ROANOKE, Va.-- The Ohio wrestling team opened the 2017 season on Sunday (Nov. 5) at the Hokie Open.

Ohio Top-5 Open Finishes
Junior Cameron Kelly (Bellbrook, Ohio) took second-place in the 133-class. Kelly opened the competition with a 19-6 major decision win over Newberry College's Nolan Whitley. In the quarterfinals, the junior would post an 8-2 decision victory over UNC's James Szymanski. Kelly would then produce a technical fall victory in 3:52 over Stanford's Gabriel Townsell to make it to the finals where he would face Virgina Tech's Dennis Gustafson III where he would suffer a 9-7 decision loss.

Redshirt junior Zack Parker (Felton, Del.) finished fourth in the 285-class in his season debut. Parker would first face Army West Point's Kyle Wilkins where Parker posted a win by fall in 1:59. Parker would then produce a 5-2 win by decision over UNC's Andrew Gunning before falling in the semi-finals to Stanford's Nate Butler on a 3-5 decision.

Freshman/Sophomore Highlights
Freshman Alec Hagan (Eureka, Ohio) would finish first in the 141-class in the Freshman/Sophomore bracket. Hagan took his first match of the season in a 2:13 win by fall over Appalachian State's Cody Bond before producing another win by fall performance in 3:52 over Limestone College's Phil Ruiz. The freshman would then produce his third win by fall victory of the day over Army West Point's Taylor Brown in 2:07. Hagan would then face Virginia Tech's Brent Moore and would post a 2-1 decision win to get to the finals. Hagan battled with Gardner-Webb's Denton Spencer and recorded a 4-3 decision to earn first place in the 141-class in his career-debut.

Sam Meddings (Fairfield, Ohio) and Steele Strout (Johnstown, Ohio) would both finish the day in fourth place in their respective classes. Meddings would compete in the 149-class where the freshman would post a win by fall over Duke' Colten Thomas in 2:20 before producing a 5-2 victory over Virgnia Tech's Brendan Grammes. Meddings would then face Army West Point's Knox Fuller where the freshman would post a 6-4 decision before falling to Army West Point's Will Lucie in an 8-1 decision in the semi-finals. Strout saw action in the 165-class and began the day with a 3-2 decision victory over Virginia Tech's Eric Hansen. Strout would then post an 8-1 decision over The Citadel's Stephen Alvarez before defeating Army West Point's David Russell in a 4-2 decision. Strout would then face Virginia Tech's Derek Ciavarro in a 3-2 decision win before falling to Chattanooga's Dominick Petrucelli in an 8-3 decision.

Redshirt freshman Joe Terry (Pickerington, Ohio) would finish third in the 174-class. Terry would open the season with an 18-7 major decision win over Southeast Regional Training Center's Aiden Henry. Terry would then face the Citadel's Michael Lopouchanski and post a 12-8 decision. Terry then fell to Duke's Matthew Finesilver in a 4:30 win by fall before posting a 3-2 decision for third place over Old Dominon's Dean Drugac. 

Hunter Yeargan (Wilard, Mo.) would finish fifth in the 184-class after facing teammate Robbie Bowers (Defiance, Ohio) in the consolation match for fifth place where Yeargan would win the spot in a 2-0 decision. Bowers started the day with an 8-7 decision over Old Dominion's George Walton III followed by a 12-1 major decision over Emmanuel's Seth Bell. Bowers then faced Chattanooga's Rodney Jones in a 3-1 decision. Yeargan started the day with a victory over Chattanooga's Rodney Jones in a 6-2 decision before taking on Virgnia Military Institute's Gage Levine in a win by fall in 1:26. Yeargan would produce another win by fall over Davidson's Joe Perino in 1:11. Yeargan then battled with Duke's Kaden Russell in a 5-2 decision before taking the fifth-place spot. 

UP NEXT
The Bobcats travel to Vestal, N.Y. to compete in the 2017 Bearcat Open on Sunday, Nov 12. Action is set to begin at 9 a.m. ET.

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