Junior 141-pounder Billy Meiszner took home some serious hardware for the Flashes in the Kent State wrestling team’s appearance at the Navy Classic Sunday. 

Ten different weight classes waged war on the mats in a tournament-style setting with 12 teams in attendance. 

KSU junior 125-pounder Nico Calello started off Sunday on the right foot, besting The Citadel’s Tyler Washburn in a major decision and Ohio’s Ryan Meek before losing to Indiana’s Jacob Moran in a major decision. 

Following the loss to Moran, Calello competed in the wrestleback for his weight class and took a major decision victory against Lehigh’s Ethan Smith before losing in another major decision to a Hoosier wrestler in Blaine Frazier.  

Over in the 141-pounder bracket, Flashes graduate student Jordan Decatur lost to the Navy Midshipmen’s Joshuan Koderhandt in the first round.

Following his quick defeat, Decatur went on a run, winning three matches before losing to Indiana’s Joey Buttler. 

The star of the day for Kent State was Meiszner, who took home the 149-pounder title despite wrestling in a heavier weight class than he usually competes at. 

Meiszner beat Bucknell wrestler Kaden Schaefer via fall, before rattling off three consecutive decisions to cement his big day in Annapolis, MD. 

Also in the 149-pounder bracket for the Flashes was redshirt freshman Nathan Roth, who, after losing in the first round to Bobcat wrestler Logan Cravatas, fought his way into the final round of the wrestlebacks but ultimately lost to Aiden Davis of Bucknell. 

Flashes’ 157-pound redshirt freshman Dominic Paterra had a day to forget, losing in the first round of both the initial bracket and the wrestlebacks. 

The 165-pounder bracket saw three different Flashes compete against the competition. 

Junior Ethan Barr lost in the first round to the Mountain Hawk’s Zeke Dubler and then lost to his own teammate in the wrestlebacks. 

Redshirt freshman Hunter Andel, who lost in the first round, bested his upperclassmen teammate Barr and then avenged himself by beating The Citadel’s Aidan Lenz, who beat him in the initial bracket. 

Andel’s day would come to an end in a lost decision against Tyler Lillard of Indiana. 

Carson Miller, a redshirt freshman for the Flashes, had the most success among the KSU 165-pounders. 

Miller beat Ryan Money from Maryland and Steele Starren of Oregon State before losing a major decision to Nebraska’s Bubba Wilson. 

In the wrestleback, Miller picked up where Andel left off, avenging Barr this time when he defeated Dubler.

Miller would lose in the semi-final of the wrestleback. 

Redshirt freshman Waylon Wehler, who competed in the 184-pounder bracket for KSU, took his first match over Cleveland State’s Ronnie Dimmerling in a decision. 

The Midshipmen’s Danny Wask would end Wehler’s time in the initial bracket in a major decision. 

In the wrestleback , Wehler would once again face off against Dimmerling, and this time the match went for the Vikings. 

The 184-pounder bracket saw another Flashes wrestler, this time being redshirt freshman Trent Thomas, who would earn a pair of decisions and a fourth-place finish.

Redshirt freshman Holden Martin lost both of his two matches Sunday, with one coming in the initial bracket and one in the wrestleback. 

In similar fashion to Martin, Kent State redshirt freshman 197-pounder Corey Boerio lost two matches Sunday. 

The heaviest and final wrestler to compete for the Flashes at the Navy Classic was junior 285-pounder Josh Boggan, who also dropped both of his matches. 

The Flashes finished in seventh place at the Navy Classic, taking one first place finish, a fourth place finish and a sixth place finish. 

Looking ahead 

The Flashes have concluded play in the month of November. 

On Dec. 5, the Flashes will welcome the Lake Erie College Storm to the M.A.C. Center at 7 p.m. 

The Storm are currently 0-1 on the year following a loss to the Gannon Golden Knights. 

Gage Wellman is a reporter. Contact him at [email protected] or @GageWellmanKSTV on X.