Sports
Cody Walters Remains Unblemished In Reno
< < Back to cody-walters-remains-unblemished-renoOn Sunday morning redshirt freshman Cody Walters began the day with a 13-0 record. The Ohio 174-pounder finished the day with a still unblemished 18-0 record on his way to winning the 2012 Reno Tournament of Champions.
After traveling out west, Ohio Wrestling will return home following a seventh place finish in a field of 27 schools that competed in the tournament.
Walters entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed, and he did not disappoint. After having a first round bye, he won all five of his matches to claim the 174-pound title. The freshman won his first three matches 10-6, 14-0, and 4-1 on his way to becoming the first Bobcat to win the tournament at Reno.
Walters won in the semifinals by medical forfeit, and he won the championship match when his opponent, No. 3 seed Brock Gutches of Southern Oregon, was disqualified.
Walters was not the sole bright spot for the Bobcats today. He was accompanied by his teammate Jeremy Johnson who placed fifth among heavyweights.
Ohio’s heavyweight advanced to the semi-finals riding two major decision victories but ultimately fell to sixth seed Odie Delaney of The Citadel in the semifinals by a 3-1 decision.
The Bobcat All-American went on to defeat the No. 1 seed Chad Hanke of Oregon State for his fifth place finish.
Johnson compiled a 4-1 record on the day and extended his overall season record to 15-4.
Freshmen Kagan Squire and Spartak Chino, sophomore Andrew Romanchik and junior Ryan Garringer also had solid contributions for the Bobcats, as each wrestler finished the tournament with 3-2 records.
As a No. 3 seed, Chino earned a first round bye, but lost his first match. Fortunately for him, he still finished solidly with major decisions accounting for two of his three victories.
Squire and Garringer each earned a victory by pin.
Ohio wrestlers Harrison Hightower, Phil Wellington and Michael Duckworth also accumulated at least one pin to pace the Bobcats. Duckworth’s two pins accounted for both of his wins.
Head coach Joel Greenlee’s Bobcats leave Reno with 61 points that earned them a seventh place finish.
Ohio will look to carry that momentum when it travels to Chattanooga to take part in the Southern Scuffle on Jan. 1-2.