The Kent State wrestling team took to the mats in New Jersey for the Mid-American Conference Championships, which took place from Friday to Saturday.
The championships kicked off after a 1-15 regular season that saw the Flashes finish with a 13-game losing streak. The team did not win a MAC game this season.
In any case, the MAC Championships featured seven Flashes who were ranked in the top eight of their weight class.
This included graduate student Jordan Decatur (141-pounder), junior Billy Meiszner (149), redshirt freshman Carson Miller (157), junior Ethan Barr (165), redshirt freshman Holden Martin (184), junior Blake Schaffer (197) and redshirt freshman Brentan Simmerman (285).
The highest-ranking Flash was Decatur, who came in as the three seed of his weight class bracket before play commenced.
By the end of the Championships, Kent State had amassed 29.5 team points, putting the team in 11th place out of a 13 team playing field.
In the 125-pounder bracket, freshman Tyeler Hagensen wrestled in the fifth-place match. He was defeated in an 18-1 tech fall that lasted for seven minutes flat. He took sixth place.
After no KSU wrestlers finished in the top six for the 133-pounder bracket, Decatur wrestled in the 141-pounder weight class.
He also wrestled in the fifth-place match of that weight class, and he came up short in loss. Decatur lost via tech fall that lasted 6:10 with a score of 16-0. He also placed in sixth.
Kent State did not see a top-six finish for five consecutive weight classes until the 197 bracket finished up.
Schaffer made it all the way to the third place match, where he was defeated, taking fourth place instead. He was the highest-ranking KSU wrestler on the day.
Schaffer fought hard, but lost in a narrow 5-3 decision.
No other KSU wrestlers placed in the top six.
Since no Flash won its tournament, KSU received no guaranteed spots for the NCAA Championships. There are still 43 spots at-large for the Championships, but Kent State wrestlers will have to wait for the call.
The NCAA Championships will take place March 20-22 in Philadelphia.
Last season, Schaffer, who placed the highest of any KSU wrestler over the weekend, was an alternate in the NCAA Championships.
John Hilber is sports editor. Contact him at [email protected].