With the start of the season less then a week away, Tywan Claxton doesn't know if he'll have another season.
Tywan Claxton sat in the stands Sunday in casual OU attire.
He watched his teammates wrestle, joked around with friends, but more importantly, he didn't wrestle because he doesn't know if he could.
In March, Claxton sent in an appeal to the NCAA committee to regain a year he lost when he transferred form King University in Tennessee to Ohio, according to a previous Post report. If the NCAA does not accept the appeal, Claxton's career with the Bobcats will end.
At King University, Claxton became an All-American and transferred his sophomore year to Ohio University. That same year, Claxton only wrestled in two competitions for the Bobcats before redshirting the rest of the season, according to coach Joel Greenlee.
Now a redshirt senior, Claxton has waited eight months on the NCAA to make a decision and is still unsure if he will be able to wrestle this season.
“We heard from the NCAA the other day because they wanted some clarification and more documents,” Greenlee said. “It’s definitely not under a pile of papers anywhere. I think they're gathering information. We’re just asking for a fourth year.”
Claxton has been a major contributor to Ohio the past two seasons, and if he cannot wrestle this season, it could hinder Ohio's chances to getting to the NCAA Tournament.
Greenlee said the year in question, 2012, was when Claxton wrestled in only "four to six" matches. Wrestling is different than other collegiate sport, as taking part in two competitions is equivalent to playing almost three baseball games, according to Greenlee.
Greenlee said Claxton would wrestle this past Sunday at the 'Green and White' scrimmage but didn’t.
As of now, Claxton can wrestle at the EMU Duals this coming weekend, but this could all change if the NCAA committee announces their decision before the tournament.
“He can wrestle in the tournament,” •Greenlee said Sunday. “We still need to hear something back from the NCAA. It’s getting a bit crazy.”
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