Spartans prep for Big Ten Championships

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Competing against the nation’s best every week, the MSU wrestling team finally is in line to reap the benefits of facing a grueling schedule with a young lineup.

The Spartans have wrestled six of the nation’s top 13 teams as part of a difficult Big Ten conference, but unlike several of their opponents, the Spartans have done it with five freshmen and sophomores in the starting lineup.

As the team prepares for this weekend’s Big Ten Championships in Ann Arbor, it hopes the growth of its underclassmen will carry over in the results of the competition.

“We’ve definitely seen most of the best guys in the country,” head coach Tom Minkel said. “We’ve learned a lot and we feel prepared.”

MSU finished 2-6 in the Big Ten, but improved its conference win total from the previous two seasons.

Freshman Dan Osterman posted a 20-11 record and will try to cap an impressive freshman season with a good showing in the 141-pound weight class, which features four wrestlers ranked in the top 15 and is one of the toughest classes in the conference.

No. 11-ranked 149-pound sophomore David Cheza also has been solid this season. Seeded fifth in the class, Cheza will have to contend with four of the nation’s top 5-ranked wrestlers in the class.

Sophomore Ian Hinton has held his own in a challenging 174-pound class, posting a 16-14 record and earning a No. 7 seed for this weekend’s bouts. Tyler Dickenson, a 197-pound sophomore, posted a 16-16 record as the starter in his class, and 125-pound redshirt freshman Brennan Lyon is looking to gain from the experience of being thrust into the action right away.

“It’s a great growing experience for all the young guys,” Dickenson said. “At this time of the season, we need to peak.”

Gomez seeks No. 3

No. 4-ranked 133-pound sophomore Franklin Gomez will face a difficult road in search of his third straight conference championship.

Despite having a 20-1 record, Gomez, the defending national champion, is seeded third in his class and will have to contend with No. 1 Jayson Ness of Minnesota and No. 3 Daniel Dennis of Iowa for the trifectca.

Dennis defeated Gomez in an overtime bout earlier this season, while Ness never has lost to Gomez in dual meets in his career.

The two haven’t met this season.

Additionally, fellow Spartan seniors, 165-pound Kyle Bounds and heavyweight Alan O’Donnell, are seeded sixth and eighth, respectively, in their classes.

Regardless of Gomez’s performance, this weekend’s competition will serve as a good warm-up for the NCAA championships, where he’ll look to repeat.

“It’s just motivating that this will be my last time,” Gomez said. “I just have to be patient, and the hard work this season will help me.”

Resting up

The Spartans (8-8-1) were off for the first time since the start of the New Year last weekend, and used the opportunity to rest up and focus on the two upcoming competitions.

After this weekend’s competition, which will take place Saturday and Sunday in Ann Arbor, the Spartans will have the next week off before March 18-20’s NCAA Championships.

Minkel said the team stayed active during the week off but was able to rest up and prepare for this weekend’s competition.

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