The Bobcats will hope to finish the season on a high note after an inconsistent start.
Just past the halfway point of the season, Ohio is squarely in the middle of the Mid-American Conference standings, sitting at fifth place.
The Bobcats, winners of their last meet against Eastern Michigan, are 5-4 overall, and 1-3 in the MAC.
The team — a relatively young one to say the least — has only two seniors (both redshirt seniors), with the rest of the starting lineup ranging from redshirt freshmen to redshirt juniors.
Though the team is a young one, coach Joel Greenlee still thinks the team should be able to compete at a high level.
The team has experienced its success, but Greenlee knows the team still has work to do in order to get to where it wants to be.
“I think guys grow up in a hurry. To me it doesn’t matter if they’re a freshman, sophomore, junior or senior — the expectations for you are the same,” Greenlee said. “I’d say we’ve been a little inconsistent … I think it’s a bad thing that our starters are hurt, but it’s a good thing that some other guys are getting experience and getting better and better.”
The team’s highest ranked wrestlers — 174-pound redshirt junior Cody Walters and 149-pound redshirt junior Tywan Claxton — are ranked No. 10 in their respective weight classes. Walters sports a record of 22-1, and has won 16 consecutive decisions. Claxton is 21-2 and started the season with 13-straight victories.
Walters spent much of last season injured, but will be able to (barring any injuries) return to the NCAA Championships. Walters is motivated in his attempt to win a national title and has been counting down the days to the national tournament on his Twitter account.
Greenlee has noticed Walters’s dedication and consistency and believes that Walters is more than capable of doing special things at the national tournament.
“I think he’s very consistent,” Greenlee said. “He goes out and does the same thing every time and he’s gotten better and better every time he steps on the mat.”
In addition to Walters and Claxton, the team has two of the remaining eight members of the starting lineup ranked in the top 20 of their individual weight classes. 165-pound redshirt senior Harrison Hightower is ranked 19th, and 197-pound redshirt junior Phil Wellington is ranked 16th.
The team also has youth at both ends of the starting lineup, with redshirt freshman Zak Hassan most recently manning the lightest weight class at 125-pounds, alongside true freshmen Zack Parker and Jesse Webb platooning the heavyweight spot.
Ohio will travel to Northern Illinois on Friday, before returning home to face Buffalo on Sunday.
Once the Bobcats hit their stride, they have the potential to be a force to reckon with in the MAC and possibly in the NCAA tournament. For now however, each day presents them with a chance to get better, and a chance to prove themselves to outsiders.
“We’re getting better every day, and by the end of the year, I think we’re going to be where we need to be,” Greenlee said.
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