TIFFIN, Ohio—With the Student Princes clinging to a 16-15 lead entering the final bout of the evening, William Painter defeated sophomore Justin Wharton (Oregon/Clay), 11-0, in the 165-pound match to lead Ohio Northern University past the Heidelberg University wrestling team, 19-16, tonight in an Ohio Athletic Conference dual match at Seiberling Gymnasium in Tiffin, Ohio.
The Polar Bears (12-4, 5-0 OAC) took the first two matches, beginning at 174 pounds, before junior 197-pounder Andy Lovins (Clinton Township, Mich./Lake Shore) scored a 7-2 decision over Michael Pawlitz, cutting the deficit to 8-3. Senior heavyweight Jerry Knapp (Columbia Station/Olmsted Falls) followed with a 5-2 decision over Cody Lovejoy to pull the Berg (4-8, 2-3 OAC) to within 8-6.
Sophomore 125-pounder Delian Schneider (Tiffin/Columbian) gave the Student Princes a 10-8 lead with an 11-3 major decision of Cole Cochran, a win that included a point for riding time.
ONU regained the lead in the next match, taking an 11-10 advantage as Jeremy Jones claimed a 9-3 decision from senior 133-pounder Jake Weisman (Bexley).
Sophomore 141-pounder Chris Osborne (McComb) snatched the lead back as he defeated Rudolph Pataro, 9-3, and junior 149-pounder Andrew Johnson (Weston/Ostego) extended the Berg lead to 16-11 with an 11-6 decision against Brandon Howes.
Needing a win in the 157-pound bout, ONU’s Michael Letcher scored a 15-4 major decision over sophomore Ian Gillespie (Cincinnati/Elder) to put itself in position for the win.
Prior to the match, Heidelberg honored seniors Knapp, Tom D’Alessandro(Mayfield/Mayfield Heights), Eric Phillips (Garfield Heights), and Weisman in a pre-match ceremony.
Heidelberg will have a week to prepare to host the 2012 OAC Wrestling Championship on Saturday, Feb. 25.
