The Ohio wrestling team has had a good year to this point. They are currently 5-3, including a seventh place finish out of 25 teams at the Southern Scuffle. The three losses came in close matches against 12th ranked Central Michigan, 21st ranked Kent State and 30th ranked Bloomsburg.
Even after weekend duals at The Convo against Buffalo and the 37th ranked Michigan State Spartans resulted in two wins, the most exciting and surprising thing to happen to the Bobcats is the emergence of redshirt freshman Cody Walters.
“I knew he was going to be special from day one,” Ohio Coach Joel Greenlee said. “But I just didn’t expect him to get to this point so fast.”
Walters, who hails from Macedonia, Ohio, is 26-2 in his first year of competition in the 174-pound weight class. His only two losses have come from wrestlers ranked in the top 20 in the country in his weight class, and he is also ranked in the top 20 at 17th in the country.
“It’s amazing to see my name on those lists,” Walters said. “My ultimate goal, though, is to be No. 1 on those lists, and I think I can make that happen.”
Greenlee discovered Walters at a national high school tournament during his junior year. Walters finished second in that tournament and was soon after courted by Greenlee to come wrestle for the Bobcats.
When Walters got to Athens, he wrestled in the 165-pound weight class and wasn’t much of a weightlifter. He was redshirted, but still competed sparingly during the season, posting a 21-10 record and even winning his weight class at the Purple Raider Open.
“I’m not going to lie, I was a little upset when I was redshirted,” Walters said. “I had never not been a starter on a wrestling team, but I worked hard last year and it’s paying off now.”
Off-season work sets the great athletes apart from the average ones, and Walters has made the most of his first college off season.
“He put in a ton of time over the summer to get where he is today,” Greenlee said. “He would work out twice a day with his teammates. He even went up a weight class to 174. He definitely put in the time to get better and he has a great work ethic. He’s been a really good member of this team this year and I see that continuing in the years to come.”
Walters spoke highly of the competitive drive that the team has instilled in him in his time here. He said that the team all drive each other to be better. Whether it’s in the weight room, the practice mat or during matches, the guys all strive to be the best on the team.
“All of us want to be the best,” Walters said. “We’re all used to being the best on our team, so that’s what we all want individually. But this inspires us to be our best all the time and it makes the team better.”
With Walters and others leading a team of predominantly young Bobcats, Greenlee said he is very excited for the potential of a team that has shown it can compete at a high level earlier than expected.
tj790511@ohiou.edu
