Ohio's success in the 2014 MAC Championships did not end on Day One, with two Bobcats claiming individual titles and one more punching a ticket to Oklahoma City for the NCAA Tournament.
Redshirt sophomore Cody Walters (174) and redshirt senior Jeremy Johnson (heavyweight) each won their finals matches Sunday afternoon to win conference titles. Redshirt junior Harrison Hightower (165) and redshirt sophomore Phil Wellington (197) also competed in finals matches, but were defeated.
Walters' victory came against Old Dominion's Billy Curling, who got the best of the Bobcats' 174-pounder earlier in the season during a dual meet. Walters was able to score a takedown late in the first period and ride out Curling throughout a vast majority of the match en route to a 4-2 decision.
Johnson hand fought his way through the first part of his finals match before breaking into the scoreboard with a second period takedown. After that, he was able to dominate the rest of the match, defeating Missouri's Devin Mellon with a 7-1 decision. Johnson's 3-0 performance in this weekend's tournament stretches his win streak to 15 straight matches.
Johnson and Walters' titles were each wrestler's second of their careers.
Hightower got a 4-1 advantage early in his match, but fell victim to a pair of takedowns at the hands of Northern Iowa's Cooper Moore, and eventually lost the match with an 11-5 decision.
Wellington's match against Missouri true freshman J'Den Cox didn't not come with the same promising start as Hightower's, with Cox jumpin ahead 4-0 earlly. Cox, who ranks second nationally among all 197-pound wrestlers, was relentless throughout the match, and handed Wellington a 10-1 major decision loss.
Redshirt sophomore Spartak Chino placed fifth in the 157-pound division to seal a spot in the NCAA tournament. Tywan Claxton began his day with a win, but lost his last two matches and will have to rely on a wild card berth to punch a ticket to Oklahoma City. KeVon Powell also claimed fifth place for the Bobcats.
Full Day Two Results:
Consolation Semis:
125: Corey Keener dec. Tywan Claxton 6-1
149: Tywan Claxton dec. Scott Mattingly 7-1
157: Joseph LaVallee dec. Spartak Chino 6-1
184: Philip Joseph dec. Ryan Garringer 8-3
Finals:
165: Cooper Moore dec. Harrison Hightower 11-5
174: Cody Walters dec. Billy Curling 4-2.
197: J’Den Cox maj dec. Phil Wellington 10-1
HWT: Jeremy Johnson dec. Devin Mellon 7-1
3rd place:
149: Michael Depalma dec. Tywan Claxton 5-0
5th place:
125: KeVon Powell dec. Barlow McGhee 3-1.
157: Spartak Chino fall Brandon Zeerip 6:23
184: Cody Johnston tech fall Ryan Garringer, 18-3.
True 2nd:
197: Phil Wellington dec. Shawn Scott 5-2
True 4th:
149: Robert Jilliard dec. Tywan Claxton 4-1
