Ohio traveled to Annapolis, Maryland, to compete in the Navy Classic. It was its second day-long tournament of the season.
Ohio had its ups and downs throughout the whole day, but Alec Hagan, Jake Walker, Shakur Laney and Zac Carson stood out. They each finished sixth or higher in their respective weight class, and as a team, Ohio finished sixth out of 18 teams.
Hagan dominated for a majority of the day and defeated his opponents with ease. After he won his first first four matches of the day, he earned a trip to the final round in the 149-pound weight class. He fell short to American’s Kizhan Clark in a 4-0 bout. The redshirt sophomore showcased his skills and continues to have a strong early season for the Bobcats.
Another impressive performance for the Bobcats was Walker. Walker placed fifth in the 197-pound weight class. This is the second time he has placed fifth in a tournament in his career after he placed it in Appalachian State Open in 2018.
After coming in second place in last year’s Navy Classic, Laney looked to repeat his performance from a year ago He looked to win the open this season but fell just short again and finished in third place. Laney fought hard but fell to Lock Haven’s Kyle Shoop in the semifinals.
Carson closed out the day for the Bobcats with a spot in the 157-pound weight class finals. He fell short, however, in an 8-3 loss to Michigan State’s Jake Tucker. Carson, a redshirt senior, has now lost to Tucker twice this year. His first loss came at the Michigan State Open earlier in the season.
Although nobody was able to win their weight class, they showed improvement from the previous tournament.
Ohio’s next match is at Chattanooga on Dec. 1 at 2 p.m.
