Coming off a dominant performance against Northern Illinois last weekend, Ohio will try to continue its winning ways at home against Kent State and Bloomsburg.
The Bobcats will spar with the No. 16 Golden Flashes Friday night. Kent State has not lost in a dual match to a Mid-American Conference opponent besides Central Michigan since the 2005-2006 season.
Coach Joel Greenlee said Ohio (2-3, 1-2 MAC) is prepared for the challenge Kent State will bring to the mats, but something will have to give between the MAC rivals. The Bobcats are 2-0 at The Convo this season, but the Golden Flashes have won seven straight duals with Ohio, including a 30-6 beatdown last season.
“The meet against Kent State is a very big deal for us,” Greenlee said. “Not only have they had ours and everyone else’s number recently, but we are big rivals in recruiting and in the conference. We would like to do well against a very good team.”
Although Ohio heavyweight Jeremy Johnson is ranked eighth nationally in his weight class with nine pins and Nick Purdue (174-pound) is ranked 16th with a 14-5 record, five of Kent State’s 10 leading wrestlers are ranked in the top 20 of their individual classes.
Last season, Ohio and Kent State tied for the conference championship with 4-1 records in the MAC, and Greenlee is hopeful his players will gain some experience heading into the conference championships this year.
After the dual against Kent State, Ohio will have one day to recover before a dual meet against the Bloomsburg Huskies.
The Huskies (12-4) are ranked 12th in the National Wrestling Media Association Mid-Major poll, nine spots above the Bobcats at No. 21. Bloomsburg has not faced the Ohio grapplers since defeating them 23-12 in the 2004-05 season.
Frank Hickman (157-pound) leads the Huskies, as he is ranked No. 11, but Hickman had his 19-match winning streak snapped last week against Pitt.
“I’m not sure that we are favored in either of the meets this weekend,” Greenlee said. “But I know that both will be exciting, so I hope that we wrestle hard in The Convo and people come out to watch.”
cl027410@ohiou.edu
