The Kent State wrestling team is enjoying its new locker room inside the M.A.C. Center. The locker room is adorned with carpeting, leather couches and TVs. ELIZABETH MYERS | DAILY KENT STATER

Credit: John Proppe

The Kent State wrestling team is coming off its best season in six years.

The Flashes finished second in the Mid-American Conference Tournament and earned the distinction of being ranked No. 25 out of the top NCAA Division I programs while posting a dual record of 14-4-1 (3-1-1 in the MAC).

In the past, the team didn’t even have access to a locker room that could fit them all. Now, $100,000 and about four months later, Kent State’s wrestling team has what could possibly be the coolest pad on campus.

“We’ve never really had a locker room in the past,” Kent State coach Jim Andrassy said. “We had two different locker areas, young kids in one area and older kids in another area. It was a very, very poor bond. Now, we have this facility, and it’s a 100 percent improvement from what we had, and our guys are glad to have it.”

Senior 149-pound wrestler Jason McGee said the upgrade was a long time coming.

“It’s a big step up from what we used to have,” McGee said. “I think it’s a huge recruiting tool. When you can bring high school kids in and show them our facility, it makes them want to be a part of something like that.”

The lockers themselves have even come a long way from their metal predecessors. The new lockers are made of wood, and each comes with a wooden stool. The tops of the lockers are adorned with sparkling nameplates, with the occupant’s name and hometown spelled out in Kent State’s blue and gold.

The room also contains a few leather couches and a 50-inch plasma TV with cable and surround sound. The television will not only be used as a source of entertainment, but also as a tool to watch film from matches.

The electronics do not end in the locker room, however. When entering the room, the team is greeted by a lounge area that gamers and television fanatics would salivate over. Complete with a sink and microwave, the lounge is home to a 50-inch plasma TV with satellite, an X-box 360 game console, and a DVD player, as well as several leather couches.

Andrassy said providing all the comforts and amenities of home was the exact purpose.

“It gives us a place to hang out between classes,” said senior heavyweight Willie Leonard, who is tied for fifth-place with Jared Opfer on the school’s all-time pin list with 22. “We’re always in there.”

The Flashes will open their 2006 season on Nov. 4 with the Kent State Intersquad Scrimmage at the M.A.C. Center.

Contact sports reporter Mike Ashcraft at [email protected].