Eastern Michigan Athletics
Friday, January 23
Convocation Center
7 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
vs
Michigan State
Photo by: Steve King/KingStudios
EMU Wrestling Remains Home for Dual Against Michigan State
1/22/2015 11:42:00 AM | Wrestling
The dual will run in conjuction with High School Night at the Convocation Center
Complete Notes for MSU Dual
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eagles cap off their three-dual homestand Friday, Jan. 23 when they take on the Spartans of Michigan State University. The dual is slated to start at 7 p.m.
For fans who are unable to make it out to the dual, the match will be broadcast on Eastern's live webstreaming service Eagle All-Access. Fans will be able to watch the dual as well as get play-by-play from former EMU wrestlers J.J. Johnson and Drew Lesko. Subscriptions for Eagle All-Access start at just $6.95 and can be purchased at EMUEagles.com/watch.
WRESTLING HOLDS HIGH SCHOOL NIGHT: Friday's dual against the Spartans of Michigan State University will also serve as High School Night at the Convocation Center. Prior to the dual against the Spartans, Mason High School and Linden High School will square off in a dual starting at 5 p.m. Fans are encouraged to come watch the high school dual as the events are being held in conjunction with each other and one ticket will get an individual into both events. Also, all high school students with a valid high school ID get in to the EMU/MSU dual for only $1.
SCOUTING MICHIGAN STATE: The Spartans enter Friday's dual with a 3-7 overall record and a 0-3 record in Big Ten duals. Michigan State returns three of its 10 starters from the 2013 dual against the Eagles, including two-time NCAA qualifier John Rizqallah at 184 lbs.
Junior Roger Wildmo holds a team-best 14 starts in his first season headlining the 165 lb. weight class, while Rizquallah is 12-4 overall on the season and senior Nick Proctor is 10-8 overall at 174 lbs. MSU's lightweights have also posted double-digit victories as both Mitch Rogaliner and Hermilo Esquivel carry identical 11-8 records into the dual.
Nick McDiarmid and Rizquallah each nabbed victories over EMU a season ago, while Esquivel fell at 125 lbs. to then-senior Jared Germaine. This season, the Spartans have made a slight change with their returning starters as Esquivel will get the nod at 133 lbs.
SERIES HISTORY: The Eagles and the Spartans have faced off against each other for seven consecutive years with MSU holding a 6-1 advantange over the Green and White. Last season, EMU took just three bouts on the afternoon, falling in a 24-9 decision on the road.
The Eagles' only win over Michigan State came in the 2011-12 campaign when they captured a thrilling 20-16 victory, Nov. 18, 2011. Eastern took the early 14-0 advantage with a Jared Germaine pin and two major decisions before MSU found its first victory of the night. The Green and White continued to build its lead as Aaron Sulzer grabbed a 3-2 decision against a top-15 opponent to put EMU up 17-4 over the Spartans. Phillip Joseph scored the Eagles' final points of the day as he captured a decision at the 174 lb. weight class.
OUTSCORING OPPONENTS: Depsite its recent losses, the Eastern Michigan wrestling team is outscoring its opponents 253-235 on the season. The Eagles have used big wins over Bloomsburg, Cal Poly, and Clarion to outscore their opponents by 18 points through the first 13 duals of the season. The Green and White kept all three teams to just two wins in the dual and did not allow any of the three teams to reach double-digit scoring. Despite their three big wins, the Eagles have suffered some large setbacks of their own this season, falling 26-6 to then-No. 16 Northwestern in their first dual of the season. Most recently, the Eagles were on the wrong end of a 36-6 decision against No. 22 N.C. State and matching 20-15 losses to Cleveland State, Jan. 15, and Ohio University, Jan. 18.
EXTRA-POINT VICTORIES FOR HUTCHISON: In his first season as a full-time starter, redshirt-freshman Gage Hutchison has tallied extra-point victories in seven of his 11 bout wins of the year. The Buchanan, Mich. native has notched a team-best six pins on the season, including one pin in Mid-American Conference action, while also grabbing one win by way of major decision in the heavyweight division.
Furthermore, five of Hutchison's seven pins have been in the first period with his fastest pin of the season coming just 18 seconds into the bout against Pitt's Lucas Chestnut at the Keystone Classic, Nov. 23, en route to a sixth-place finish.
EMU SUFFERS SECOND CONFERENCE LOSS: Eastern suffered its third-straight dual loss and second Mid-American Conference loss of the season at the hands of Ohio University, Jan. 18. The Eagles notched four victories on the day, while the Bobcats earned back-to-back major decisions from two of their nationall-ranked grapplers at 165 lbs. and 174 lbs. to secure a 20-15 victory over EMU.
TWO GRAPPLERS PLACE AT PURPLE RAIDER OPEN: Freshman Derek Hillman and sophomore Kyle Springer each earned second-place finishes at the Purple Raider Open, hosted by the University of Mount Union Sunday, Jan. 18. The two made the trek to Alliance, Ohio to compete as unattached wrestlers, while the rest of the Eagles took on Ohio in a Mid-American Conference dual.
The runner-up finish marked the fourth podium finish of the season for Springer and the second for Hillman. Springer notched four wins on the day at 141 lbs., while Hillman secured three wins at 184 lbs.
FOUR EAGLES RANK IN JANUARY MAC POLL: Redshirt-junior Vincent Pizzuto remained in the Mid-American Conference rankings, moving up to the No. 2 wrestler at 133 lbs., while redshirt-senior Brandon Zeerip and redshirt-junior Michael Shaw make their way back into the rankings after earning a place in their respective weight classes during the month of December. Redshirt-junior Anthony Abro is the final EMU grappler to make an appearance on the list, tying for fourth at 197 lbs.
Pizzuto picked up his second conference win with a 4-1 decision over Josh Parrett of Ohio after taking a week break following the Pitt Duals, Jan. 11. The North Jackson, Mich. native holds a 10-9 overall record and is a perfect 2-0 is conference duals.
Zeerip grabbed his first conference victory of the 2014-15 season with a 3-1 decision over Ohio's Spartak Chino Sunday, Jan. 21. The Fremont, Mich. native carries a 16-9 overall record and is 1-1 in conference action this season for the Green and White at 157 lbs.
Shaw improved upon his 1-0 MAC record with 6-0 shutout victory oer Joel Shump of Ohio at 141 lbs., ranking him fourth in the conference. The Bangor, Mich. native is 10-10 overall on the season and 7-6 in duals.
Abro is ranked for the first time this season at 197 lbs. after nabbing five-straight victories, including a pin over nationally-ranked N.C. State, Jan. 11. The redshirt-junior has been a catalyst for the EMU lineup with a 17-8 overall record and a 10-3 record in dual action.
UP NEXT ON THE MATS: Eastern Michigan wrestling will hit the road for two Mid-American Conference duals. The Eagles will first travel to Kent, Ohio to close out the month of January with a dual against the Golden Flashes of Kent State, Jan. 30 before traveling to DeKalb, Ill. to take on the Northern Illinois Huskies, Feb. 6.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eagles cap off their three-dual homestand Friday, Jan. 23 when they take on the Spartans of Michigan State University. The dual is slated to start at 7 p.m.
For fans who are unable to make it out to the dual, the match will be broadcast on Eastern's live webstreaming service Eagle All-Access. Fans will be able to watch the dual as well as get play-by-play from former EMU wrestlers J.J. Johnson and Drew Lesko. Subscriptions for Eagle All-Access start at just $6.95 and can be purchased at EMUEagles.com/watch.
WRESTLING HOLDS HIGH SCHOOL NIGHT: Friday's dual against the Spartans of Michigan State University will also serve as High School Night at the Convocation Center. Prior to the dual against the Spartans, Mason High School and Linden High School will square off in a dual starting at 5 p.m. Fans are encouraged to come watch the high school dual as the events are being held in conjunction with each other and one ticket will get an individual into both events. Also, all high school students with a valid high school ID get in to the EMU/MSU dual for only $1.
SCOUTING MICHIGAN STATE: The Spartans enter Friday's dual with a 3-7 overall record and a 0-3 record in Big Ten duals. Michigan State returns three of its 10 starters from the 2013 dual against the Eagles, including two-time NCAA qualifier John Rizqallah at 184 lbs.
Junior Roger Wildmo holds a team-best 14 starts in his first season headlining the 165 lb. weight class, while Rizquallah is 12-4 overall on the season and senior Nick Proctor is 10-8 overall at 174 lbs. MSU's lightweights have also posted double-digit victories as both Mitch Rogaliner and Hermilo Esquivel carry identical 11-8 records into the dual.
Nick McDiarmid and Rizquallah each nabbed victories over EMU a season ago, while Esquivel fell at 125 lbs. to then-senior Jared Germaine. This season, the Spartans have made a slight change with their returning starters as Esquivel will get the nod at 133 lbs.
SERIES HISTORY: The Eagles and the Spartans have faced off against each other for seven consecutive years with MSU holding a 6-1 advantange over the Green and White. Last season, EMU took just three bouts on the afternoon, falling in a 24-9 decision on the road.
The Eagles' only win over Michigan State came in the 2011-12 campaign when they captured a thrilling 20-16 victory, Nov. 18, 2011. Eastern took the early 14-0 advantage with a Jared Germaine pin and two major decisions before MSU found its first victory of the night. The Green and White continued to build its lead as Aaron Sulzer grabbed a 3-2 decision against a top-15 opponent to put EMU up 17-4 over the Spartans. Phillip Joseph scored the Eagles' final points of the day as he captured a decision at the 174 lb. weight class.
OUTSCORING OPPONENTS: Depsite its recent losses, the Eastern Michigan wrestling team is outscoring its opponents 253-235 on the season. The Eagles have used big wins over Bloomsburg, Cal Poly, and Clarion to outscore their opponents by 18 points through the first 13 duals of the season. The Green and White kept all three teams to just two wins in the dual and did not allow any of the three teams to reach double-digit scoring. Despite their three big wins, the Eagles have suffered some large setbacks of their own this season, falling 26-6 to then-No. 16 Northwestern in their first dual of the season. Most recently, the Eagles were on the wrong end of a 36-6 decision against No. 22 N.C. State and matching 20-15 losses to Cleveland State, Jan. 15, and Ohio University, Jan. 18.
EXTRA-POINT VICTORIES FOR HUTCHISON: In his first season as a full-time starter, redshirt-freshman Gage Hutchison has tallied extra-point victories in seven of his 11 bout wins of the year. The Buchanan, Mich. native has notched a team-best six pins on the season, including one pin in Mid-American Conference action, while also grabbing one win by way of major decision in the heavyweight division.
Furthermore, five of Hutchison's seven pins have been in the first period with his fastest pin of the season coming just 18 seconds into the bout against Pitt's Lucas Chestnut at the Keystone Classic, Nov. 23, en route to a sixth-place finish.
EMU SUFFERS SECOND CONFERENCE LOSS: Eastern suffered its third-straight dual loss and second Mid-American Conference loss of the season at the hands of Ohio University, Jan. 18. The Eagles notched four victories on the day, while the Bobcats earned back-to-back major decisions from two of their nationall-ranked grapplers at 165 lbs. and 174 lbs. to secure a 20-15 victory over EMU.
TWO GRAPPLERS PLACE AT PURPLE RAIDER OPEN: Freshman Derek Hillman and sophomore Kyle Springer each earned second-place finishes at the Purple Raider Open, hosted by the University of Mount Union Sunday, Jan. 18. The two made the trek to Alliance, Ohio to compete as unattached wrestlers, while the rest of the Eagles took on Ohio in a Mid-American Conference dual.
The runner-up finish marked the fourth podium finish of the season for Springer and the second for Hillman. Springer notched four wins on the day at 141 lbs., while Hillman secured three wins at 184 lbs.
FOUR EAGLES RANK IN JANUARY MAC POLL: Redshirt-junior Vincent Pizzuto remained in the Mid-American Conference rankings, moving up to the No. 2 wrestler at 133 lbs., while redshirt-senior Brandon Zeerip and redshirt-junior Michael Shaw make their way back into the rankings after earning a place in their respective weight classes during the month of December. Redshirt-junior Anthony Abro is the final EMU grappler to make an appearance on the list, tying for fourth at 197 lbs.
Pizzuto picked up his second conference win with a 4-1 decision over Josh Parrett of Ohio after taking a week break following the Pitt Duals, Jan. 11. The North Jackson, Mich. native holds a 10-9 overall record and is a perfect 2-0 is conference duals.
Zeerip grabbed his first conference victory of the 2014-15 season with a 3-1 decision over Ohio's Spartak Chino Sunday, Jan. 21. The Fremont, Mich. native carries a 16-9 overall record and is 1-1 in conference action this season for the Green and White at 157 lbs.
Shaw improved upon his 1-0 MAC record with 6-0 shutout victory oer Joel Shump of Ohio at 141 lbs., ranking him fourth in the conference. The Bangor, Mich. native is 10-10 overall on the season and 7-6 in duals.
Abro is ranked for the first time this season at 197 lbs. after nabbing five-straight victories, including a pin over nationally-ranked N.C. State, Jan. 11. The redshirt-junior has been a catalyst for the EMU lineup with a 17-8 overall record and a 10-3 record in dual action.
UP NEXT ON THE MATS: Eastern Michigan wrestling will hit the road for two Mid-American Conference duals. The Eagles will first travel to Kent, Ohio to close out the month of January with a dual against the Golden Flashes of Kent State, Jan. 30 before traveling to DeKalb, Ill. to take on the Northern Illinois Huskies, Feb. 6.
Players Mentioned
184
/ Wrestling
125
/ Wrestling
184
/ Wrestling
285
/ Wrestling
184
/ Wrestling
133
/ Wrestling
149
/ Wrestling
141
/ Wrestling
157
/ WrestlingEastern Michigan - 2018 MAC Wrestling Championships Preview
Monday, June 04
2018 MAC Wrestling Championships 165-lb Match:
Monday, June 04
2018 MAC Wrestling Championships 197-lb Match:
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2018 MAC Wrestling Championships 285-lb Match:
Monday, June 04