Kent State University
Lock Haven Classic
Conel Wins 197-Pound Title at Lock Haven
12/29/2015 9:24:00 PM | Wrestling
Redshirt freshman Kyle Conel (Ashtabula, Ohio) won a 197-pound championship, while three other Kent State wrestlers placed in the top three at the Lock Haven Classic on Tuesday at Thomas Fieldhouse. With four senior starters not competing, the Golden Flashes still finished fifth of 10 teams.
Senior 184-pounder Cole Baxter (Butler, Pa.) and sophomore 165-pounder Jairod James (Bedford, Ohio) each placed second, while redshirt freshman Devin Nye (Springfield, Ohio) finished third at heavyweight.
Conel went 3-0 in a 13-man bracket. In the quarterfinals, he topped Messiah's Kyle Koser 5-2, followed by a 7-3 decision over Pitt's Nick Bonnaccorsi in the semifinals. Bonnaccorsi was No. 33 in the latest Wrestling Report rankings. In the finals, Conel earned a convincing 9-4 victory over Bucknell's Tyler Greene.
Kent State and Bucknell were also represented in the 184-pound final as Baxter fell to No. 23 Tom Sleigh. In his semifinal match, Baxter topped Lock Haven's Tristan Sponseller 5-2. Baxter opened his day with a 5-0 shutout of Pitt's Zach Bruce.
James joined Baxter with victories in his first three matches of the day, before dropping a 6-4 decision to Indiana's Bryce Martin. In his quarterfinal bout, James downed No. 26 Cody Wiercioch of Pitt, 5-1, followed by a 5-2 semifinal win over Lock Haven's Cody Cordes.
Nye put in the most work of the day, going 5-1, with four victories in wrestlebacks. After getting pinned in his quarterfinal bout, Nye responded with a pin of his own in the second period against Lock Haven's Brad Emerick. Nye finished his day with a 6-4 decision over George Mason's Matt Voss.
Sophomore Chance Driscoll (Aurora, Ohio) had a solid day, going 3-2 with an appearance in the 141-pound consolation semifinals. Drew Dickson, Jerald Spohn, Mike Vollant, Caleb Stockmaster and Stephen Suglio all went 2-2.
Four other Flashes competed in day one of the Midlands Championships Tuesday at Northwestern. Redshirt freshman Casey Sparkman (Massillon, Ohio) went 3-2 with a pin and a major decision at 157.
Kent State (5-2) will head to Hampton, Va., Jan. 8-9 to compete in the Virginia Duals. Twelve teams will vie for a team title in the dual tournament.
Players Mentioned
