Michigan State wrestling defeats Eastern Michigan, 26-9
David Wade in his heavyweight match against Alan O’Donnell, who won 2-1.
Michigan State defeated Eastern Michigan University, 26-9, in a dual Thursday night at Bowen Field House.
EMU (2-2-1) ended its three-match unbeaten streak. The teams tied, 15-15, last season.
Freshman Phillip Joseph (184 pounds) and No. 18 Chris Jenkins (125) had EMU’s only wins.
Joseph earned his first collegiate victory when he pinned Nick Palmieri in 1:27.
“It was a lot of pressure,” said Joseph, who received a chest bump from coach Derek DelPorto following his match.
“I was trying to come in and do well, and I did,” Joseph said.
Jenkins defeated Eric Olanowski, 5-0.
“Chris is consistently doing well in 125 pounds,” DelPorto said. “We need to practice him to stay at 125 pounds.
“He was getting winded at the end of his match. Chris is ranked, (and) this will help us as a team. He brings more exposure for our team.”
His win pulled EMU within 10-9. However, MSU (3-1) closed with five consecutive wins, including No. 1 Franklin Gomez (133) over Sean Clair, 4-2.
“I think the key is to stay positive,” DelPorto said. “Sometimes the important lessons come in a loss.”
“You need to learn how to take a loss in college and be able to bounce back,” he continued. “We are going to put our guys in an individual situation.
“In order for our team to get recognized as a Top 25 opponent, we need to wrestle Top 25 opponents. We will bounce back, and we will wrestle our hearts out.”
EMU competes again Saturday at the F.I.T.E. Duals in Oak Lawn, Ill. Other teams that will be competing include Indiana, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville and Calumet (Ind.) College.