Ohio Wesleyan head coach Paul Reid and the Battling Bishops are ready for Ohio Wesleyan's return to intercollegiate wrestling on Saturday, when the Bishops compete at the Adrian (Mich.) Invitational.
"We're excited and ready to go," Reid said. "It's been a long time coming. It will be an exciting year, seeing the growth of the individuals on the team."
The Bishops will have a talented lineup, although not all of the weight classes will be filled in the season opener.
Wrestling at 133 pounds will be freshman Jimmy Brenneman (Sagamore Hills/Nordonia), a district qualifier in high school, and sophomore Ryan McElwee (Pickerington/Central).
Freshman William Kennedy (Baton Rouge, La./Episcopal), a district qualifier in high school, is slated to compete at 141 pounds.
At 149 pounds, the Bishops have junior Allen Costa (Pickerington/Central) and freshman Max Beard (Palo Alto, Calif./Gunn).
The 157-pound class is the Bishops' deepest, with freshman Jaret Lowry (Litchfield/Buckeye Senior), a conference champion in high school; freshman Matt Hall (Bethel/Bethel-Tate), who finished seventh in the state high school tournament; and freshman Ross Eggleston (Lancaster/Bloom Carroll).
The Bishops could rack up some points at 165 pounds as well. Freshman Bryce Wittman (Nashville, Tenn./Montgomery Bell Academy) was a 2-time All-America selection and a state champion in high school, and freshman Caleb Blake (Tipp City/Tippecanoe) was a 2-time state qualifier and a conference champion in high school.
Freshman Connor Ryan (Westerville/Central) is slated to compete at 174 pounds.
Junior Pete Mihok (Newtown, Conn.), who helped his high school team finish as New England runner-up, will wrestle at 184 pounds.
In the heavyweight class, the Bishops have freshman Nathan Scott (Westerville/North), who won all-conference honors in high school. Sophomore Nick Azusenis (Powell/Olentangy Liberty) will join the wrestling team after the conclusion of Ohio Wesleyan's football season.
Wrestling was a varsity sport at Ohio Wesleyan during the 1920s, but was dropped after the 1926-27 season. Wrestling returned as a club sport in 1953 and was granted varsity status for the 1956-57 season, with Ray Leech coaching the Bishop grapplers until 1984, when the sport was dropped.
Since wrestling is not a North Coast Athletic Conference sport, Ohio Wesleyan is competing as an independent. The Bishop schedule is focusing on invitationals rather than dual meets this season as Reid wants all of his wrestlers to compete every week.
Ohio Wesleyan will compete in 3 more invitationals and the John Carroll Duals during the fall season, then resume in January with the Waynesburg (Pa.) Invitational, leading to the NCAA Division III Central Regional on Friday, Feb. 22, in Crawfordsville, Ind.
"The regional tournament is our national qualifier, and the lineup for that will be determined by competition throughout the year," Reid said. "With our schedule, it's possible to wrestle the same opponent multiple times, and that will be a good way to see if the guys are closing the gap or spreading the gap."