Flashes to Battle Ohio and Eastern Michigan This Weekend
2/9/2011 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Complete Notes in PDF
No. 15 Kent State has an opportunity to clinch a share of the MAC regular season title this weekend with dual meets against Ohio and Eastern Michigan. The Golden Flashes (12-5, 2-0 MAC) host the Bobcats (9-4, 3-0) Friday night at the M.A.C. Center, before heading to Ypsilanti Sunday to take on the Eagles. KSU has won 10 of its last 11 duals and has four wrestlers ranked among the nation's Top 15.
LIVE VIDEO & LIVE STATS
Live video of Friday's dual can be seen on the K-Zone at KentStatesports.com. It will also be aired locally on TV2. That same broadcast will also be aired Saturday on SportsTime Ohio at 9:30 p.m. It can also be seen on Community Cable 9 in Northeast Ohio. In addition, Gohiocasts.com will have video available on Saturday. Live stats can be viewed at nwcaonline.com.
A LOOK AT OHIO
The Bobcats upset Central Michigan last weekend 21-17 in Athens. It was Ohio's first win over the Chippewas since 1998 and the Bobcats second key MAC victory in a seven-day span after topping Buffalo 16-15. National polls have four different Ohio wrestlers ranked in the Top 20, while six different Bobcats are ranked in the top three spots in the MAC.
A LOOK AT EASTERN MICHIGAN
The Eagles (11-7) have six wrestlers ranked among the MAC's Top 4. EMU went 3-0 at the Wendy's Duals in Ashland, winning all three duals by over 20 points. The Eagles were also dominant at the Eastern Duals, winning all three of its meets by 30 or more points. Nick Hendrick (165) and David Wade (285) each had pins last weekend at Northern Illinois.
DUAL SUCCESS
Since the 2005-06 season, the Golden Flashes have gone 83-25-1 in dual meets and 22-4-1 in conference duals. KSU has not dropped a MAC dual to a team other than Central Michigan since February of 2005.
LAST ACTION
Buffalo captured the first three matches of the day, before junior Ross Tice got a Kent State rally started in a 19-13 victory over the Bulls Sunday afternoon at Alumni Arena. Tice's win was the first of six straight KSU victories, including overtime wins by Casey Newburg and Brendan Barlow.
SENIOR NIGHT
Prior to Friday's home finale against the Bobcats, Kent State will recognize its four-member senior class. Chris Estep was a two-year starter for the Golden Flashes and placed third at the 2009 MAC Championships. Sli Bostelman placed fourth at the 2008 MAC Championships. Joe Tymoszczuk placed sixth at this year's Southern Scuffle and won in each of the MAC duals he competed in last season. Of the four seniors, Matt Cathell has been the lone regular in this year's starting lineup.
OPPONENT HISTORY
Kent State leads the all-time series with Ohio 42-23, including a pair of wins over the Bobcats last season. Last year in Athens, with Kent State trailing 16-14, Joe Tymoszczuk pulled off the upset of the season, downing Andy Hartshorn 11-10 in the night's final match to give Kent State a one-point victory (17-16). The Golden Flashes have won the last six meetings in a series that began in 1929. KSU has taken on Ohio more than any other opponent in program history. The last time the rivals met at the M.A.C. Center, the Flashes downed the Bobcats 29-6 in 2009
The Flashes hold an impressive 37-1-1 all-time series lead over the Eagles, with their only loss coming in 1974. Last season, Kent State took 8-of-10 matches in a 30-6 victory at the M.A.C. Center. The last time the teams met in Ypsilanti The Flashes came out on top 21-13.
UP NEXT
Kent State closes out its regular season Sunday, Feb. 21 against Central Michigan in Mount Pleasant. The Chippewas vs. Golden Flashes dual has decided the MAC's regular season champion in each of the previous five seasons.
NICK NEMETH RETURNS
Friday's meet includes a special guest appearance from three-time MAC champion Nick Nemeth. Now known as WWE superstar Dolph Ziggler, Nemeth compiled 121 career wins at Kent State from 1998-2003. One of only four Golden Flashes to qualify for the NCAA Championships four times, Nemeth will serve as an honorary captain during the meet and will be signing autographs afterward.
EXTRA POINTS
Bonus points have made the difference in three Kent State victories this season as the Golden Flashes went 5-5 against Purdue, Lehigh and Pitt. KSU got major decisions from Matt Cathell (157) and Dustin Kilgore (197) in a 17-15 win over the Boilermakers. Cathell's major decision and a tech fall by Ross Tice (165) made the difference in the Flashes' 18-16 win over Lehigh. A major decision by Tice against Pitt accounted for the only bonus point in KSU's 16-15 victory over the Panthers.
KILGORE MOVES UP TO THIRD IN CAREER WINS
On Nov. 7 at the Hokie Open, Dustin Kilgore became the first Kent State wrestler to reach 100 career victories during his junior year. At the Wendy's Duals, Kilgore passed Nick Nemeth for third place on KSU's list of career win leaders. Now with 125 victories, Kilgore needs two more wins to pass Alex Camargo for second place. Kilgore's .919 career winning percentage is the second highest in school history.
KSU EXTENDS LEAD IN MAC POLL
Kent State was represented in the top four spots of all 10 weight classes in the Feb. 10 Mid-American Conference Coaches Poll. With five wrestlers ranked in the number one slot, the Flashes earned 29 total points, while Central Michigan and Ohio were tied for second with 18.8 points. Buffalo finished with 18 points.
WEIGHT-BY-WEIGHT BREAKDOWN
125- Junior Nic Bedelyon (17-3, 2-0 MAC) is ranked No. 9 by The Open Mat coming off a comfortable 8-3 win over Buffalo's Sean Walton. Bedelyon is No. 1 in the MAC Coaches Poll and carries an 11-1 career mark in MAC duals. In three of his last four matches, Bedelyon has recorded two pins and a major decision, bringing his bonus-point win total to 10 on the year (3 pins, 2 tech falls, 5 maj. dec.). His first tech fall of the season came at the Hershey Duals, tearing apart No. 10 Jarrod Garnett of Virginia Tech 15-0. Bedelyon won his first nine matches of the season, after sitting out all of 2009-10. He earned a key 7-4 win over No. 24 Anthony Zanetta of Pitt, helping the Flashes to a road victory. The 2009 All-American won an individual title at the Body Bar, going 4-0 with two major decisions. In the finals, he blanked No. 13 Frank Perrelli (Cornell) 4-0. All three of Bedelyon's losses have come to opponents ranked in the Top 11 spots. Ohio's Gabe Ramos is No. 2 in the MAC and earned a victory in last year's dual against the Flashes. EMU's Jared Germaine is No. 4 in the MAC.
133- True freshman Tyler Small (14-12) was ranked No. 3 in the latest MAC poll and No. 32 in a recent WrestlingReport .com poll. In the Flashes' last home meet, Small tallied his fourth pin of the year against Clarion. He earned his first dual win of the year at Missouri with an 8-6 upset over No. 17 Nathan McCormick. Small also had a notable 4-2 dual win over Arizona State's David Prado at the Virginia Duals. Small claimed a fourth place finish at the Body Bar and a convincing 15-8 victory over then No. 17 Kevin Smith of Buffalo in the quarterfinals. Small made a memorable collegiate debut at the Hokie Open with a third place finish and a 4-1 mark. He went 2-2 at the Southern Scuffle. Redshirt freshman Gavin Moore is expected to go for Ohio. EMU's Filberto Colon is No. 4 in the MAC.
141- Sophomore Chase Skonieczny (16-15) is fourth in the MAC Coaches Poll and was recently No. 30 according to WrestlingReport.com. Skonieczny recorded his third tech fall of the year against Campbell. At the Virginia Duals, he upset No. 24 Stephen Dutton of Lehigh 7-4 and scored an 8-0 major decision over Arizona State's Kalin Goodsite. Skonieczny has suffered 10 losses against Top 20 competition this season. He went 3-2 at the Southern Scuffle, earning two technical falls and a major decision. At Pitt, Skonieczny led No. 7 Tyler Nauman 3-2 after two periods, before falling 5-4. Skonieczny placed fourth at the Body Bar with a 2-1 victory over top-seeded Hicks Manson of Cornell and later dropped his consolation final bout in sudden victory to Buffalo's Andrew Schutt. Skonieczny also went 5-1 with two major decisions in a fifth place finish at the Hokie Open. Friday, he is expected to face Germane Lindsey, who is No. 13 according to Amateur Wrestling News and No. 1 in the MAC. The 2010 All-American scored a major decision over Skonieczny at last year's dual.
149- Junior Marcel Clopton (17-11) had won 11 of his last 15 bouts prior to a 4-2 setback against Buffalo's Desi Green Sunday. Clopton recently earned an impressive 3-2 win over Clarion's Anthony White, who was 17-8 overall. Clopton is currently ranked No. 4 in the MAC and No. 30 by WrestlingReport.com. He earned a key 5-3 victory over Tommy Churchard in the Flashes' 17-15 win over Purdue and is 9-4 in dual meets. Clopton won five matches at the Southern Scuffle and was just one win shy of placing in the top eight. He also had a critical overtime victory in the Flashes' 16-15 dual win over Pitt. Junior Darrin Boing is expected to get the nod for Ohio.
157- Senior Matt Cathell (12-5) is No. 14 according to W.I.N. and moved into the No. 1 spot in the MAC after defeating previous No. 1 Bryan Deutsch (Northern Illinois) by major decision (12-4). In his last four matches, Cathell's earned three major decisions and a pin. His 11-0 major decision against Purdue was the second time in as many weeks he provided a crucial extra point in a Flashes' dual win. Cathell also defeated Lehigh's Brian Tannen 9-0 in KSU's 18-16 win over the Mountain Hawks. Cathell is third on the team in pins (6), despite sitting out the Body Bar and the Southern Scuffle. He nearly recorded another pin against No. 4 Bubba Jenkins of Arizona State Cathell racked up four falls and a major decision in his opening weekend and placed third at the Hokie Open. This year, Cathell is competing at 157 for the first time in his career. Two of his losses have come at the hands of Pete Yates (Virginia Tech), who is now ranked at 165. Ohio is expected to send out sophomore Casey Gordon. EMU's Aaron Sulzer is No. 4 in the MAC.
165- Junior Ross Tice (22-10, 2-0 MAC) is currently ranked No. 29 by WrestlingReport.com and No. 1 in the MAC according to conference coaches. Sunday, he defeated Buffalo's John-Martin Cannon 4-2. Cannon was previously tied for the No. 1 spot in the MAC at 165. Tice earned a 7-4 victory over Northern Illinois' Matt Mougin in his first MAC dual of the year. At the Wendy's Duals, he recorded his third tech fall of the season against Campbell. Tice had a 3-1 weekend at the Virginia Duals and a pivotal 17-2 tech fall over Lehigh's Josh Fitch in the Flashes' two-point win. Tice placed seventh at the Southern Scuffle with a 5-2 record. He knocked off eighth-seeded Nicholas Sulzer (Virginia) before falling to top-seeded Justin Kerber (Cornell) in the quarterfinals. In what was expected to be a close match at Pitt, Tice scored a 10-1 major decision over Adam Counterman, resulting in the only bonus points for either team in Kent State's 16-15 win over the Panthers. Tice went 3-1 with a major decision in his third place finish at the Body Bar. He went 1-1 at the Hershey Duals with a 7-3 win over Virginia's Charles Miller. Tice finished sixth at the Hokie Open with a technical fall and a major decision. Junior Steve Wilson will get the start for the Bobcats. EMU's Nick Hendrick is No. 4 in the MAC.
174- Redshirt freshman Brandonn Johnson (19-15, 2-0 MAC) is No. 28 according to WrestlingReport.com and No. 3 in the MAC. Johnson claimed a convincing 9-3 victory in his first career MAC dual against Northern Illinois. He tallied the 14th pin of his young career against Campbell. At the Virginia Duals, Johnson earned an 8-0 major decision against No. 29 Eric Starks (Arizona State). The next day, he gave No. 2 Ed Ruth of Penn State a battle in an 11-8 setback. Johnson won five matches at the Southern Scuffle on the way to an eighth place. He defeated seventh-seeded Byron Sigmon of UNC-Greensboro 7-1 on day two of the Scuffle and started his tournament with a tech fall and a major decision. Johnson won four straight bouts in his fifth place finish at the Body Bar. Johnson's only setback there came against No. 1 Mack Lewnes of Cornell, whom he also lost to at the Scuffle. Johnson dropped back-to-back, one-point decisions in duals against Missouri and Pitt. Five of Johnson's losses have come against Top 4 opponents. He placed sixth at the Hokie Open with two pins. Ohio's Nick Purdue was named MAC Wrestler of the Week Wednesday and is No. 16 according to InterMat. Purdue moved down a weight class this season after finishing as the MAC runner-up at 184 last season.
184- Sophomore Casey Newburg (19-12) is now No. 1 according to MAC Coaches, after knocking off previous No. 1 Jimmy Hamel (Buffalo) 2-1 Sunday. In his previous two duals, Newburg chalked up his third and fourth falls of the year. Newburg has won seven of his last nine duals, including a 6-2 win over Penn State's Nick Fischer. Newburg tallied his fourth major decision of the year at the Virginia Duals against Rider, which helped earn him a No. 32 ranking from WrestlingReport.com last month. He went 4-2 in his seventh place finish at the Southern Scuffle, which included an 8-7 victory over No. 18 Nate Graham (Bloomsburg). He jumped out to early leads in dual meet losses against Pitt and Missouri. Newburg went 4-1 with a pair of pins and a major decision at the Body Bar. His only loss came to No. 4 Steve Bosak of Cornell, whom he also lost to at the Southern Scuffle. Seven of Newburg's setbacks have come against Top 20 opponents. He went 3-2 at the Hokie Open with a major decision. Newburg earned a decisive 8-2 win in his dual against Iowa State, but fell in an overtime tiebreaker to No. 19 Jason McCroskey of Chattanooga. Ohio's Ryan Garringer is ranked No. 4 in the MAC.
197- Junior All-American Dustin Kilgore (28-2) is ranked No. 3 by Amateur Wrestling News. Since January of 2009, Kilgore has come away with wins in 46 straight dual meets, including a 13-3 major decision over No. 9 Logan Brown (Purdue) last month at the Wendy's Duals. Following a 10-9 win over then No. 1, Cam Simaz of Cornell in the finals of the Body Bar, Kilgore became the first Kent State wrestler to earn a No. 1 national ranking since 1985 (Don Horning). Kilgore held the No. 1 spot in five polls and was named MAC Wrestler of the Week on Nov. 24 after going 4-0 at the Body Bar with a pin, a tech fall and a major decision. Other notable dual wins include a 9-5 decision over No. 8 Zac Thomusseit of Pitt and a 6-2 victory over No. 13 Joe Kennedy (Lehigh). He suffered his only losses of the season in his fifth place finish at the Southern Scuffle, where he totaled three pins and a major decision. Kilgore also tallied a pair of major decisions and a convincing 11-4 win at the Hershey Duals. One of those majors came against No. 11 Mike Salopek of Virginia. Kilgore had a pair of tech falls in a 4-0 day at the Hokie Open, concluded by a win over No. 10 Jerome Ward of Iowa State in the finals. Twenty of Kilgore's 28 wins have come via tech. fall (4), pin (7) or major decision (9). He is 12-0 in his career in MAC duals. Ohio's Eric Schuth is No. 11 in two different national polls. He won last year's 197-pound MAC title. EMU's Nick Whitenburg is No. 3 in the MAC and No. 33 according to Wrestling Report.com.
285- Junior Brendan Barlow (19-9, 2-0 MAC) is ranked No. 10 by Amateur Wrestling News. Barlow's biggest win of the year was a 10-5 upset of Penn State's Cameron Wade. Barlow has gone toe-to-toe with three Top five opponents this season. He fell to No. 5 Dom Bradley (Missouri) in overtime, before No. 2 Ryan Tomei of Pitt edged him 6-5. He was also nipped by No. 1 Zach Rey (Lehigh) 5-3. Barlow tallied a pin and a major decision at the Virginia Duals. He went 4-0 with a major decision and did not surrender a takedown in his repeat title performance at the Body Bar. Barlow won three matches at the Southern Scuffle, coming up one win shy of placing. He defeated a pair of Top 20 opponents in his 3-0 day at the Hershey Duals. With three pins and three major decisions on the year, Barlow has won 52 matches since last season, including three at the NCAA Tournament.
