Spartans Grind Out First Big Ten Dual Win of the Season with 22-20 Victory Over Northwestern
EAST LANSING, Mich. - In a gritty, back-and-forth battle at Jenison Field House, Michigan State wrestling finally broke through in Big Ten action, holding off Northwestern for a hard-earned 22-20 win on Sunday afternoon. It marked the Spartans’ first conference dual victory of the season, and it came with no shortage of drama.
Michigan State jumped out to a fast start behind back-to-back statement wins from Kael Wisler and Josh Terrill, setting the tone early and giving the home crowd something to rally behind.
Wisler, ranked No. 23 at 197 pounds, opened the dual with a composed and commanding 10-3 decision over Alex Smith. He controlled the pace from the start, using slick setups and smart positioning to rack up points and give MSU an early 3-0 lead.
Then came the fireworks.
At heavyweight, redshirt junior Josh Terrill wasted no time lighting up the scoreboard - and the Jenison crowd - with a first-period pin over Northwestern’s Gabe Christenson. Terrill locked in and finished the fall in just 2:11, pushing the Spartans ahead 9-0 and keeping his personal hot streak alive with a fourth straight Big Ten dual win.
Northwestern briefly halted the Spartans’ momentum with a tight decision at 125 pounds, but MSU got right back on track at 133. Caleb Weiand dug deep in a low-scoring, grind-it-out kind of match, edging Luis Bazan 1-0. Weiand’s performance didn’t come with highlight-reel flair, but it was exactly the kind of tough, disciplined wrestling that wins duals.
After Northwestern clawed back with a pin at 141 to cut the lead to 12-9, Michigan State responded with another six-point swing. This time, it was 149-pounder Clayton Jones who delivered.
Jones, a redshirt sophomore, got back in the win column in emphatic fashion, using a cradle to pin August Hibler in the second period. That fall gave MSU an 18-9 cushion and reignited the home crowd.
The Spartans weren’t done yet.
At 157, redshirt freshman Darius Marines delivered the final blow for Michigan State - and it was a big one. Marines secured a late takedown in the closing seconds of the third period to notch a 10-2 major decision over Gunnar Myers. That four-point win pushed MSU’s lead to 22-9, and while the Spartans wouldn’t win another bout, they had just enough in the bank to secure the dual.
Northwestern made it interesting down the stretch, closing out with three straight wins - a decision at 165 and major decisions at 174 and 184 - to pull within two points. But Michigan State’s early dominance proved too much to overcome, and the Spartans held on for the 22-20 final.
Here’s how the dual played out, bout by bout:
Michigan State 22, Northwestern 20
February 1, 2026 | Jenison Field House | Attendance: 271
- 197: #23 Kael Wisler (MSU) def. Alex Smith (NU), *Dec.
10-3* → MSU 3-0
- HWT: Josh Terrill (MSU) def.
Gabe Christenson (NU), Fall 2:11 → MSU 9-0
- 125: #23 Dedrick Navarro (NU) def.
Nick Corday (MSU), Dec. 2-1 → MSU 9-3
- 133: Caleb Weiand (MSU) def. Luis Bazan (NU), *Dec.
1-0* → MSU 12-3
- 141: #31 Billy Dekraker (NU) def.
Jace Morgan (MSU), Fall 6:18 → MSU 12-9
- 149: Clayton Jones (MSU) def.
August Hibler (NU), Fall 4:28 → MSU 18-9
- 157: Darius Marines (MSU) def.
Gunnar Myers (NU), Major Dec. 10-2 → MSU 22-9
- 165: Jacob Bostelman (NU) def. Jack Conley (MSU), *Dec.
3-1* → MSU 22-12
- 174: #30 Eddie Enright (NU) def.
Owen Segorski (MSU), Major Dec. 19-6 → MSU 22-16
- 184: JD Perez (NU) def. Ryan Boucher (MSU), *Major Dec.
12-4* → MSU 22-20
For Michigan State, this win doesn’t just mark a notch in the conference column - it’s a confidence builder. From Terrill’s pin to Marines’ late takedown, the Spartans showed they can finish strong and win the tight ones. And in the Big Ten, that’s everything.