BUFFALO, N.Y.—The Ohio Bobcats Wrestling team had a stellar finish on day two of the MAC Championships, as redshirt junior Derek Raike (Point Pleasant, W. Va.), redshirt senior Sal Perrine (Northfield, Ohio), and redshirt senior Zayne Lehman (Akron, Ohio) each claimed individual MAC championships and earned bids to this month's NCAA championships.
 
This marks the first time Ohio wrestling has had three individual MAC Champions since the 1999-00 season, when Brad Wright, Dan Bednar, and Tim Coutard each won MAC titles. Ohio's three individual champions were the most of any team at this year's MAC Championships.
 
Overall, the Bobcats finished 7^th of 12 teams overall with 64.5 points. Rider won this year's MAC title with 102 points, closely followed by second place Lock Haven with 100 points.
 
Redshirt senior Garrett Thompson (Murrysville, Pa.), bounced back after a defeat in Friday's semifinals, defeating  Rider's Enrique Munguia in the wrestle back match to determine who would take the final NCAA bid at 174 lbs. Thompson won to become the Bobcat's fourth NCAA qualifier, their most since the 2022-23 season.
 
Thompson began the day for the Bobcats in the consolation semifinals, recording three takedowns and earning a bonus point for riding time in a 12-1 defeat of SIUE'S Dominic Lopez. Thompson then faced Edinboro's Tate Geiser in the third place match, earning a close 1-0 decision victory via a second period escape. Once George Mason's Logan Messer won the 174 lb. title, Thompson was set up for a wrestle back match with Munguia with the MAC's second NCAA bid at 174 up for grabs. Thompson battled to an 8-4 decision victory, coming back from an early 3-0 deficit via a second period takedown, two escape points and a final third period takedown to secure the victory and his second consecutive NCAA bid.
 
Raike led off the Bobcat's competing for individual MAC titles, battling Edinboro's Garrett McChesney. The two hand fought and traded attacks and evasions throughout the match. Tied at 1-1 after three periods, the match headed to sudden victory overtime. Both wrestlers traded attacks but again could not convert. Raike began the second period from the bottom position, and earned an escape point that proved to be enough to earn him the 157 lb. MAC Championship.
 
Next, Perrine took the mat in the 184 lb championship match, facing George Mason's Malachi DuVall. Perrine rode three takedowns and a reversal to a dominant 12-3 major decision victory over the 24^th ranked DuVall, earning the MAC title at 184 lbs.
 
At 197 lbs, Lehman faced a familiar opponent in Kent State's Blake Schaffer, who he defeated in the teams' February dual meet in a closely contested 4-1 decision. Saturday afternoon's meeting played out similarly tense, as neither wrestler scored in the first period. After allowing a takedown Lehman, entered the third period down 4-1, needing to score four points to earn a MAC championship. He did just that, earning an escape point after starting on bottom, and finally getting his takedown as time ticked away in the third, securing another dramatic victory and earning the 197 lb. MAC title.
 
Raike, Thompson, Perrine and Lehman will each return to the mat in two weeks' time at the NCAA Championships in Cleveland (Mar. 19-21). Brackets will be released this Wednesday (Mar. 11), stay tuned to ohiobobcats.com for the latest news and updates on the Bobcats at the NCAA Championships!

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