Northwestern wrestlers lingered in the northwest tunnel of Welsh-Ryan Arena long after an emphatic 27-12 win over Michigan State Friday night, signing autographs for a crowd of young fans. It was a fitting end to a dual meet that gave the home support much to cheer about.
“This was the kind of night we’ve been looking to have for a little while now,” NU coach Matt Storniolo said. “The message to the guys going into this and coming out was [that] attitude, grit and effort go a long way, especially at this time of year, and that’s what you saw.”
The Wildcats (3-6, 1-5 Big Ten) overpowered the Spartans in seven of ten bouts. The night started with one of the few matchups lopsided in the visitors’ favor, as redshirt junior 174-pounder Aiden Vandenbush fell in a 14-3 major decision to Michigan State’s Ceasar Garza.
From there, graduate student 184-pounder Jon Halvorsen set the tone for NU with a gritty 3-2 decision win. Halverson’s riding time advantage after two overtime tiebreaker periods put the ’Cats on the board in a match Storniolo described as “far from pretty.”
That fire burned even brighter in the 197-pound bout, a ranked matchup between No. 13 redshirt junior Evan Bates and Michigan State’s No. 25 Remy Cotton. Bates made quick work of Cotton, taking him down twice before pinning him in 84 seconds and rising to his feet to fire up the Welsh-Ryan Arena crowd.
“It felt pretty good in the moment,” Bates said. “I’ve been dealing with some things — a little sick today, and I kind of felt a little sorry for myself, so it felt good to go out there and get the pin.”
Redshirt freshman heavyweight Dirk Morley lost his bout to Michigan State’s Max Vanadia by technical fall, providing a brief reprieve for the Spartans in the Wildcat onslaught. NU rattled off five straight wins from there, writing its first conference dual win of the season in stone.
Redshirt freshman 125-pounder Dedrick Navarro secured his fourth-straight dual win with a 13-2 major decision victory before sophomore 133-pounder Massey Odiotti recorded three first-period takedowns en route to a 14-5 major decision win over Michigan State’s Tristan Lujan.
In the 141-pound bout, injury-plagued graduate student Chris Cannon won his first matchup of 2025 with a 7-3 decision over Michigan State’s Jaden Crumpler. After recovering from multiple shoulder injuries sustained over the last few months, Cannon wrestled without any kind of brace for the first time this year. He said his season has been an uphill battle, but his coaches have helped him keep a positive attitude.
“When I’m feeling good and I wrestle to my full potential, I can beat anybody,” Cannon said.
No. 25 redshirt freshman 149-pounder Sam Cartella and No. 9 graduate student 157-pounder Trevor Chumbley continued their bids for high seeds in this year’s postseason tournaments with a 9-6 decision and a 19-5 major decision, respectively.
With No. 18 Maxx Mayfield out due to illness, sophomore Jacob Bostelman stepped in for a 165-pound nightcap against the Spartans’ Jay Nivison. Nicknamed “Bosco Sticks” by a row of young fans behind the NU bench, Bostelman wrestled with the same aggression that his teammates carried in the bouts preceding his. After trading takedowns to tie Nivison 6-6 at the end of regulation, Bostelman fell short in overtime.
“I couldn’t be prouder of Jacob’s effort out there,” Storniolo said. “He competed with a lot of heart, a lot of grit, and he was really close to getting a win against a decent opponent.”
Following this win, NU will host Wisconsin in its last home dual Friday before heading to Iowa to close out the 2025 dual season.
“Wisconsin is a little bit better of a team than Michigan State, and Iowa is next level, but the recipe for success is what we did tonight,” Storniolo said. “You should go out there and wrestle every opponent the same, whether they’re the hundredth-best guy in the weight class or the best guy in the weight class.”
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