Kent State University
University at Buffalo
Flashes Host Bulls at M.A.C. Center Saturday
1/25/2019 8:57:00 AM | Wrestling
For the first time in 11 months, Kent State wrestling returns to the M.A.C. Center on Saturday. The Golden Flashes will take on Buffalo in a Mid-American Conference dual at 1 p.m. After hosting two events at the Field House in early November, Kent State has competed in eight events in six states (Florida, Maryland, Virginia, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio)
Live video can be seen on Boxcast, while live results can be followed on TrackWrestling.com.
125: Jake Ferri (11-13) or Tomas Gutierrez (10-11) vs. Kyle Akins (10-6)
133: Tim Rooney (18-10) vs. Derek Spann (14-2)
141: Cory Simpson (14-21) vs. Bryan Lantry (7-0)
149: Kody Komara (16-21) vs. Jason Estevez (7-8)
157: Richard Jackson (7-17) or Joe Andrassy (5-13) vs. Alex Smythe (7-4)
165: Isaac Bast (15-15) vs. Troy Keller (8-5)
174: Dylan Barreiro (17-12) or Kade Byland (8-14) vs. Jake Lanning (3-10)
184: Andrew McNally (25-5) vs. Logan Rill (8-10) or Pete Acciardi (20-9)
197: Shane Mast (8-15) vs. Brett Perry (12-8)
285: Spencer Berthold (13-15) vs. Jake Gunning (12-3)
The Opponent
Buffalo (8-4, 1-2 MAC) is coming off a 19-12 win at Old Dominion Sunday. The Bulls also have road wins over Bucknell, George Mason and Binghamton. Five Bulls are in the latest MAC rankings, including senior 197-pounder Brett Perry, who finished eighth at the Midlands Championships. Senior Jason Estevez won a 149-pound title at the Army Invitational in November. Senior heavyweight Jake Gunning was a MAC champion in 2017 and went 11-1 in duals last season.
McNally Exceeding Expectations
Sophomore 184-pounder Andrew McNally (Uniontown, Ohio) ranks third in the nation in pins with 12. A transfer from Eastern Michigan, McNally also leads the Flashes in wins (25), bonus-point victories (20) and major decisions (7). In the Jan. 24 NCAA Coaches Rankings, McNally is No. 18 at 184. He was named MAC Wrestler of the Week for the second time this season on Dec. 20, after winning a 184-pound title at the Cleveland State Open.
McNally was also named MAC Wrestler of the Week on Nov. 7, after winning a Clarion Open title and going 8-0 in his opening weekend. In Kent State's win over Michigan State, McNally pinned previously undefeated Cameron Caffey, who is No. 17 in the latest Coaches rankings.
Quick Shots
- Senior Isaac Bast (165) and sophomore Dylan Barreiro (174) joined McNally with titles at the Clarion Open.
- Bast, the lone active senior on the team, leads the Flashes with 92 career victories.
- At the South Beach Duals, the Flashes topped a Big Ten opponent (Michigan State) for the first time since 2013.
- Five of the Flashes' losses have come against Top 15 opponents (Penn State, Iowa, Missouri, Minnesota, Wisconsin)
- Junior Tim Rooney won a 133-pound title at the Cougar Clash on Dec. 2.
- In November, Rooney was named MAC Male Scholar Athlete of the Week, after going 5-1 in a third place finish at the Navy Classic. The fourth-year junior carries a 3.833 GPA.
- Spencer Berthold (285) and Cory Simpson (141) each placed sixth at the Cleveland State Open after winning four consecutive consolation bracket matches.
- McNally, Bast and Kody Komara (149) all placed fourth at the Navy Classic.
- The NWCA honored Kent State for having the second highest grade point average in the nation last season at 3.497, trailing only Harvard.
- Since 2005-06 (Jim Andrassy's third season), Kent State is 164-101-1 in dual meets and 52-30-1 in MAC duals.
- Freshman Tim Wallace has won a pair of open tournament crowns, competing unattached at 184. He's reached the finals three of the four tournaments he's competed in.
History vs. Buffalo
Kent State leads the all-time series with Buffalo 25-9 and has won 12 of the last 14 meetings. The Golden Flashes and Bulls are colliding in Kent for the second straight season. Kent State has won six of the last seven at the M.A.C. Center. However, Buffalo surprised the Flashes last season 16-15, earning the dual's only bonus point via major decision in overtime. Returning starters Tim Rooney, Isaac Bast and Dylan Barreiro all won their matches in last year's dual.
Last Time Out
Redshirt freshman heavyweight Spencer Berthold sparked the Flashes with a first period pin of Zack Parker, but Ohio topped Kent State 24-12 in Athens on Jan. 18. Dylan Barreiro and Andrew McNally also won for the Flashes.
MAC Rankings
Three Golden Flashes were in the latest (Jan. 24) MAC rankings:
No. 4 Isaac Bast, 165
No. 4 Dylan Barreiro, 174
No. 3 Andrew McNally, 184
Up Next
The Golden Flashes return to action Friday, Feb. 1, visiting Cleveland State at Woodling Gym.
Players Mentioned
