Lansing Sun

Michigan State wrestling faced a setback on Friday night as they lost to Northwestern in a Big Ten dual meet held at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Illinois. The Spartans fell 27-12, bringing their overall record to 4-6 and their conference record to 0-5. Meanwhile, Northwestern improved to 3-6 overall and achieved their first conference victory with a record of 1-5.

Ceasar Garza, a redshirt sophomore from Michigan State, started strong by earning bonus points for his team. He secured his first Big Ten dual win by bonus this season with a decisive 14-3 victory over Aiden Vandenbush. Garza led the match heading into the third period and expanded his lead with two more takedowns.

In the heavyweight category, redshirt freshman Max Vanadia performed well for Michigan State by achieving a technical fall against Dirk Morley. Vanadia quickly accumulated points through multiple takedowns and ended the bout in just four minutes and thirty seconds.

Northwestern took control of the meet by winning five consecutive matches from the 125-pound through the 157-pound categories, ultimately securing their victory with an insurmountable lead of 27-9.

In one of the evening's final contests, Jay Nivison, a graduate student from Michigan State, claimed his first career Big Ten dual win in sudden victory fashion. Nivison was initially behind but managed to tie the match before winning it during extra time after a successful scramble.

The Spartans will attempt to earn their first conference win on Sunday when they face Wisconsin in Madison.