Kent State @ Bellarmine

Bellarmine topped Kent State 25-14 at Bellarmine University in Louisville on Nov. 16, 2024. The visitors picked up a pair of major decisions, but Bellarmine’s string of bonus-point results in the middle and upper weights proved decisive.

The turning point came when Bellarmine ripped off a string of bonus victories. Jeb Prechtel’s fall at 157 secured six team points and cut into Kent State’s margin, Grant O’Dell followed with a 14-3 major decision at 174 for four more team points, and Andrew Liber closed the run with a 15-0 technical fall at 197 that added five points. That stretch produced the bulk of Bellarmine’s scoring and created the break the hosts needed.

Kent State was competitive through its two major decisions. Nico Calello’s 14-4 major at 125 and Billy Meiszner’s 15-3 major at 149 supplied Kent State with eight team points and kept the dual within reach for much of the lineup, but the Golden Flashes could not match Bellarmine’s bonus output in the later bouts.

Bellarmine’s ability to convert multiple bonus opportunities was the difference in the dual. The host team’s pin and tech fall, plus an additional major, outweighed Kent State’s majors and produced the 11-point final margin.