2004-2005 Season Outlook
11/6/2004 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
This year we have a very hard schedule, undoubtedly the toughest since Ive been associated with the program (1990), Andrassy said. Our guys are going to get to compete against some of the best teams in the country, see some of the best competition, and learn to compete at the top level.
The squads schedule features head-to-head competition with five schools from the Big Ten Conference and one from the Atlantic Coast Conference, including meets against Michigan State, Virginia, and Purdue, among others. Additionally, Kent State will also host the 2005 MAC Championships.
Also, we want to be consistent in every match, he added. If you want to be great, wrestle great. We have to learn to do it day in and day out whether you are sick, hurt, just not feeling it. You have to give it your all each time out there.
Andrassy returns a young but experienced squad for his second campaign, one which comes on the heals of a 7-12 overall record and 2-3 Mid-American Conference mark last winter. He has 12 letter winners back from last year, but there are only two seniors on the roster. The solid group of second and third-year performers has been bolstered by the addition of 12 newcomers from Andrassys first recruiting class.
Were going to be a young team again this year, said Andrassy. But we have a decent amount of sophomores and juniors with experience and talent. So, while we dont have many seniors we do have upper classmen with experience.
Most of that experience comes in the form of juniors Drew Opfer, Ben Rings, and Tomas Rodriguez. Opfer was the Golden Flashes lone representative to the NCAA Championships last year while Rings is back after missing a year and a half due to active military service in the U.S. Army and 2003 MAC heavyweight champion Rodriguez looks to recover from a severe knee injury which cost him all of last year.
Both Drew and Tomas are nationally-ranked in the preseason and theyve set goals of being MAC champions and All-Americans, noted Andrassy. And no adversity that Ben faces on the mat will be as tough as what he faced as a member of the U.S. Army in Iraq.
A breakdown of the 2004-2005 Golden Flashes by weight class:
125 Pounds
Two-year starter Drew Opfer(Sandusky, Ohio/St. Marys Central Catholic) returns to 125 after finishing second at the MAC Championships last year before winning a pair of matches at the NCAA Championships. He posted a 26-7 overall record, including an 11-1 mark in dual matches.
133 Pounds
At 133 pounds sophomore transfer Mike Pierce (Rocky River, Ohio/St. Edward) will look to take over the starting spot vacated by the graduation of Jared Opfer. However, Pierce will have to sit out the beginning of the season due to transfer requirements. Before Pierce joins the team for the second semester, redshirt freshman Mike Compton (Williard, Ohio/Williard) and freshman Brent Goode (Pleasant City, Ohio/Cincinnati Moeller) are expected to compete for the starting spot. Compton went 2-2 wrestling unattached last season.
141 Pounds
Sophomore Jason McGee (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio/Cuyahoga Falls), 8-7 at 157 pounds last year, will drop down in weight to compete with freshman Tanner Shearer (Clyde, Ohio/St. Marys Central Catholic) for the starting spot at 141 pounds
149 Pounds
Junior Jason Bake (Massillon, Ohio/Massillon Jackson)
returns to his starting position for the third year in a row. After a solid freshman season, Bake was slowed by injuries last year and finished with an 11-13 record. He came on strong at the end of the year, finishing third at the MAC Championships. Now healthy, Bake looks to regain the form that saw him win 23 matches his first year.
157 Pounds
The graduation of four-year starter Mike Tolar leaves a glaring vacancy at 157 pounds. Redshirt freshmen Kurt Gross (North Royalton, Ohio/Padua Franciscan) will compete for the starting spot with senior Nick Brenner (Canfield, Ohio/Canfield). Brenner has an edge in experience, with 27 career victories. However, Gross (7-4) wrestled unattached last year and with that experience will look to crack the starting lineup.
165 Pounds
Brenner competed at 165 pounds last season, posting an 8-18 overall mark, and will compete for the starting spot with freshman John Foster (Dalton, Ohio/Massillon Perry). Foster went 1-2 at unattached last winter.
174 Pounds
Sophomores Ardian Ramadani (Garfield, N.J./Garfield) and Aaron Miller (Uniopolis, Ohio/Waponetka) will make a formidable duo at 174 pounds. The two split time at the spot last season, with Ramadani going 12-13 overall and Miller finishing 8-4.
184 Pounds
Junior Alex Camargo (Brook Park, Ohio/Berea) has won at least 24 matches each of the last two seasons and had a strong 2003-04; finishing third at the MAC meet after a 24-11 regular season. Redshirt freshman Dino Razzano (Columbus, Ohio/St. Francis DeSales) is the backup after a 4-4 record wrestling unattached last year.
197 Pounds
Returning to the fold at 197 pounds is junior Ben Rings (Marysville, Ohio/Marysville). In 2002-03, Rings was working on a successful 19-16 season before being called away for active duty with the U.S. Army on the first day of the MAC Championships. Now, after spending the last year and a half in the desserts of Iraq, the two-year letter winner looks to provide toughness and dedication to the squad. Senior Nick Hiller (Greenville, Ohio/Greenville) will back up Rings after splitting time last year at 197 pounds and at heavyweight, winning seven matches.
HeavyweightAs a redshirt freshman in 2002-03, Tomas Rodriguez (Orange, Ohio/Orange) went 22-5, won the MAC championship, and finished just two wins shy of All-American honors. His 2003-2004 season, one with high expectations, ended before it began when he injured his knee as a defensive end on the Golden Flashes football team. Now recovered from the severe injury, Rodriguez is focused on a return trip to the NCAAs and All-American status. Sophomore Willie Leonard (Chestertown, Md./Kent County) filled in for Rodriguez last year, going 13-15. Hell be the backup this season.
The Schedule
The Golden Flashes open their season at the Oklahoma Gold Showcase on Nov. 13, a top flight event hosted by nationally-ranked Oklahoma in Brockport, N.Y. The following week, the team travels to East Lansing, Mich., for the 40-team Michigan State Open.
"Right out of the gate, we will find out where we are as a team," Andrassy said. "These two events are two of the top preseason tournaments in the country, and they will serve as a good measuring stick for our young team."
The home slate begins Dec. 4 with the day-long Kent State Open. Additional home non-conference meets include matches with Indiana, James Madison, and Ashland. Kent State also will compete at the Chattanooga Duals and the Clarion Duals in mid-Dec. before closing out the calendar year at the Southern Scuffle in Greensboro, N.C., Dec. 29-30.
The Golden Flashes then travel to Cleveland State and Ohio State before opening MAC competition on Jan. 12 at Eastern Michigan. Kent State will face its five conference opponents within a 36-day span, hosting Northern Illinois and Ohio University while traveling to Buffalo and nationally-ranked Central Michigan in February.
"The Mid-American Conference is as tough as it has ever been," noted Andrassy. "As a conference, the MAC placed third at last years NCAA Championships, behind only the Big Ten and the Big 12. I expect the competition in the MAC to once again be very tough."
The MAC Championships will be held at the M.A.C. Center March 4-5. The event is being held at Kent State for the first time since 1998.
"Having the MAC Championships here at home is great," said Andrassy. "It is always a good event and we traditionally have a great turnout from alumni and administrators, as well as the fans throughout Northeast Ohio."
