On a night that saw 41 individual points for each team, 15 team points and three overtimes, it was fitting that the dual between Ohio and Old Dominion was decided by a fifth tiebreaker due to the NCAA rulebook.
Old Dominion beat Ohio on Friday night at The Convo, not by points, but by takedowns, 13-9.
For most of the match, however, it appeared that the Monarchs would win in the more conventional method. In fact, Old Dominion held the lead from the first bout until senior Cam Kelly tied up the score in the last match.
“It was a big individual win for me,” Kelly said, “Kudos to them, they wrestled tough, but all in all I’m happy with my individual performance.”
It was a big win for Kelly, as he improved his record to 4-0 in Mid-American Conference play with a chance to go to 5-0, when the Bobcats host Southern Illinois-Edwardsville on Saturday.
Wrestling before Kelly was sophomore Mario Guillen, who was able to notch Ohio’s third overtime victory of the night, as well as draw the Bobcats three points closer to their opponents.
The two prior overtime wins came from freshman Colt Yinger and redshirt sophomore Jake Walker.
Perhaps Ohio’s most disappointing loss on the night came from Shakur Laney at the 125-pound weight class. He was defeated 3-1 by Michael McGee, whom Laney has beaten once already this season.
“It’s super hard to beat a guy two or three times in a row,” coach Joel Greenlee said. “I’d rather be the hunter than the hunted, alright now the roles are switched. We’re the hunter now.”
The Bobcats will look to bring that “hunter” mentality Saturday, which will be senior day for heavyweight wrestler Zack Parker, as well as Kelly. The match is set for 1 p.m. at The Convo.
