Kent State University
Eastern Michigan University
Eastern Michigan Hosts Flashes Sunday
2/3/2018 7:36:00 AM | Wrestling
Kent State (11-6, 1-2) begins its final stretch of the regular season Sunday, taking on Eastern Michigan (6-6, 2-3) in the first of four consecutive Mid-American Conference duals over 13 days. The Eagles will be hosting their senior day at the Convocation Center, with action set to begin at noon.
Live video of Sunday's dual can be seen on emueagles.com All-Access, while live stats can be followed on TrackWrestling.
Probable Matchups
125- Jake Ferri (11-12) vs. Tomas Gutierrez (6-10)
133- No. 31 Anthony Tutolo (21-10) vs. Noah Gonser (9-8) or Armando Torres (7-7)
141- No. 33 Tim Rooney (25-10) vs. Sa'Derian Perry (10-12)
149- No. 30 Nick Monico (19-10) or Chance Driscoll (9-10) vs. No. 33 Kyle Springer (15-12)
157- Casey Sparkman (19-13) vs. J.J. Wolfe (5-12)
165- Isaac Bast (19-15) vs. Zac Carson (14-10)
174- Dylan Barreiro (18-14) vs. Andrew McNally (13-12)
184- Colin McCracken (12-17) vs. Kayne MacCallum (11-11)
197- No. 24 Kyle Conel (16-9) vs. Derek Hillman (7-5) or Jared Langley (2-7)
285- Stephen Suglio (14-7) vs. No. 21 Gage Hutchison (14-4) or Wyatt Harden (3-5)
NCAA Coaches Panel Rankings
Quick Shots
- True freshman Jake Ferri (125) earned his first career MAC dual victory at Ohio on Jan. 19
- Junior Anthony Tutolo was named MAC Wrestler of the Week last month after going 4-0 at the Virginia Duals.
- The NWCA honored Kent State for having the fourth highest grade point average in the nation last season at 3.423.
- Junior Casey Sparkman leads the Flashes with 11 bonus-point victories (5 tech falls, 6 major decisions) this season. He is also the Flashes' active leader in career victories with 98.
- Junior Kyle Conel is 22-6 in career dual meets.
- Conel, junior Devin Nye and freshman Colin McCracken all lead the team with five pins on the season. Nye's 31 career pins rank fifth among Kent State's all-time leaders.
- Conel won a 197-pound title at the Clarion Open this season, while Nye won a 285-pound crown at the Cleveland State Open for the second time in his career.
- Sophomore Tim Rooney was named MAC Wrestler of the Week on Nov. 15, after going 5-0 at the Journeymen Duals and Journeymen Classic.
Dual Success
Eight of the Flashes' dual wins this year have been by 11 or more points. Four of those wins have been by 27 or more points.
Since the 2005-06 season, Kent State is 156-88-1 in dual meets and 49-25-1 in MAC duals. During that time the Golden Flashes are 44-6-1 against the MAC combination of Buffalo, Eastern Michigan, Northern Illinois and Ohio.
Series History
Kent State has been dominant against Eastern Michigan in a series that began in 1967, leading 44-2-1. Last season in the M.A.C. Center, the Eagles snapped a series losing streak that went all the way back to 1974 with a 27-12 road victory. EMU won a number of close bouts, while the Flashes got victories from Anthony Tutolo, Casey Sparkman and Stephen Suglio.
The last time the teams met in Ypsilanti, EMU led 14-6 after six matches, before Kent State came storming back for a 19-14 victory. Four of the Golden Flashes' six wins came down to the final seconds.
Last MAC Dual
The Grudge Match Trophy changed hands in Athens as Kent State defeated archrival Ohio 18-13 at the Convocation Center on Jan. 19. For the second time in as many dual meets, senior Chance Driscoll moved up a weight class to 149 and earned a key victory for the Flashes.
MAC Rankings
Five Golden Flashes were in the latest MAC rankings:
No. 4 Anthony Tutolo, 133
No. 4 Tim Rooney, 141
No. 4 Nick Monico, 149
No. 4 Casey Sparkman, 157
No. 4 Kyle Conel, 197
The Opponent
Eastern Michigan is coming off a 26-10 victory over Buffalo Friday night. It was the second straight win for the Eagles, who downed Northern Illinois 30-3 on Jan. 19. Junior 184-pounder Kayne MacCallum placed eighth at Midlands this season. Last season, Noah Gonser earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships as a redshirt freshman.
Up Next
The Golden Flashes will host two MAC duals over three days next weekend beginning with a Friday night (Feb. 9) tilt against Old Dominion.
Players Mentioned
