Kent State University
Navy Classic
Flashes Finish Third at Navy Classic
11/19/2016 7:35:00 PM | Wrestling
ANNAPOLIS - Kent State finished third of 12 teams Saturday at the 39th annual Navy Classic, behind a 133-pound championship from sophomore Anthony Tutolo. Nine Golden Flashes earned top six finishes as Kent State (113.5) was just one point behind second-place Navy (114.5). Indiana earned the team title with 155.5 points at Wesley Brown Field House.
On a 4-0 day, Tutolo claimed a major decision, a technical fall and a decisive 7-2 semifinal win. In the finals, he topped Ohio's Cam Kelly (5-4), who was No. 16 in the latest InterMat rankings. Tutolo improved to 8-0 on the season.
"This was probably the biggest win of Anthony's career so far," Head Coach Jim Andrassy said. "He did a great job. This team is making a lot of young mistakes, but not Anthony. He's been really solid and smart."
Three Flashes made trips to the finals as sophomores Casey Sparkman (157) and Jairod James (174) each placed second, going 4-1 on the day. James held a 4-1 lead in his final bout against No. 11 Jadaen Bernstein (Navy), but a third period escape made the difference in a 5-4 loss.
"Jairod could have won that match," Andrassy said. "He gave up a takedown at the edge thinking they were going to be called out of bounds. He just needs to wrestle with more of a sense of urgency."
Redshirt freshman Tim Rooney dropped his opening bout before winning four straight in a fourth place finish at 149. Junior Stephen Suglio also placed fourth. He finished 3-2 with a tech fall at 197.
True freshman Cory Simpson placed fifth at 125, going 4-2 with a pin and a major decision.
"Cory can get better," Andrassy said. "You could see his potential today."
The Flashes also got sixth place finishes from sophomores Isaac Bast (165) and Devin Nye (285) along with redshirt freshman Ben Heyob (157).
"Overall it was an average performance for us," Andrassy said. "Even in our wins, we're making young mistakes. A lot of bad habits seem to come back when we face good competition."
Kent State hosts its first event of the season at the M.A.C. Center Tuesday, Nov. 22, welcoming Ohio State and Cleveland State for the Thanksgiving Throwdown. The unique tri-meet on two mats is set to start at 7 p.m.
Players Mentioned
