Jan. 20, 2007

ASHLAND, Ohio - The Ohio wrestling team will look to improve on its 10-3 record in non-conference dual meets this Sunday, when the Bobcats battle three opponents at the 18th annual Wendy's Big Classic hosted by Ashland University.

Ohio (11-4, 1-1) kicks the day off at 10:00 a.m. against Appalachian State followed by a match up with Ohio State at noon. The Bobcats have the 2:00 p.m. match slot to rest before ending the day with a 4:00 p.m. contest against Cleveland State.

Ohio was last in action on Friday in a Mid-American Conference dual meet at Northern Illinois. The Bobcats went right down to the wire with the Huskies, but the end result was an 18-13 conference loss. The score was a vast improvement from last season's meeting, when Northern Illinois earned a 29-9 win against the Bobcats in Athens.

Prior to the meeting with the Huskies, Ohio enjoyed a 12-day layoff. The Bobcats went a perfect 4-0 in the first week of January with wins over Virginia Tech, Gardner-Webb, Campbell, and South Dakota State. Each of the victories came by a margin of at least 23 points.

Previewing the Competition
Appalachian State: The Bobcats begin the day against a familiar foe in Appalachian State. The two teams met earlier this season, when Ohio earned a 34-3 victory over the Mountaineers. Appalachian State is just 4-10 in dual meets on the season, with wins over Wagner, Duquesne, Eastern Illinois, and Gardner-Webb. Neal Martin leads the Mountaineers with a 19-12 overall record and a 9-5 mark in dual meets at 174 pounds. Scott Ervin at 149 pounds and Dave Hazell at heavyweight have each recorded 15 victories on the season.

Ohio State: Ohio will face its biggest challenge of the event at noon in a contest against Ohio State. The Buckeyes are 2-3 on the season in dual meets and 1-0 in Big Ten competition. Despite the losing record, Ohio State is listed as receiving votes in the latest USA Today/InterMat/NWCA Division I Team Rankings. All three of the Buckeyes' dual meet losses this season have come to nationally-ranked team. Ohio and Ohio State have each wrestled Purdue this season, with the Bobcats suffering a 26-7 loss and the Buckeyes earning a 28-6 victory. Ohio State has already faced on MAC team this season, a 20-18 loss to Kent State on Jan. 7. The Buckeyes are led by four wrestlers ranked nationally in J.D. Bergman (No. 3 at 197), Mike Pucillo (No. 3 at 184), Chris Vondruska (No. 15 at 165), and Lance Palmer (No. 19 at 149).

Cleveland State: Ohio's final competition of the day will come at 4:00 p.m. against Cleveland State. The two teams also met last season at the Wendy's Big Classic Duals, with the Bobcats earning a 21-18 victory. The Vikings are 4-2 this season and have won three of their last four contests. Cleveland State was most recently in action on Jan. 13 with an 18-15 victory over MAC opponent Eastern Michigan. The Bobcats defeated Eastern Michigan by the exact same score earlier this season. Sophomore Victer Crenshaw leads the Vikings with a 19-5 record at 157 pounds. Rashard Goff has also posted 19 wins with a 19-9 record as a heavyweight.

Previewing Ohio's Probable Starters
125: With junior Caleb Metcalf (Waterville, Ohio) still out due to injury, freshman Seth Morton (Canal Winchester, Ohio) has been filling in nicely for the Bobcats. Morton fought hard Friday against ninth-ranked Pat Castillo but fell by a score of 8-6. Morton is 7-8 on the season and earned two pins in three matches at the Wolfpack Duals.

133: Sophomore Terry Jackson (Uhrichsville, Ohio), ranked fourth in the MAC at 133, will see most of the time for the Bobcats at 133 pounds. Jackson got the meet off to a great start Friday with an 11-0, major decision win. He is 6-3 on the season wrestling at 133 pounds and 2-0 wrestling at 141.

141: Sophomore Albert Madsen (Strongsville, Ohio) wrestled on Friday for the first time since Dec. 9, and came through with flying colors. Madsen earned a 10-7 win over Northern Illinois. Despite his long layoff, Madsen is still ranked third in the MAC at 141 pounds. He is now 4-5 this season with one pin.

149: Freshman Clay Tucker (Martins Ferry, Ohio) looks to get back in the win column after a tough loss Friday at 149. Tucker, after losing nine straight matches earlier in the season, had won three of his last four prior to Friday's loss. Tucker went 2-1 at the Wolfpack Duals with a pin and a major decision victory and is now 6-12 on the season.

157: Sophomore Jake Frerichs (Uniontown, Ohio) saw his four-match win streak come to an end with a 3-2, overtime loss on Friday. Frerichs is now 9-5 on the season and 7-3 in dual meets.

165: Redshirt freshman Jacob Ison (Batavia, Ohio) was stifled in his attempt for his 23rd win of the season Friday against ninth-ranked Johnny Galloway. Ison fought hard but fell by a score of 5-2. He has posted a 22-8 overall record and a perfect 8-0 record in matches decided by a pin. He is 10-3 on the year in dual meets and is currently ranked third in the conference at 165 pounds.

174: Junior Antione Love (Gahanna, Ohio), ranked fourth in the MAC, also suffered a setback Friday but looks to get back in the win column Sunday. Love is 16-9 on the season and has posted separate win streaks of nine, four and three matches already this season.

184: Senior Nick Terbay (Dayton, Ohio) returned from injury Friday but faced a tall order in 16th-ranked Duke Burk. Terbay lost by a score of 11-4 and is now 7-9 on the season.

197: Sophomore Larry Reichard (New Albany, Ohio) earned a win for the Bobcats Friday at 197 and will look for more of the same. He has pushed his win streak to five straight and his season record to 15-9. Reichard has now won seven of his last eight matches.

HWT: Senior Marcus Adelman (Alliance, Ohio) also has a five-match win streak on the line going into Sunday. Adelman ground out a 2-0 win on Friday against Northern Illinois. He is now 12-7 on the season and 10-3 in dual meets.

The competition begins Sunday at 10:00 a.m. when Ohio takes on Appalachian State.