Kent State University
Northern Illinois University
Flashes Host Northern Illinois Friday to Close Out MAC Competition
2/14/2019 10:25:00โฏAM | Wrestling
Free, live video can be seen on Boxcast, while live audio can be heard on Golden Flashes Radio on iHeart Radio with Matt Miller.ย Live results can be followed on TrackWrestling.com.
Projected Matchups
125: Jake Ferri (12-15) vs. Bryce West (10-12)
133: Tim Rooney (20-11) vs. Alijah Jeffrey (14-8) or Drew West (8-6)
141: Cory Simpson (15-23) vs. Alijah Jeffrey (14-8) or Drew West (8-6)
149: Kody Komara (18-22) vs. McCoy Kent (11-7)
157: Richard Jackson (7-19) vs. Mason Kauffman (7-10)
165: Isaac Bast (16-17) vs. Kenny Moore (16-7) or Caden McWhirter (9-7)
174: Kade Byland (9-16) vs. Brit Wilson (18-4)
184: Andrew McNally (28-5) vs. Will Feldkamp (8-5), Mike Aldrich (2-5) or Andrew Scott (4-2)
197: Shane Mast (9-17) vs. Max Ihry (1-11) or Ross Sealby (1-8)
285: Spencer Berthold (14-17) vs. Caleb Gossett (9-8)
The Opponent
Since Jan. 13, Northern Illinois has won four dual meets by 20 or more points (SIU-Edwardsville, The Citadel, Hofstra, Bloomsburg).ย Five Huskies are in the latest MAC Coaches rankings.ย Sophomore Kenny Moore won a 165-pound title at the Michigan State Open.ย Moore and redshirt freshman 174-pounder Brit Wilson are both No. 2 in the MAC rankings.ย Senior 133-pounder Alijah Jeffrey placed third at the Michigan State Open.ย Junior McCoy Kent placed fourth at 149.
McNally Exceeding Expectations
Sophomore 184-pounder Andrew McNally (Uniontown, Ohio) ranks fourth in the nation in pins with 12.ย A transfer from Eastern Michigan, McNally also leads the Flashes in wins (28), bonus-point victories (22) and major decisions (8).ย In the Jan. 24 NCAA Coaches Rankings, McNally was No. 18 at 184.ย He was named MAC Wrestler of the Week on Dec. 20, after winning a 184-pound title at the Cleveland State Open.ย
McNally is currently on a 10-match winning streak.ย He 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.ย 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) joined McNally with a title at the Clarion Open.
- Bast, the lone active senior on the team, leads the Flashes with 93 career victories. Prior to the Buffalo dual, he was presented with the Jerry Petrofes Memorial Endowed Scholarship.
- 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.ย 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.
- Berthold recorded his eighth pin of the season in the dual at Cleveland State, completing a Kent State comeback in the final three bouts to overcome a 20-9 deficit.
- 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 165-103-1 in dual meets and 52-32-1 in MAC duals.
- Freshman Tim Wallace has won a pair of open tournament crowns, competing unattached at 184.ย He's also placed second and third at open tournaments this year.
History vs. Northern Illinois
Kent State leads the all-time series with Northern Illinois 24-6-2.ย The MAC rivals have met every year since 1997.ย The Golden Flashes have won 11 of the last 12 meetings, including a 24-9 victory last season in DeKalb.ย Returning starters Tim Rooney and Isaac Bast were among the seven winners for the Flashes.ย The last time the teams met in Kent, the Huskies claimed a 30-12 victory in 2017.ย NIU's seven wins included one at 197 from current Kent State assistant coach Shawn Scott.
Last Time Out
Kent State stayed within striking distance of Central Michigan until the final bout during Sunday's Beauty & The Beast event, but the Chippewas won the final matchup to secure a 23-12 victory at the M.A.C. Center.ย The Golden Flashes won four bouts (Rooney, Komara, Bast, McNally) and trailed by just two points (14-12) after eight matches.
Up Next
The Golden Flashes close out their regular season on Saturday, Feb. 23, hosting Binghamton inside the M.A.C. Center, beginning at 6 p.m.
Players Mentioned
