ATHENS, OH—The latest Division 1 weight class rankings were released on Tuesday (Dec. 9), where a season-high five Bobcats are recognized among the best in the country at their weight class.
Making his season debut in the national rankings at 157 lbs. is redshirt junior
Derek Raike (Point Pleasant, W. Va.). Coming off a weekend with three ranked wins at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, Raike is ranked 30
th by Intermat, 32
nd by Flowrestling and 20
th by The Open Mat. In Las Vegas, Raike rebounded from a round of 32 defeat to top ranked Ty Watters of West Virginia with a dominant 13-3 major decision victory over Wyoming's Antonio Avila in the consolation round of 16. Raike continued his momentum from there, rattling off decision victories over 33
rd ranked Drayden Morton of Cal Baptist and 14
th ranked Cael Swensen of San Diego State to reach the consolation round of four. After a defeat to 23
rd ranked Chance McLane of Arizona State, Raike rebounded to defeat 19
th ranked Jimmy Harrington of Harvard by medical forfeit to claim seventh place in the 157 lb bracket.
At 174 lbs, redshirt Senior
Garrett Thompson (Murrysville, Pa.) is ranked 10
th by OpenMat and Redshirt Sophomore
Jeremy Olszko (Northfield, Ohio) is ranked 33
rd by Flowrestling. Olszko holds a 4-4 record on the season and is an undefeated 2-0 in dual meets, including a defeat of 30
th ranked Luke Conden of Wisconsin.
The biggest riser in this week's rankings, redshirt senior
Sal Perrine (Northfield, Ohio) jumps 13 spots to 18
th in Intermat's rankings, six spots to 15
th via Flowrestling, and ranks 17
th via Openmat. Perrine had a strong weekend in Las Vegas, recording three ranked wins and placing sixth in the 184 lb. bracket. Pre-seeded 11
th, Perrine began his tournament with a 2-1 decision win over 18
th ranked Ian Bush of West Virginia. Following a decision loss to 10
th ranked Issac Dean of Iowa State, Perrine rattled off consecutive ranked wins, defeating 26
th ranked James Rowley of Purdue and 15
th ranked Aaron Ayzerov of Columbia by fall at 4:23. After a defeat to 12
th ranked Brian Soldano of Oklahoma, Perrine moved to the 5
th place match where he would again face Iowa State's Dean. After a hard fought battle that lasted into the third overtime period, Perrine narrowly dropped the match to finish the weekend in sixth place.
At 197 lbs, redshirt senior
Zayne Lehman (Akron, Ohio) is ranked 25
th via Intermat and debuts at 16
th in Flowrestling's rankings. Lehman also holds a 4-2 record on the season, including an undefeated 2-0 in dual meets with a win over 27
th ranked Wyatt Ingham of Wisconsin.
The Bobcats return to action on December 20, when they travel to North Carolina to face Davidson. The meet will start at 1 p.m.
#OUohyeah