Four wrestlers win, but Flashes fall short against Old Dominion
Freshman Jake Ferri grapples with an Old Dominion wrestler Wednesday, Feb. 9 at the M.A.C. Center. The Monarchs won the match, 19-14.
February 10, 2018
Kent State (11-9, 1-4 Mid-American Conference) lost against Old Dominion (8-8, 4-2) Friday night, 19-14, in the Flashes’ first home conference matchup in two months.
Four Kent State wrestlers won their matches, including Anthony Tutolo (133 pounds), Isaac Bast (165), Kyle Conel (197) and Stephen Suglio (197).
Tutolo was the first wrestler with a victory, wrestling up to the end of the third period with a 1-1 tie, but finishing his match with a takedown and a win.
Bast started his match getting points on the board with a reversal, ultimately winning with a major decision and 14-5 score.
“I knew where I was going with this duel and where the team’s score was and just went out with what my coach said: Score some points and try to get the major decision,” Bast said. “I wasn’t wrestling for a major decision. I was just worried about scoring the next point. I felt good wrestling each point and wrestling all seven minutes. I’m happy with the pace I put on the kid.”
Conel finished all four periods with takedowns, winning with a 16-7 major decision.
Suglio wrestled light at 285 pounds and ended the first period scoreless.
“My strategy for the first period was to wear him down,” Suglio said. “Most of the match ended up being on our feet, and I could tell his focus was to get a hold of my head.”
Suglio entered the third period tied and ended the match with a takedown to score a 6-4 decision.
“I put myself in a position to win just by pushing the wrestler’s pace” Suglio said. “I was pretty confident that I could get the last takedown.”
Coach Jim Andrassy was impressed by his team’s toughness, even if they didn’t achieve the desired result.
“The team put in a good effort today,” Andrassy said. “They came in prepared and fought hard.”
In order to win the next match, Andrassy said the boys need to bring “effort and even a little luck” to the tournament.
Kent State returns to the mat at 2 p.m. Sunday at the M.A.C. Center to take on Central Michigan (7-4, 4-1).
Kayla Proctor is a sports reporter. Contact her at [email protected].
