For four redshirt seniors, this will be the last tournament of their careers.
Some story lines are swirling around the Bobcats as they head to New York City for the NCAA Championships this weekend.
Ohio will be in New York City for three days, from March 17 to March 19.
For starters, freshmen Shakur Laney, Cameron Kelly and Austin Reese have never been to the Big Apple before.
So, as excited as they are to take part in the NCAA Championships, they also have plenty on their to-do list.
Some of those things include going to M&M World, Times Square and the Statue of Liberty.
“I’m going to eat a big apple,” Laney said on the first thing he is going to do when he sets foot in New York City. “I think it is good to go as a true freshman and set the bar for the rest of my time at Ohio.”
And while Laney, Kelly and Reese want to take in the experience, Ohio’s four redshirt seniors will be looking to finish business they started a long time ago. Especially for Cody Walters who is competing in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time.
“Last year, I learned a lot about myself at NCAA’s,” Walters said. “I broke my foot in the Mid-American Conference Tournament, so I had a lot of adversity going into NCAA’s. This is going to be my last tournament ever, so hopefully I go out with a bang and throw a kitchen sink at these guys.”
The bracket for the tournament was released last Wednesday and features rankings for Ohio wrestlers including No. 13 Kelly, No. 7 Walters and No. 11 Phil Wellington. Spartak Chino will be featured in the pigtail match for his weight class of 157. A pigtail match is when two wrestlers meet with more stakes on the line.
The winner of a pigtail match advances to a higher seeding in the championship bracket. The loser will drop to the consolation bracket and receive a bye.
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Ohio is sending seven wrestlers to NCAA’s — a program record. And all it wants to do now is just win.
“To win and be at All-American status is a life goal for me,” Chino said. “Last year, being a match away from getting to that status makes me even want it more this year."
@Pete_Nakos96
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