Jan. 15, 2009
Complete Results
DEKALB, Ill. - In the first Mid-American Conference dual meet for both teams, Ohio avenged last season's loss and stole a one-point victory on the road over Northern Illinois, 23-22. The Bobcats improve to 6-4-1 on the season and 1-0 in MAC action, while the Huskies fall to 4-4 and 0-1 in conference.
Last season, Ohio fell to NIU 26-10 at home in The Convo, but this year the Bobcats would not be denied. Ohio jumped out to an early 6-0 lead, but NIU stormed back to win three-straight bouts. Ohio responded with three-consecutive victories of its own and got a crucial pin from redshirt freshman Andy Hartshorn in the next-to-last match to give Ohio the edge it needed. Both teams won five bouts in the dual, but the Bobcats earned the victory in a hard-fought effort.
In the first match of the night, redshirt sophomore Quentin Keyes won by disqualification over Tristen DeShazer. DeShazer was ranked as high as 14th in the nation in one poll and is the second-ranked wrestler in the MAC at 133 pounds. Keyes is now 12-8 on the year for the Bobcats.
At 141 pounds, sophomore Germane Lindsey was pinned in 4:36 by Pat McLemore, tying the match at six points all. McLemore is also second in his weight class in the latest conference rankings for NIU. Lindsey falls to 5-3 on the season, while McLemore is now 7-4.
The third bout saw Ohio's Kevin Christensen at 149 pounds face NIU's Steve Zimmerman. Zimmerman claimed a 5-0 decision over Christensen to give the Huskies a 9-6 lead. Zimmerman improves to 14-2 for the season, while Christensen has yet to win a dual bout in five matches this year.
At 157 pounds, redshirt junior Clay Tucker was pinned by Bryan Deutsch in 3:24, putting NIU ahead 15-6. Tucker is the top-ranked wrestler at 157 pounds in the MAC and is now 15-11 this season. Deutsch moves to 14-6 and 3-3 in dual meets this year.
Redshirt freshman Tommy Weinkam provided a lift for the Bobcats with an 8-0 major decision over Bryan O'Connor, making the score 15-10 in favor of the Huskies. Weinkam, ranked second in the MAC at 165 pounds, is now 9-3 for the season and 5-2 in duals, while O'Connor falls to 5-5 for NIU.
At 174 pounds, another redshirt freshman saw action for Ohio, as Nick Purdue has assumed the starting role for the injured and 20th-ranked Jacob Ison. Purdue continued Ohio's comeback, winning an 8-0 major decision over Derrick Yant to bring Ohio within one point of NIU. Purdue is now 15-9 this season and tied with Tucker for the most wins on the team.
Sophomore Erik Schuth battled with Brad Dieckhaus at 184 pounds for three overtimes until scoring an escape to give him the victory, 4-3, and put Ohio ahead in the match, 17-15. Schuth moves to 6-2 on the season and 2-2 in dual meets, while Dieckhaus falls to 5-4.
The Huskies retook the lead with Scott Penny's defeat of Chris Iammarino in a 4-2 decision at 197 pounds. Iammarino is now 12-11 this year and 3-6 in duals. After that bout, NIU led 18-17.
Hartshorn provided a key win for Ohio with a quick pin of Zak Saevre in just 33 seconds. Hartshorn moves above .500 for the year with an 11-10 record and a solid 7-4 mark in duals, while Saevre drops to 9-11 for the Huskies. Hartshorn's win put the Bobcats ahead for good, 23-18.
The final match of the night was the 125-pound battle, with Izzy Montemayor getting the best of Ohio's freshman Tim Silvers. Montemayor, now 19-7 on the year, won a major decision by a score of 12-3 over Silvers, who drops to 4-10. Montemayor's effort came up just short for the Huskies, however, as the final score stood 23-22 in favor of Ohio.
The Bobcats host the first of four home dual meets of the season this Sunday, Jan. 18 against Michigan State in The Convo. The match is slated to begin at 1:00 p.m. ET.
