Sports
Ohio Wrestling Kicks Off Season With Intrasquad Meet
< < Back to ohio-wrestling-kicks-season-intrasquad-meetOhio wrestling hosted the Green and White Intrasquad meet Sunday at the Convo. Though only an exhibition, it marked the beginning of what could be a promising season for the Bobcats.
A young squad last year, carrying only three seniors on the squad, Ohio finished with a team record of 5-7, and finished fourth in the Mid-American Conference.
The Bobcats remain a young team—Ohio only has one senior on its roster—but this year they are no doubt a more experienced team.
The team is expected to be lead by four wrestlers, each ranked in the top four in their respective weight classes by MAC coaches.
Heavyweight junior Jeremy Johnson, the leader of that group, is again expected to lead the team. A season ago Johnson won a career-high 35 matches and only lost seven. He won the MAC heavyweight class, and earned a berth in the NCAA tournament, where he placed seventh. Johnson’s impressive feats were recognized when he was named an All-American.
Speaking on Johnson, head coach Joel Greenlee said, “His goals are to win the MAC and nationals, but more importantly I just want him to lay it all out (on the mats) every time.”
The other three wrestlers ranked are sophomores Beau Wenger, Andrew Romanchik, and Harrison Hightower. Each of these men will look to build on strong freshman campaigns.
Though led by a strong core, Ohio has a tough road ahead to win the MAC. Coaches in the conference ranked the Bobcats as the sixth best team in the conference.
Two forces stand at the top of the MAC. Missouri, a new member in the conference, is expected to challenge Central Michigan, who has won the MAC the last 11 years. To be conference champions, Ohio will have to get by Missouri, and unseat Central Michigan from its 11-year reign.
Greenlee said that his goals for the team are to win their individual and team matches, but to “take every match at a time.”
Ohio travels to Charlottesville, Va. on Saturday to participate in the Virginia Duals.