The semifinal round of the MAC Championships went over very well for Ohio, as four of its wrestlers earned a spot in the finals on Sunday, as well as clinched berths to the NCAA Championships in Oklahoma City in April.
165-pound Harrison Hightower, 174-pound Cody Walters, 197-pound Phil Wellington, and heavyweight Jeremy Johnson each will have a shot at MAC titles after winning their respective semifinal matches this afternoon. 125-pound KeVon Powell, 149-pound Tywan Claxton, 157-pound Spartak Chino, and 184-pound Ryan Garringer are all still alive for the Bobcats as well, and will compete Sunday for the chance to wrestle in the national tournament.
Hightower finished his day the way he does best, getting a second period fall over Northern Illinois' Shaun'Que McMurty. Walters had the most dramatic win, defeating Central Michigan's Mike Ottinger with a 3-2 decision that took nine periods to complete.
Wellington did a fine job controlling his match from the word "go", earning an 8-4 decision over Kent State's Cole Baxter. Johnson more of a dogfight from Northern Iowa's Blaize Cabell, but pulled out a 3-2 decision to seal his spot in the finals.
Claxton was the only semifinalist for the Bobcats to lose, getting upset by Old Dominion's Alexander Richardson in a 5-3 decision. He'll have a chance at third place in tomorrow's action.
In the consolation bracket, Powell came back from a major decision loss in the first round and earned a first period fall to stay alive in the tournament.
Full Day One results:
Preliminaries:
133: Justin Farmer dec. Sebastian Arroyo 7-2
184: Ryan Garringer dec. Cory Campbell 12-11
Round 1:
125: No. 3 Brandon Jeske maj dec. No. 6 KeVon Powell 13-0
141: No. 3 Joey Lazor fall No. 6 Noah Forrider, 5:20.
149: No. 1 Tywan Claxton maj dec. Nick Barber 17-7
157: No. 4 Tristan Warner dec. No. 5 Spartak Chino 8-4
165: No. 3 Harrison Hightower maj dec. No. 6 Derek Geoghegan 9-0
174: No. 3 Cody Walters dec. No. 6 Jacob Davis 5-0
184: No. 1 Jack Dechow maj dec. Ryan Garringer 13-1
197: No. 1 Phil Wellington dec. Jared Bartel 9-3
HWT: No. 1 Jeremy Johnson maj dec. Adam Robinson 9-0
Semifinals:
149: No. 4 Alexander Richardson dec. No. 1 Tywan Claxton 5-3.
165: No. 3 Harrison Hightower fall No. 7 Shaun’Que McMurty 4:36.
174: No. 3 Cody Walters dec. No. 2 Mike Ottinger 3-2.
197: No. 1 Phil Wellington dec. No. 4 Cole Baxter 8-4.
HWT: No. 1 Jeremy Johnson dec. No. 4 Blaize Cabell 3-2.
1st Round Consolation:
133: No. 4 Michael Hayes tech fall Sebastian Arroyo 15-0.
2nd Round Consolation:
125: No. 6 KeVon Powell fall No.7 Max Soria 1:44.
141: No. 7 Nick Flannery dec. No. 6 Noah Forrider 6-2.
157: No. 5 Spartak Chino dec. Wally Maziarz 4-2.
