Kent State University
Michigan State Open
11/7/2026 9:13:00 PM | Wrestling
East Lansing, Mich.– The Golden Flashes Wrestling team hit the road on Saturday and finished the day with four place-winners in their first tournament of the season at the annual Michigan State Open inside Jenison Fieldhouse. The Open featured two divisions, with one for freshman and sophomores and the other for upperclassmen.
Graduate student Ismael Ayoub(149) finished with the best result on Saturday with a third-place finish. Freshman Colin Whyte(285) and Redshirt Junior Brentan Simmerman(285) finished the day fourth, while Adan Benavidez(125) ended the Michigan State Open with a sixth-place finish.
Fresh off competing at the World Wrestling Championships in Kazakhstan, Ismael Ayoub had an impressive day at the 149-Pound Michigan State Open Division. He was able to win three matches in the winners bracket to advance to the semifinals until he advanced on No Contests in the consolation bracket to finish third. His most impressive win of the day came in the quarterfinals over Evan Herriman(Michigan State) in a 14-4 Major Decision victory.
Whyte shined in his collegiate debut in the Freshman/Sophomore Heavyweight Division, finishing the day 3-2. He even pulled out a pin in the final second of the match over Hunter Vander Heiden(Wisconsin) to advance to the third-place match. Two of Whyte's three victories were over wrestlers from Big Ten programs.
Simmerman picked right up from where he started from in a win last week as he finished with a five-win day in East Lansing, including an 11-7 win over Braxton Lewis(VMI) to advance him to the third-place match. Before that, he defeated fellow Flash Corey Boerio 7-3, to advance to the placement rounds. Boerio also finished with an impressive day with a pair of wins.
Adan Benavidez
The redshirt junior from New Mexico held his own in a tough bracket in the Michigan State Open as he highlighted his trio of wins with a victory over Talan Parsons(NIU) in a close 7-6 match to advance to the placement rounds.
Up Next
Kent State Wrestling will host their home-opener inside the MAC Center on Friday night as they welcome the Buffalo Bulls to Northeast Ohio for Youth Night in Kent. The first dual of the Mid-American Conference schedule is scheduled to begin at 7 P.M.
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