Phil Wellington dominated his weight class at the Michigan State Open.
Coach Joel Greenlee wanted to use Sunday's Michigan State Open as a barometer against the nation's best programs. The Bobcats delivered.
Most of Ohio's accolades came from the freshmen/sophomore division, where the team collected three division titles from sophomore Jesse Webb and freshmen Cameron Kelly and Austin Reese.
Throughout the beginning of the season, Ohio has been carried by some of its younger wrestlers. Freshman Shakur Laney, who didn't wrestle at Michigan State, wrestled at the EMU Duals and finished 2-1 last weekend.
“I’ve been feeling really good,” Laney said. “I don't have to starve myself to make weight, and I’m able to eat every day. I’ve been lifting every day and have been getting stronger.”
Redshirt senior Phil Wellington improved to 7-0 on the year and won his third championship in his weight class Sunday.
Michigan State was just one step in the right direction for Wellington, who hopes to finish as an All-American in New York City by the end of the year, he said.
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Redshirt senior Spartak Chino went 2-0 to start of the tournament before falling to Missouri’s Joseph LaVallee 3-2. Chino went on to win third place in his weight class, beating Wisconsin’s TJ Ruschell in a 3-2 decision.
“Our goal is to get better each week, and I thought we improved from last week to this week,” Greenlee said. “It was nice to see some of our younger guys win the tournament.”
The Bobcats will now turn their attention toward the Navy Classic in Annapolis, Maryland.
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