Flashes Announce 2011-12 Schedule
KENT, Ohio - The Kent State wrestling team recently released its 2011-12 schedule, which includes home dual meets against four different preseason Top 25 teams. In all, the Golden Flashes will host six duals, including Missouri (Dec. 9) and Ohio State (Dec. 11) in the same weekend.
Although five NCAA qualifiers return to this year’s lineup (Nic Bedelyon, Tyler Small, Ross Tice, Keith Witt, Brendan Barlow), the Golden Flashes will be challenged throughout the season in both tournaments and dual meets.
"It’s probably the toughest schedule this program’s ever had," Head Coach Jim Andrassy said. "And I don’t know that any team out there wrestles a schedule that’s harder than this. Our guys are going to see the best competition in the country."
Kent State’s season gets underway Saturday, Nov. 5 at the Eastern Michigan Open, where early season starting lineup spots will be determined. The following weekend, the Golden Flashes will take on Nebraska, Illinois and Navy at the Hershey Duals.
The Flashes will also make their annual trip to Cornell’s Body Bar Tournament (Nov. 19), which will include the host Big Red, Minnesota and Virginia. Three days later, the Flashes will host a dual with Edinboro (Nov. 22) on a Tuesday afternoon, prior to a Kent State men’s basketball game against Cleveland State at the M.A.C. Center.
For the for time in five years, Kent State will be competing in the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Open (Dec. 2-3), considered the toughest college tournament of the regular season. The Mid-American Conference portion of the schedule begins earlier this season when the Flashes travel to Northern Illinois (Dec. 21).
Kent State will be one of 16 teams competing in the Virginia Duals Jan. 13-14 at the Hampton Coliseum and visit rival Ohio on Jan. 20. The MAC’s top two teams over the past six years will go head-to-head on Jan. 29 when the Golden Flashes host Central Michigan.
The M.A.C. Center will play host to two more duals the following weekend when Buffalo (Feb. 3) and Eastern Michigan (Feb. 5) come to Kent. On Feb. 11, the Golden Flashes will head to New Jersey as one of 24 teams to compete in the 2012 NWCA/Cliff Keen Division I National Dual Meet Championships. The regional bracket will include Minnesota, Missouri, Michigan, Cal Poly and host Rutgers.
NWCA National Duals
Ohio will play host to the 2011 MAC Championships, which will be a one-day event on March 3. The 2011 NCAA Championships will be in St. Louis March 15-17.
Kent State was ranked No. 17 in the final NWCA Coaches Poll and finished 17th at the NCAA Championships.
Tickets for home duals are now available at the Kent State Ticket Office: 330-672-2244.
