Sports
Ohio Wrestling Continues Its Winning Streak against Northern Iowa
By: Tony Heim
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One point was the difference for the Ohio Bobcats (9-3, 4-3), as they outwrestled the Northern Iowa Panthers (3-7, 2-4) 18-17 in Sunday’s showdown in Cedar Falls.
The Bobcats were down 12-9 after six rounds, when Cody Walters hit the mat. Walters led a string of victories by Ohio seniors (Walters, Andrew Romanchik and Phil Wellington) to push the Bobcats to a 18-12 lead with one match remaining.
Northern Iowa’s strength is their top-three, who are all ranked in the top-20. Freshman Shakur Laney put the Bobcats in an early 6-0 hole after being pinned by seventh-ranked Dylan Peters in the first round. Ohio proved to be resilient, however, winning the next two matches and tying the score up at 6-6.
Freshman Cam Kelly continued his recent success, defeating 11th-ranked Josh Alber in dominating fashion 6-0. This victory pushed Kelly’s win streak to seven.
Jesse Webb continued to struggle for the Bobcats, almost costing the Bobcats a victory in the tenth match. Webb lost by technical fall 25-9. If he would have been pinned, Ohio would have lost on the tiebreaker.
The score was tied up 9-9 after the fifth match. After a quick 10 minute intermission, Panther wrestler Cooper Moore handled Austin Reese with a 6-2 victory. The Northern Iowa momentum was quickly squashed when it was Walters’ and the remaining seniors’ turn.
Up next for Northern Iowa, losers of two straight, is a visit from Iowa State on Friday.
Ohio will look to add to their three-match win streak when Old Dominion comes to Athens on Sunday.