Kent State University
MAC Championships
Komara and McCracken Advance to Title Bouts at MAC Championships
3/4/2022 9:42:00 PM | Wrestling
ATHENS, OH- Kody Komara and Colin McCracken will wrestle for a MAC title on Saturday and Kent State is in fifth place after day one of the conference championships hosted by Ohio University.
Komara and McCracken each took advantage of an opening round bye on Friday. Komara took down Lock Haven's Dashawn Farber in the quarterfinal 6-3. He advanced on to the title match after Alex Madrigal was forced to withdraw due to an injury that took place in the third period. He will face Cleveland State's Marcus Robinson in the championship match. The two had an instant classic in the dual at Kent, with Robinson winning a 3-2 decision.
McCracken took down SIU-E's Sergio Villalobos for the second time in three weeks. This time McCracken earned a 4-2 victory in overtime. He then met Cleveland State's DeAndre Nassar and again got the sudden victory with a take down in the first overtime. Northern Illinois' Brit Wilson awaits in the title match on Saturday.
The Flashes have four wrestlers competing in wrestle backs on Saturday. Jake Ferri won his first two matches on Friday before he lost a heartbreaker in the semis to top-seeded Anthony Noto of Lock Haven, dropping a 7-6 decision. He will need to win twice to capture the third-place title.
Louis Newell rallied back from an opening round loss to defeat Buffalo's Ben Freeman to advance on in the wrestle back bracket. Newell will rematch with Jaivon Jones of Northern Illinois in his opening round on Saturday. Jones and Newell went to extra time earlier this season. Â Brady Chrisman won his opening round match over Ohio's Sean O'Dwyer with a convincing 10-3 win. He then dropped a tough 3-1 decision to Riley Smucker of Cleveland State only to advance on in wrestlebacks with a 6-4 win over Cardeionte Wilson of SIU-E. Chrisman is two wins away from claiming the third-place crown.
Tyler Bates pulled a 7-2 upset in his second match on Friday. After defeating Tristan Guaman in the opening round, he knocked off the second-seeded Aaron Bolo of Central Michigan. Bates and Bolo were deadlocked through both overtimes and advanced on with the riding time advantage tiebreak. Bates dropped his semi-final match to Cleveland State's Ben Smith, but remains two wins away from a third-place title.
The Flashes sit in fifth-place as a team with 59 points heading into Saturday's matches. Wrestling gets started at 11:30 on Saturday morning and can be seen on ESPN +.
125
Jake Ferri (24-9) (2-1 in MAC championship)
- Champ. Round 1 - Jake Ferri (Kent State) 24-9 won by decision over Bryce West (Northern Illinois) 15-14 (Dec 10-3)
- Quarterfinal - Jake Ferri (Kent State) 24-9 won by decision over Austin Macias (SIU Edwardsville) 3-12 (Dec 12-7)
- Semifinal - Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) 29-1 won by decision over Jake Ferri (Kent State) 24-9 (Dec 7-6)
133
Brendon Fenton (14-12) (1-2 in MAC championship)
- Champ. Round 1 - Brendon Fenton (Kent State) 14-12 won by decision over Mikey Kaminski (Northern Illinois) 6-11 (Dec 4-2)
- Quarterfinal - Gable Strickland (Lock Haven) 17-13 won by tech fall over Brendon Fenton (Kent State) 14-12 (TF-1.5 5:00 (16-1))
- Cons. Round 2 - Aaron Schulist (SIU Edwardsville) 1-2 won by tech fall over Brendon Fenton (Kent State) 14-12 (TF-1.5 4:55 (18-2))
141
Louis Newell (19-17) (2-1 in MAC championship)
- Champ. Round 1 - Seth Koleno (Clarion) 28-8 won by decision over Louis Newell (Kent State) 19-17 (Dec 4-2)
- Cons. Round 1 - Louis Newell (Kent State) 19-17 received a bye () (Bye)
- Cons. Round 2 - Louis Newell (Kent State) 19-17 won by decision over Ben Freeman (Buffalo) 15-14 (Dec 4-2)
149
Kody Komara (15-11) (2-0 in MAC championship)
- Champ. Round 1 - Kody Komara (Kent State) 15-11 received a bye () (Bye)
- Quarterfinal - Kody Komara (Kent State) 15-11 won by decision over Dashawn Farber (Lock Haven) 13-14 (Dec 6-3)
- Semifinal - Kody Komara (Kent State) 15-11 won by injury default over Alex Madrigal (George Mason) 20-4 (Inj. 5:34)
157
Robert Pryhocki (7-14) (1-2 in MAC championship)
- Champ. Round 1 - Cole McComas (Rider) 4-10 won in sudden victory - 1 over Robert Pryhocki (Kent State) 7-14 (SV-1 8-6)
- Cons. Round 1 - Robert Pryhocki (Kent State) 7-14 received a bye () (Bye)
- Cons. Round 2 - Anthony Gibson (Northern Illinois) 19-11 won by fall over Robert Pryhocki (Kent State) 7-14 (Fall 2:41)
165
Brady Chrisman (16-13) (2-1 in MAC championship)
- Champ. Round 1 - Brady Chrisman (Kent State) 16-13 won by decision over Sean O`Dwyer (Ohio) 3-11 (Dec 10-3)
- Quarterfinal - Riley Smucker (Cleveland State) 19-4 won by decision over Brady Chrisman (Kent State) 16-13 (Dec 3-1)
- Cons. Round 2 - Brady Chrisman (Kent State) 16-13 won by decision over Cardeionte Wilson (SIU Edwardsville) 8-11 (Dec 6-4)
174
Michael Ferre (11-17) (1-2 in MAC championship).
- Champ. Round 1 - Michael Ferre (Kent State) 11-17 won by decision over Kevin Gschwendtner (SIU Edwardsville) 10-17 (Dec 4-2)
- Quarterfinal - Mason Kauffman (Northern Illinois) 20-9 won by decision over Michael Ferre (Kent State) 11-17 (Dec 5-4)
- Cons. Round 2 - Anthony Rice (Cleveland State) 5-16 won by decision over Michael Ferre (Kent State) 11-17 (Dec 3-2)
184
Colin McCracken (15-8) (2-0 in MAC championship)
- Champ. Round 1 - Colin McCracken (Kent State) 15-8 received a bye () (Bye)
- Quarterfinal - Colin McCracken (Kent State) 15-8 won in sudden victory - 1 over Sergio Villalobos (SIU Edwardsville) 8-14 (SV-1 4-2)
- Semifinal - Colin McCracken (Kent State) 15-8 won in sudden victory - 1 over DeAndre Nassar (Cleveland State) 16-5 (SV-1 3-1)
197
Tyler Bates (14-15) (2-1 in MAC championship)
- Champ. Round 1 - Tyler Bates (Kent State) 14-15 won by decision over Tristin Guaman (Northern Illinois) 10-18 (Dec 3-1)
- Quarterfinal - Tyler Bates (Kent State) 14-15 won in sudden victory - 2 over Aaron Bolo (Central Michigan) 13-8 (SV-2 3-2)
- Semifinal - Benjamin Smith (Cleveland State) 19-4 won by decision over Tyler Bates (Kent State) 14-15 (Dec 6-3)
285
Jacob Cover (13-18) (1-2 in MAC championship)
- Champ. Round 1 - Isaac Reid (Lock Haven) 25-3 won by decision over Jacob Cover (Kent State) 13-18 (Dec 10-3)
- Cons. Round 1 - Jacob Cover (Kent State) 13-18 won by decision over Daniel Bucknavich (Cleveland State) 5-11 (Dec 6-5)
- Cons. Round 2 - Tobin Cahill (Buffalo) 13-14 won by decision over Jacob Cover (Kent State) 13-18 (Dec 7-2)
Players Mentioned
