Kent State University
Old Dominion University
Monarchs Sneak Past Flashes 23-19
2/19/2017 3:28:00 PM | Wrestling
NORFOLK, Va.- Kent State and Old Dominion won five matches each, but five bonus points in the final two bouts by the Monarchs made the difference Sunday afternoon at the Ted Constant Center. A tech fall at 184 and a pin at 197 gave Old Dominion a 23-19 victory on its 2017 Senior Day.
Sophomore Isaac Bast was the Golden Flashes' biggest surprise of the day as he knocked off No. 21 Seldon Wright 9-8 at 165 pounds. Bast's first career Mid-American Conference dual victory included three takedowns, all coming on left side single leg shots. His final point came on a clutch escape with under 30 seconds left in the match.
"Isaac was amazing today," Head Coach Jim Andrassy said. "His approach was really smart. He's as healthy as he's been this year and looked as good as we've seen him this year. He earned the spot earlier in the week in a wrestle-off and hopefully he can take this momentum into the conference tournament."
The Flashes also saw a first career MAC dual victory from freshman Cory Simpson in dramatic fashion. Simpson trailed 4-2 midway through the third period, before hitting a duck under and driving Steven Simpson directly to his back for a six-point move. During the turn, Simpson sealed riding time for a 9-4 victory.
"Cory never gave up and had a really good third period," Andrassy said. "He put three moves together beginning with a nice shot on a double."
A first period pin by sophomore heavyweight Devin Nye combined with Simpson's win gave the Flashes a brief 9-0 lead before giving up a forfeit at 133. The Monarchs followed with wins at 141 and 149 to take a 12-9 lead.
Sophomore Casey Sparkman evened the score 12-12 with a 5-2 decision over Larry Early. Sparkman beat the first period buzzer with a double leg takedown and added another takedown in the third. He improved to 20-10 on the season.
After Bast gave the Flashes the lead back, junior Jerald Spohn made his 174-pound debut, after spending most of the season at 184. Spohn's first period takedown was followed quickly by a two-point tilt. A similar move in the second resulted in four more back points on the way to a 14-5 major decision.
In the final bout, junior Stephen Suglio was in the top position late in the first period, before a rolling Kevin Beazley caught Suglio in a cradle that ended the match with a few ticks left in the first.
Kent State will be among nine teams competing in the Mid-American Conference Championships March 4-5 at Northern Iowa.
Old Dominion 23 Kent State 19
285: Devin Nye (KSU) over Will Hilliard (ODU) pin 1:11
125: Cory Simpson (KSU) over Steven Simpson (ODU) dec. 9-4
133: Alex Madrigal (ODU) won by forfeit
141: Kevin Budock (ODU) over Chance Driscoll (KSU) dec. 3-1
149: Michael Hayes (ODU) over Tim Rooney (KSU) dec. 9-5
157: Casey Sparkman (KSU) over Larry Early (ODU) dec. 5-2
165: Isaac Bast (KSU) over Seldon Wright (ODU) dec. 9-8
174: Jerald Spohn over Antonio Agee (ODU) maj. dec. 11-2
184: Jack Dechow (ODU) over Shane Mast (KSU) tech fall 27-8
197: Kevin Beazley (ODU) over Stephen Suglio (KSU) pin 2:51
Players Mentioned
