"That was another very satisfying win for our team," head coach Tom Minkel said. "Once again, we had all 10 of our guys contribute in some way. We know we are a solid tournament team, but winning dual meets like this one proves we can compete in duals as well."
Iowa took an early 3-0 lead following a 5-2 win by No. 7 Paul Bradley over Joe Williams at 184 pounds. The two-time All-American took Williams down in the first and third periods and wrestled a predominately defensive-oriented match to claim the victory.
Senior Jeff Clemens tied things up for the Green and White at 197 pounds, dropping Dan Erekson, 8-4, for his 14th win of the season. Clemens fell behind early, giving up a takedown in the opening minute, but rallied to tally four takedowns of his own, in addition to eliminating Erekson's riding-time advantage in the final four minutes. The victory was the Bellbrook, Ohio, native's first of the Big Ten season.
Ryan Fuller put the Hawkeyes back on top at 285 pounds, dropping MSU senior Max Lossen, 7-3. Similar to Bradley's win at 184 pounds, Fuller took Lossen down early in the first period, and sealed the match with a takedown in the closing seconds.
Nick Simmons turned in another dominating performance at 125 pounds, pinning Lucas Magnani at 2:39 of the first period to give State its first lead of the afternoon at 9-6. Simmons came out on the offensive, putting Magnani to his back twice before notching his team-leading 12th fall of the 2005-06 campaign. Simmons, ranked fourth in the nation, is now 24-0 and 9-0 in dual meets. He is in sole possession of sixth place on MSU's all-time falls list with 31.
MSU extended its lead to 12-6 following red-shirt freshman Jeff Wimberley's first dual-meet win of his career at 133 pounds. Wimberley defeated Daniel Dennis in come-from-behind fashion, 9-6. Trailing 5-1 midway through the second period, Wimberley put Dennis to his back and notched another takedown in the third, earning a standing ovation from the Spartan faithful heading into the intermission.
No. 5 Andy Simmons won an intense match, 2-1, over No. 12 Alex Tsirtsis to extend the Michigan State lead to 15-6. After a scoreless first period, Simmons chose bottom to start the second and reversed Tsirtsis 1:20 into the period. The junior All-American held on amidst a scramble as time expired in the third period to claim his team-leading 24th win of the season.
Iowa's Ty Eustice took the 149-pound match, defeating Darren McKnight, 9-5, to narrow the MSU lead to 15-9. Eustice, ranked second in the nation, took McKnight down twice in both the first and the third periods and is now 19-1 on the season.
Spartan junior Tony Greathouse scored the first takedown of the 157-pound match, but 2005 national finalist Joe Johnston ultimately prevailed for the Hawkeyes by major decision, 18-8.
Iowa reclaimed the lead at 165 pounds, as Eric Luedke defeated Bryan Harney by major decision, 11-1. Luedke spent the majority of the match in the top position, accumulating more than three minutes of riding time. He scored a takedown in each of the three periods and tallied two near-fall points late in the first.
It all came down to the 174-pound bout, where No. 6 R.J. Boudro clinched the upset-victory for the Spartans, defeating Ben Stedman by major decision, 13-3. Boudro never stopped attacking, notching five takedowns and a reversal en route to his 21st win of the season. The Richmond, Mich., native tallied major decisions in both of his matches this weekend, and now has eight victories by eight points or more on the season.
The Spartan grapplers head west next weekend for a pair of duals against Big Ten teams. They will clash with No. 16 Northwestern on Friday, Feb. 10 at 7 p.m., before going to Champaign-Urbana to meet third-ranked Illinois on Sunday, Feb. 12 at 1 p.m.
184- Paul Bradley dec. Joe Williams 5-2 Iowa, 3-0
197- Jeff Clemens dec. Dan Erekson 8-4 3-3
285- Ryan Fuller dec. Max Lossen 7-3 Iowa, 6-3
125- Nick Simmons fall Lucas Magnani Fall, 2:39 MSU, 9-6
133- Jeff Wimberley dec. Daniel Dennis 9-6 MSU, 12-6
141- Andy Simmons dec. Alex Tsirtsis 2-1 MSU, 15-6
149- Ty Eustice dec. Darren McKnight 9-5 MSU, 15-9
157- Joe Johnston maj. dec. Tony Greathouse MD, 18-8 MSU, 15-13
165- Eric Luedke maj. dec. Bryan Harney MD, 11-1 Iowa, 17-15
174- R.J. Boudro maj. dec. Ben Stedman MD, 13-3 MSU, 19-17
Attendance: 845
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