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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A trio of Ohio wrestlers are set to start the 2024 NCAA Wrestling Championships this weekend (Mar. 21-23) in Kansas City. Peyten Kellar and Jordan Greer earned automatic bids from their performances at the MAC Championships while Garrett Thompson received an at-large bid.
Ohio has a strong history of competition at the NCAA Championships and are sending multiple qualifiers for the third consecutive season and eighth time in the last ten seasons. More than 230 Bobcats have qualified for the championships with four national titles being brought home to Athens. The Bobcats will look to claim their first individual national championship since Dwight Gardner took home the 158-pound title in 1998. Ohio will also look to have their first wrestler place in the NCAA Championships since current assistant coach Cody Walters placed seventh in 2016.
157: No. 7 Peyten Kellar vs. No. 26 Johnny Lovett (Central Michigan)
At the MAC Championships, redshirt sophomore Peyten Kellar (Cutler, Ohio) became the first Ohio wrestler to be named MAC Wrestler of the Year since 2005 and the first individual champion since 2017. Kellar enters the NCAA Championships in the midst of a 14-match winning streak and a 22-2 overall record. The 157-pounder is the No. 7 seed and is set to take on a MAC foe, No. 26 Johnny Lovett from Central Michigan.
Kellar has a 6-1 record against qualifiers in his weight class, including his win versus Lovett. During Ohio's trip to Mount Pleasant earlier this year, the Bobcats would fall to the Chippewas in the dual meet, but Kellar got the best of Lovett, winning by way of a 6-0 decision. Kellar is making his second appearance at the NCAA Championships. After finishing third in the MAC, Kellar was named the No. 26 seed but would fall in his two matches.
Lovett enters his match against Kellar with a 25-8 record and a 6-7 record against wrestlers in the field. Lovett placed third at the MAC Championships in 2024, but placed first in the MAC at 157 pounds in 2023.
A wiin for Kellar would mean a matchup against No. 10 Jared Franek Iowa (23-5) or Purdue's No. 23 Joey Blaze (17-10). The top two seeds in the 157-pound weight class are Penn State's Levi Haines (18-0) and Arizona State's Jacori Teemer (18-3).
165: No. 12 Garrett Thompson vs. No. 21 Caleb Fish (Michigan State)
Entering as the No. 12 seed in the 165-pound weight class, redshirt sophomore Garrett Thompson (Murrysville, Pa.) will take on No. 21 Caleb Fish from Michigan State. Thompson battled with Fish during Ohio's dual-meet with the Spartans in January. Ultimately, Fish got the better of Thompson, earning a 7-1 decision.
Thompson picked up an at-large bid to qualify for the NCAA Championships after falling in the 165-pound MAC Championship to George Mason's Evan Maag. Thompson has been consistently ranked throughout the year, and boasts a 26-6 record. In addition to his strong record, Thompson placed first in his weight class at the Southeast Open and fifth at the Cliff Keen Invitational.
During the 2024 season, Fish, a senior, posted a 25-9 record en route to his third NCAA Championships. Like Thompson, Fish also received an at-large bid after placing 11th in the very competitive 165-pound Big Ten division.
Advancing to the Round of 16 for Thompson would mean a battle against either Wisconsin's No. 5 Dean Hamiti (26-2) or No. 28 Chris Moore from Illinois (11-14). The top two seeds in the 165-pound division are Missouri's Keegan O'Toole (19-0) and Penn State's Mitchell Messenbrink (21-0).
285: No. 33 Jordan Greer vs. No. 32 Nick Willham (Indiana)
Rounding out the national qualifiers for the Bobcats, redshirt junior Jordan Greer (Avon, Ohio) earned a bid to the NCAA Championships with his third place finish at the MAC Championships. Ohio's heavyweight had a strong showing in Kent, going 3-1 including a major decision win over CMU's Bryan Caves to punch his ticket. Not only did Greer post a 3-1 weekend at the MACs, but he has won six of his last seven matches entering this weekend.
Greer enters the NCAA Championships as the No. 33 seed and holds a 14-8 record. In his first match, the heavyweight will take on Indiana's No. 32 seed Nick Willham. The winner of that match will advance to take on the No. 1 seed at 285 pounds, Greg Kerkvliet of Penn State.
Indiana's Willham enters his match with Greer after a 12-10 season. He claimed an automatic bid with a seventh place finish after winning his final three matches at the Big Ten Championships. If Greer defeats Willham in the opening round, he will take on No. 1 Kerkvliet who enters with a perfect 15-0 record.
For a schedule of events, the opening round matchups begin with the No. 32 seed vs. the No. 33 seed matchup on Thursday at 12:00 p.m. ET, followed by the rest of the opening round. The round of 16 will start at 8:00 p.m. ET on Thursday night. The quarterfinals and semifinals will follow on Friday at 12:00 p.m. ET and 8:00 p.m. ET respectively. The finals will be broadcasted on ESPN on Saturday night beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET. The consolation bracket will begin Thursday evening and wrap up early Saturday afternoon.
For complete information regarding the schedule, broadcast, brackets and more for the 2024 NCAA Wrestling National Championships, follow this link. Additionally, follow Ohio Wrestling's Twitter for live updates and links during the championships.
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