Anthony Ashnault of Rutgers is currently ranked No. 6 at 141 pounds (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com)Michigan State hosts No. 11 Rutgers on Sunday at Jenison Field House. The dual meet is slated for 2 p.m. ET and will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network.
Both teams are coming off losses on Friday night. The Spartans fell 30-9 to Illinois in Champaign, Ill. The Scarlet Knights were beaten by Michigan 19-13 in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Below are five matchups to watch in the dual meet.
133: Austin Eicher (Michigan State) vs. Scott DelVecchio (Rutgers)
This should make for a competitive match as both have been NCAA qualifiers, but neither is ranked. Eicher was a MAC champion last season at Northern Illinois and transferred to Michigan State this season. He's currently 17-11 on the season. Last weekend he topped Central Michigan's Corey Keener, the same wrestler he defeated to win the MAC title. DelVecchio was an NCAA qualifier in 2015 as a sophomore and redshirted last season. He has a solid record this season of 15-8, but is coming off two straight losses. Last weekend he was edged by Purdue's Luke Welch 3-2, and on Friday night he fell 11-3 to Michigan's Stevan Micic.
141: Javier Gasca (Michigan State) vs. No. 6 Anthony Ashnault (Rutgers)
This is one of the premier matchups of the dual meet. The two met in a dual meet last season, with Ashnault coming out on top 3-2. Ashnault, a two-time All-American, has been on a roll since taking his last loss in the semifinals of the Midlands Championships to NC State's Kevin Jack. Since then he has reeled off seven consecutive victories, with five being bonus point victories. In his most recent outing he was pushed by Michigan's Sal Profaci, but prevailed 7-3. Profaci cut the deficit to two points in the third period after a takedown, but was unable to complete the comeback. Gasca is Michigan State's lone returning NCAA qualifier from last season. He has had a strong season evidenced by his 21-6 record, but has struggled with consistency at times. He is coming off a win over Mousa Jodeh of Illinois.
149: Nick Trimble (Michigan State) vs. No. 14 Ken Theobold (Rutgers)/Anthony Giraldo
Rutgers has two accomplished wrestlers in this weight class in Theobold and Giraldo. Both have NCAA tournament experience. Theobold qualified for the NCAAs in 2014 and 2015 before redshirting last season. Giraldo was an NCAA qualifier last season down two weight classes at 133 pounds. Both wrestlers have been productive this season. Theobold, who is ranked No. 14, has been getting the majority of starts since the Midlands Championships. He has won three of his last four matches, with the loss coming to NCAA champion Zain Retherford of Penn State. Trimble, a senior who redshirted last season, was a runner-up at the Reno Tournament of Champions. He is currently 12-10 on the season, and coming off a close loss on Friday night to Eric Barone of Illinois.
157: Austin Thompson (Michigan State) vs. John Van Brill (Rutgers)
Van Brill, who is ranked 17th, has done a nice job since stepping in the Rutgers lineup after NCAA qualifier Richie Lewis was lost for the season. He had wins over two ranked wrestlers at the Journeymen Tussle, and placed eighth at the Midlands. He has gone 3-2 since the Midlands, with both losses coming to All-Americans, Jason Nolf of Penn State and Brian Murphy of Michigan. Thompson, a redshirt freshman, has put together a nice season, going 21-10. Heading into his match on Friday night he had won four straight matches. On Friday, he fell to Kyle Langenderfer of Illinois 13-5.
165: Drew Hughes (Michigan State) vs. Willie Scott (Rutgers)
Hughes, a true freshman, was the nation's No. 32 senior recruit in the country by InterMat last year. He has been impressive in the first few months of his college wrestling career, winning 20 of his first 25 matches. He has made the finals of three tournaments, winning titles at the Reno Tournament of Champions and Michigan State Open, while placing second at the Eastern Michigan Open. He has been up-and-down since winning a title in Reno, going 3-3, with two of those losses coming to unranked wrestlers. Scott, a redshirt freshman, has put together a solid season. He started the season by winning 12 of his first 15 matches, which included a 3-0 performance at the Journeymen Tussle, but has hit a rough stretch, losing his last five matches.
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