Feb. 22, 2008

Head Coach Tom Minkel Weekly Press Conference

MICHIGAN STATE vs. EASTERN MICHIGAN
Date: Friday, Feb. 22, 2008
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: East Lansing, Mich.
Arena: Jenison Field House
Promotion: Senior Night
Webstreaming: www.msuspartans.com

MICHIGAN STATE at MICHIGAN
Date: Sunday, Feb. 24, 2008
Time: 12 p.m.
Arena: Cliff Keen Arena
Location: Ann Arbor, Mich.
TV: Big Ten Network

THIS WEEKEND FOR THE SPARTANS
The Spartans close out their regular season with a pair of intrastate rivals, hosting Eastern Michigan on Friday, Feb. 22, and then traveling to Michigan on Sunday, Feb. 24. Friday's dual will feature a special presentation for Michigan State's seniors, Freddie DeRamus, Clint Frutiger and Joe Williams, while Sunday's dual is the Big Ten finale for MSU and will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network.

Last year the Spartans defeated Michigan 21-17, while MSU hasn't faced EMU since besting the Eagles 44-6 in 2004-05. In overall series information, MSU leads Eastern Michigan 10-1, but trails Michigan 35-59-5.

LAST TIME OUT
Michigan State suffered a close loss Friday, Feb. 15 at No. 9 Penn State (12-5, 4-3) while making its Big Ten Network dual match premier in PSU's Rec Hall; the Nittany Lions picked up the 26-13 win. Franklin Gomez tallied his eighth major decision of the year with his 10th consecutive win, while Joel Trombly halted a four-dual skid with a win at 125 pounds. Rex Kendle tallied six additional points with an injury default in the opening bout at 165 pounds.

SCOUTING THE SPARTANS
Michigan State is led by a pair of ranked wrestlers, veterans No. 4 Franklin Gomez and No. 15 Joe Williams - who have been ranked all season by InterMat. For a week, they were joined by 174-pounder John Murphy, who appeared in the late January rankings at No. 19. All three wrestlers have already compiled 20-win seasons.

Boasting a MSU tournament title, Gomez leads the Spartans with a strong 23-1 overall record and perfect 15-0 dual mark so far this winter as the 133-pound starter. His impressive season includes one pin, three technical falls, eight major decisions and eight wins over ranked opponents. Additionally, Gomez has won 10 straight matches, including all seven of his Big Ten duals.

Senior starter Joe Williams ranks as high as 15th in the 197-pound polls. Williams has posted a 23-11 overall record this year, and has posted three wins over ranked opponents as well as seven pins and six major decisions.

In tournament action, Williams is also the only Spartan to record medal finishes in all four events this year, with second-place finishes at the Eastern Michigan Open, MSU Open and Nittany Lion Open, and an eight-place finish at the Midlands Championships.

Adding to the Spartan depth, 174-pound starter John Murphy extended his record to 21-15 with his most recent 11-6 win over Ohio State's Alex Picazo.

SCOUTING THE EAGLES
The Eagles stand at 15-7-1, and closed out the MAC season at 2-3 after dropping a 28-6 decision to Kent State last weekend. Senior Cory Mancuso and freshman Derek Foore were the only two Eagle wrestlers to record wins in the dual.

SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES
The No. 10-ranked University of Michigan rallied from an early deficit but could not hold its advantage, falling to No. 1 Iowa, 20-16, on Feb. 17. It was the third time in as many duals that Michigan split matches evenly and could not hang onto a late lead.

UP NEXT FOR MSU
Wrapping up the regular season this weekend, Michigan State will prepare for the Big Ten Championships March 8-9 in Minneapolis, Minn. The tournament's championship matches will be broadcast live in a three-hour presentation beginning at 3 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.

For more information regarding the Big Ten Wrestling Championships, visit www.bigten.com.

QUITE FRANKLIN
Sophomore standout Franklin Gomez has jumped out to an incredible start to the season, going undefeated in 2008 as 133-pound the starter ranks fourth nationally in his weight class by InterMat, a standing propped up by his MSU Open title, Big Ten Wrestler of the Week accolades, eight wins over ranked opponents, his 23-1 overall record and perfect 15-0 dual mark.

Gomez's owns two impressive win streaks so far this year; he won his first thirteen straight and currently is undefeated in his last 10. The two streaks are separated by his single loss of the season, which he suffered in the 133-pound title match of the Midlands Championships in December of 2007. In the quarterfinals, Gomez defeated Wyoming's Corey VomBaur in a 16-1 technical fall, and went on to best Iowa State's No. 4 Nick Fanthorpe, a 3-1 decision, to advance to the finals. In the title match, Gomez took on Iowa's No. 2 Joe Slaton, but fell in a tough 6-2 loss, surrendering the bracket title and his first loss of the season.

In dual action, Gomez remains flawless, with his most recent 13-5 major-decision victory against Penn State's Tim Haas.

In total dual action, Gomez has tallied 57 dual points for MSU with his 15 victories.

NOT YOUR AVERAGE JOE
Senior captain Joe Williams (23-11) continues to be a driving force for the Spartans, as the fifth-year 197-pounder leads by example for the MSU wrestlers.

Ranked 15th in the nation by InterMat, Willams paces the Spartans with a team-high 23 wins and seven pins. He also boasts six major decisions and five shutouts.

Williams' began his season putting up impressive numbers in the fall's four tournaments (14-6) and has continued to succeed in dual action (9-5). Williams is the only Spartan that placed in each of this year's tournaments, earning second at the Eastern Michigan Open, the MSU Open and the Nittany Lion Open, and eighth at the Midlands Championships.

Most recently in dual action, Williams defeated Ohio State's John Weakley in a 9-0 major decision en route to a 4-3 Big Ten mark.

MURPHY'S MARK
Junior John Murphy broke into his 20-win season with last week's win over Indiana's Paul Young. Overall, the 174-pounder owns a 21-15 mark, which includes a 6-8 dual record.

On Jan. 22, Murphy wrestled his way into the rankings, and appeared at No. 19 for the week in the W.I.N. poll for the 174-pound weight class.

In tournament action, Murphy went 15-7 en route to picking up a fifth-place finish at the MSU Open and a sixth-place finish at the EMU Open.

WELCOME BACK
Alan O'Donnell returned to the MSU starting lineup at 285 pounds for the Ohio dual after missing six weeks with a knee injury. O'Donnell wrestled the last bout of the evening, and his decision came down to the final moments, when he took down Jason Marshall with four second left to claim the 9-8 victory. O'Donnell left the lineup with a 5-4 mark and is 2-7 since returning.

DUALING PERFECTION
Franklin Gomez and Anthony Jones Jr. remain undefeated in dual action this season. Gomez has chalked up 15 dual wins, while Carter Jones Jr. made his first career start and earned his only dual win against Ohio.

BACK TO BASICS
The Spartans have juggled through nine different lineups, with Franklin Gomez, Rex Kendle and Nick Palmieri being the only constants in their respective weight classes.

YOUNG GUNS
Of the 18 wrestlers who have appeared in MSU's starting lineups, nine have been underclassmen and nine have been upperclassmen. Among the underclassmen, Anthony Jones, Jr., is the only true freshman to have entered the circle for a dual, while four redshirt freshman and four sophomores have also earned the starting nod from Coach Minkel. Sophomore 133-pounder Franklin Gomez is the only underclassmen who has started every match this year.

Leading the veterans, two juniors have graced the mat in every dual, Rex Kendle and Nick Palmieri. For their entire class - including Kendle and Palmieri, seven juniors have started this year.

Additionally, both seniors on the Spartan roster have made starts for MSU. Joe Williams has started all but one dual, while Freddie DeRamus has seen five starts.

MINKEL MEMORIALIZED
Head coach Tom Minkel, along with former Chippewa wrestler John Matthews, was honored on Jan. 20 with the retirement of their singlets at Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, Mich.

The pair became the first wrestlers in CMU history to have their singlets ceremoniously raised to the rafters of Rose Arena.

Minkel was a three-time All-American, earning both Division I and Division II honors in 1970 and Division II honors in 1971 (Division II athletes were eligible to wrestle in the Division I tournament at the time). Minkel was also a two-time team MVP, earning the honor in 1970 and `71. Additionally, he won a pair of Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles in 1969 and `70.

Both wrestlers then went on to earn sports on the USA Greco Roman Olympic team. Matthews represent the USA in 1976 and 1980, and Minkel wrestled for the Red, White and Blue in 1980.

Additionally, both wrestlers were inducted into the Central Michigan University Athletic Hall of Fame, with Matthews going in with the inaugural class of 1984, and Minkel the following year in 1985.

FIRST TIME SINCE
The Spartans swept the University of Ohio, 39-0, on Jan. 4, 2008 with wins at all 10 weight classes. The last time MSU shutout an opponent was in 1998, when the Spartans defeated Eastern Michigan, 39-0, on Feb. 1.

SIGNING CLASS
MSU signed two nationally ranked recruits, adding Steve Andrus of Manhattan, Kan., and Kirk Tank of Curtice, Ohio, to fill out its fall recruiting class.

"Kirk and Steve are two outstanding young men who I am certain will make a real impact here during their careers as Michigan State Spartans," said head coach Tom Minkel.

Andrus, who ranks seventh nationally by Amateur Wrestling News, won the heavyweight Kansas High School State Championship in 2007, after placing third as a sophomore in 2006. He also excels in Greco-Roman and Freestyle wrestling, earning multiple All-American honors in Fargo, N.D. Additionally, Andrus won the 2006 Cadet Freestyle National Championships. Andrus will continue to wrestle at 285 pounds when he joins Michigan State next fall.

Tank, who is ranked 15th by W.I.N. Magazine, is a two-time all-state wrestler from Oak Harbor High School in Ohio. He placed fourth at the Ohio State High School Championships as a sophomore and second as a junior, both at 145 pounds. Tank is expected to wrestle at 157 or 165 pounds as a freshman for the Spartans.