Wrestler Tice advances Flashes

KENT — Ross Tice of Brookfield continues to become a winner for the Kent State University wrestling team, and in the process has helped the Golden Flashes to a high national ranking.

Tice is a red-shirt sophomore from Brookfield High who competes at both 157 and 165 pounds. He has a 14-4 record to help KSU to a No. 14 ranking in this week’s National Wrestling Coaches Association Division I Coaches Poll for dual rankings.

The Golden Flashes are coached by Jim Andrassy in his seventh season. They are ranked No. 20 in this week’s InterMat Division I for dual rankings.

Tice was a factor in Kent State’s win last Saturday in the Body Bar Invitational at Cornell University at Newman Arena in Ithaca, N.Y.

Competing at 165, he won three of his four matches to make the semifinals and eventually placed third. The Golden Flashes won in convincing fashion with 147.5 points, well ahead of No. 3 Cornell and No. 10 Maryland, who each finished with 109 points.

Tice won his first two matches by impressive scores of 10-1 and 11-1, and his 3-1 meet record made him 14-4 to date.

KSU’s next outing is Dec. 13 at home to Newberry (11:05 a.m.) and Michigan (3:05 p.m.).

Last year in Tice’s first full season, he finished with an 18-16 record, including 3-2 in Mid-American Conference duals.

He placed fifth at both the Oklahoma Gold and the Body Bar Invitational, both in November, and won six straight matches from Jan. 10-Feb.7.

He was redshirted in 2007-08

The son of Richard and Tracy Tice, Ross is majoring in education.

While at Brookfield, he compiled a 155-32 record, winning more than 30 duals every season.

He qualified three times to the Ohio High School Athletic Association State Championships, gaining runner-up honors as a senior and placing seventh as a junior.

Tice also was named the East Ohio Wrestling League Wrestler of the Year in his senior season, and was picked to the All-Trumbull County first team every year. He made the Honor Roll at Brookfield and was named Art Student of the Year.

Tice is one of three area wrestlers on the KSU team, the others being freshmen Lou Greco and Jake Peterson, both from Austintown Fitch High.

Greco, who competes at 157, has a 3-3 record while Peterson is 1-3. Greco and Peterson had outstanding careers at Fitch. Greco registered a 44-6 record as a senior, 38-8 as a junior, 36-10 as a sophomore and 34-12 as a freshman, scoring 152 career victories.

He also helped Fitch to win the EOWL Division I championship as a senior, and placed seventh that year at the state meet at 145 pounds. Greco also qualified for the state tournament as a junior.

The son of Anthony and Susan Greco, Lou is majoring in business administration. He also has three siblings — Tiffany, Bobby and Anthony.

Peterson posted a 37-14 record as a senior at Fitch, and was 27-18 as a junior. He also had 17 wins as a sophomore and 16 as a freshman, and a career record of 98-57.

Peterson qualified for the state tournament at 140 pounds as a senior, and was selected to the All-EOWL and All-Federal League second teams. In his junior year, he made the All-EOWL second team and Federal League honorable mention. As a sophomore, Peterson was named to the All-Federal League second team and EOWL honorable-mention list.

In addition, he was a Disney Scholastic Duals All-American last summer. Peterson is the son of Eric and Paula Peterson, and is majoring in pre-nursing. He has a younger brother, Luke.

XJohn Kovach writes about college athletes for The Vindicator. Write him at kovach@vindy.com.