Lansing Sun

In East Lansing, Michigan State University's wrestling team is preparing for the 2024 Black Knight Invitational in West Point, New York. The event will take place on Sunday, with the first whistle scheduled for 10:00 AM. The competition will be streamed live on FloWrestling.

"This week will be another step up in competition for our guys," said Michigan State head coach Roger Chandler. "Every weight class will have multiple ranked opponents that will force our guys to step up to the challenge when they take the mat. As always, it's an honor to compete at one of our service academies and it's a great experience for our team."

The tournament features wrestlers from several institutions including Army, Binghamton, Bloomsburg, Columbia, Gardner-Webb, Long Island, Penn State, and Rutgers. Among the competitors are 22 ranked wrestlers across ten weight classes. Michigan State's No. 25-ranked wrestler Remy Cotton is set to compete in the 197-pound category.

Michigan State's lineup includes Caleb Weiand (125), Andy Hampton (133), Tristan Lujan (133), Jaden Crumpler (141), Sean Larkin (141), Braden Stauffenberg (157), Jack Conley (157), Mason Stewart (157), Cam Adams (165), DJ Shannon (165), Ceasar Garza (174), Marty Larkin (174), Ryan Boucher (174), Cory Thomas (184), Luke Daly (184), Kael Wisler (197) and Max Vanadia in heavyweight.

Last year at the Black Knight Invitational, Michigan State secured fourth place with a total of 85 points. Kael Wisler emerged as the champion in the 197-pound category while five other Spartans finished in the top three positions.

This marks Michigan State's sixth consecutive traditional wrestling season competing at a service academy event. They have previously participated four times at the Navy Classic and once at last year's Black Knight Invitational.

Recently, Michigan State achieved its second dual victory of this season against Ohio University with a score of 22-19 in Athens, Ohio. This win extended their non-conference dual victory streak to 24 since 2020.

Key performances included bonus points from Tristan Lujan’s fall and Jaden Crumpler’s technical fall which contributed significantly to their win over Ohio University.

The next competition for Michigan State wrestling is scheduled for December 15 against CSU Bakersfield before resuming dual action against No.1-ranked Penn State on January 10.