Kent State University
Central Michigan University
Flashes Visit No. 15 Central Michigan Sunday
2/10/2017 12:18:00โฏPM | Wrestling
Kent State continues Mid-American Conference dual competition Sunday, visiting rival Central Michigan inside McGuirk Arena at 2 p.m.ย The Chippewas are No. 15 in the latest NWCA Coaches Poll.
Live Video
Live video of the dual can be seen on ESPN3 with Adam Jaksa calling the action.
All-Time Series
Central Michigan holds a 27-21 all-time series lead with Kent State and has won 16 of the last 19 meetings.ย The Flashes edged the Chippewas last year 18-17 at the M.A.C. Center.ย Devin Nye and Casey Sparkman claimed two of Kent State's five wins.ย The last time the teams met in Mount Pleasant, the Chippewas took six matches in a 19-13 victory in 2015.ย Kent State's last road win in the series came in 2009.ย CMU has won nine of the last 10 meetings with KSU on its home mat.
Projected Lineups
125: Cory Simpson (9-19) vs. No. 17ย Brent Fleetwood (19-6)
133: No. 22ย Anthony Tutolo (18-5) vs. No. 25ย Cory Keener (15-10)ย
141: Chance Driscoll (19-13) vs. Mason Smithย (17-10)
149: Tim Rooney (16-20) vs. No. 7ย Justin Oliver (23-5) or Kyle Noonan (5-3)ย
157: No. 33ย Casey Sparkman (21-9) vs. No.ย 8ย Colin Heffernan (23-6)ย
165: Isaac Bast (8-13) or Jared Walker (14-18) or vs. Logan Parks (9-16)
174: Bast or Walker vs. No. 17ย CJ Brucki (23-6)ย
184: Shane Mast (13-12) vs. No. 15 Jordan Ellingwood (21-7)
197: Stephen Suglio (19-14) vs. No. 17ย Austin Severn (19-7)
285: Devin Nye (15-17) vs. Newton Smerchek (20-7) or Tyrus Kemp (10-8)ย
Strong Weekendsย
Sophomore 157-pounder Casey Sparkman and junior 197-pounder Stephen Suglio each went 2-0 in dual meets last weekend.ย In the Golden Flashes' Beauty and the Beast matchup against No. 1 Oklahoma State, Sparkman topped Davey Dolan 11-5 behind a flurry of four takedowns in the third period. ย The next day, Sparkmanย pinned Eastern Michigan's Zac Carson in the first period.
Suglio trailed Oklahoma State's Derek White 1-0 after two periods, before earning a 4-2 victory.ย He was dominant in all three periods the next day with an 8-1 win over EMU's Derek Hillman.
Tutolo's Return
After missing eight dual meets with a knee injury, sophomore Anthony Tutolo returned for the Flashes Sunday at 133.ย Coming out with a strong first period, Tutolo held on for a 4-3 victory over Eastern Michigan's Armando Torres.
Dual Success
Since Head Coach Jim Andrassy's third season (2005-06), the Golden Flashes have gone 145-79 in dual meets and 48-21-1 in MAC dual meets.ย
Junior 141-pounder Chance Driscoll is 10-4 in duals on the season, while Casey Sparkman is 7-3.ย
The Opponent
Central Michigan (7-2, 4-2 MAC) has won its last four dual meets, including a 19-18 upset of No. 10 Michigan last weekend.ย In their last three conference duals, the Chippewas have won 24-of-30 individual matches with convincing wins over Old Dominion, Northern Illinois and Buffalo.
CMU placed sixth at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational.ย Junior Colin Heffernan was the runner-up at 157 pounds, while 2016 All-American Justin Oliver placed third at 149.ย Senior Cory Keener (133) and juniors CJ Brucki (174) and Jordan Ellingwood (184) all placed fifth.ย Oliver, Heffernan, Brucki and 197-pounder Austin Severn are all ranked No. 2 in the latest MAC Coaches Poll.
Quick Shots
- Devin Nye leads the team with seven pins, while Casey Sparkman and Stephen Suglio each have seven wins by tech fall.
- The Flashes' eight straight years with at least one All-American is the 10thย longest active streak in the nation.
- The Golden Flashes do not have a single senior on their roster
- Kent State concluded its 2015-16 season with a 16thย place finish at the NCAA Championships and two All-Americans.
- The NWCA honored Kent State for having the fifth highest grade point average in the nation last season at 3.325.
- Nine Flashes placed in the Top 6 spots at the Navy Classic (Nov. 19).
- The Flashes finished second of 15 teams at the Lock Haven Classic (Dec. 19) that included four top four finishes.
Three Scholar Athletes of the Week
Last month, junior Chance Driscoll (Aurora, Ohio) gave Kent State wrestling its third Mid-American Conference Male Scholar Athlete of the Week honor in just over a month's span.ย The 141-pounder went 4-0 at the Virginia Duals.ย An economics major, Driscoll carries a 3.63 cumulative grade point average.ย
Two weeks earlier, redshirt freshman Tim Rooney earned MAC Male Scholar Athlete of the Week honors.ย An exercise science major, Rooney carries a 3.9 cumulative grade point average.
The award also went to sophomore Anthony Tutolo in December.ย A communications major, Tutolo carries a 3.6 cumulative grade point average.
Up Next
Kent State closes out its regular season and Mid-American Conference duals with a trip to Norfolk, Virginia.ย Old Dominion will host the Golden Flashes Sunday, Feb. 19, at 1 p.m.
Players Mentioned
