In a series of firsts, Ohio picked up its first win of the season on Saturday.
Not only did Ohio compete in its first dual of the season, but it also faced Edinboro for the first time. The 31-12 team win boosted Ohio’s confidence before it takes on more head-to-head meets in the coming weeks.
Here are how Ohio fared Saturday night:
125-pound
Ohio’s Oscar Sanchez was able to escape with a dominant 8-3 regular decision victory over Edinboro’s Aiden Lewis. The redshirt junior is Ohio’s marquee wrestler in the lowest weight class. Sanchez narrowly missed out on a major decision victory, which is achieved by a point differential of seven or more points.
Although it does not impact the overall team results, Sanchez’s victory over Lewis was actually an upset of sorts. Sanchez was ranked as the No. 8 wrestler in the Mid-American Conference for the 125-pound weight class while Lewis was ranked No. 7.
133-pound
Giovanni DiSabato made easy work of Cameron Soda for an 11-1 victory and Ohio’s only major decision of the day. Coming into the meet, DiSabato was ranked as the No. 4 wrestler in his weight class while Soda was ranked No. 9.
141-pound
For the first time during the meet, Ohio was held down by Edinboro. Kyran Hagan was unable to escape a fall at the hands of Amonn Ohl. This result came as a surprise as Hagan entered as the No. 5 wrestler in the class while Ohl was only No. 12. The fall came at 3:42.
149-pound
In the second-straight match including one of the Hagan twins, Alec, surprisingly, struggled. Hagan recently won the Navy Classic and placed sixth in the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and solidified himself as one of the most-sound wrestlers on the team. Jacob Pail, an unranked competitor, took down Hagan by a score of 3-1 with a sudden victory.
157-pound
Ohio hit its stride as a team in the next couple of classes. Redshirt freshman Peyten Kellar continued his ascent toward the top of the MAC rankings by pinning his opponent, Luke Kemerer, at the 3:18 mark of the match. Kellar has flown up the rankings, moving from No. 8 to No. 4.
165-pound
Jordan Slivka continued the Bobcats’ success with his bout in the 165-pound class. He secured the second-straight fall for the Bobcats by getting Alex Garee on the mat in just over six minutes. Slivka entered as the No. 3 wrestler in the class and faced the No.12 ranked wrestler.
174-pound
Ohio continued its upward trend in the higher weight classes. Sal Perrine earned a regular decision victory by a score of 6-2 in the 174-pound class. Although Edinboro’s Jared McGill is the No. 1 wrestler in the class, McGill was not who Perrine faced. Joey Arnold wrestled for Edinboro on Saturday.
197-pound
The Bobcat beatdown was capped off when Carson Brewer scraped by Edinboro’s Cody Mulligan for a 4-3 victory. Brewer, the No. 6 wrestler in his weight class, may move up the rankings after defeating No. 4 Mulligan.
