (184) has registered the most pins among the starters and has scored bonus points in two of his last three dual meet bouts.   

Redshirt Recap: Hastings College Open
    Eleven Nebraska wrestlers competed at the Hastings College Open on Jan. 11 and five earned first-place finishes in their weight class. 
    Christian Miller (141), Kevon Davenport (149), Bubba Wilson (157), Johnny Blankenship (165) and Isaiah Alford (174) all collected individual titles for the Big Red; Cade Svoboda (197) and David Jensen (HWT) each placed second; Daniel Monahan (133), Tyler Deen (141), Colton Wolfe (184) and Austin Emerson (HWT) did not place.     

Rredshirt Recap: Four Huskers Win Titles at Viking Warrior Open
    Eleven Nebraska wrestlers competed at the Viking-Warrior Open on Jan. 4  and four brought home individual titles. 
    Jevon Parrish (133), Caleb Licking (149), Bubba Wilson (157 - Unattached) and David Jensen (HWT) all earned first-place finishes in their respective weight classes. Jake Silverstein (165), Cade Svoboda (197) and Austin Emerson (HWT) all placed second; Johnathon Oretegon (125 - Unattached) and Daniel Monahan (133 - Unattached) each placed fourth; Tyler Deen (141 - Unattached) and Jordan Kelber (141) did not place.

Huskers Top Beavers 32-3
     Nebraska scored bonus points in five matches and won eight of nine bouts overall to defeat Oregon State (2-1, 0-0 Pac-12) at the Devaney Center on Dec. 20.
#6 Mikey Labriola (174) started the night off in dominant fashion, racking up six takedowns and eight near-fall points to defeat Colton Beisley by technical fall, 20-5. #5 Taylor Venz (184) picked up right where Labriola left off, picking up a 9-0 major decision over Colt Doyle. #10 Eric Schultz (197) gave the Huskers three consecutive bonus-point victories to start the evening when he replicated Labriola's 20-5 technical fall victory against the Beavers' J.J. Dixon.
    The night's most exciting match took place at heavyweight. #15 Christian Lance (HWT) led JaMarcus Grant 3-1 late in the third period when Grant earned a one-point escape and two-point takedown to seize a 4-3 lead. Lance responded with a takedown as time expired. An official's review confirmed the takedown, and Lance was victorious by decision, 5-4. 
    Action then shifted to the lighter weights. A double forfeit was declared at 125 as NU's Alex Thomsen was too ill to wrestle and Oregon State's Brandon Kaylor suffered a concussion only days previously. Devan Turner used takedowns in the first and third periods to top #10 Ridge Lovett (133), 6-2. Returning All-American #6 Chad Red Jr. (141) earned a 6-2 decision of his own, topping Beaver grappler Grant Willits. #12 Collin Purinton (149) gave up a reversal after taking down Lane Stigall in the first period, but did not look back after that, earning an 8-4 decision. 
    The final two bouts of the night saw the Big Red rack up more bonus points. #14 Peyton Robb (157) scored 10 points in the first period on his way to a technical fall victory over Logan Meek before returning All-American #4 Isaiah White (165) used riding time and six third-period points to earn a major decision victory over Aaron Olmos.

Big Red Persevere Against Panthers 
    Nebraska picked up bonus points in four of their five match victories to defeat then-No. 17 Northern Iowa 23-19 at the West Gym in Cedar Falls, Iowa, on Nov. 24 
    The Huskers' first road trip to Northern Iowa in nearly a decade started off unevenly. Alex Thomsen (125) scored three takedowns and led then-#9 Jay Schwarm 6-2 before the Panther grappler put Thomsen in a cradle and took the Husker redshirt freshman to his back. Schwarm's pin gave the home team a quick 6-0 advantage. 
Ridge Lovett (133) had his redshirt pulled and saw action in his first dual meet of the season. Lovett scored a takedown less than one minute into the first period, but yielded four near-fall points and a late takedown, ultimately falling 8-2 to Jack Skudlarczyk.
    Chad Red Jr. (141) turned the tide with a dominant technical fall victory over UNI's Michael Blockhus. Red scored six near-fall points less than one minute into the match and secured an 18-0 victory in less than three minutes of action.  
With the team score 9-5 in favor of the Panthers, Collin Purinton (149) went toe-to-toe with then-#3 Max Thomsen in the first of three matchups between ranked wrestlers. Thomsen led Purinton 6-4 after two periods. Purinton then scored a third-period takedown to tie the score at six. Thomsen earned an escape but one point was rewarded to Purinton for stalling, evening the score at seven at the end of the third period. In the sudden victory period, Purinton scored a takedown to walk away with a 9-7 decision. 
    Peyton Robb (157) and Isaiah White kept the positive momentum going for the Big Red. Robb took Keaton Geerts to his back and won by fall in the first period, giving NU a 14-9 lead at intermission. When action resumed, White tallied five takedowns and two near-fall points to earn a 13-5 major decision victory over Austin Yant. 
    In a matchup of returning All-Americans, UNI's then-#7 Bryce Steiert defeated Mikey Labriola (174) 2-1. Neither grappler recorded a takedown, with Steiert's two points coming via an escape and a locked hands call. Then-#7 Taylor Lujan led Taylor Venz (184) 6-4 after Period 1 and did not allow Venz to record a takedown the rest of the match, instead tallying three takedowns of his own en route to a 15-6 major decision victory. 
With Nebraska clinging to an 18-16 lead, Eric Schultz (197) dominated Noah Glaser, piling up 11 takedowns in 24-9 techincal fall victory which gave the Huskers an insurmountable 23-16 advantage. 
    In the final bout of the afternoon, Carter Isley defeated David Jensen (HWT) 6-2.

NU Claims Cliff Keen Team Title
    Isaiah White (165) won his second consecutive individual title and the Nebraska wrestling team won their third Cliff Keen Invitational team title in program history on Dec. 7 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nev. White was one of nine Huskers who placed as NU amassed 118 team points, the most among the 32 schools competing. The team title is Nebraska's first since 2008; the Huskers also took home the title in 2003. In both seasons, Nebraska went on to record Top-5 finishes at the NCAA Championships.
    Ridge Lovett (133) went 5-1 over the course of the weekend, including a win against then-#9 Taylor LaMont of Utah Valley, to finish third. Mikey Labriola (174) also went 5-1 to finish third, picking up a win over then-#14 Kaleb Romero (Ohio State) in the process. 
    Returning All-American Chad Red. Jr (141) pinned then-#12 Tariq Wilson of NC State on his way to a fifth-place finish. Taylor Venz (184) recorded three pins and three wins over ranked foes en route to a fifth-place finish of his own. Eric Schultz (197) rounded out the trio of fifth-place finishers, as he went 5-2 over the course of the tournament.

125: Alex Thomsen DNP (1-2)
133: Ridge Lovett 3rd (5-1)
141: #6 Chad Red Jr. 5th (4-2)
149: #13 Collin Purinton 8th (3-3)
157: Peyton Robb 7th (4-2)
165: #4 Isaiah White 1st (5-0)
174: #5 Mikey Labriola 3rd (5-1)
184: #6 Taylor Venz 5th (5-2)
197: #10 Eric Schultz 5th (5-2)
HWT: #13 Christian Lance 6th (3-3)

Huskers Corral Cowboys 28-7  
  Nebraska won eight of 10 bouts, including three by bonus points, to defeat Wyoming 28-7 at the Devaney Center on Nov. 22. 
    The Cowboys got off to a quick start, winning the first two matches of the evening. At 125, Wyoming's Cole Verner defeated Husker redshirt freshman Alex Thomsen in a three-overtime thriller. Knotted at five at the end of three periods, neither grappler scored in the sudden victory period or in the furst tiebreaker period. Verner earned an escape to open the second tiebreaker period and that proved to be enough, as he recorded a 7-6 victory. #7 Montorie Bridges earned a major decision in the subsequent 133-pound bout, defeating Zak Hensley 14-6. 
    Down 7-0, the Huskers then reeled off eight consecutive match victories. Chad Red Jr. (141) put forth a workman-like effort to defeat Chase Zollman 5-1. Collin Purinton (149) racked up four takedowns to earn an 11-3 major decision over Jaron Jensen, evening the team score at seven apiece. 
    Peyton Robb (157) piled up 13 near fall points in a dominant 18-2 technical fall victory over Logan Jensen. At 165, Isaiah White did not yield a single takedown, defeating Cole Moody 9-3. 
    The next two bouts featured ranked wrestlers on both sides. Mikey Labriola (174) joined Purinton and Robb in scoring bonus points for the Big Red. Labriola defeated then-#14 Hayden Hastings by major decision (10-2) in a match that was decidedly different from their 2018 clash, a 25-point explosion in which Labriola earned a 14-11 decision. At 184, Wyoming's then-#18 Tate Samuelson scored a takedown late in the third period to take the lead against Taylor Venz, but the returning Husker All-American persevered, scoring a reversal and two near-fall points to come out on top 11-8.      
    Eric Schultz (197) gave Stephen Buchanan his first loss of the season, defeating the Cowboy freshman 7-6. And in the night's final match, Christian Lance (HWT) avenged last year's loss to #14 Brian Andrews. Lance defeated Andrews 3-2 one year after Andrews won by pinfall in Laramie. 

Nebraska Dominates in New York
    The Nebraska wrestling team had six individuals take first place in their respective weight-class pools at the Journeymen Collegiate Classic on Nov. 10. Overall, 15 Huskers traveled to Troy, N.Y., for the competition and in addition to the six first-place performances, six Nebraska grapplers recorded runner-up finishes. 
    Collin Purinton (149) took home the crown in the 149A pool. In the 157B pool, Peyton Robb (157) recorded two major decisions before pinning teammate Johnny Blankenship in the championship match. #5 Isaiah White (165), fresh off a victory over the top-ranked Division II wrestler in his weight class at the Nebraska Duals, defeated sixth-ranked Joshua Shields of Arizona State 7-1 to take first place in the 165A pool. Dalton Peters (165) bounced back nicely from his narrow Nebraska Duals defeat by recording three pins and a 9-6 victory over Old Dominion's Jacob Curling in the 165E championship match. Eric Schultz (197) earned a closely-contested 3-2 decision in his first match of the day before recoding a pin and besting Rutgers' Jordan Pagano 5-1 to take home the crown in the 197A pool. 
    The final first-place finisher for the Huskers was Christian Lance (285), who squared off against teammate David Jensen in the 285B final. Lance scored a takedown in overtime to earn the top spot.  
    Returning All-Americans #6 Chad Red Jr. (141), #3 Mikey Labriola (174) and #4 Taylor Venz (184) all advanced to the championship matches in the 'A' pool of their respective weight classes before falling to ranked opponents. Caleb Licking (149B), Johnny Blankenship (157B) and David Jensen (285B) also recorded runner-up finishes.

Lovett and Davenport Shine at Daktronics Open
    Redshirt freshmen Ridge Lovett (133) and Kevon Davenport (149) each won individual championships competing unattached in their respective weight classes at the Warren Williamson/Daktronics Open on Nov. 17. Overall, six Huskers recorded top-three finishes. 
    Lovett, a four-time Idaho Class 5A state champion, blazed through the 133-pound bracket. After pinning South Dakota State's Caleb Gross in 36 seconds, Lovett then defeated Minnesota's Brent Jones by major decision, 14-2. In the 133-pound championship match, Lovett earned a 6-4 decision over South Dakota State's Zach Price.  
    Davenport, the 2019 Detroit Free-Press Athlete of the Year, recorded an 18-3 technical fall victory over Minnesota's Cael Carlson before facing Michael Zarif of Binghamton. Davenport earned a 4-2 decision and advanced by medical forfeit to the 149-pound championship match, where he ended things emphatically by pinning Henry Pohlmeyer (South Dakota State) in the first period. 
    Redshirt freshmen Alex Thomsen (125) and Bubba Wilson (157 - Unattached) recorded runner-up finishes. Austin Emerson (HWT) and Caleb Licking (149) each finished third.

NU Caps Nebraska Duals with Strong Showing Against Kearney
    Following their performance against Chadron State, the Huskers squared off against the No. 4 Nebraska-Kearney Lopers (UNK) in a matchup of squads ranked in the top five of their respective divisions by the National Wrestling Coaches Association.     No. 5 Nebraska got off to another fast start when Thomsen (125) followed up his pin with a 17-6 major decision over John Portillo. Hensley (133) didn't surrender a point to Scott Fulsos, winning 6-0. Perhaps the most exciting match of the night followed. Returning All-American and sixth-ranked Chad Red Jr. (141) battled second-ranked Wesley Dawkins. Not 30 seconds into the match, Dawkins had Red on his back, with the latter doing everything in his power to avoid a pin. Red was able to navigate his way out of trouble, yielding near fall points in the process. From that point forward, Red scored two takedowns and four near fall points on his way to a 10-7 triumph. 
    Peyton Robb (157) won his match against Jacob Wasser by injury default before fifth-ranked Isaiah White (165) made his season debut. The returning All-American faced Matt Malcom, the top-ranked Division II wrestler in his weight class, and earned a hard-fought 6-4 decision. Following White's match (at the conclusion of which UNK was deducted one team point for unsportsmanlike conduct), the Huskers got pins from Labriola (174), fourth-ranked Taylor Venz (184) and David Jensen (HWT) in addition to Eric Shultz's second technical fall victory of the night. When all was said and done, the Huskers walked away with a resounding 47-(minus-1) win.

Huskers Nearly Shutout Chadron State 
    The Big Red grappled with No. 24 Chadron State at the Nebraska Duals on Nov. 7. Nebraska started fast as Alex Thomsen (125) pinned Tate Stoddard in their 58-second match. The Huskers then scored decisions in their next five bouts. Zak Hensley (133), Christian Miller (141) and Caleb Licking (149) all secured victories before Johnny Blankenship (157) triumphed over fifth-ranked Chase Clasen 7-4. Following a closely-contested bout at 165 between Tate Allison and junior Dalton Peters, returning All-American Mikey Labriola (174) needed only 13 seconds to pin Gavin Eason. A sixth-place finisher at the 2019 NCAA Championships, the third-ranked Labriola began his sophomore campaign in style. 
    Colton Wolfe (184) needed an extra period but came away with a 4-2 victory by taking down Terry Winstead in overtime. NU then closed out their first dual victory of the night with consecutive technical falls. Eric Shultz (197) stormed his way to 26-10 win over 10th-ranked Wade French before Christian Lance (HWT) overwhelmed Mason Watt 25-9 to give the Huskers a 37-3 win. 

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Scouting Penn State:
•    2019-20 Record: 6-1  
    Wins (6): Navy (45-0), Lehigh (23-10), University of  Pennsylvania (33-7), Illinois (22-16), Northwestern (30-9), Rutgers (38-6)  
    Losses (1): #6 Arizona State (18-19)     

•  Penn State is coming off a resounding 38-6 victory over Rutgers in Rec Hall last Sunday.  The Lions won eight of ten bouts, picked up three pins and only allowed three takedowns all day in the victory.  The win improved Penn State to 6-1 overall and 3-0 in the Big Ten.
•  The Nittany Lions head into a challenging 16-day stretch with a line-up featuring three seniors and a bevy of talented underclassmen.  Freshman Brandon Meredith is 11-7 in his first season starting at 125 for the Nittany Lions.  Sophomore Roman Bravo-Young is ranked No. 3 at 133 and is 11-0 on the year.  Junior Nick Lee is ranked No. 2 at 141 and is 11-0 as well.  Sophomore Jarod Verkleeren is 12-2 at 149, including a 3-0 mark in Big Ten action.  Junior Luke Gardner is 6-1 at 149 as well with a 2-0 dual meet record
• Sophomore Brady Berge is ranked No. 4 at 157 and is 1-0 on the season, having wrestled one time. Junior Bo Pipher sports an 8-8 mark at 157 as well. Senior Vincenzo Joseph is ranked No. 1 at 165 and is 6-0 on the year.  Senior Mark Hall is 14-0 overall and ranked No. 1 at 174.  True freshman Aaron Brooks is 7-0 during his rookie campaign and is ranked No. 6 at 184.  Senior Shakur Rasheed is 2-1 after returning to action less than two weeks ago after not wrestling for 10 months and is ranked No. 19 nationally at 197.  True freshman Seth Nevills is 9-0 on the year having taken over the starting spot at 285 for Penn State.
 
Penn State's Projected Starters*
125: Brandon Meredith Fr.• Limerick, Pa. (11-7)  
133: #3 Roman Bravo-Young So. • Tucson, Ariz. (11-0) 
141: #2 Nick Lee Jr. • Evansville, Ind. (11-0)   
149: Jarod Verkleeren So. • Greensburg, Pa. (12-2) -OR- Luke Gardner Jr. • Pottsville, Pa. (6-1)  
157: #4 Brady Berge So. • Mantorville, Minn. (1-0) -OR- Bo Pipher Jr. • Paonia, Colo. (8-8)   
165: #1 Vincenzo Joseph Sr. • Pittsburgh, Pa. (6-0) 
174: #1 Mark Hall Sr. • Apple Valley, Minn. (15-0)   
184: #6 Aaron Brooks Fr. • Hagerstown, Md. (7-0)  
197: #19 Shakur Rasheed Sr. • Coram, N.Y. (2-1)   
285: Seth Nevills Fr. • Clovis, Calif. (9-0) 
*Individual rankings according to InterMat  

Scouting Michigan State:
•    2019-20 Record: 5-5  
    Wins (5): Kent State (36-6), #20 Oklahoma (21-16), Duke (44-0), Wyoming (18-12), Maryland (36-0)  
    Losses (5): #18 Cornell (16-20), South Dakota State (17-19), #25 Michigan (14-22), Rutgers (12-25), Minnesota (10-25)       

•  Michigan State is off to a 5-5 start in dual action with a 1-3 mark in the Big Ten. MSU has wins over No. 20 Oklahoma, Kent State, Duke, Wyoming and Maryland. MSU has two shutouts on the season, 44-0 over Duke at the South Beach Duals on Dec. 29 and a 36-0 win over Maryland on Jan. 19 inside Jenison Field House. The shutout on Jan. 19  marked the first over a Big Ten opponent in 36 years, when MSU defeated Illinois, 44-0, on Jan. 20, 1984.
• The Spartans are led by redshirt junior Jake Tucker at 157 pounds, who leads the team with 19 wins. A native of Lowell, Indiana, Tucker holds a 7-3 mark in duals and is 2-2 in the B1G. Tucker ranks No. 22 by FloWrestling and claimed a first-place finish at the Navy Classic, tallying a 5-0 record and capping the title with an 8-3 win over Ohio's Zac Carson in the final. 
• Redshirt sophomore Cameron Caffey, who has three top-5 finishes in tournament action, including a second-place finish at the Cougar Clash, holds a 17-6 record and leads the team with eight falls at 184 pounds. Caffey is 8-2 in duals and 3-1 in B1G duals. Caffey defeated No. 18 Owen Webster of Minnesota, 9-4, on Jan. 17 and secured a fall over Kyle Jasenski of Maryland on Jan. 19. Redshirt junior Christian Rebottaro is 7-3 in duals (2-2 B1G) and holds a 14-8 record overall at 285 pounds for the Spartans. 
• Redshirt freshman Layne Malczewski is tied for second on the team with 17 wins, including a 2-0 mark in B1G action. Malczweski ranks No. 22 by TrackWrestling, No. 23 by FloWrestling and No 25 byTheOpenMat at 174 pounds and has third-place finishes at the Navy Classic and Cougar Clash. Malczewski hold two ranked wins in the B1G to go with his 3-1 record. Redshirt junior Drew Hughes, a two-time NCAA Qualifier, holds a 12-6 record on the season with seven dual wins and ranks No. 26 by TheOpenMat. Hughes won by decision over Tyler Meisiner of Michigan, 6-0, on Jan. 10, and finished with 5:44 of riding time.
 
Michigan State's Projected Starters*
125: Logan Griffin RSr. • Erie Township, Mich. (15-8)
133: Garrett Pepple RSr. • Angola, Ind. (14-9)
141: Matt Santos RJr. • Saginaw, Mich. (11-8) -OR- Jake Spiess RJr. • Delta, Ohio (4-7)
149: Alex Hrisopoulos RJr. • Shelby Township, Mich. (10-8) 
157: #20 Jake Tucker RJr. • Lowell, Ind.(19-5) 
165: Drew Hughes RJr. • Lowell, Ind. (12-6) -OR- Austin Hiles RJr. • Brecksville, Ohio (8-6) 
174: Layne Malczewski RFr. • Macomb, Mich. (17-8) 
184: #17 Cam Caffey RSo. • Carbondale, Ill. (17-6)  -OR- Austen Malczewski RSo. • Washington, Mich. (6-4) 
197: Nick May RJr. • Kalamazoo, Mich. (11-11)  
HWT: Christian Rebottaro RJr. • Scotts Valley, Calif. (14-8) 
*Individual rankings according to InterMat