Kent State University
Old Dominion University
No. 24 Kent State Set for Rematch With Old Dominion
1/22/2016 11:46:00 AM | Wrestling
Kent State (10-3, 3-1 MAC) will host Mid-American Conference foe Old Dominion Sunday inside the M.A.C. Center, at 1 p.m. Winners of four straight, the Golden Flashes recently moved into the NWCA Coaches Poll for the first time this season at No. 24.
The Rematch
The Monarchs and Flashes recently met (Jan. 9) in the Silver Bracket finals of the Virginia Duals. Kent State took 6-of-10 matches in a 23-13 victory at Hampton Coliseum. Old Dominion entered that weekend ranked No. 24 in the Coaches poll. Cole Baxter provided bonus points at 184 with a first period pin of Terrell Forbes. Mack McGuire topped recent Midlands champion Emilio Saavedra 4-2.
Live Video and Scoring
Live video of Sunday's dual can be seen on KentStateSports.com. Live scoring can be followed on TrackWrestling.com.
Dual Success
Since Head Coach Jim Andrassy's third season (2005-06), the Golden Flashes have gone 138-66-1 in dual meets and 44-15-1 in MAC dual meets. Since the 2010-11 season, Kent State is 20-9 at home. Six of Kent State's wins this season have been by 25 or more points. Kyle Conel and Ian Miller are undefeated in dual meets, while Mack McGuire is 11-2.
The Opponent
Old Dominion begins its weekend with a Friday night dual at Buffalo. All-American 184-pounder Jack Dechow, who was out of action at the Virginia Duals, returned last week with a win against Northern Iowa. The Monarchs boast three All-Americans, including senior 141-pounder Chris Mecate, who placed sixth at the NCAA Championships last year. Senior 149-pounder Alexander Richardson placed seventh at the NCAA Championships last season. Redshirt freshman 133-pounder Emilio Saavedra was named MAC Wrestler of the Week on Jan. 7 after going 5-0 the Midlands Championships with wins over three Top 20 opponents.
Projected Lineups
125: Del Vinas (9-12) vs. No. 31 Brandon Jeske (10-6)
133: No. 9 Mack McGuire (19-4) vs. No. 13 Emilio Saavedra (15-5)
141: Anthony Tutolo (22-13) vs. No. 13 Chris Mecate (12-4)
149: No. 18 Mike DePalma (17-5) vs. No. 8 Alexander Richardson (13-3)
157: No. 2 Ian Miller (16-0) or Casey Sparkman (23-9) vs. Devin Geoghegan (9-8) or Austin Eads (11-9)
165: No. 31 Tyler Buckwalter (17-9) vs. Seldon Wright (13-10)
174: Mike Vollant (11-10) vs. Brooks Climmons (6-9)
184: No. 28 Cole Baxter (18-8) or Jerald Spohn (12-13) vs. No. 6 Jack Dechow (8-1)
197: No. 14 Kyle Conel (19-5) vs. Austin Coburn (5-12)
285: Stephen Suglio (11-14) or Devin Nye (24-11) vs. Andrew Snyder (2-11)
*NCAA Coaches Panel Rankings
Conel Climbing The Polls
Redshirt freshman Kyle Conel won a 197-pound championship at the Lock Haven Classic on Dec. 29, sparking a current 10-match winning streak. After going 4-0 at the Virginia Duals, Conel was named both MAC Wrestler of the Week and MAC Male Scholar-Athlete of the Week. Last weekend, Conel defeated two Top 20 opponents (Phil Wellington, Anthony Abro) in Kent State's dual victories over Ohio and Eastern Michigan.
Jan. 9 vs. Old Dominion
125: Brandon Jeske (ODU) over Del Vinas (KSU), dec. 3-1
133: Mack McGuire (KSU) over Emilio Saavedra (ODU), dec. 4-2
141: Chris Mecate (ODU) over Anthony Tutolo (KSU), dec. 2-1
149: Alexander Richardson (ODU) over Chance Driscoll (KSU), maj. dec. 11-1
157: Casey Sparkman (KSU) over Austin Eads (ODU), maj. dec. 14-5
165: Tyler Buckwalter (KSU) over Seldon Wright (ODU), maj. dec. 11-2
174: Brooks Climmons (ODU) over Mike Vollant (KSU), dec. 6-2
184: Cole Baxter (KSU) over Terrell Forbes (ODU), pin 1:56
197: Kyle Conel (KSU) over Austin Coburn (ODU), dec. 6-2
285: Devin Nye (KSU) over Andrew Snyder (ODU), dec. 3-0
History vs. Old Dominion
The Golden Flashes hold a 10-3 all-time series lead against Old Dominion and have won four of five meetings since 2012. In last year's conference dual, the Monarchs won seven matches in a 25-10 victory. It was the first meeting in Norfolk since 1990. Miller and McGuire were among Kent State's three wins, while ODU returns five winners from last season.
The last time the teams in Kent, McGuire, DePalma, Miller, Buckwalter and Baxter were among Kent State's seven winners in a 25-7 victory.
Tutolo Breaking Through at 141
Sophomore Anthony Tutolo earned the first two MAC dual victories of his career in dramatic fashion this past weekend, despite wrestling above his natural weight class. At Ohio, the Golden Flashes trailed Ohio 15-12, with only two matches remaining. Tied 1-1 with Noah Forrider after regulation and sudden victory, Tutolo rode out Forrider in the tiebreaker period and earned a match-winning escape. Two days later in Ypsilanti, Tutolo found his team trailing 14-10 with three matches left, before taking on Kyle Springer. A third period takedown clinched a 3-2 victory, which once again made the difference in the dual meet.
Quick Shots
• Mike DePalma's 2-0 weekend included his team-leading seventh tech fall of the season and a third period comeback win over No. 24 Nick Barber (EMU). After going 3-0 at the Eastern Michigan Duals, DePalma was named MAC Wrestler of the Week.
• At the Virginia Duals, Mack McGuire became the 16th wrestler in Kent State history to reach 100 career victories.
• Kent State is No. 15 in the latest InterMat Tournament Rankings and No. 16 according to both Wrestling Report and the W.I.N. Tournament Power Rankings.
• With a 3.17 this fall, Kent State recorded its highest grade point average in program history.
• Cole Baxter recorded his team-leading sixth and seventh pins of the season at the Virginia Duals.
• Although KSU has often had seven seniors in its lineup, five Flashes have earned their first career MAC dual victories this season (Tutolo, Sparkman Conel, Suglio, Nye).
• Sophomore Jairod James (Bedford, Ohio) won a 165-pound title at the Purple Raider Open on Sunday.
• Redshirt freshman Devin Nye won a 285-pound title at the Cleveland State Open in December.
• Kent State's seven straight years with at least one All-American is the 11th longest active streak in the nation.
Miller Still Perfect
Senior Ian Miller (Oak Harbor, Ohio), currently 16-0, is looking to join Dustin Kilgore as the only Kent State wrestler to have an undefeated regular season in the modern era. Miller won 157-pound titles at both the Navy Classic and Las Vegas Invitational. He was named MAC Wrestler of the Week on Nov. 25. He is No. 2 in every major poll. Miller recorded his 35th career pin at Navy, which ranks fourth among Kent State's career leaders. He is now tied with Nick Nemeth for fifth place in career victories at KSU with 121.
Up Next
Kent State will get an 11-day break from competition prior to a long MAC road trip. The Golden Flashes will visit Northern Illinois on Friday, Feb. 5, and Northern Iowa on Saturday, Feb. 6.
Players Mentioned
