Ever since 165-pound Ohio wrestler Kent Smith defeated Eastern Michigan's Chad Roush, 10-4, in the Bobcats' Mid-American Conference opener last week, he has been getting a lot of attention.
A true freshman, Smith stepped up in late November to replace the injured Vinny DiGiovanni and never expected to be in a starting position.
It was a surprise
but I needed to fill in Smith said. It started off rough but coach has been pushing me hard in practice
and there's still a lot of the season left
and I'm getting better. Just the last two weekends I've had three wins
and it helps your confidence a lot.
Smith will get another chance to win a match for the Bobcats as they take on NC State in their first home dual meet of the year this Saturday. Ohio coach Joel Greenlee said continued success at the 165-pound weight class is definitely possible.
The bottom line is (Smith) needs to go out there and wrestle
he said. We need a good performance from him to do well in the dual
but we also need wins from five or six other guys as well. I think he's making improvements and becoming tougher
and those are the things he needs to continue to do throughout the year.
The Bobcats (4-4, 1-0 MAC) have seen the Wolfpack in large tournaments earlier this season, and despite NC State's 6-1 dual meet record so far, the Ohio wrestlers are optimistic about what they can do.
As long as everyone wrestles the way that they are capable of
we can wrestle with anyone - just so long as we wrestle hard and don't make mistakes
184-pound wrestler Brian Cesear said.
Greenlee said he is excited to have a match at home, and this weekend, like many other duals thus far, will be a close competition.
I'm fired up to have a match here
