
No. 28 Indiana Climbs Back from 18-0 Deficit to Beat No. 21 Michigan State
2/4/2024 4:49:00 PM | Wrestling
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. ––– It took every point and every second of each match, but No. 28 Indiana had just enough gas in the tank to top No. 21 Michigan State, 23-18, on Sunday afternoon in Wilkinson Hall.
The Hoosiers dropped the first four matches and trailed, 18-0. From there, Indiana scored 23 unanswered points on six consecutive wins to stun Michigan State.
The victory marked Indiana's third consecutive win and improved the team's season record to 6-2 and 3-2 in Big Ten duals.
It was also Indiana's first win over Michigan State since 2015 and the first win over Spartans in Bloomington since 2011.
KEY MOMENTS
• The dual began at 157 lbs. with Michigan State's No. 21 Chase Saldate picking up a win by fall (4:12) over Zack Rotkvich to take an early 6-0 lead.
• Michigan State doubled their advantage to 12-0 after Indiana forfeited the bout at 165 lbs.
• Indiana dropped some close decisions at 174 and 184 lbs., as Michigan State's DJ Shannon defeated No. 12 DJ Washington (174) by decision, 4-1, and No. 15 Layne Malczewski topped Roman Rogotzke (184) by decision, 5-2.
• Four matches in, and Michigan State held a commanding 18-0 lead.
• In a hard-fought bout, Indiana redshirt freshman Gabe Sollars (197) took the first step to start the come back. Sollars scored on two takedowns to build a healthy led and held on to defeat No. 29 Kael Wisler.
• Nick Willham (285) got Indiana its second win in a row, going to overtime to defeat Josh Terrill in the first period of tiebreakers, 3-2.
• Michael Spangler (125) built on Willham's performance with a dominant first period. The sixth-year senior scored on a takedown and a four-point near fall to secure an early 7-0 lead. He would finish the match with a 10-8 win by decision over Tristan Lujan.
• With Spangler's win, Indiana had split the deficit, 18-9.
• Cayden Rooks (133) dominated against Andy Hampton, scoring early and often en route to a 19-3 tech fall win (6:08).
• Only trailing 18-14, a path to a Hoosier win was alive. No. 24 Dan Fongaro faced a difficult test against No. 30 Jordan Hamdan (141). Hamdan lead 4-1 with ten seconds remaining in the bout. Fongaro quickly escaped and a second later Hamdan was called for his second stall, making it a 4-3 match. In the final seconds, Fongaro shot and took Hamdan down, but the call on the mat said the takedown was after time expired. After review, the call on the mat was reversed, and the takedown stood, giving Fongaro a 6-4 win.
• Now trailing just 18-17, No. 15 Graham Rooks (149) faced Clayton Jones in the final bout to determine the winner of the dual. Rooks got to his offense quickly, scoring on a couple takedowns before flipping Jones flat on his back for the pin (4:36) to seal the win.
NOTABLES
• Indiana is 5-0 in home duals this season.
• This was Indiana's second ranked win of the season.
• The win was the first over Michigan State in the Angel Escobedo era.
• Michigan State head coach Roger Chandler is an Indiana Wrestling alum. He was a three-time All-American for the Hoosiers and was a national runner-up at 142 lbs. in 1997.
• The 6-2 start to the season marks back-to-back years where the Hoosiers opened the dual schedule with a 6-2 record.
• Two Indiana wrestlers picked up ranked victories as Gabe Sollars (197) and No. 24 Dan Fongaro (141) beat No. 29 Kael Wisler and No. 30 Jordan Hamdan, respectively.
• Nick Willham (285) has won three matches in a row.
• Fongaro's win improved his season record to 18-3.
UP NEXT
• Indiana Wrestling will be back in action for a road dual at Ohio State next weekend on Sunday, Feb. 11 at noon in Columbus, Ohio.
FULL RESULTS
157: No. 21 Chase Saldate (MSU) def. Zack Rotkvich (IU) |Fall (4:12)| Score: MSU up 6-0
165: No. 9 Caleb Fish (MSU) wins by forfeit |Forfeit | Score: MSU up 12-0
174: DJ Shannon (MSU) def. No. 12 DJ Washington (IU) |Dec. 4-1| Score: MSU up 15-0
184: No. 15 Layne Malczewski (MSU) def. Roman Rogotzke (IU) |Dec. 5-2 | Score: MSU up 18-0
197: Gabe Sollars (IU) def. No. 29 Kael Wisler (MSU) |Dec. 8-5| Score: MSU up 18-3
285: Nick Willham (IU) def. Josh Terrill (MSU) |TB-1, 4-3 | Score: MSU up 18-6
125: Michael Spangler (IU) def. Tristan Lujan (MSU) |Dec. 10-8 | Score: MSU up 18-9
133: Cayden Rooks (IU) def. Andy Hampton (MSU) |TF, 19-3 (6:08)| Score: MSU up 18-14
141: No. 24 Dan Fongaro (IU) def. No. 30 Jordan Hamdan (MSU) |Dec. 6-4 | Score: MSU up 18-17
149: No. 15 Graham Rooks (IU) def. Clayton Jones (MSU) |Fall (4:36)| Score: IU up 23-18
FINAL TEAM SCORE: NO. 28 INDIANA 23, NO. 21 MICHIGAN STATE 18
The Hoosiers dropped the first four matches and trailed, 18-0. From there, Indiana scored 23 unanswered points on six consecutive wins to stun Michigan State.
The victory marked Indiana's third consecutive win and improved the team's season record to 6-2 and 3-2 in Big Ten duals.
It was also Indiana's first win over Michigan State since 2015 and the first win over Spartans in Bloomington since 2011.
KEY MOMENTS
• The dual began at 157 lbs. with Michigan State's No. 21 Chase Saldate picking up a win by fall (4:12) over Zack Rotkvich to take an early 6-0 lead.
• Michigan State doubled their advantage to 12-0 after Indiana forfeited the bout at 165 lbs.
• Indiana dropped some close decisions at 174 and 184 lbs., as Michigan State's DJ Shannon defeated No. 12 DJ Washington (174) by decision, 4-1, and No. 15 Layne Malczewski topped Roman Rogotzke (184) by decision, 5-2.
• Four matches in, and Michigan State held a commanding 18-0 lead.
• In a hard-fought bout, Indiana redshirt freshman Gabe Sollars (197) took the first step to start the come back. Sollars scored on two takedowns to build a healthy led and held on to defeat No. 29 Kael Wisler.
• Nick Willham (285) got Indiana its second win in a row, going to overtime to defeat Josh Terrill in the first period of tiebreakers, 3-2.
• Michael Spangler (125) built on Willham's performance with a dominant first period. The sixth-year senior scored on a takedown and a four-point near fall to secure an early 7-0 lead. He would finish the match with a 10-8 win by decision over Tristan Lujan.
• With Spangler's win, Indiana had split the deficit, 18-9.
• Cayden Rooks (133) dominated against Andy Hampton, scoring early and often en route to a 19-3 tech fall win (6:08).
• Only trailing 18-14, a path to a Hoosier win was alive. No. 24 Dan Fongaro faced a difficult test against No. 30 Jordan Hamdan (141). Hamdan lead 4-1 with ten seconds remaining in the bout. Fongaro quickly escaped and a second later Hamdan was called for his second stall, making it a 4-3 match. In the final seconds, Fongaro shot and took Hamdan down, but the call on the mat said the takedown was after time expired. After review, the call on the mat was reversed, and the takedown stood, giving Fongaro a 6-4 win.
• Now trailing just 18-17, No. 15 Graham Rooks (149) faced Clayton Jones in the final bout to determine the winner of the dual. Rooks got to his offense quickly, scoring on a couple takedowns before flipping Jones flat on his back for the pin (4:36) to seal the win.
NOTABLES
• Indiana is 5-0 in home duals this season.
• This was Indiana's second ranked win of the season.
• The win was the first over Michigan State in the Angel Escobedo era.
• Michigan State head coach Roger Chandler is an Indiana Wrestling alum. He was a three-time All-American for the Hoosiers and was a national runner-up at 142 lbs. in 1997.
• The 6-2 start to the season marks back-to-back years where the Hoosiers opened the dual schedule with a 6-2 record.
• Two Indiana wrestlers picked up ranked victories as Gabe Sollars (197) and No. 24 Dan Fongaro (141) beat No. 29 Kael Wisler and No. 30 Jordan Hamdan, respectively.
• Nick Willham (285) has won three matches in a row.
• Fongaro's win improved his season record to 18-3.
UP NEXT
• Indiana Wrestling will be back in action for a road dual at Ohio State next weekend on Sunday, Feb. 11 at noon in Columbus, Ohio.
FULL RESULTS
157: No. 21 Chase Saldate (MSU) def. Zack Rotkvich (IU) |Fall (4:12)| Score: MSU up 6-0
165: No. 9 Caleb Fish (MSU) wins by forfeit |Forfeit | Score: MSU up 12-0
174: DJ Shannon (MSU) def. No. 12 DJ Washington (IU) |Dec. 4-1| Score: MSU up 15-0
184: No. 15 Layne Malczewski (MSU) def. Roman Rogotzke (IU) |Dec. 5-2 | Score: MSU up 18-0
197: Gabe Sollars (IU) def. No. 29 Kael Wisler (MSU) |Dec. 8-5| Score: MSU up 18-3
285: Nick Willham (IU) def. Josh Terrill (MSU) |TB-1, 4-3 | Score: MSU up 18-6
125: Michael Spangler (IU) def. Tristan Lujan (MSU) |Dec. 10-8 | Score: MSU up 18-9
133: Cayden Rooks (IU) def. Andy Hampton (MSU) |TF, 19-3 (6:08)| Score: MSU up 18-14
141: No. 24 Dan Fongaro (IU) def. No. 30 Jordan Hamdan (MSU) |Dec. 6-4 | Score: MSU up 18-17
149: No. 15 Graham Rooks (IU) def. Clayton Jones (MSU) |Fall (4:36)| Score: IU up 23-18
FINAL TEAM SCORE: NO. 28 INDIANA 23, NO. 21 MICHIGAN STATE 18
Players Mentioned
IUVB vs. Michigan: Highlights
Saturday, October 11
FB: Under the Hood with Indiana Football - Week 7 (at Oregon)
Thursday, October 09
IUWBB at 2025 Big Ten Media Day
Wednesday, October 08
FB: Aiden Fisher Media Availability (10/7/25)
Tuesday, October 07