Wrestling opens regular season at MSU Open
Wrestling will take to the mats for the first time during the regular season when it heads to East Lansing for Saturday's MSU Open.
Last weekend, the team competed in an intrasquad meet at McGuirk Arena, giving many of the athletes a chance to get back on the mats for the first time in several months.
Head coach Tom Borrelli said the team had a solid week of practice and that the meet last weekend helped prepare his team's mentality for what they are about to face come Saturday against some stiff competition.
“I think the intrasquad meet got them back into that competitive mindset,” Borrelli said. “I felt like we’ve had a good week in practice. Our guys are excited to wrestle someone else. It kind of gets old wrestling the guys in practice. Anytime you’re getting ready for a competition against someone else there is a little more electricity in the room.”
Fellow Mid-American Conference teams Eastern Michigan, Northern Illinois and preseason MAC favorite Ohio will also be competing on Saturday.
Borrelli said he wants to see his team go out there, compete hard and learn.
“I just want to see us compete really hard and be aggressive,” Borrelli said. “I want to see us go after people. Regardless whether we win or lose, if we’re wrestling with the right attitude and right aggressiveness then we can always correct the mistakes, but if you’re standing around hoping you don’t lose, it's hard to figure out what you need to work on.”
Other notable teams Saturday include Grand Valley State, Indiana, Michigan State, Michigan, Navy, Ohio State, Pittsburgh, Purdue and Stanford.
The tournament will consist of two divisions, the Freshman/Sophomore Division and the Open Division, which is open to all college wrestlers and any post high school graduates.
NCAA weight classes competing will be 125, 133, 141, 149, 157, 165, 174, 184, 197 and 285 pounds.
The weigh-ins will be at Jenison Field House at MSU at 7 a.m. Saturday. The meet will get underway at 9 a.m., with the championship and medal matches slated for 6 p.m.
Tournament format will be a double elimination event, and no team scores will be kept.
“We will have a short workout just to make sure everyone is at their weight,” Borrelli said. “We will work out for about an hour and then get everyone’s weight, get organized and take off in the morning.”
