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

http://www.kentstatesports.com/sports/wr...g_Freshmen

Andrassy feels this is KSU Wrestling's best recruiting class ever. McGuire & Lytle will be 4 yr starters, with them redshirting next year as well as all of the other freshmen except for 1 @ 141lbs. Miller & Small will both redshirt.

Here is the projected lineup for the 2012-13 season as stands this summer per the coaching staff:

125lbs - Stevie Mitcheff, 5th yr Senior (more of a 125lbs than 133lbs)
133lbs - Kyle Bauer, redshirt freshmen (he beat Mitcheff every time they wrestled last year)
141lbs - Tbd, 1 of the 2 incoming freshmen (either Kern or Rice)
149lbs - Nick Carr, redshirt freshmen
157lbs - Mallie Shuster, 5th yr Senior, (is this the year he breaks out and is more consistent/focused?)
165lbs - Caleb Marsh, redshirt sophmore
174lbs - Sam Wheeler, redshirt freshmen (will wrestle here this coming season, but will be @ 184lbs in the seasons after)
184lbs - Casey Newburg, 5th yr Senior
197lbs - Dustin Kilgore, 5th yr Senior
HWT - Keith Witt, 5th yr Senior (was up to 235lbs by early June....really worked hard to add size/strength...coaching staff was happy with where he was @ beginning of the summer and will only get better/tougher wrestling Kilgore every day)

Projected/strong lineup for the 2013-14 season:

125lbs - Mack McGuire, redshirt freshmen
133lbs - Kyle Bauer, redshirt sophmore
141lbs - Tyler Small, redshirt sophmore
149lbs - Nick Carr, redshirt sophmore
157lbs - Ian Miller, redshirt sophmore
165lbs - Clay Wenger, redshirt sophmore
174lbs - Caleb Marsh, redshirt junior
184lbs - Sam Wheeler, redshirt sophmore
197lbs - Cambell or Baxter, both redshirt sophmore
HWT - Mimmo Lytle, redshirt freshmen

Sounds like next year will just be a year to root for Kilgore. With all the red shirts we are obviously loading up to make 2014 are target year. Someone explain why Small and Miller are being red-shirted.

(07-05-2012 07:15 AM)burden Wrote:  Sounds like next year will just be a year to root for Kilgore. With all the red shirts we are obviously loading up to make 2014 are target year. Someone explain why Small and Miller are being red-shirted.

CMU returns a few guys from regular redshirt/Olympic redshirt, Small/Miller will benefit from a year off to refine their skills/get stronger/in better shape, and KSU's lineup will still be very strong.

They will be better @ the following weight classes:

133lbs
157lbs
174lbs
184lbs
197lbs

Jury out on 165lbs with Tice's replacement, as Tice was a disappointment last year, especially how he ended the season.

HWT will finish 2nd to CMU, unless Witt can upset Trice.

CMU hasnt posted their roster for this year, so not sure on who is returning from last year. It hurts not having that stud transfer from Illinois @ 141lbs this year @ Kent (not sure what happened).

Both Miller and Small wrestled as true freshman. It's not easy to do. Even Kilgore took a redshirt his freshman year. The year away from the grind will make them and the team better down the road.

I follow wrestling as a basic fan, so I sure don't know the ins and outs of juggling redshirts.

But why would you pull one of the best freshmen in the country miller) out of the lineup? With his record, you could drop "freshmen." he was one of the best, period.

That was my issue too. Small I can see. He was ranked between 10-15 if I remember correctly and seemed to fade as the year went on. Miller seemed very good to me. Also why not red shirt them before their freshman year? I understand a year of red shirting will help them but if your top ten talent why not wrestle? I also do not know the ins and outs of wrestling but this one just does not make sense to me unless Miller is going to come back in significantly higher weight classes and need a year to add the weight the right way. Could that be it??

It seems to me they are just conceding the year to CMU and are preparing for next year. I suppose being from Cleveland I should be use to that.

CMU will much better this year, double that with Miller/Small being forced to wrestle immediately @ KSU, puts the coaches in position to redshirt them both this year and setup for a big season next season. In the recruiting video, Coach Andrassy said that Small is going to take most of his toughest course work this year, so redshirting him this year to allow him to focus on studies/getting stronger/better technically makes sense.

Here is info from last seasons recap for CMU Wrestling. This should let you know how good CMU will be this year:

As the calendar turned to March, the Chippewas prepared to travel to Ohio University for the MAC Championships. Few outside the program expected CMU to win its 11th consecutive conference tournament title, but the Chippewas dominated the tournament's final session, winning five championship bouts and four third-place matches, to pull away from runner-up Kent State. Roth, Zach Horan (133 pounds), Donnie Corby (157 pounds), Mike Ottinger (165 pounds) and Bennett each claimed individual titles for CMU, with Bennett becoming the 10th three-time MAC champion in CMU history. Roth was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler.

Scott Mattingly (141) and Sturgeon both earned at-large bids to the NCAA Championships, where CMU finished 24th as a team. Bennett placed sixth at 184 pounds, becoming the third three-time NCAA Division I All-American in program history. His trip to the medal stand marked the 10th consecutive season CMU has produced at least one All-American. Horan, who won a wrestleoff just to earn a spot in the lineup at the MAC Championships, finished one win shy of All-America honors; he and Ottinger were the first true freshman teammates in CMU history to qualify for the national tournament.

CMU continued to add hardware to the trophy case following the season. In addition to Borrelli's MAC Coach of the Year honor, Bennett was selected the MAC Wrestler of the Year. Corby and Mattingly represented CMU on the Academic All-MAC squad.

The Chippewas' annual program awards went to Bennett (Chick Sherwood Award), Corby (Harry Richards Coaches Award), Roth (Most Improved Wrestler), Ottinger and Horan (co-Freshman of the Year) and Lucas Smith (Redshirt/Open Wrestler of the Year). Roth led the Chippewas in victories, finishing 35-9 overall, while Bennett was 34-6 overall with 27 bonus-point victories during the 2011-12 season.

Looking ahead to 2013, CMU returns nine of the 10 individuals who competed at the MAC Championships. Sturgeon graduates from his starting role at heavyweight but will be replaced by Jarod Trice, a two-time NCAA All-American who took an Olympic redshirt and finished fourth at the U.S. Olympic Trials this season.

Regarding Miller and Small, keep in mind that wrestling is a team and individual sport. In Small's case, as GoFlashes7 said, his course load next season is a consideration. As Burden pointed out, he did fade somewhat as the year progressed. Regarding Miller, he also struggled at the end of the year; he suffered the concussion and was injured at NCAAs. They both will benefit greatly from a redshirt and honestly, they earned it. Regarding the team race with CMU, even with both of them in the line-up, CMU wins the tournament and the head-to-head. Trice and Bennett are going to AA. Also, Sentes will be back and he will also AA. With these 2 coming back, plus 9 of last year's squad returning, the Chips will win at least 5 of the 10 weight classes at the MAC tournament. For the NCAA tournament, only Kilgore, Small, and Miller would secure significant points. The focus next season will be Kilgore. I think it is a good plan so long as Kilgore is as dominant as he was during his championship run.

(07-07-2012 11:37 AM)burden Wrote:  That was my issue too. Small I can see. He was ranked between 10-15 if I remember correctly and seemed to fade as the year went on. Miller seemed very good to me. Also why not red shirt them before their freshman year? I understand a year of red shirting will help them but if your top ten talent why not wrestle? I also do not know the ins and outs of wrestling but this one just does not make sense to me unless Miller is going to come back in significantly higher weight classes and need a year to add the weight the right way. Could that be it??

It seems to me they are just conceding the year to CMU and are preparing for next year. I suppose being from Cleveland I should be use to that.

Small was the best option at 133 his freshman year. I think the original plan was for Miller to RS his first year, but he really impressed the coaches during the pre-season. Don't forget that Bedelyon took a RS after earning AA status. Although most RSs are taken during a wrestler's first year, it is not unheard of for it to be done afterwards. Miller will come back at a higher weight class.