FINAL RESULTS
PHOTO GALLERY

WESTERVILLE, Ohio – Following an almost identical script to last season's dual, the Otterbein wrestling team was forced to strike another late rally in hopes of knocking off John Carroll during Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) action.

Unfortunately, it would be the No. 21-ranked Blue Streaks that would narrowly prevail once more this time around by escaping the Rike Center with a 24-21 triumph. JCU held on for a 25-21 victory last year on its home mat.

Otterbein won the same exact weight classes as last year's showdown, but was forced to start down 6-0 yet again after a forfeit in the 125-pound division. Senior Jackson Lakso (133) quickly got Otterbein on the scoreboard in the ensuing bout, scoring a 13-2 major decision and settling the night into a 6-4 team margin.

John Carroll (12-4, 4-2 OAC) then took advantage of four-straight matches with nationally-ranked standouts, opening a 24-4 lead and then attempting to hold on down the backstretch. Pins occurred at 141 and 149 pounds before the night's biggest matchup, pitting No. 15 Ryan Whitten of Otterbein against No. 9-ranked Sammy Gross of JCU. Both competitors found opportunistic moments throughout until the dust settled with Gross emerging 9-5.

Senior Willy Plaisir, always an entertaining fan favorite, scored an early takedown against No. 19 Luke Reicosky and found himself knotted in a 2-2 tie entering the final period. Plaisir had the choice and started down in attempt to find an escape point. He nearly sprung right up, but a crafty Reicosky held on to maneuver a takedown and subsequent back points in the same motion. Plaisir continued jockeying for position, but eventually had to settle with a 7-3 loss despite battling admirably.

Sophomore Joey Bradberry, fresh off his 174-pound victory at the Whizzer Open, delivered perhaps the moment of the night by staying the course and ultimately tallying six crucial points. He caught fire late, turning Vittorio Santillio and notching a pin with just 15 seconds remaining in the bout.

A major decision from No. 20-ranked Corbin Bunsold (184) brought the gap to 24-14, and improved his overall record to 31-5 this season. Sophomore Jarrod Setliff, who recently made a return from injury over the weekend, needed to post any type of bonus points to give top-ranked heavyweight Drew Kasper a chance in the final showdown…

A very energized Setliff started off strong with a 6-0 lead, but JCU's Christian Hipsher did all he could on the ground to prolong the bout and end up taking just a decision loss, at 12-7. That moved Setliff to 19-7 this year, but also made the team score 24-17 and clinched the night for the Blue Streaks.

Kasper, remaining No. 1 in the country, still gave the home crowd a nice show in the culminating bout with a 21-8 major decision. Battling an opponent roughly 30 pounds heavier, he scored multiple takedowns throughout and upped his record to 26-0.

Otterbein (14-6, 3-4 OAC) will have a full week off before hosting its final dual of the season next Tuesday, welcoming Mount St. Joseph to the Rike at 7 p.m. It will also be Senior Night.