Spartans pull out late 25-17 victory over No. 17 Wisconsin

The MSU wrestling team notched its first win in the Big Ten this season in an exciting fashion Friday, upsetting No. 17 Wisconsin 25-17 at Jenison Field House.

The Spartans, 6-4 overall and 1-2 in conference, split the first two matches with Wisconsin, winning the opening match in the 157-pound weight class, then dropping the 165-pound bout to No. 10 freshman Andrew Howe, tying the match 3-3.

The 174-pound match was the highlight of the evening, as redshirt freshman Ian Hinton thrilled the crowd and gave the Spartans momentum as he notched a pinfall and put MSU up 9-3.

Hinton found himself down 3-1 entering the third period as he was nearly thrown off the platform early in the match. But he fought back and took down Badgers freshman Travis Rutt as time expired. Because of the unusual takedown, officials hesitated to make a call and called a conference to the side of the platform to discuss honoring Hinton two points for the move.

“It was kind of an unconventional position, but Ian held him there for a long time,” MSU head coach Tom Minkel said. “The kid couldn’t go anywhere and that’s the definition of a takedown, even if you don’t recognize it as such.

“The official was kind of stuck in there and didn’t know what to call. But he had him in trouble for a long time. So clearly it was a takedown and probably a takedown and a near fall.”

The officials awarded the takedown and sent the match into overtime. Once there, Hinton didn’t let up, pinning Rutt.

“Going into overtime, I felt the momentum kind of shift my way,” Hinton said. “The guy felt tired, he felt like he was getting tired and I felt I could move him around more. I took a shot and got in on it, rolled him to his back and got the pin. I definitely got excited; it was great for the team.”

MSU would need those points since the next few matches wouldn’t be in its favor. After extending the lead to 12-3 with another decision, the Spartans would lose two straight
matches to ranked opponents, one by pinfall, to see the score tied up 12-12.

The Spartans countered with two decisions of their own, including a major decision by sixth-ranked junior Franklin Gomez. But redshirt freshman Collin Dozier lost in a technical fall to Zach Tanelli, the nation’s top-ranked 141-pounder, meaning MSU entered the final match up 19-17.

Redshirt freshman David Cheza faced off against Badgers sophomore Greg Burke for the win and brought the crowd to its feet in anticipation. Burke was seeing his first playing time of the season, filling in for No. 5 Kyle Ruschell, who is 18-5 on the season.

Cheza overpowered the inexperienced Burke from the start of the match, easily scoring takedowns and entering the third period up 9-1. Cheza kept the pressure on in the final set, getting Burke to his back and nearly scoring a pin.

The entire Spartans team gathered around the platform and the crowd cheered Cheza on
as he was finally able to pin Burke, giving MSU the 25-17 win.

“I knew I had to win for our team to win, but I didn’t want to settle for just winning,” Cheza said.

“I wanted to send a message to Wisconsin and all the other Big Ten schools out there that we’re not going to go down without a fight.”

The Spartans are heading into a tough week, as their next two matches come against defending national champion Iowa and archrival Michigan.