Chris Earnest Wins MAC Title, Schaffer Qualifies For Nationals In A Day To Remember For Kent State Wrestling

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Chris Earnest Wins MAC Title, Schaffer Qualifies For Nationals In A Day To Remember For Kent State Wrestling

3/7/2026 8:26:00 PM | Wrestling

Buffalo, NEW YORK- Kent State Wrestling Junior Chris Earnest highlighted Day two of the Mid-American Conference Wrestling Championships in Buffalo for the Golden Flashes as he claimed the 165-pound title. Earnest became the first Golden Flash to win a MAC championship since Kody Komara in 2022, and the first in the Josh Moore era.

Earnest punched his ticket to the NCAA Championships in Cleveland in two weeks along with his teammate senior Blake Schaffer(197), who won second place. Nick Molchak also reached the podium for the Blue and Gold as he finished sixth.

Earnest wrestled a composed style in the MAC finals and it paid off as he defeated Brett Smith(NIU) thanks to an escape and a riding time point for two minutes of ride time in the first period alone. He was able to finish the tournament a perfect 3-0 with a seeding upset in all three matches.

Schaffer wrestled against Zayne Lehman of rival Ohio in the 197–pound. Schaffer held a 4-2 lead in the final 30 seconds, but surrendered a late takedown, which gave Lehman the win. However, because of Schaffer's upset win over Brock Zurawski(Rider) in the semifinals, Schaffer was able to punch his ticket to Cleveland as Zurawski finished in third.

Nick Molchak also reached the podium after an impressive pin in the consolation quarterfinals over Anthony Lucchiani(George Mason). He would end up finishing the day in sixth-place, being the third placer for the Golden Flashes.

Up Next

Earnest and Schaffer will now gear up for the next two weeks before going into the national spotlight in Cleveland. The NCAA Men's Wrestling Championships will take place from March 19-21 at Rocket Arena. The official selection show for the tournament will take place on Wednesday, March 11.

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