MATCH RESULTS
PHOTO GALLERY

WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The Otterbein wrestling team opened its Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) schedule with a tough dual loss Tuesday night in the Rike Center, falling to nationally-ranked Mount Union by a score of 36-10.

The Cardinals, dropping to 3-2 on the year, will quickly regroup and get back on the mat this coming weekend at the Ohio Northern Invitational. Mount Union, slotted No. 22 in the latest national poll and featuring four ranked individuals, improves to a perfect 6-0 on the young season.

Otterbein fell behind 4-0 early on, but sophomore transfer Santino DiSabato gave the Cardinals their only lead of the night in the 133-pound match on an exciting pin with just one second remaining in the first round. A local Westerville native, he improves to a 7-3 record in his first year since transferring from Notre Dame College.

"I just stayed calm and focused on my positioning," DiSabato said of those closing seconds. "If you are relaxed and get to the spots you need to be, the match can be finished. I just acted as if I had as much time as necessary..

"I'm really happy to be back home and working as a student-athlete here at Otterbein," DiSabato added. "The comfort level makes it easier to perform both on the mat and in the classroom."

Mount Union seized control from there, accepting a forfeit win at 141 and then registering consecutive technical falls to open a 20-6 advantage by the midway point.

The closest and most intense match occurred at 165 between Otterbein's Willy Plaisir and Mount Union's Jesse Gross, who entered a combined 16-1 on the season and Gross ranked No. 5 in the nation. Gross took a quick 2-0 lead and then ultimately held on down the stretch for what ended as a narrow 5-3 decision.

The Purple Raiders clinched victory with a pair of wins in the next two matches until Otterbein's Drew Kasper (197 lbs.) tallied the final Cardinal points of the evening. Kasper, ranked 11th nationally, grabbed control early and never looked back en route to a 13-2 major decision. He had over four minutes of riding time and now stands a healthy 8-2 overall.

Mount Union finished with a first-round pin at heavyweight, and will continue its schedule at the Messiah Invitational this coming weekend.

Otterbein will be back in conference action on Tuesday, December 5 with a road dual at Muskingum. The Cards topped the Muskies, 34-18, last winter.

"We are capable of more than what we showed as a team tonight and it's certainly disappointing," DiSabato said. "We went over things afterwards in the locker room and will continue working towards where we want to be. I know we can bounce back."