Ohio got itself back on track on Saturday evening by defeating Drexel with a strong comeback to pick up its third win in duals on the season. The action was held in Vincent, Ohio. Despite the venue change, Ohio shook off a slow start to emerge victorious in its last action in Ohio for over one month.
125-pound class:
Ohio has had some clear struggles within the lower-weight classes. Freshman Ryan Meek has not won in nearly a month. Unfortunately for Meek, that streak would continue as he dropped a decision against Desmond Pleasant. Meek lost by a score of 11-7.
133-pound class:
Following Meek, Mason Brugh was also looking to improve upon some of the negative results from earlier in the season. Often, Meek and Brugh have mirrored each other in terms of results. That theme would continue as Brugh was bested by John Hildebrandt, 4-2.
141-pound class:
Against Drexel’s Jordan Soriano, Aidan Waszak was simply unable to do much of anything. Waszak lost a major decision to Soriano, 16-7, and his loss put Ohio behind 10-0.
149-pound class:
Derek Raike was able to get Ohio on the board with a 10-2 major decision victory over Dominic Findora. With Ohio looking to get points, Raike delivered as he has become one of the more stabilizing presences on the team, igniting the team when matches have not started well.
157-pound class:
Peyten Kellar has been another successful Bobcat. He has recently vaulted into the upper echelon of his weight class, becoming the No. 14 wrestler in the nation. Against the Dragons' Tyler Williams, Kellar picked up the second-straight major decision for the Bobcats. The 12-0 final score tells the story of pure dominance.
165-pound class:
One of Ohio’s best wrestlers, Garrett Thompson continued the streak of success. Thompson has risen to become the No. 10 wrestler in the country. He has been a steady force of dominance thus far on the season. His dominance continued against Drexel with a 4-0 victory over Cody Walsh. Thompson’s victory came against the lone ranked wrestler competing for Drexel, as Walsh is No. 31 nationally.
174-pound class:
After Thompson put Ohio ahead for the first time of the night, No. 24 Sal Perrine looked to continue the positivity against Jack Janda. Perrine, however, was unable to keep the streak going, losing to Landa, 5-2. On a night where almost everything went right for Ohio after the first few matches, Perrine’s loss is the only true blemish.
184-pound class:
Junior Zayne Lehman has represented Ohio in the 184-pound class throughout the season. However, Max Ray would be taking his place. Ray impressed at the Navy Classic as he picked up two wins, the first of his collegiate career. Against Nathan Lipinski, Ray picked up an 8-2 win and put Ohio back in the lead.
197-pound class:
With the lead in hand, the Bobcats sent out Austin Starr to increase their advantage. Starr has quietly been a force for Ohio in duals. Starr picked up a close decision over Ibrahim Ameer, 5-4. The close margin is nothing new for Starr as he has recently been in multiple close matches, regardless of the final result.
285-pound class:
Last season, if Ohio needed a win going into the 285-pound class, the team’s hopes may not have been as high. However, with Jordan Greer back from injury, Ohio could look to Greer to hold onto the 17-13 lead it had going into the final match of the dual. Greer picked up an 8-0 major decision over Dominic Petracci. Greer’s dominance cemented Ohio’s victory over Drexel and its third victory of the year.
