FINAL RESULTS
UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio – The Otterbein wrestling team got back to action Tuesday night after a full month away for the holidays, unfortunately dropping a narrow 25-21 Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) dual at John Carroll.
The Cardinals, hitting the mat for the first time since a come-from-behind win at Urbana on December 11, delivered another late surge this time around but came up just short. Despite winning five of nine matches on the night, Otterbein falls to 7-8 this season and 1-2 within the league.
John Carroll (7-2, 2-1 OAC), back competing after a two-week layoff since the Citrus Invitational in Florida, benefited from an early forfeit in the opening bout that would ultimately prove to be a huge difference. The Blue Streaks took a 6-0 lead and never trailed the rest of the way.
Otterbein junior
Jackson Lakso, ranked No. 10 nationally by the NWCA at 125 pounds, actually moved up a weight class and made a surprising debut at 133 pounds. He jumped on JCU's Spencer Dusi (15-7 record) from the start and eventually held on for a 6-3 decision, improving his record to 19-2 on the year and 3-0 against the conference.
John Carroll took control and built a lead going forward, winning the next four bouts to open a 25-3 lead after the 165-pound showdown.
Santino DiSabato (141 lbs) battled No. 13-ranked Jarrod Brezovec of John Carroll nicely before absorbing a 7-2 loss, and
Michael Duzzny nearly went to the last frame with No. 24-ranked Jarrad Lasko in the ensuing contest until suffering a fall very late in the second.
Otterbein, down but not mathematically eliminated, attempted to reassemble late with a handful of prime wrestlers waiting in the wings. Junior
Donny Didion showed impressive grit and determination to get the rally started at 174, trailing 4-2 in the final period before seizing control and securing a huge pin. That moment made the deficit 25-9 as a trio of nationally-recognized standouts approached from the Cardinal side.
Freshman
Jarrod Setliff, ranked top-10 nationally on the year for most pins, stepped to the mat with 15 falls in his 19 victories and needing more bonus points. Unfortunately, his opponent went into a bit of a protective mode as Setliff was only able to muster a 7-1 decision, officially clinching the match for JCU. He notched his team-leading 20th win regardless.
Junior
Corbin Bunsold, ranked almost the entire season at 197 pounds, made quick work of his adversary with a pin less than two minutes in. He moved to 18-1 overall, 3-0 within the league and recorded his 12th fall.
Otterbein made it four-straight wins to close the evening behind undefeated standout
Drew Kasper, who moved to 16-0 this winter with a comfortable 7-1 decision in the heavyweight class. The junior, also ranked No. 10 by the NWCA, remained unbeaten for his career in OAC action.
The Cards will now prepare for an important weekend up north, traveling to Baldwin Wallace for the OAC quad meet against Heidelberg, Muskingum and the No. 5 ranked host Yellow Jackets come Saturday morning. Action from Berea is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.
