The unofficial online home for fans of the Kent State University Golden Flashes. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

Lost to Duke 24-17 and to West Virginia 44-3. In the West Virginia match they lost 2 by pins and 5 by technical falls. Doesn’t look good for this year.

Why are we wrestling at the Virginia Duals. When we were good it was an honor. Not now. Lost to South Dakota St. in the first round 50-0.

Hey Burden,

Hope all is well back in the Midwest. A few things happened in the offseason that have really effected this season. The starters @ 125lbs and 141lbs both injured their knees in the preseason and are out for the season and the starter at 165lbs in 2022 & 2023, Enrique Munguia, transferred to Rider University, but he didn't take care of business in the classroom, so he is wrestling Unattached this season. Jacob Houpt is the starter @ 125lbs and he is a redshirt freshmen, so he will be back next season. A true freshmen (Adan Benavidez) has been pressed into action this season @ 125lbs and has gotten a lot better as the season has progressed. The preseason starter @ 141lbs was Jordan Decatur (transfer from Ohio State), but I think this was his last season of eligibility. The current starter @ 141lbs is Billy Meizner (he was supposed to be the starter at 149lbs) and he has continued to get better and have a strong season. Meizner is only a redshirt freshmen, so he will be around for a while.

The starter @ 133lbs is Pablo Castro and he is having a solid season. He is a redshirt freshmen as well, so he will be in the lineup for years to come. 149lbs was a revolving door at the beginning of the season with Meizner dropping down to 141lbs, but as the season has progressed, Matt Ryan (a junior) who is a transfer from Buffalo has settled in and become the starter.

At 157lbs is Keegan Knapp, who is a redshirt sophomore and a very solid wrestler. At 165lbs is Aaron Ferguson who is a redshirt sophomore and also a very experienced and solid wrestler. 174lbs was supposed to have AJ Burkhart as the starter for the full season, but the Redshirt Senior transfer from Lehigh wasn't allowed to wrestle for Kent State until 2nd semester, so 174lbs had a few true freshmen wrestling for them in the 1st semester. AJ Burkhart is a very smart and experienced wrestler. At 184lbs, Kent State has a true freshmen in Kyle Snider who is a very talented and wrestled a ton of matches in high school as well as over the summers. He sat out the match last weekend vs Bloomsburg, so it will be interesting to see if he wrestles vs Ohio U this Friday.

197lbs the starter is Blake Shaffer. He is a true sophmore and still hasn't grown into his frame. He is 20-7 on the season with 3 regular season matches to go and then the MAC Championships. The starter @ HWT is Josh Boggan who is a redshirt freshmen. He is athletic and quick, but doesn't have the required strength and wrestling intelligence yet to be a really solid HWT. 2 HWT recruits are redshirting this season and 2 more HWT recruits are coming next fall, so it will be interesting to see who the HWT starter is next season.

KSU Wrestling will be in Kent OH from 02/03/24 til after the MAC Championships, because Kent State is hosting the MAC Wrestling Championships this season. KSU Wrestling has 3 regular season matches left and they are all home (02/09/24 vs Ohio U, 02/16/24 vs CMU, & 02/22/24 vs Cleveland St). It will be interesting to see how they do in those 3 matches and at the MAC Championships. No travel for 5 weeks and they just had 2 weeks in between matches.

KSU Wrestling has 4 very solid wrestlers committed in the 2024 class.
141lbs - Mason Tieffel from Benton IL
149lbs - Aidan Rush from St Francis Desales in Columbus OH
HWT - Abel Ngoh from Miamisburg OH
HWT - Antonio Bottiggi from Painesville OH

They will graduate/lose 2 wrestlers, Jordan Decatur & AJ Burkhart, which were both transfers and Decatur didn't get to wrestle a match and Burkhart is wrestling the 2nd semester. 6 of the wrestlers who have redshirted their true freshmen year all are showing promise, so we will see what they end up doing next year.

(02-06-2024 11:14 PM)GoFlashes8 Wrote:  Hey Burden,

Hope all is well back in the Midwest. A few things happened in the offseason that have really effected this season. The starters @ 125lbs and 141lbs both injured their knees in the preseason and are out for the season and the starter at 165lbs in 2022 & 2023, Enrique Munguia, transferred to Rider University, but he didn't take care of business in the classroom, so he is wrestling Unattached this season. Jacob Houpt is the starter @ 125lbs and he is a redshirt freshmen, so he will be back next season. A true freshmen (Adan Benavidez) has been pressed into action this season @ 125lbs and has gotten a lot better as the season has progressed. The preseason starter @ 141lbs was Jordan Decatur (transfer from Ohio State), but I think this was his last season of eligibility. The current starter @ 141lbs is Billy Meizner (he was supposed to be the starter at 149lbs) and he has continued to get better and have a strong season. Meizner is only a redshirt freshmen, so he will be around for a while.

The starter @ 133lbs is Pablo Castro and he is having a solid season. He is a redshirt freshmen as well, so he will be in the lineup for years to come. 149lbs was a revolving door at the beginning of the season with Meizner dropping down to 141lbs, but as the season has progressed, Matt Ryan (a junior) who is a transfer from Buffalo has settled in and become the starter.

At 157lbs is Keegan Knapp, who is a redshirt sophomore and a very solid wrestler. At 165lbs is Aaron Ferguson who is a redshirt sophomore and also a very experienced and solid wrestler. 174lbs was supposed to have AJ Burkhart as the starter for the full season, but the Redshirt Senior transfer from Lehigh wasn't allowed to wrestle for Kent State until 2nd semester, so 174lbs had a few true freshmen wrestling for them in the 1st semester. AJ Burkhart is a very smart and experienced wrestler. At 184lbs, Kent State has a true freshmen in Kyle Snider who is a very talented and wrestled a ton of matches in high school as well as over the summers. He sat out the match last weekend vs Bloomsburg, so it will be interesting to see if he wrestles vs Ohio U this Friday.

197lbs the starter is Blake Shaffer. He is a true sophmore and still hasn't grown into his frame. He is 20-7 on the season with 3 regular season matches to go and then the MAC Championships. The starter @ HWT is Josh Boggan who is a redshirt freshmen. He is athletic and quick, but doesn't have the required strength and wrestling intelligence yet to be a really solid HWT. 2 HWT recruits are redshirting this season and 2 more HWT recruits are coming next fall, so it will be interesting to see who the HWT starter is next season.

KSU Wrestling will be in Kent OH from 02/03/24 til after the MAC Championships, because Kent State is hosting the MAC Wrestling Championships this season. KSU Wrestling has 3 regular season matches left and they are all home (02/09/24 vs Ohio U, 02/16/24 vs CMU, & 02/22/24 vs Cleveland St). It will be interesting to see how they do in those 3 matches and at the MAC Championships. No travel for 5 weeks and they just had 2 weeks in between matches.

KSU Wrestling has 4 very solid wrestlers committed in the 2024 class.
141lbs - Mason Tieffel from Benton IL
149lbs - Aidan Rush from St Francis Desales in Columbus OH
HWT - Abel Ngoh from Miamisburg OH
HWT - Antonio Bottiggi from Painesville OH

They will graduate/lose 2 wrestlers, Jordan Decatur & AJ Burkhart, which were both transfers and Decatur didn't get to wrestle a match and Burkhart is wrestling the 2nd semester. 6 of the wrestlers who have redshirted their true freshmen year all are showing promise, so we will see what they end up doing next year.

Optimistic analysis for a team that is and has been pretty bad. Hope you are right.

Leading Ohio 15-0 after 3 matches. Lost next seven and lost 15-34.

MAC wrestling Championships at Kent. Friday at Noon and Saturday at 1PM. 160 matches on 4 mats on Friday so it will be a long day. Thirteen teams.

(03-06-2024 08:35 PM)burden Wrote:  MAC wrestling Championships at Kent. Friday at Noon and Saturday at 1PM. 160 matches on 4 mats on Friday so it will be a long day. Thirteen teams.

Yes, good luck to the KSU Wrestling team this weekend hosting the MAC Championships. Hopefully they can end their season on a high note.

After watching 160 matches over 8 hours I’m a little tired to say the least. Kent is in 11th (not even better than SIU Edwardsville anymore). They have 6 wrestlers remaining in the consolation bracket. Nobody in the championship match. Central Michigan, Rider and George Mason are currently the top 3 teams.

CMU 131, Rider. 114.5, George Mason. 112.5

Kent finished 11th with 43 points, 24.5 behind 10th place CSU and 26 ahead of 12th place Edinboro. Shall we say a very solid 11th.

133 Pablo Castro. 6th
149 Matthew Ryan. 7th
165. Aaron Ferguson. 6th
174. AJ Burkhart. 8th
197. Blake Schaffer. 3rd

Blake went on to wrestle a True 2nd place match with an NCAA bid on the line. He lost 5-3. Hopefully he gets a wild card bid but as of now we will not be represented in the NCAA’s.

I paid $25 to go to this event and just the fans were worth it. For one match a 70 ish year old or so woman in a NIU wrestling hat sat in front of me and immediately asked me if her hat was blocking my view. I said no. Then a minute later the match started and she immediately stood up and shouted her lungs out for the entire match. I guess her hat wasn’t blocking my view!!! She was one of many.

I do everything in my power to sit in the top row of the gymnasium, especially when my son is wrestling.

Wrestling is interesting from a spectators point of view because there is a fine line between enjoying the adrenaline rush that comes with watching your team or grappler compete and being a horses rumpus. A long time ago I asked my dad why he didn't yell and scream at matches and his answer resonated..."you can't get in trouble for what you don't say."

That said, sounds like the NIU lady was just enjoying the rush. ha.

As I type I am keeping an eye on Baum's page as Medina Buckeye still has a shot at Graham Local in the Division 2 State Tournament. As for Division 1, the machine that is St. Edward rolls on.

Blake didn’t make it as a wild card but he will get a berth if one it the 33 qualifiers can’t wrestle due to injury. He is the one and only sub at 197.

This is the most frustrating week of the year for me. Fifty two men’s NCAA
games, a bunch of NCAA women’s games, the NCAA wrestling championships and just for good measure the MAC gymnastic championship. What a challenge.