Flashes To Face Four Opponents at South Beach Duals

Friday, December 29

Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

11:00 a.m.

Kent State University

University of Missouri

Flashes To Face Four Opponents at South Beach Duals

12/26/2017 11:05:00 PM | Wrestling

Kent State (6-2) will take on four opponents over two days at the inaugural South Beach Duals Friday and Saturday (Dec. 29-30) inside the Deerfield Beach Sportsplex in Deerfield Beach, Florida. The Golden Flashes open their weekend up Friday with a neutral site Mid-American Conference dual against No. 4 Missouri (8-0) at 11 a.m.

Another ranked opponent stands in the way Saturday when the Flashes battle No. 12 Cornell (2-0) at 11 a.m. Kent State will also lock horns with Columbia (0-0) Friday and future MAC member SIU-Edwardsville (1-4) Saturday.

Live results can be followed on TrackWrestling.com and live video can be seen with a subscription to TrackWrestling. The entire event features 12 college teams and is held in conjunction with a high school and youth tournament.

Flashes Traveling to South Beach Duals
125- Will Bardezbain (12-7)
133- Anthony Tutolo (14-7)
141- Tim Rooney (20-6), Chance Driscoll (7-8)
149- Nick Monico (16-6)
157- Casey Sparkman (15-7), Ben Heyob (6-6), Richard Jackson (6-10)
165- Isaac Bast (13-11)
174- Dylan Barreiro (15-9), Lane Hinkle (8-8)
184- Colin McCracken (8-12) and Shane Mast (6-12)
197- Kyle Conel (12-4)
285- Devin Nye (18-11)

Quick Shots

The NWCA honored Kent State for having the fourth highest grade point average in the nation last season at 3.423.
Casey Sparkman leads the Flashes with 10 bonus-point victories (5 tech falls, 5 major decisions). He is also the Flashes' active leader in career victories with 94.
Sophomore Tim Rooney was named Mid-American Conference Wrestler of the Week on Nov. 15, after going 5-0 at the Journeymen Duals and Journeymen Classic.
Devin Nye leads the team with five pins on the season and his 31 career pins rank fifth among Kent State's career leaders.
Five of the Flashes' six dual wins this year have been by 11 or more points.
Since the 2005-06 season, Kent State is 151-83-1 in dual meets and 48-24-1 in MAC duals.
Junior Kyle Conel is 18-1 in career dual meets.

The Opponents & Series History
Missouri is off to a 2-0 start in MAC competition with a 36-3 win over Old Dominion and a 36-6 victory over Ohio. Junior Daniel Lewis recently won a 174-pound title at the Reno Tournament of Champions and was named MAC Wrestler of the Week. Senior 157-pounder Joey Lavallee and sophomore 165-pounder Connor Flynn both placed second.
Missouri leads the all-time series with Kent State 9-1, behind six victories since 2010. The Flashes last defeated the Tigers at the 2012 Virginia Duals (18-14).

Columbia joined Kent State at both the Navy Classic and the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Three Lions placed at the Navy Classic. Senior-149-pounder Jacob Macalolooy placed third. Senior heavyweight Garrett Ryan was third and senior 174-pounder Tyrel White finished fourth.
Kent State and Columbia will be meeting in a dual for the first time in the history of the programs.

Cornell won six individual titles and finished first among 21 teams last month at the New York Intercollegiate Championships. The Big Red finished eighth at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Freshman 141-pounder Yianni Diakomihalis is No. 1 in multiple polls after winning a title in Las Vegas. Juniors John Jay Chavez (165) and Jeremy Sweany (285) both placed eighth.
Kent State's only meeting with Cornell came in 1978, a 45-2 victory for the Flashes.

SIU-Edwardsville claimed a 21-20 victory over Cleveland State earlier this month. Three Cougars placed at the Lindenwood Open last month. Junior 165-pounder Nate Higgins placed third. Freshman 184-pounder Bryce Shewan was fifth, while junior 197-pounder Christian Dulaney finished sixth.
The all-time series between Kent State and SIU-Edwardsville is tied 1-1-1. The only meeting in the last 30 years came in 2014, a 36-6 win for the Flashes.

Last Time Out
Junior Devin Nye went 4-0 on the way to his second career 285-pound title at the Cleveland State Open on Dec. 16. Tim Rooney placed third, going 4-1. Isaac Bast was sixth with a 4-1 mark. Kyle Conel finished his day 4-1 prior to a medical forfeit.

MAC Rankings
Four Golden Flashes are in the latest December MAC rankings:
No. 4 Anthony Tutolo, 133
No. 4 Nick Monico, 149
No. 3 Casey Sparkman, 157
No. 2 Stephen Suglio, 197

Navy Classic
Last month, four Golden Flashes placed in the top five spots at the Navy Classic:
133- Anthony Tutolo-5^th
149- Nick Monico-5^th
157- Casey Sparkman- 4^th
197- Kyle Conel- 4^th