In a season full of losses, the Kent State wrestling team experienced a different kind of defeat Thursday night at Central Michigan’s place.
The Flashes did not win a single match in the dual meet, leading to a 36-0 loss.
It is the 12th loss in a row for Kent State and seventh conference loss in a row. The team is 1-14 this season, 0-7 against Mid-American Conference opponents and 0-7 on the road.
The Flashes’ last win came against Gannon in a 23-15 win on Nov. 8 — over three months ago.
In the first two matches of the meet, Kent State failed to score a single point, giving CMU 5-0 and 8-0 wins out of the gate, which was CMU’s first seven points of the night.
KSU got one point each in the next two matches, but Central Michigan still took both matches by decision, giving the Chippewas six more points, running their point total to 13-0.
The second-most points allowed in a match came next for the Flashes, as the team dropped the 285-pounder matchup 15-5 in a major decision loss that propelled CMU to a 17-0 advantage.
In the 125-pounder matchup, KSU gave up a comeback win to CMU, as Kent State led 8-2 at one point in the match. The CMU wrestler added a four-point tech fall in the last 23 seconds of the match to give him the last-second advantage and a 9-8 win.
The victory gave CMU three more points, making it 20-0 Central Michigan.
Another KSU wrestler was shutout 12-0, but the 141-pounder matchup was, again, a one-point affair, but the scales tipped toward Central Michigan, so the decision and major decision victories for CMU gave the team seven more points — 27-0 CMU.
In the last two matches, KSU suffered a tech fall loss and another major decision loss to give CMU its last nine points, making it a 36-0 shutout.
Kent State faced four ranked Central Michigan wrestlers, ranking as high as eighth in the country. Three of those matches ended in a major decision, while the last one was a tech fall.
Half of the losses on that day ended up being bonus point losses, meaning the loss provided more than the three points from a decision victory.
This season, Kent State has gotten close to a shutout, having games of six points and three points already this year, but this is the first shutout this year.
The last time KSU was shut out was Jan. 12, 2024 against South Dakota State, who defeated KSU 50-0.
Next up for the Flashes will be the last match of the regular season before the MAC Tournament.
It will be a road match against Cleveland State Thursday at 7 p.m.
CSU is 2-8 overall this season with a 2-6 MAC record. The Vikings are on a three-game losing streak and have not scored more than 17 points in a game in that span.
With its conference record, CSU is second-to-last in the MAC East Division standings while Kent State is last in the West Division.
Since 2013, Kent State is 5-3 against the Vikings, but CSU has taken three of the last four matchups.
Thursday, Kent State will look to put some points on the board and get one last win before the regular season comes to an end on the road.
John Hilber is sports editor. Contact him at [email protected].