FOLLOW OHIO WRESTLING: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Ohio Wrestling's three NCAA Qualifiers wrapped up their first day of action at the NCAA Championships tonight (Mar. 21). No. 7 Peyten Kellar and No. 12 Garrett Thompson became the first Bobcats to win their opening NCAA Championship match since Mario Guillen in 2021.
Thousands of fans made their way across the country to Kansas City to watch 330 wrestlers from 68 schools compete on the brightest stage. The day was broken into two sessions. The first which included the opening round matches and the second, which entailed the round of 16 matches and early consolation rounds.
SESSION ONE
Redshirt junior Jordan Greer (Avon, Ohio), the No. 33 seed at heavyweight, Greer opened the day for the Bobcats, competing in a pigtail match against Indiana's No. 32 Nick Willham for a chance to face the top-seeded Greg Kerkvliet from Penn State. Greer and Willham went back and forth, but he was unable to come back against the talented Willham. Despite a strong battle, Greer fell in an 11-4 decision.
The 157-pound redshirt sophomore Peyten Kellar (Cutler, Ohio) was next up for the Bobcats, taking on a fellow Mid-American Conference wrestler, No. 26 Johnny Lovett from Central Michigan. Kellar had defeated Lovett in a 6-0 decision during the Bobcats' visit to Mount Pleasant, Mich. earlier in the year.
Kellar and Lovett both wrestled defensively, limiting mistakes while sizing each other up. After a scoreless first period, Kellar escaped Lovett's hold in the beginning of the second period to take a 1-0 lead. Lovett came back in the second, but Kellar was able to overcome a last second flurry to advance. With the win, Kellar became the first Bobcat wrestler to win an opening round match since Mario Guillen won by sudden victory in 2021.
Ohio's 165-pound redshirt sophomore, No. 12 Garrett Thompson (Murrysville, Pa.), entered his opening round match against Michigan State's No. 21 Caleb Fish. Like Kellar, Thompson and his opponent faced off in a dual-meet earlier this year. In January, it was Fish getting the better of Thompson with a 7-1 decision at Michigan State. This time, it would be different.
Thompson immediately jumped out to a 7-0 lead over Fish. A quick takedown, followed by a four-point near fall helped Thompson establish his advantage. Fish came back strong in the second, recording a take down of his own to close the deficit. The two dueled on the mat in the final two periods, with Thompson surviving a late rush from Fish. However, Thompson was able to defend and keep his back off the mat. Thompson closed out the win with a 12-6 decision over the Spartan wrestler. Thompson joined Kellar in the round of 16 with his victory.
SESSION TWO
As in the first session, Greer was the first to go for the Bobcats, facing another Big Ten opponent in Maryland's No. 30 Seth Nevills. The pair sized each other up in the opening minutes, but a take down helped Nevills build a lead. The Bobcat heavyweight attacked offensively, but could not get Nevills to the mat.
Ultimately, Greer's season would come to an end with a 8-0 major decision loss to the Maryland heavyweight. Greer had an impressive season, returning from an ACL injury to qualify for his first NCAA Championships and becoming the first Ohio heavyweight to qualify for the NCAA Championships since 2019.
In the 157-pound championship round of 16, Kellar entered against Iowa's No. 10 Jared Franek. Franek, an All-American at North Dakota State a year ago, posed a difficult challenge for the No. 7 Kellar.
Kellar and Franek went toe to toe for all seven minutes. Franek claimed an early lead with a take down, but a reversal from Kellar helped bring the score to 3-2 in Franek's favor after the first. The two traded escapes to make it 4-3 Franek in the final minutes of the match. Kellar went on the attack, looking to grab the winning take down, but Franek was able to escape the match with the victory. With the loss, Kellar's 15-match winning streak came to a close.
In Thompson's 165-pound round of 16 match, he faced off against Wisconsin's No. 5 Dean Hamiti. A two-time All-American, Hamiti entered the match with a 27-2 record on the year.
Thompson fell behind early to Hamiti after a quick takedown in the first gave the Badger a 3-0 advantage. The All-American would keep the pressure on Thompson in the second, recording another take down to extend his lead. Thompson tried to get back into the match, but could not overcome Wisconsin's 165-pounder. Hamiti secured his spot in the quarterfinals with an 11-0 major decision over the redshirt sophomore.
UP NEXT
Kellar and Thompson will return to T-Mobile Center tomorrow (Mar. 22) with a chance to become Ohio's first All-Americans since current assistant coach Cody Walters did in 2016. They will begin their matches in the second consolation round.
The first session will include the championship quarterfinals and second and third round consolation rounds will begin at 12:00 p.m. ET. The second session starts at 8:00 p.m. ET and will include the championship semifinals as well as the fourth and fifth consolations round. The fifth round of the consolation bracket will determine who becomes an All-American.
For more information regarding the 2024 NCAA Wrestling Championships, follow this link.
#OUohyeah
