Despite having few upperclassmen, several Bobcats rose to the top of their class this season.
The season is just now peaking for the Ohio wrestling team’s three national qualifiers, though the rest of the squad has finished competition for the 2011–12 campaign.
After placing in Sunday’s Mid-American Conference Championships, Nick Purdue (174-pound weight class), Ryan Garringer (184-pound) and the No. 6 heavyweight Jeremy Johnson have all earned the right to continue their season at the NCAA Championships in St. Louis from March 15 to 17.
“My goal from day one has been to become an All-American, and I have the chance to be one,” Johnson said. “I had a great season and can only get better from here. I’m excited to go out and see what I can prove to everyone.”
But the rest of the team finished its season at the MAC tournament when the Bobcats placed fourth behind Central Michigan, Kent State and Eastern Michigan. All of the teams ahead of Ohio also defeated the Bobcats in dual meets earlier this season.
The Bobcats (5-7, 2-3 MAC) wrapped up their inconsistent season on a high note by sending three wrestlers to nationals, but the future is even brighter for the team that is expecting to lose only three players to graduation.
“I think we were a very young team this year, which is great for the future, but it made us very inconsistent,” coach Joel Greenlee said. “Normally, guys are used to wrestling only 12 weeks in high school, and in college, we wrestle for seven months, so they get tired and inconsistent.”
Youth was present all year on the Bobcats’ roster. True freshman Andrew Romanchik had arguably the most unexpected success, as he placed fourth in the 149-pound weight class at the MAC tournament. Other young grapplers also had chances to prove themselves.
From the outset, the Ohio wrestlers encountered their problems in the first two opens and dual meets, but the team hit its stride midseason and again at the finish.
In three meets during the final weekend of the regular season, Ohio posted a record of 2-1 after having problems with effort and focus versus highly ranked Kent State, Bloomsburg and West Virginia in previous meets.
Purdue and Johnson were ranked all year in the top 25 for their respective weight classes. Johnson never lost in a dual meet or to a conference opponent, as he led the team in almost every statistic.
But before all is wrapped up and the focus is put on next season, Greenlee said he still has wrestlers who have a lot to prove in the season finale.
“I’m happy they made it to nationals, but it isn’t about getting there. We want to win too,” he said.
cl027410@ohiou.edu
