Kent State University
Michigan State Open
Kent State Wrestling Begins Golden Era At Michigan State Open
11/7/2025 8:04:00 AM | Wrestling
East Lansing, Mich.- The Kent State Wrestling team will begin the 2025-2026 season at the annual Michigan State Open on Saturday, November 8th, at Jenison Field House in East Lansing, Michigan.Â
The tournament will be split up into two divisions. The freshman/sophomore division is reserved for wrestlers in their first two years of college; while the Open division is designed for more experienced wrestlers. Each division will have a maximum of 200 wrestlers each featuring a double elimination style bracket for each weight class. Team scores will not be kept throughout the day, and you can stream the action live on Flo Wrestling.
The Flashes will see a wide variety of wrestling styles with a total of 16 full teams competing, including individual wrestlers from more schools as well. The Golden Flashes return one defending champion in his respective division from the Michigan State Open a year ago in redshirt sophomore Brentan Simmerman. Full teams participating are listed below:
Kent State
Arizona State
Campbell
Central MichiganÂ
DavidsonÂ
Edinboro
Findlay
Grand Valley State
Indiana
MichiganÂ
Michigan StateÂ
Northern Illinois
Northwestern
Purdue
Wisconsin
Flashes Fly In New Direction
Josh Moore will begin his first season as Head Coach at Kent State after Jim Andrassy announced his retirement after 35 seasons at Kent State. Moore brings in his coaching staff of Fred Garcia and Devin Schroder. Moore, who previously served as Head Coach at Cleveland State University for seven years, returns to Kent State, where he began his coaching career as an assistant coach from 2004-2015.Â
His coaching accomplishments include mentoring 10 All-Americans and 69 NCAA Division I qualifiers throughout his career. At Kent State, Moore was instrumental in developing the program's first-ever NCAA champion, Dustin Kilgore, and helped guide the Golden Flashes to four top-25 team finishes at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.
Up Next
After competing at the Michigan State Open, KSU will return to Northeast, Ohio to gear up for two home meets at neutral sites. They will take on Division III Mount Union on Friday at Stow-Munroe Falls High School and welcome-in the Virginia Cavaliers on Saturday at St. Edward High School in Lakewood, Ohio.
Blue and Gold Travel NetworkÂ
Fans looking to travel for Matches or Dual Meets this year can use the Blue and Gold Travel Network to save on hotels while giving back to Kent State student-athletes by booking at www.blueandgoldtravelnetwork.com.Â
Follow Kent State Wrestling
For complete coverage of Kent State Wrestling, download the official Kent State Golden Flashes app (iOS, Android) and follow the Golden Flashes on social media on X, Instagram, and Facebook for news and updates.
Players Mentioned
