Kent State’s wrestling team (13-9, 3-4 Mid-American Conference) dominated Northern Illinois University (3-10, 1-6 MAC) late Friday night in Dekalb, Illinois, to end the Flashes’ regular season.

The Flashes won, 24-9, their second win in a row after upsetting Central Michigan last week.

Starting and finishing the first match quickly, Tim Rooney (141 pounds) won with a pin in 20 seconds.

The Flashes wrestled the Huskies to plenty of other wins:

• Chance Driscoll (141) won with a final decision, 7-1.

• Isaac Bast (165) won in the third period after Northern Illinois challenged a takedown.

• Dylan Barreiro (174) won, 6-5.

• Kyle Conel (197) won, 7-2.

• Stephen Suglio (HVY) won, 8-3, with a takedown.

• Anthony Tutolo (133) won, 3-2, by decision.

“Today the team did something different,” coach Jim Andrassy said. “They stepped up and got the job done, captured the moment and wrestled well.”

This was the last MAC match before the conference championships for Kent State, ending their season with a 13-9 record, much improved from last year’s disappointing record of 2-15.

“We improved from last year, and that’s all that matters,” Andrassy said. “Overall, I am pretty proud of how we competed. Every season is long, but they learned from their mistakes, and the team never shied away from the grind. In the end, the guys fought hard this season and did everything they could to get better.”

The Flashes return to the mat March 3-4 for the Mid-American Conference Championships, hosted by Central Michigan.

Kayla Proctor is a sports reporter. Contact her at [email protected]