Kent State University
NCAA Championships
Chris Earnest and Blake Schaffer Set To Represent Kent State Wrestling Under The Bright Lights At National Championships In Cleveland
3/18/2026 10:27:00 AM | Wrestling
CLEVELAND- In 2026, all roads lead to Cleveland as two Kent State Wrestlers are ready to perform on collegiate wrestling's biggest stage this week at the NCAA Wrestling Championships right up the road at Rocket Arena.
The Tournament will be a three-day double-elimination event with 33 wrestlers qualifying from schools all over the country in each of the ten weight classes to battle for their name in the wrestling history books with a national championship.
The Golden Flashes will bring representation to nationals for the first time in three years when Jake Ferri qualified at the 125-pound weight class in 2023. It will be the first championship appearance for KSU under Head Coach Josh Moore and his staff of Fred Garcia and Devin Schroder.
Kent State National Qualifiers
165- Chris Earnest(18-6; 8-2 MAC)
Two weeks ago, Chris Earnest brought back the first Individual MAC Wrestling title to Kent State since 2022. He did so with a 2-0 defensive victory over Brett Smith(NIU). To advance to the 165-pound finals, Earnest defeated top-seeded Brock Woodcock(SIUE) on a buzzer-beating reversal to win the match by a score of 3-2. All three of his wins in the MAC Tournament were seeding-upsets.Â
As a late addition to the starting lineup midway through the season, Earnest has impressed, proving there is no one in the MAC that he can't beat. Prior to Kent State, the Wadsworth native was a SoCon runner-up at Campbell in 2025 before transferring this year. He matches up in the first round with No. 10 Will Denny of NC State.
Earnest on what he needs to do for his weekend at Nationals to be a success:
"For my weekend to be a success I have to stay positive and be grateful for the opportunity."
197- Blake Schaffer(23-9; 8-4 MAC)
In his final year of wrestling as a senior, Blake Schaffer has made it into the field of 33 for the first time. The Canton native punched his ticket to nationals two weeks ago at the MAC Championships in Buffalo, and will now compete for a national title less than an hour from where he grew up.Â
Schaffer advanced to the finals with two takedowns in the final minute in the semifinals against Brock Zurawski(Rider). In the 197-pound finals, Schaffer had a lead in the third period, but suffered a loss to Zayne Lehman of rival Ohio. Schaffer also leads the team in takedowns with 61 by a large margin. He will wrestle Karson Tompkins(Air Force) in the pig-tail round and if he wins will face top-seeded Josh Barr(Penn State).
Schaffer on what he has improved upon the most to prepare him for nationals:Â
"Getting to my offensive attacks and staying calm during my matches if things are not going my way."
Kent State NCAA Championship History
The Golden Flashes have a deep-rooted history at the NCAA Championships as they will be right in Kent's backyard in Cleveland for the third time. The last time the championships were in The Forest City, an event record was set for attendance.
The Blue and Gold have 22 All-Americans in the program's history to finish in the top eight nationally. The first to do that was Carmen Falcone way back in 1939. The most recent All-American was current volunteer assistant coach, Kyle Conel in 2018.
Ian Miller and Dustin Kilgore are the program's only three-time All-Americans, while Don Horning also made the top eight twice in the 1980's. Kilgore brought KSU its only national championship back in 2011 with a pin over Clayton Foster of Oklahoma State in the finals.
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Players Mentioned
