TABLE OF CONTENTS 2008-09 Roster...3 2008-09 Schedule...4 2008-09 Outlook...5-6 COACHING/SUPPORT STAFF... 7 Head Coach Tom Minkel...8-9 Assistant Coach Roger Chandler...10 Assistant Coach Chris Williams...10 Support Staff...11 2008-09 SPARTAN WRESTLERS...12 Eric Anderson, Steve Andrus, Grant Ankney, Jeremiah Austin...13 Jeremy Bloom, Colby Borchetta, Ben Boudro...14 Kyle Bounds, Micah Carter, David Cheza...15 Bryant Craft, Tyler Dickenson, Colin Dozier...16 Franklin Gomez...17 Tim Hammer, John Hebert, Ian Hinton...18 Curran Jacobs, Anthony Jones Jr...19 Rex Kendle, Philip Khozein...20 John Murphy...21 Alan O Donnell, Eric Olanowski...22 Nick Palmieri, Mason Reid, Raymond Seese...23 Eddie Skowneski, Kirk Tank, Jon Thomas...24 Joel Trombly, Jeff Wimberley...25 2008-09 OPPONENTS... 26-28 SPARTAN WRESTLING HISTORY...29 National Champions...30-31 NCAA Tournament History...32-33 Honors and Awards...34 Year-by-Year Records...35 Records vs. Opponents...36 Match-by-Match Summary...37-45 JENISON FIELD HOUSE... 46-47 MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY... 48-58 CREDITS The 2008-09 Michigan State Wrestling Media Guide is a production of the MSU Athletic Communications Office. Written, designed and edited by Bob Healy, Athletic Communications Student Assistant, with assistance provided by Ben Phlegar, Athletic Communications Assistant Director, and Jeff Barnes, Athletic Communications Intern. Cover designed by Ashley Pearson, Athletic Communications Student Assistant. Additional assistance provided by Dan Trainor and Teddy Newton. Photography provided by Matthew Mitchell, John Gwillim, Harley Seeley, Erin Groom and Dave Olds. QUICK FACTS MSU QUICK FACTS Location...East Lansing, Mich. Founded... 1855 Enrollment...46,045 President...Dr. Lou Anna K. Simon Athletics Director...Mark Hollis Affiliation...NCAA Division I Conference...Big Ten Nickname...Spartans Colors... Green and White Home Arena...Jenison Field House (5,017) 2008-09 MSU COACHING STAFF Head Coach...Tom Minkel Alma Mater...Central Michigan, 1971 Career Record (yrs)...143-170-3 (19 yrs) MSU Record (yrs)...128-152-3 (17 yrs) Office Phone...517.355.5270 E-mail...minkel@ath.msu.edu Assistant Coach... Roger Chandler Office Phone...517.432.0724 E-mail...chandl37@ath.msu.edu Assistant Coach...Chris Williams Office Phone...517.353.7189 E-mail...willi756@ath.msu.edu Wrestling Office Phone...517.355.5270 Wrestling Office Fax...517.353.8126 Wrestling Office Mailing Address...212 IM Sports-West.. Michigan State University.. East Lansing, MI 48824 2007-08 TEAM FACTS 2007-08 Overall Record...4-13 Big Ten Record (Finish)...0-8 (11th) NCAA Championships Finish... T-28th NCAA Qualifiers returning/lost... 1/0 Letterwinners returning/lost...16/6 Starters returning/lost...10/3 ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS Athletic Communications Intern/Wrestling Contact...Jeff Barnes Office Phone...517.355.2271 E-mail... jbarnes@ath.msu.edu Wrestling Contact...Bob Healy Office Phone...517.355.2271 E-mail...healyrob@msu.edu Office Fax...517.353.9636 Athletics Website...msuspartans.com Mailing Address...Michigan State Athletic Communications.. Z-22 Breslin Center.. East Lansing, MI 48824 2
BY WEIGHT CLASS 125 Jeremiah Austin, Colby Borchetta, Eric Olanowski, Raymond Seese 133 Grant Ankney, Franklin Gomez, John Hebert 141 Micah Carter, Collin Dozier, Joel Trombly, Jeff Wimberley 149 David Cheza, Tim Hammer, Eddie Skowneski, Jon Thomas 157 Kyle Bounds, Anthony Jones, Philip Khozein, Kirk Tank 165 Jeremy Bloom, Ben Boudro, Rex Kendle 174 Bryant Craft, Curran Jacobs, John Murphy, Mason Reid 184 Eric Anderson, Ian Hinton 197 Tyler Dickenson, Nick Palmieri 285 Steve Andrus, Alan O Donnell PRONUNCIATION GUIDE Borchetta...Bore-SHETT-uh Boudro...BOO-dro Cheza... CHEZZ-uh Khozein... KO-zeen 2008-09 MICHIGAN STATE WRESTLING Name Wt. Yr./Elig. Hometown/High School/Previous School Eric Anderson 184 Jr./So. St. Charles, Mich./St. Charles Steve Andrus 285 Fr./Fr. Manhattan, Kan./Manhattan Grant Ankney 133 Fr./Fr. Holt, Mich./Holt Jeremiah Austin 125 Fr./Fr. Westland, Mich./John Glenn Jeremy Bloom 165 5th/Sr. Williamston, Mich./Williamston Colby Borchetta 125 Fr./Fr. Plantation, Fla./Arch Bishop McCarthy Ben Boudro 165 Jr./So. Richmond, Mich./Anchor Bay Kyle Bounds 157 Jr./Jr. Vancouver, Wash./Columbia River/Oregon Micah Carter 141 Sr./Jr. Cedar Springs, Mich./Eastern Michigan David Cheza 149 So./Fr. Grand Blanc, Mich./Grand Blanc Bryant Craft 174 Fr./Fr. Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston Tyler Dickenson 197 So./Fr. Pewamo, Mich./St. John s Collin Dozier 141 So./Fr. Virginia Beach, Va./Frank W. Cox Franklin Gomez 133 Sr./Jr. Brandon, Fla./Brandon Tim Hammer 149 5th/Sr. Wayne, Mich./Wayne Memorial John Hebert 133 Fr./Fr. Novi, Mich./Northville Ian Hinton 184 So./Fr. Nappanee, Ind./Mishawaka Curran Jacobs 174 So./Fr. Owosso, Mich./Owosso Anthony Jones Jr. 157 So./So. Highland Park, Mich./Highland Park Rex Kendle 165 5th/Sr. Edwardsburg, Mich./Edwardsburg Philip Khozein 157 So./Fr. Jenison, Mich./Hesperia John Murphy 174 5th/Sr. Evergreen Park, Ill./Chicago St. Rita Alan O Donnell 285 Sr./Jr. Lakewood, Mich./Lakewood Eric Olanowski 125 So./Fr. Virginia Beach, Va./Kellam Nick Palmieri 197 Sr./Jr. Highland Heights, Ohio/Mayfield Mason Reid 174 Fr./Fr. Union, Ky./Ryle Raymond Seese 125 Fr./Fr. Alto, Mich./Lowell Eddie Skowneski 149 5th/Sr. Clinton Township, Mich./Chippewa Valley Kirk Tank 157 Fr./Fr. Curtice, Ohio/Oak Harbor Jon Thomas 149 Fr./Fr. Troy, Mich./Troy Joel Trombly 141 Jr./So. New Baltimore, Mich./Anchor Bay Jeff Wimberley 141 5th/Sr. Pimbroke Pines, Fla./Ft. Lauderdale Head Coach: Tom Minkel (18th year) Assistant Coach: Roger Chandler (11th year) Assistant Coach: Chris Williams (4th year) 2 0 0 8 S P A R T A N R O S T E R
S C H E D U L E 2008-09 SCHEDULE Date OPPONENT LOCATIOn time November Sat. 1 at Eastern Michigan Open Ypsilanti, Mich. All Day Sun. 9 Michigan State Open east Lansing, Mich. all Day Sat. 15 at ACC-Big Ten Clash Raleigh, N.C. All Day Sun. 30 at Penn State Open State College, Pa. All Day December Fri. 5 at Eastern Michigan Ypsilanti, Mich. 7 p.m. Mon. 29 at Midlands Championships Evanston, Ill. All Day Tue. 30 at Midlands Championships Evanston, Ill. All Day January Sat. 3 central Michigan east Lansing, Mich. tba Sat. 17 at West Virginia Morgantown, W. Va. 1 p.m. Sun. 18 at Ohio Athens, Ohio 1 p.m. Fri. 23 at Northwestern* Evanston, Ill. 7 p.m. Sun. 25 at Minnesota* Minneapolis, Minn. 1 p.m. Fri. 30 Wisconsin* east Lansing, Mich. 7 p.m. February Fri. 6 iowa* east Lansing, Mich. 7 p.m. Sun. 8 Michigan* [BTN] east Lansing, Mich. 1 p.m. Fri. 13 Penn State* east Lansing, Mich. 7 p.m. Sun. 15 Oklahoma east Lansing, Mich. 1 p.m. Thu. 19 at Purdue* Elkhart, Ind. 7 p.m. Sun. 22 at Illinois* Champaign, Ill. 1 p.m. March Sat. 7 Big Ten Championships State College, Pa. All Day Sun. 8 Big Ten Championships State College, Pa. All Day Thu. 19 NCAA Championships St. Louis, Mo. All Day Fri. 20 NCAA Championships St. Louis, Mo. All Day Sat. 21 NCAA Championships St. Louis, Mo. All Day All time listed are Eastern Standard and subject to change. All home matches will take place at Jenison Field House. * Big Ten Conference match. BTN denotes Big Ten Network. 4
O U T L O O K 2008-09 OUTLOOK The Michigan State wrestling team brings a young roster full of raw talent and depth into the 2008-09 season. The Spartans, who lost only three dual match starters after the 2007-08 season, reload with a class of 10 true freshmen. The team also includes six seniors, five juniors, four sophomores, and seven redshirt freshmen. The Spartans are led by junior All-American Franklin Gomez, who comes into the season ranked No. 3 in the country in the 133-pound class by InterMat. Gomez finished his sophomore season with a 33-2 record, earning a third-place finish at the NCAA Championships and picking up the Big Ten Championship at 133 on the way. MSU head coach Tom Minkel, who is in his 18th season coaching the Spartans, says that this year s team is the most talented group he s seen in a while. We have better talent, better depth, and I think we have better team unity than we ve had in some time, said Minkel. A lot of our talent and depth is fairly young still, so we re going to have to mature in some weight classes in a hurry, but our starting point is certainly better than it has been in a long while. the Big Ten Championship. Gomez also put together 18-straight victories lasting from Jan. 4 until March 21 in what Minkel calls, a very tough weight class. He only had two losses last year, Minkel said. One in the semifinals of the Midlands Championships and one in the semifinals of the NCAA Championships, and the NCAA was a very, very tight match. Franklin will clearly contend for a national championship. True freshmen Grant Ankney and John Hebert will likely redshirt. 141 pounds The 141-pound class returns four wrestlers who could all compete for the Spartans this season. Fifth-year senior Jeff Wimberley and junior Micah Carter split time starting in 2007-08, and will battle for the top spot again this season. 149 pounds The Spartans return an experienced group to the 149-pound class. Fifth-year seniors Tim Hammer and Eddie Skowneski will be challenged by redshirt freshmen David Cheza and John Thomas. Skowneski and Hammer split time starting in 2007-08, and as Minkel implies, that may not be out of the question this season. It s pretty wide-open, Minkel said. I would guess that it would either be Skowneski or Hammer to start with, because both are fifth-year seniors and both have been in the lineup before. But David Cheza is a very tough freshman who will give us some depth and compete for a spot as well. 157 pounds Sophomore Anthony Jones, who wrestled at 149 and 157 last season as a true freshman, is the frontrunner at 157. Jones went 2-2 at 157 and 11-5 at 149, and won the only dual match he competed in for the Spartans against Ohio. Minkel also acknowledged that having the depth that his team has can not only push wrestlers to perform well, but can also be crucial down the stretch if injuries become a factor. I think some of these younger guys will push our older guys pretty hard, he said. If you get in the position where you re hurt in a couple weight classes, it can be devastating to your season. I think we have better depth in a lot of weight classes, and we ve got some good experience and some pretty good young talent coming up. 125 pounds Redshirt freshman Eric Olanowski looks to be the starter at 125 pounds for the Spartans after putting together a 9-4 record in open competition in his freshman year. Olanowski finished high school ranked as the top senior in the country in his weight class, and was a three-time state finalist as well as the 2007 state champion in Virginia. Eric s from Virginia Beach and was the high school national champion his senior year, Minkel said. He brings some really good credentials and talent into that weight class. True freshmen Jeremiah Austin, Colby Borchetta, and Raymond Seese round out the group. 133 pounds Gomez returns as the starter at 133 after making a run at the NCAA title during his sophomore season. The junior finished with a perfect 17-0 record in dual matches, and was ranked No. 1 in the country by InterMat after capturing Wimberley and Carter will be challenged by Collin Dozier, a redshirt freshman who was one of Minkel s top recruits a season ago, and sophomore Joel Trombly, who moves up to 141 after wrestling at 125 in his freshman season. 141 is somewhat of an open weight class, Minkel said. We have a lot of depth there. It s hard to say who s going to step up, but because of the competition at that weight class, I think we ll be fairly strong there. Jones showed us a lot as a true freshman last year, Minkel said. He has a lot of talent and a lot of power. So he could very well be our starter. He will be challenged by junior Kyle Bounds, who will be competing for the first time for MSU after transferring from Oregon. Kyle brings us depth, experience and leadership in those middle weights, Minkel said. He will certainly contend for a spot at either 157 or 165. FRANKLIN GOMEZ 5
O U T L O O K Redshirt freshman Philip Khozein will also challenge for the starting spot while true freshman Kirk Tank will likely redshirt. 165 pounds The top spot in the 165-pound class will likely be held by fifth-year senior Rex Kendle, who started every dual for the Spartans last season. Senior Jeremy Bloom, sophomore Ben Boudro and true freshman Bryant Craft round out the class. Boudro s experience lies in open competition, but he could contribute in dual matches as well. We ve got some depth there, but our experience is really with Kendle, Minkel said. 174 pounds The 174-pound class will be led by senior John Murphy, who finished 24-19 last season. Murphy reached No. 19 in the country midway through the season, and won two matches at the Big Ten Championships. John Murphy is a fifth-year senior who would probably have gone to the NCAA Championships had he not had a very serious knee injury at the Big Ten Championships in the second match, Minkel said. Right now, Murphy is the front-runner given that he s been in the lineup for a couple years, he s a fifth year senior, and he wrestled in the Big Ten Championships for us. Redshirt freshman Curran Jacobs will challenge Murphy for playing time while true freshmen Mason Reid and Bryant Craft will likely redshirt. Curran Jacobs has shown a lot of promise, Minkel said. I think Curran will be a player for us in the next few years. He s a redshirt freshman, but he s right in the mix. 184 pounds Redshirt freshman Ian Hinton will likely lead the Spartans in the 184-pound class. Hinton finished 10-4 in open competition, picking up second-place finishes at the EMU Open and MSU Open. Sophomore Eric Anderson will also wrestle at 184 for the Spartans. Ian s a redshirt freshman, a multiple state champ from Indiana, and a very talented, tough, young man, Minkel said. I expect him to be a player for us. 197 pounds Junior Nick Palmieri and redshirt freshman Tyler Dickenson will battle for the starting spot at 197. Palmieri started every dual for the Spartans at 184 last season. A two-year starter, Palmieri recorded 17 victories last season, with six coming in dual meets. Dickenson also contributed, finishing fourth at the MSU Open. Ian (Hinton) and Tyler are examples, I think, of where the program is headed, Minkel said. Both are very, very tough young men, but this will also be their first year in the lineup, so there s a learning curve as you wrestle in the Big Ten. 285 pounds The heavyweight class returns junior Alan O Donnell, who has started for the Spartans since his freshman season. Coming off a season with eight dual match wins and a berth to the Big Ten Championships, O Donnell is primed for his best season yet. Alan O Donnell has been in the lineup for a few years and worked very, very hard this summer and is much-improved, Minkel said. He s the front-runner at heavyweight. Schedule The Spartans 2008-09 schedule certainly isn t lacking challenging match-ups. Of the Spartans 13 dual matches, 10 of them are against teams that begin the season ranked in the USA Today/NWCA/InterMat top 25. The Spartans schedule features match-ups against defending national champion Iowa, as well as three other teams that begin the the season ranked in the top 10. MSU will also host six dual meets this season, all against ranked teams. We have a heck of a home schedule, said MSU head coach Tom Minkel. It s probably as tough as it s ever been. I don t ever remember having a home schedule any tougher than this. MSU will compete in the Eastern Michigan Open, the ACC- Big Ten Clash, the Penn State Open, and will host the MSU Open all before kicking off its dual schedule. The Midlands Championships caps off the tournament schedule in late December. The Spartans will host six dual matches this season. No. 18 Central Michigan, No. 13 Wisconsin, No. 1 Iowa, No. 10 Michigan, No. 7 Penn State and No. 20 Oklahoma will make the trip to East Lansing. The team will also meet three ranked Big Ten opponents on the road, traveling to No. 11 Northwestern, No. 12 Minnesota, and No. 9 Illinois. The Big Ten portion of our schedule is what it always is, said Minkel. It s enormously difficult, because the Big Ten is like no other conference and like no other sport. It s a whole different challenge when your entire conference finishes in the top 25. O Donnell will be joined by true freshman Steve Andrus. Minkel says that he would like to redshirt Andrus, but if he stands out as the best wrestler in the class, he could crack the lineup. His best attribute is that he s got an enormous gas tank the kid just doesn t get tired, Minkel said. At the heavyweight class, that s unusual. MICAH CARTER JOHN MURPHY ALAN O DONNELL 6