CLEVELAND- The 2018 season concluded with a Quicken Loans Arena standing ovation for Kent State junior 197-pounder Kyle Conel (Ashtabula, Ohio). The unseeded, adopted fan favorite won the crowd over by going 6-1 with a pair of wins over No. 1 seed Kollin Moore (Ohio State) in a third place finish.
The unlikely run ended with a 5-3 win over Moore in the consolation finals, just 24 hours after pinning him in the semifinals. Conel's key move in Saturday's victory was a suck back, chin drop good for four near fall points early in the third period.
"He probably hasn't hit that move since high school, but it was a perfect move at a perfect time," Head Coach Jim Andrassy said. "Kyle's so strong he just sucked him back and that was it."
Earlier in the day, Conel chalked up his second first-period pin in three matches in his consolation semifinal bout against Northern Iowa's Jacob Holschlag. Conel shot in on a leg and Holschlag attempted to scramble out, but was caught on his back.
"Kyle's gone through a lot in his life," Andrassy said of Conel coming back to the sport this season. "If he doesn't write a book about it, I will…or make a movie. What he's gone through to where he's at now… people wouldn't believe it. Learning how to deal with what he had in life has made him successful in wrestling."
Conel six wins for the tournament (with four wins over the Top 9 seeds) ties Mike DePalma's program record. He finishes the season 30-11.
"It's been an awesome experience," Conel said. "I've never felt anything like this in the world. I came in with the goal of being an All-American and it's just crazy. Part of me thought something like this could never happen. There's so many people behind me that I'm grateful for."
Dustin Kilgore is the only other Kent State wrestler with a higher NCAA finish than Conel in the last 33 years. Kent State has had at least one All-American in nine of the last 10 seasons. Seven Flashes have combined for 12 All-America finishes in that time.
With 22.5 points, the Golden Flashes finished tied for 22nd place in the team standings, Kent State's sixth Top 25 finish since 2009.
