Nov. 22, 2009

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. - The No. 24 Michigan State wrestling team took part in its first duals of the season on Sunday (Nov. 22) as the Spartans went 2-1 at the Sprawl and Brawl in Binghamton, N.Y. MSU defeated Wyoming (20-13) and host Binghamton (20-12) and fell to Northern Iowa (18-13).

"I thought overall we wrestled pretty well," said Spartan head coach Tom Minkel. "We had two very good duals with Wyoming and Northern Iowa - both good teams. Overall, I was pretty pleased with our effort today."

No. 1-ranked Franklin Gomez (133 lbs.) and Tyler Dickenson (197 lbs.) each went 3-0 on the day for the Green and White.

In their first dual of the day, against Wyoming, the Spartans took five of the final six matches en route to a 20-13 win. With the Cowboys leading, 10-5, Anthony Jones Jr. got the first of three consecutive Spartan wins as Kyle Bounds (165) and Ian Hinton (174) followed with victories to give MSU a 14-10 edge. Dickenson and Alan O'Donnell (Hwt.) got back-to-back decisions in the final two duals to give MSU the win, 20-13.

The Spartans' second dual of the day proved to be a tough battle as well as it was decided on the final bout. Eric Olanowski (125), Gomez (133) and David Cheza (149) all won their matches as MSU got out to a 10-3 lead after four duals. However the Panthers retook the lead by winning the next four duals before Dickenson pulled MSU within two points, 15-13, heading into the final match. In the heavyweight bout, Christian Brantley got a one-point win, 6-5, over O'Donnell to give Northern Iowa the victory, 18-13.

After the meet, Minkel talked about the importance of getting dual-meet experience in November.

"The duals prepare you for what is coming down the road," Minkel said. "It was good to get into that dual-meet mode today because the dynamics are different than an open so it was good experience for us. It was nice to have team competition and we'll learn from it."

The Spartans will get back into action on Dec. 3 when they travel to Ypsilanti to face Eastern Michigan at 7 p.m.

Michigan State 20,Wyoming 13
125 Michael Martinez def. Eric Olanowski, 15-5
133 Franklin Gomez def. Kasey Garnhart, 17-1
141 Chase Smith def. Colin Dozier, 5-0
149 Cole Dallasera def. David Cheza, 10-5
157 Anthony Jones def. Mikah Kadera, 3-0
165 Kyle Bounds def. Shane Onufer, 3-0
174 Ian Hinton def. Brock Smith, 3-0
184 Joe LeBlanc def. Nick Palmieri, 3-0
197 Tyler Dickenson def. Alfonso Hernandez, 4-0
HWT Alan O'Donnell def. Michael McLaughlin, 3-0

Northern Iowa 18, Michigan State 13
125 Eric Olanowski def. Caleb Flores, 7-5
133 Franklin Gomez def. Joey Lazor, 14-4
141 Trent Washington def. Colin Dozier, 6-2
149 David Cheza def. Charlie Ettelson, 6-3
157 Tyson Reiner def. Anthony Jones, 4-1
165 David Borin def. Kyle Bounds, 3-1
174 Jarion Beets def. Ian Hinton, 6-1
184 Andy O'Loughlin def. Nick Palmieri, 3-1
197 Tyler Dickenson def. Dustin Bauman, 4-0
HWT Christain Brantley def. Alan O'Donnell, 6-5

Michigan State 20, Binghamton 12
125 Eric Olanowski def. Jimmy Chase, 3-0
133 Franklin Gomez def. Mike Kleeman, 18-1
141 Anwar Goeres def. Collin Dozier, 6-3
149 David Cheza def. Donnie Vinson, 8-3
157 Justin Lister def. Anthony Jones, 3-2
165 Kyle Bounds def. Matt Kaylor, 3-1
174 Ian Hinton def. Anthony Esposito, 10-3
184 Nate Schiedel def. Nick Palmieri, 8-2
197 Tyler Dickenson def. Mike McKeever, 6-1
HWT Corey Waite def. Joe Rizqallah, 4-1