The Bobcats head to Missouri University to face off against the rest of the MAC in the MAC Championships.
After having the past weekend off, the Bobcats (9-6, 4-4 Mid-American Conference) are readying themselves for the most important weekend of the season thus far — the MAC Championships, which take place this upcoming weekend.
Ohio hasn’t competed since two weeks ago, when it defeated Cleveland State in the final dual of Ohio's regular season.
The Bobcats will be looking for their wrestlers to perform well enough in this weekend’s tournament, so that they can send their guys to the NCAA Championships in St. Louis, Missouri, in two weeks.
The Bobcats finished the regular season touting four top-20 ranked wrestlers. In that matchup, No. 9 174-pound redshirt junior Cody Walters earned his 21st consecutive win and will head to the MAC Championships 27-1 and unbeaten in MAC competition.
No. 16 197-pound redshirt junior Phil Wellington earned his 10th consecutive win and also will head into the MAC Championships unbeaten in conference competition.
In pre-seeding released by the MAC this week, Ohio was not given a no. 1 seed in any weight class.
The Bobcats will have two No. 2 ranked wrestlers in the tournament — Walters and Wellington — as well as one No. 3 seed, and two No. 4 seeds.
The host of the tournament, Missouri, leads the MAC with six top ranked wrestlers in this year’s championships, including three No. 2 seeds.
This year, the MAC has been allotted 33 slots for the National Championships by the NCAA.
The 197-pound weight class will lead the MAC having six national qualifiers from that weight class. It is followed by the 149-pound weight class, which will send five automatic qualifiers.
All four of Ohio’s nationally ranked wrestlers are expected to compete for MAC Championships and NCAA Championship appearances. 165-pound redshirt senior Harrison Hightower, ranked No. 3 by the MAC in the weight class, is also expected to make a run in his weight class for the championship.
The Bobcats are no stranger to having wrestlers do well enough in the MAC Championships to earn a spot in the NCAA tournament, as Hightower, Walters, and Wellington all earned NCAA Championship berths last season.
With the biggest weekend of the season drawing nearer, Ohio will hope for strong performances from its wrestlers, fighting with desperation for their chance at the NCAA Championships.
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