Sports
Wrestling: WIN Ranks Ohio 21st In Preseason Rankings
By: David Michael
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Ohio wrestling has been ranked 21st in Wrestling Insider Newsmagazine’s preseason NCAA Division I Rankings.
WIN awards points to teams based on how many potential NCAA All-Americans they could have in this upcoming season. Contributors to the team’s placement are Spartak Chino, Cody Walters and Jeremy Johnson.
Chino, a redshirt sophomore, will be wrestling in the 157-pound weight class. He finished last season with a record of 18-10 and earned an automatic bid at the NCAA championships. WIN ranks him No. 14 in the nation.
WIN ranked Walters seventh for the 174-pound weight class. The redshirt sophomore went 3-0 en route to claiming the 174-pound title at the Mid-American Conference Wrestling Championships last season. The Macedonia, Ohio, native earned NCAA All-American honors and was named MAC Freshman of the Year after finishing the season with a team-high 39 victories.
Johnson, a senior, achieved the highest ranking of fifth among heavyweight class wrestlers. He finished last season second on the team with 35 victories, shadowing his 11 losses. He placed third at the MAC Championships, which in turn earned him a berth in the NCAA Championships. He went 2-1 at the competition.
The Bobcats will step onto the mat to defend their titles on Nov. 9 when they travel to East Lansing, Mich., to compete in the Michigan State Open.