Ohio heads to Boiling Springs, North Carolina, where it will face Cleveland State and Gardner Webb in the last weekend of the regular season.
Ohio will leave the freezing temperatures of Athens this Sunday as it heads to Boiling Springs, North Carolina, for its last weekend of competition before the conference and national tournaments.
The Bobcats will have a busier than usual day though, as they’ll face Cleveland State at 11 a.m. and Gardner-Webb at 1 p.m.
This will be the first time they wrestle more than one team on a single day since the Eastern Michigan Duals on Nov. 15. Ohio went 2-1 that day, defeating Lock Haven and Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, but losing to Michigan.
The Bobcats are coming off a disappointing loss to West Virginia, where they were ousted in the final bout of the match.
Ohio will look to rely on its strength this weekend to help carry them into postseason play. The Bobcats will bring four nationally ranked wrestlers to North Carolina.
No. 9 Cody Walters, a 174-pound redshirt junior, will look for his 21st consecutive victory and to boost his team-high 26-1 record. No. 8 Tywan Claxton, a 149-pound redshirt junior, finished conference play with a 5-3 record, is in search of his 25th win on the season.
Also ranked are 197-pound redshirt junior No. 17 Phil Wellington, who went undefeated in conference play, and 165-pound redshirt senior No. 25 Harrison Hightower, who holds a record of 20-9.
Cleveland State brings two nationally ranked wrestlers, 125-pound No. 15 Ben Willeford and 285-pound No. 15 Riley Shaw, to the match on Sunday. In their last match, the Vikings shutout Bloomsburg 41-0.
The host, Gardner-Webb, does not have any nationally ranked wrestlers and are 7-11 on the season. The Runnin’ Bulldogs faced Southern Illinois-Edwardsville and Indiana in their last match, beating Southern Illinois, but falling to Indiana.
Ohio will return to conference play for the Mid-American Conference Championships on March 7 in Columbia, Missouri.
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