KSU wrestling opens MAC competition Saturday
T.J. Keklak wrestles during a meet against Edinboro University on February, 21, 2014.
The No. 19 ranked Kent State wrestling team (ranking according to InterMat) will begin its Mid-American Conference season this Saturday, as the team travels to Buffalo, New York on Saturday to face the Bulls.
Kent State’s first dual match of the season will begin at 7 p.m. inside Alumni Arena.
History with Buffalo
The Flashes opened up MAC competition with Buffalo last year inside the M.A.C. Center when they romped the Bulls, 38-3, in Jon Stutzman’s second year as head coach at Buffalo. Then sophomore Mack McGuire’s 5-0 victory at 133 pounds got the ball rolling for the Flashes and spearheaded a string of nine straight Kent State victories, allowing the team to pull away with victory well in hand.
Tyler Small, Mike DePalma and Ian Miller recorded three consecutive pins at 141, 149 and 157 pounds during the dual match, resulting in an 18-point swing in favor of the Flashes.
After last season’s dominant performance, Kent State currently holds a 23-7 all-times series advantage over Buffalo and has won the last nine straight meetings against the Bulls.
Buffalo’s last win against Kent State was Dec. 7, 2003.
Two weekends ago, the wrestling team participated in the Navy Classic in Annapolis, Maryland, where the Flashes finished in sixth place out of 13 teams.
Junior Mack McGuire won the 133-pound title, going 5-0 with a pin and major decision. He coasted through the first four rounds before topping Wisconsin’s Ryan Taylor, 6-3, in McGuire’s closest match of the night, according to kentstatesports.com.
At 174 pounds, fifth-year senior Caleb Marsh capped his day with a second-place finish, which was one of five Top 6 finishes by the Flashes.
Marsh went 4-1 with three technical falls before ultimately falling to former All-American Cody Waters of Ohio University, 4-1 in the finals.
Contact Richie Mulhall at [email protected].