Michigan
Michigan State
Wolverines to Wrap B1G Slate at In-State Rival Michigan State on Sunday
2/12/2025 4:43:00 PM | Wrestling
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 19-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team (5-5, 2-5 Big Ten) heads to East Lansing, Mich., to face in-state rival Michigan State (4-7, 0-6 Big Ten) for the last Big Ten Conference action of the season at noon on Sunday (Feb. 16) at Jenison Field House. The dual will be aired live on Big Ten Network.
Notes
• The Wolverines have eight wrestlers ranked nationally at their respective weight classes, including five in the top 15 according to InterMat: No. 12 Sergio Lemley (141), No. 24 Dylan Gilcher (149), No. 15 Chase Saldate (157), No. 10 Beau Mantanona (165), No. 30 Joseph Walker (174), No. 26 Jaden Bullock (184), No. 4 Jacob Cardenas (197) and No. 8 Josh Heindselman (Hwt).
• Graduate student heavyweight Heindselman earned his biggest win of the season to date against Ohio State (Feb. 1), using a third-period takedown to secure a 4-2 decision against No. 7 Nick Feldman and avenge his bloodround loss to the Buckeye at the 2024 NCAA Championships. Heindselman boasts wins over three straight ranked opponents and is 17-2 on the season, with 11 bonus wins. His only losses came against Minnesota's No. 1 Gable Steveson and Penn State's No. 2 Greg Kerkvliet.
• Heindselman is just one win away from hitting 100 in his collegiate career with a 99-47 career record, while graduate student Saldate is also within single digits of the milestone with a 96-39 mark. Several Wolverines have hit 100 career wins over the last few years, including Lucas Davison last season. Davison ended his collegiate career with a 113-37 record, including a 22-5 mark in his final season at Michigan.
• Saldate is 9-6 on the season with five bonus wins at 157 pounds. He went 4-1 en route to a third-place finish at the Michigan State Open in his Michigan debut, earning a pin over Northern Illinois' Landen Johnson in his first bout for the Maize and Blue. Saldate, who joined the Wolverine program as a grad transfer this semester, was a four-time NCAA qualifier at 157 pounds for the Spartans.
• Saldate also recently picked up a ranked win against the Buckeyes, earning two takedowns and 2:45 advantage time to beat No. 17 Sammy Sasso 8-0 at 157 pounds. Saldate has faced a gauntlet with ranked opponents in seven of his last eight matches, including three straight top-10 opponents last month.
• Graduate student Cardenas is 14-1 on the season at 197 pounds, including a 9-1 mark in dual meets and 11 bonus wins with seven technical falls. Cardenas also owns eight ranked wins on the season, most recently defeating Ohio State's No. 18 Seth Shumate 11-2 last Saturday.
• Heindselman and Cardenas rank among the nation's top 10 leaders in tech falls -- Heindselman at No. 5 with eight tech falls and Cardenas at No. 9 with seven.
• Sophomore/freshman Beau Mantanona is 9-3 this season since returning from injury this semester and has earned ranked wins in three of his last six matches at 165 pounds, including a 7-4 decision against Minnesota's No. 9 Andrew Sparks on Jan. 19. Against Ohio State, he posted a 12-5 decision over e'Than Birden. Mantanona is No. 10 in the latest InterMat rankings.
• Mantanona suffered what was thought to be a season-ending knee injury a week before the season started in November, but on closer inspection, it did not require surgery, and he has rehabbed it back to health. His brother, freshman Brock Mantanona, held down the 165-pound spot last semester, posting an 11-3 record with two ranked wins and a seventh-place finish at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Brock has one date remaining to maintain his redshirt this season.
• Eleven wrestlers have made their debuts in the Michigan starting lineup so far this season, including six who have earned their first varsity win in a U-M singlet: grad transfers Cardenas, Saldate and Heindselman, senior/junior Dzhabrail Khurshidov, junior/sophomore Codei Khawaja and freshmen Brock Mantanona and Catrabone. Senior/junior Christian Tanefeu has also earned a pair of bonus wins -- his first, though not in his debut -- in duals against Columbia and Maryland.
• Fifth-year senior Dylan Ragusin will miss the remainder of the 2024-25 season after suffering a knee injury at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (Dec. 6-7). Ragusin, who has already had surgery to repair the injured knee, is a 2024 All-American and four-time NCAA qualifier. He was ranked No. 4 at 133 pounds to start the season after coming out of redshirt midseason to go 28-4 last year and claim a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Championships. He is 82-30 in his career and will have one more year of eligibility after medical hardship.
• Michigan State is 4-7 on the season and 0-6 in Big Ten duals after falling 25-12 to Wisconsin on the road last Sunday (Feb. 9). The Spartans have one ranked wrestler in No. 26 Remy Cotton at 197 pounds. Michigan owns a 76-35-5 advantage in the all-time series against Michigan State and has won the last 13 meetings, including a 29-12 decision last season at home.
Players Mentioned
