BUFFALO, N.Y.—The Ohio Bobcats Wrestling Team took the mat on Friday (Mar. 6) for the first day of the 2026 MAC Championships. The Bobcats were led by Derek Raike (Point Pleasant, W. Va.), Sal Perrine (Northfield, Ohio), and Zayne Lehman (Akron, Ohio), who each earned spots in tomorrow's championship matches with strong performances throughout the day.
 
Redshirt senior Garrett Thompson (Murrysville, Pa.) won two matches, advancing to the semifinals before a defeat moved him to the consolation bracket.  
 
Raike began his day commanding 16-4 Major decision victory over NIU's Landen Johnson in the opening round, recording three takedowns and adding a reversal in the third period. Raike had another major decision victory in the quarterfinals, using three takedowns and a bonus point for riding time to power his way to a 12-4 major decision victory over SIUE's Hayden Whidden. In the semifinals, Raike battled George Mason's DJ McGee through a scoreless first period, recording an escape and a critical takedown in the second period to take a 4-1 lead headed into the third. Raike successfully fended off multiple attacks from McGee in the third period to hold on for a 4-2 decision victory, securing a spot in tomorrow's 157 lb. championship match.
 
Thompson recorded a dominant 18-1 technical fall victory over Clarion's Gabe Lily in the opening round, recording three takedowns and two nearfalls, the last that clinched the match in 4:48. In the quarterfinals, Thompson maintained control throughout his 8-0 major decision victory over Edinboro's Tate Geiser, recording two takedowns and earning a bonus point for riding time. After a defeat in the semifinals, Thompson moves on to tomorrow's consolation semifinals.
 
Perrine began his day in the quarterfinals after a first round bye, defeating Buffalo's Marcus Petite in a hard-fought 7-2 decision victory. After falling behind 1-0 to start the second period, Perrine responded with two takedowns as the second period ticked away. The last of the two came just before the clock hit zero, and was ruled three points following a successful challenge from Ohio's coaching staff. In his semifinal match, Perrine recorded two takedowns to power his way to a 7-1 decision victory over Lock Haven's Sam Gautreau.
 
Lehman dominated in his first match of the day, requiring only 1:35 of match time to defeat George Mason's Jack Kelly by 15-0 technical fall. Lehman recorded a takedown early in the first period, before holding Kelly in four point nearfall position three times in a 30 second span to end the match in 1:35 of match time. Lehman battled with Lock Haven's Tucker Hogan in his semifinal match, fighting through a scoreless first period until each wrestler was awarded two points for a reversal consecutively in the second period. Lehman took control of the match in the third period, recording an escape point and following up with a takedown, securing a 7-2 victory with a bonus point for riding time.
 
Tomorrow's schedule starts with the consolation quarterfinals at 11:30 a.m with the consolation semifinals set to start at 1:00 p.m. The Championship Finals will kick off at 3:00 p.m. with the 3rd, and 5th, place bouts starting shortly after. All matches will be streaming on ESPN+ and YouTube. 
 
Full Day One Results:

125 lbs:

• Archer Anderson (CMU) fed. Brayden Teunissen (Ohio), Dec 10-8
• Travis Clawson (Clarion) def. Brayden Teunissen (Ohio), Dec 5-1

133 lbs:

• Marcel Lopez (SIUE) def. Ryan Meek (Ohio), MD 11-0
• Andrew Austin (CMU) Ryan Meek (Ohio), TF 18-3 6:50

141 lbs:

• Charles Curtis (NIU) def. Kolten Barker (Ohio), MD 11-3
• Tate Hisey (GMU) def. Kolten Barker (Ohio), MD 11-0

149 lbs:

• Jimmy Nugent (CMU) def. Paul Woo (Ohio) Dec, 6-2
• Ryan Michaels (Edinboro) def. Paul Woo (Ohio) TF, 21-4 6:37

157 lbs:

• Derek Raike (Ohio) def. Landen Johnson (NIU), MD 16-4
• Derek Raike (Ohio) def. Hayden Whidden (SIUE), MD 12-4
• Derek Raike (Ohio) def. DJ McGee (GMU), Dec. 4-2

165 lbs:

• Chandler Amaker (CMU) def. Jack Lledo (Ohio), Dec. 4-1
• Drew Dixon (GMU) def. Jack Lledo (Ohio), MD. 18-10

174 lbs:

• Garrett Thompson (Ohio) def. Gabe Lily (Clarion), TF 18-1 4:48
• Garrett Thompson (Ohio) def. Tate Geiser (Edinboro), MD 8-0
• Logan Messer (GMU) def. Garrett Thompson (Ohio), Dec 7-6

184 lbs:

• Sal Perrine (Ohio) def. Marcus Petite (Buffalo), Dec. 7-2
• Sal Perrine (Ohio) def. Sam Gautreau (Lock Haven), Dec. 7-1

197 lbs:

• Zayne Lehman (Ohio) def. Jack Kelly (GMU), TF 15-0 1:35
• Zayne Lehman (Ohio) def. Tucker Hogan (Lock Haven), Dec. 7-2

285 lbs:

• Devon Dawson (NIU) def. Wyatt Schmitt (Ohio), MD 11-2
• Bryan Caves (CMU) def. Wyatt Schmitt (Ohio), MD 14-1

 
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