Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Kent State junior Cole Baxter gives you an inside look at what takes place during the wrestling team's long road trips. The Golden Flashes are at home on Friday for Beauty & the Beast, which features wrestling vs. Eastern Michigan and gymnastics vs. Pitt. We hope to see you at the M.A.C. Center on Friday at 7 p.m.
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Video Blog: Jim Andrassy on the win over Ohio Univerisity
Kent State head coach Jim Andrassy looks back at last week's victory over Mid-American Conference rival Ohio University and discusses the impact provided by two wrestlers in particular.
The Golden Flashes are at North Carolina State to face the Wolfpack and Old Dominion. They return home the following week for a Friday night match with Eastern Michigan that will mark the continuation of the Beauty and the Beast series at Kent State. The Flashes gymnastics team will face Pittsburgh on the same M.A.C. Floor at the same time.
The Golden Flashes are at North Carolina State to face the Wolfpack and Old Dominion. They return home the following week for a Friday night match with Eastern Michigan that will mark the continuation of the Beauty and the Beast series at Kent State. The Flashes gymnastics team will face Pittsburgh on the same M.A.C. Floor at the same time.
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Video Blog: Jim Andrassy previews Friday vs. Ohio University and discusses dealing with a rash of injuries
The Golden Flashes have been dealing with a rash of injuries, and the coach discusses how the team is dealing with some freak things that have happened during the year. Andrassy's teams have never had more than one starter out at the same time. Only 10 hit the mat every match, and last week the Flashes started five walk-ons.
Check out the video blog below, and we hope to see you at the M.A.C. Center on Friday:
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Video Blog: Jim Andrassy on this week's trip to Missouri and passing time on long bus trips
The Golden Flashes head coach looks ahead to this week's trip to the Missouri Duals to face South Dakota State, Southern Illinois Edwardsville and host Missouri, and he reveals how the team passes the time on long bus trips.
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Tough Start, Staying Positive
Ian Miller’s match at the NWCA All Star Classic, losing to James Green (Nebraska) 6-4 after exchanging takedowns, is indicative of how our season has gone so far! Ian was wrestling a great match but fell short when he couldn’t get out from bottom in the third period.
After four weekends full of matches and a dual with Ohio State, we have shown that we can compete with the best in the country, but are having a hard time beating the best guys in the country. Overall, we have been a little short-handed with juniors Ian Miller, Tyler Buckwalter, and Cole Baxter missing a good amount of the competitions so far for injury reasons. We are positive that once they all return, healthy and ready to go after Thanksgiving break, that we will start moving forward with the great season we expect out of this experienced team.
We understand that there will be ups and downs along the way, but our goals remain the same! We look for our guys to improve daily, learn to compete in the room and in the spotlight, represent the athletic department and university in a positive way and most importantly have fun during the process. Our student-athletes know that the wrestling season is long and grueling and will embrace it until the end!
After four weekends full of matches and a dual with Ohio State, we have shown that we can compete with the best in the country, but are having a hard time beating the best guys in the country. Overall, we have been a little short-handed with juniors Ian Miller, Tyler Buckwalter, and Cole Baxter missing a good amount of the competitions so far for injury reasons. We are positive that once they all return, healthy and ready to go after Thanksgiving break, that we will start moving forward with the great season we expect out of this experienced team.
We understand that there will be ups and downs along the way, but our goals remain the same! We look for our guys to improve daily, learn to compete in the room and in the spotlight, represent the athletic department and university in a positive way and most importantly have fun during the process. Our student-athletes know that the wrestling season is long and grueling and will embrace it until the end!
Friday, October 31, 2014
Most Memorable Matches of the Past Eight Years
With the official start of Kent State’s wrestling season just eight days away (Nov. 8), Head Coach Jim Andrassy looks back at some of the most memorable matches over the last eight years.
“St. John was a returning national champion, a two-time finalist and a four-time All-American. The way Ian manhandled him was pretty impressive to win a match in that manner. I’ve never seen the returning champion have that happen to them at the national tournament. It seemed like anything Ian did, worked. He just couldn’t be stopped.”
T.J. Keklak defeats Jarrett Jensen 9-7 in 2014 dual at Northern Iowa (Keklak entered the day 0-8 in dual meets)
“T.J. was filling in for Ian who was hurt. He was taking on a guy who was better than him on paper. It was a very exciting match and he won because he was able to do some of the little things we talked about. He figured out a way to win it in a hostile environment against the No. 5 team in the country.”
Mack McGuire defeats No. 6 Jon Morrison (Oklahoma State) 3-2 at NWCA National Duals at M.A.C. Center (McGuire’s win gives Flashes 6-0 lead over No. 1 ranked Cowboys)
“Mack went out there and controlled the pace against a guy that ended up finishing fifth at the national tournament. He battled and held position real well, snuck a takedown in at the edge of the mat and his defense was good.”
“That was one of the craziest matches I’ve ever been apart of. There was so much rolling around the refs didn’t know what to call. Nic had to win it three different times. It was an important match for him to become a two-time All-American and it kind of defined his career. It was just very, very good match."
“The Body Bar was the second weekend of the year and it was one of the greatest upperweight matches I’ve ever seen. And they met again in the semifinals and it was a very similar match back-and-forth. Both were very high-scoring. Simaz won the national title the next year …And then the final. Those three matches are three of the best matches I’ve ever been a part of.
“We knew going into the final it wasn’t going to be his typical match. We knew Foster was going to try to slow it down. We also knew he couldn’t go seven minutes the way Dustin was able to. We knew we had to push the pace. I remember in the second period after a huge flurry, Foster put a knee down and signaled to the ref that he wanted injury time. The ref turned and didn’t see him. They went back to the center and I think at that point he had nothing left so I think that flurry is what really set things up for the pin.”
“They split earlier in the season and when Mytych won, it was on riding time. The funny thing was the kid put a boot in and flattened him out and they called a stalemate in the third period. Right after that Danny got away to tie it 1-1 and he ended up getting a takedown. That was an exciting time because Danny had been so close the year before. He outwrestled the kid the year before and ended up losing in that round. He was always in great position and he never ran out of gas.
“His final match of the MAC tournament was also a memorable one (8-2 win over Scotti Sentes, Central Michigan). He lost to him in the dual. We felt in the first match he didn’t open up enough. That was one of those matches that gave Danny the confidence going into the national tournament that he could be successful.”
Matt Cathell pins Tony D’Alie in Central Michigan dual (Cathell trailed 6-2 in the third, before rolling D’Alie to his back) Watch on Flo
“He got into some crazy roll, the kid held on and he caught him on his back and pinned him. He had a lot of moves like that, but that one came at the best time for us.”
Joe Tymoszczuk defeats Andy Hartshorn 11-10 to give Kent State 17-16 dual victory at Ohio. (Former football player joined team just two months earlier) Watch on Flo
“Brendan Barlow put a knife through his hand trying to separate frozen hamburgers two days before we’re supposed to wrestle. Our goal was to tape it up and go, but he literally put a hole through his hand.
“We didn’t want it to come down to heavyweight, because we didn’t think we could win, but we got upset at a couple of weights so it came down to heavyweight. We threw in Joe, who had never wrestled before for us in a dual meet. Ohio’s guy was a four-year starter in the MAC. And going into that last match, everyone thought Ohio was going to win that dual. It was a crazy back-and-forth match and we ended up getting riding time to win. It was a great win for Joe and a great win for our team. And it kept our winning streak against OU going.”
“There was about 20 seconds left. And they were in a crazy scramble, which Jermail wasn’t very good at. It was like watching two trees just fall. They both fell on their sides and some way or another Jermail got on top of him first because it could have went either way. And that kid went on to be a three-time All-American and a national champion.”
Porter defeats Jarod Trice 5-3 in overtime to give Flashes dual win over Central Michigan (Flashes clinch MAC regular season title after dropping 11 straight against Chippewas)
“It seemed like forever since we beat Central and we had to go up to their place. It came down to heavyweight. Jermail got a power double leg in overtime for the win. Trice went on to be a three-time All-American.”
Drew Lashaway pins J. Jaggers in dual at Ohio State (An unlikely upset of a defending national champion) Watch on Flo
“It was shaping up to be a good dual and Danny (Mitcheff) had just lost a close one, so we were a little down. Drew got in on a single-leg in the first period, picked it up, Jaggers dove under, Drew sat on him, cradled him up and pinned him. And Jaggers ended up winning another national title that year.”
“It was a crazy match. Hammel was the second seed. Blackwell had lost to him in the dual, but this time he went out there and made it a back-and-forth match. And he ended up winning in overtime with a takedown.”
“He was wrestling a guy who ranked eighth in the country. Jay had already upset the guy from Central in the first round, who was also ranked. And then had to beat this guy to go the national tournament. He just went out there and out-wrestled him and I don’t many people expected that. Jay was really strong for his size and that was the one year he was at the right weight class.”
Share with us some of your most memorable matches in the comments below.
2014
Ian Miller defeats Derek St. John (Iowa) 14-9 at 2014 NCAA Championships in consolation semifinals (Miller converts five takedowns on five different moves)“St. John was a returning national champion, a two-time finalist and a four-time All-American. The way Ian manhandled him was pretty impressive to win a match in that manner. I’ve never seen the returning champion have that happen to them at the national tournament. It seemed like anything Ian did, worked. He just couldn’t be stopped.”
T.J. Keklak defeats Jarrett Jensen 9-7 in 2014 dual at Northern Iowa (Keklak entered the day 0-8 in dual meets)
“T.J. was filling in for Ian who was hurt. He was taking on a guy who was better than him on paper. It was a very exciting match and he won because he was able to do some of the little things we talked about. He figured out a way to win it in a hostile environment against the No. 5 team in the country.”
2013
Mack McGuire defeats No. 6 Jon Morrison (Oklahoma State) 3-2 at NWCA National Duals at M.A.C. Center (McGuire’s win gives Flashes 6-0 lead over No. 1 ranked Cowboys) “Mack went out there and controlled the pace against a guy that ended up finishing fifth at the national tournament. He battled and held position real well, snuck a takedown in at the edge of the mat and his defense was good.”
2012
Nic Bedelyon defeats Jesse Delgado (Illinois) in 2012 NCAA quarterfinals after a pair of sudden victories and tiebreakers. (Bedelyon hits 4-point move in final seconds of tiebreaker against eventual two-time national champion)
“That was one of the craziest matches I’ve ever been apart of. There was so much rolling around the refs didn’t know what to call. Nic had to win it three different times. It was an important match for him to become a two-time All-American and it kind of defined his career. It was just very, very good match."
2010-11
Dustin Kilgore defeats No. 1 Cam Simaz in finals of Body Bar 10-9 Watch on Flo
defeats Simaz again in NCAA semifinals 10-9
pins Clayton Foster in NCAA finals (becomes Kent State’s first national champion)
“The Body Bar was the second weekend of the year and it was one of the greatest upperweight matches I’ve ever seen. And they met again in the semifinals and it was a very similar match back-and-forth. Both were very high-scoring. Simaz won the national title the next year …And then the final. Those three matches are three of the best matches I’ve ever been a part of.
“We knew going into the final it wasn’t going to be his typical match. We knew Foster was going to try to slow it down. We also knew he couldn’t go seven minutes the way Dustin was able to. We knew we had to push the pace. I remember in the second period after a huge flurry, Foster put a knee down and signaled to the ref that he wanted injury time. The ref turned and didn’t see him. They went back to the center and I think at that point he had nothing left so I think that flurry is what really set things up for the pin.”
2010
Danny Mitcheff defeats Steve Mytych (Drexel) 3-1 at NCAA Championships Round of 12 (Mitcheff finishes sixth in bracket with three national champions and two other finalists)
“They split earlier in the season and when Mytych won, it was on riding time. The funny thing was the kid put a boot in and flattened him out and they called a stalemate in the third period. Right after that Danny got away to tie it 1-1 and he ended up getting a takedown. That was an exciting time because Danny had been so close the year before. He outwrestled the kid the year before and ended up losing in that round. He was always in great position and he never ran out of gas.
“His final match of the MAC tournament was also a memorable one (8-2 win over Scotti Sentes, Central Michigan). He lost to him in the dual. We felt in the first match he didn’t open up enough. That was one of those matches that gave Danny the confidence going into the national tournament that he could be successful.”
Matt Cathell pins Tony D’Alie in Central Michigan dual (Cathell trailed 6-2 in the third, before rolling D’Alie to his back) Watch on Flo
“He got into some crazy roll, the kid held on and he caught him on his back and pinned him. He had a lot of moves like that, but that one came at the best time for us.”
Joe Tymoszczuk defeats Andy Hartshorn 11-10 to give Kent State 17-16 dual victory at Ohio. (Former football player joined team just two months earlier) Watch on Flo
“Brendan Barlow put a knife through his hand trying to separate frozen hamburgers two days before we’re supposed to wrestle. Our goal was to tape it up and go, but he literally put a hole through his hand.
“We didn’t want it to come down to heavyweight, because we didn’t think we could win, but we got upset at a couple of weights so it came down to heavyweight. We threw in Joe, who had never wrestled before for us in a dual meet. Ohio’s guy was a four-year starter in the MAC. And going into that last match, everyone thought Ohio was going to win that dual. It was a crazy back-and-forth match and we ended up getting riding time to win. It was a great win for Joe and a great win for our team. And it kept our winning streak against OU going.”
2009
Jermail Porter defeats Zach Rey (Lehigh) 4-3 in quarterfinals of NCAA Championships (Porter becomes Flashes’ first All-American in 23 years)
“There was about 20 seconds left. And they were in a crazy scramble, which Jermail wasn’t very good at. It was like watching two trees just fall. They both fell on their sides and some way or another Jermail got on top of him first because it could have went either way. And that kid went on to be a three-time All-American and a national champion.”
Porter defeats Jarod Trice 5-3 in overtime to give Flashes dual win over Central Michigan (Flashes clinch MAC regular season title after dropping 11 straight against Chippewas)
“It seemed like forever since we beat Central and we had to go up to their place. It came down to heavyweight. Jermail got a power double leg in overtime for the win. Trice went on to be a three-time All-American.”
Drew Lashaway pins J. Jaggers in dual at Ohio State (An unlikely upset of a defending national champion) Watch on Flo
“It was shaping up to be a good dual and Danny (Mitcheff) had just lost a close one, so we were a little down. Drew got in on a single-leg in the first period, picked it up, Jaggers dove under, Drew sat on him, cradled him up and pinned him. And Jaggers ended up winning another national title that year.”
2008
Michael Blackwell defeats Jimmy Hammel (Buffalo) 7-5 (SV2) at MAC Tournament semifinals. (With a bandaged bloody head, Blackwell advances to finals)
Watch on Flo“It was a crazy match. Hammel was the second seed. Blackwell had lost to him in the dual, but this time he went out there and made it a back-and-forth match. And he ended up winning in overtime with a takedown.”
2007
Jason McGee defeats Mike Grimes (Northern Illinois) in MAC Tournament semifinals (Former walk-on pulls two upsets at conference tourney)
“He was wrestling a guy who ranked eighth in the country. Jay had already upset the guy from Central in the first round, who was also ranked. And then had to beat this guy to go the national tournament. He just went out there and out-wrestled him and I don’t many people expected that. Jay was really strong for his size and that was the one year he was at the right weight class.”
Share with us some of your most memorable matches in the comments below.
Thursday, May 8, 2014
Transitioning to Freestyle (Jim Andrassy)
Along with our own guys, we have guys from other colleges and kids from area high schools. Anyone from within 50 miles can join. It’s a much different environment from our regular season practices. Not many of our guys wrestled freestyle in high school so we really have to get to the core of how things work in freestyle and how to be successful. Of the incoming freshmen, Anthony Tutolo has joined the club and I think a few more will join once school is done for them. The club goes until August and we’ll go back collegiate style at some point during the summer.
University Nationals is the largest freestyle event around. There’s 800-900 kids at this tournament and we’re fortunate that it’s right next to us in Akron May 23-25. Two years ago, Dustin Kilgore and Ian Miller each won it. Last year, Ian took fourth at a higher weight class, but he’ll back down at 154 this year and we’re expecting really big things from him. He’s a really talented freestyle wrestler. It’s about athletic ability and explosion and that’s all the things Ian has. If he wins, there’s a lot of events we can send him to and he can work out at the Olympic Training Center.
I think Sam Wheeler can do really well at University Nationals because he’s pretty explosive. Cole Baxter just started freestyle last year. Now that he’s getting the gist of it, I think he could do really well. Caleb Marsh is another guy that could do well just because of his style. Mike DePalma is a very good freestyle wrestler, but he’s still recovering from an injury. The weight classes are all different than college weights so it gets tricky for some guys.
For the future we’re talking about hosting a University Dual Meet Championship around this time of year as we continue to grow as a sport.
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