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| Kent State's Kyle Conel celebrates defeating Ohio State's Kollin Moore, 5-3, for third place at the 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, Day 3, at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio on March 17, 2018. (Chuck Crow/The Plain Dealer). |
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Never again will it be considered an upset when Kent State's Kyle Conel wins a wrestling match.
Conel, a 197-pound junior, defeated No. 1 seed Kollin Moore of Ohio State for the second straight day to finish third in the nation at Saturday's NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.
"It's been an awesome experience," said the unseeded Conel, who won six of seven matches in three days at Quicken Loans Arena. "I've never felt anything like this in the world."
Conel, a 2014 Ashtabula Lakeside High School graduate, pinned Moore in 90 seconds of a quarterfinal match on Friday. On Saturday, Conel -- with third and fourth places at stake -- earned a 5-3 decision over Moore.
The pivotal moment came early in the third period, when Conel upped his advantage from 1-0 to 5-0 with a four-point near fall. Moore tried to sit out for an escape but Conel pulled the Buckeye sophomore's shoulders to the mat.
"He was getting lazy on bottom," Conel said. "If you've seen me before, I'm not the best top guy, but I felt I could get a suck-back, and that's obviously where I got my advantage."
Golden Flashes coach Jim Andrassy said it was a move Conel may not have used since high school.
"We yelled (to Conel), 'pull him back, pull him back,'" Andrassy said. "Kyle is so strong, he just sucked him back and that was it."
Conel led, 5-1, before Moore's meaningless takedown in the final seconds. The Q crowd rose to a standing ovation for Conel.
Earlier Friday, Conel pinned Northern Iowa's Jacob Holschlag in 2:48 of a consolation semifinal match. Conel shot in on a leg and Holschlag attempted to scramble out, but was caught on his back.
Conel finished the season with a 30-11 record. He didn't wrestle last season, citing a lost interest for the sport, but notified coaches during the summer that he wanted to return. Conel was a combined 47-14 in his freshman and sophomore seasons at Kent State, while winning various scholar-athlete awards.
Conel won a Division I state championship at Lakeside. He was mindful, he said, that many of the wrestlers at the Championships come from powerhouse high school wrestling programs. Lakeside, meanwhile, has a modest wrestling tradition.
"I thought about it all weekend," Conel, elated in the aftermath of his finish, said. "I came in with the goal of being an All-American. Showing off my city.
"It's crazy. Part of me never thought this could happen. Another part of me thought it could happen. It didn't feel real until (Friday). I'm so happy to represent (Ashtabula and Kent State). There are so many people behind me who have supported me."