Recaps courtesy of the Athletic Communications Department
Friday’s Wrestling results
Rutgers 38, Clarion 6
Saturday’s Wrestling results
Rutgers 42, Kent State 3
Gardner-Webb 24, Kent State 18
Buffalo 20, Kent State 18
Gardner-Webb 27, Buffalo 11
Cal. Baptist 27, Clarion 7
Buffalo – Bulls Split at Kent State Duals
KENT, OH – The University at Buffalo wrestling team earned their first conference win of the season, defeating Kent State, 20-18, at the Kent State duals on Saturday afternoon. The Bulls also faced Gardner-Webb, but lost that dual, 27-11.
Max Elton got the Bulls off to a good start with an 8-6 overtime win over Nico Calello at 125.
After the Bulls dropped the next three matches to fall behind 9-3,
Kaleb Burgess got UB right back into the dual with an 18-3 technical fall over Nate Roth.
Hunter Shaut followed with a 4-2 decision over Carson Miller at 165. Shaut was able to get a takedown in the closing seconds of the match to pull out the win.
Kent State took the 174 match to regain a 12-11 lead, before
Marcus Petite gave the Bulls the lead for good. Petite was able to pin Trent Thomas at the 5:56 mark to put Buffalo ahead 17-12.
Lonnell Pabon followed with a 6-4 decision over Corey Boerio, at 197, to seal the win for the Bulls.
In the second dual of the day, Gardner-Webb won the first three matches against UB and never looked back.
Sam Ewing got the Bulls on the board with a 10-7 decision over Joseph Giordano at 141. Burgess followed with a 7-1 decision over Drew Pepin for his second win of the day.
Petite had his second dominant performance of the day with a 21-4 technical fall over Edison Flores at 184.
The Bulls are back in action on Friday when they travel to SIUE.
Clarion – Wrestling Battles But Falls to #17 Rutgers at Home
CLARION, Pa. --- John Worthing returned to the lineup with a stunning reversal into a win by fall, highlighting the Golden Eagles' match against 17
th-ranked Rutgers on Friday night. The Scarlet Knights won the dual by a 38-6 score, though the Golden Eagles fought a tough battle throughout the lineup.
The apex of the night was undoubtedly Worthing's win over Eric Freeman in the 174-pound bout, with the 2023 NCAA qualifier recording his third win by fall of the season. Freeman had the early advantage on Worthing, taking him down in the first period and applying a tough ride. With 40 seconds remaining in the first period Freeman tried to roll Worthing to his back, but Worthing slipped him and pounced, turning the tables and getting the reversal. It took no more than a few more seconds from that point as Worthing locked up Freeman's left arm and pinned him to the mat for the win by fall.
That was the only match won by the Golden Eagles on Friday, but it was hardly the only moment where Clarion showed their grit.
Kyle Schickel nearly erased a huge deficit in the 149-pound bout, coming within a few seconds of earning his own win by fall over Alex Nini. Nini tilted Schickel early in the second period to take an 11-0 lead, but Schickel was not ready to concede defeat. He rolled through from the bottom position for a reversal and put Nini in a headlock for four near-fall points, turning what had been a 12-0 deficit into a 12-8 margin. A quick takedown to start the third period made it 13-11, but Nini held Schickel off in the waning moments for a 14-12 win.
Clarion – Wrestling Drops Home Dual to Cal. Baptist
CLARION, Pa. --- It was a dual where slim margins decided the majority of the bouts, but the Golden Eagles wrestling team fell by a 32-7 score to Cal Baptist in Tippin Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.
Five of the 10 bouts on the mat went for bonus points, but the other five matches were as close as could be as the Golden Eagles and Lancers showcased some competitive, gritty wrestling. One such bout came at 197 pounds, where
Ethan Wiant outlasted Eli Sheeren for a 2-1 decision that was less about style and more about strength. Neither wrestler scored in the first period and Wiant applied a tough ride to start the second period, holding Sheeren down for 1:28 to build up a riding time advantage.
That gave way to Wiant's choice to start the third period, and he elected to start in the defensive position to try and even up the match. He escaped Sheeren's ride after just 18 seconds, allowing him to maintain more than a minute of riding time while also tying the score. Wiant held off Sheeren for the remainder of the bout for the 2-1 decision.
Scott Johnson claimed the other victory of the day for Clarion, taking a major decision over Hunter Leaker in the 133-pound bout. It was another bout that started without any scoring in the first period, with Johnson getting a takedown late in the second period to take a 3-1 lead. The redshirt freshman led 4-1 after an escape to start the third period, and 40 seconds into the third period caught Leake to a tough position for a takedown and a four-point near fall. That gave Johnson an 11-1 advantage, and with the addition of the riding time point at the end he took home the major decision.
Kent State – Flashes Fall in Quad
Kent, OH – The Kent State wrestlers went 0-3 in the Kent State Quad on Saturday in the Kent State Field House.
The Flashes opened the day against the Buffalo Bulls. Adan Benavidez,
Jordan Decatur,
Billy Meiszner,
Hunter Andel picked up wins against the Bulls.
Brentan Simmerman picked up a win by fall for the Flashes to end the dual. Ultimately it was not enough as Kent State fell 20-18 to the Bulls.
Kent State faced Rutgers in the second round of the day. Rutgers defeated the Flashes 42-3. Meiszner picked up the lone win for Kent State. He upset the 33/27 ranked Andrew Clark by decision, 8-7.
In the final round of the day, Kent State faced Gardner-Webb.
Nico Calello, and Meiszner won by decision.
Trent Thomas and Simmerman won by major decision.
Carson Miller won by TF 16-1 in 4:02. Gardner-Webb defeated the Flashes 24-18.
Kent State will be back in action on Thursday, December 19 against Northern Illinois. They will also host the Kent State Open on December 20. Both events will take place at the Kent State Field House.
