Ohio (6-7, 1-1 MAC) will square off against the host Bulls at 9 a.m. Buffalo (5-3, 0-1 MAC) just cracked one set of national rankings with a 25th-place listing on WrestlingReport.com's national poll.
The Bulls feature three nationally ranked grapplers in senior 197-pounder Kyle Cerminara, junior 133-pounder Mark Budd and senior heavyweight Harold Sherrell. With a 30-0 record, Cerminara is the only undefeated 197-pounder remaining in Division I and is ranked fifth in the latest USA Today/NWCA/InterMat Poll and as high as second in other national polls.
Budd is ranked 13th by the NWCA and as high as 11th elsewhere with a 28-3 record and has won four tournament titles this season, including the Mat Town USA Invitational and the New York State Championships. Sherrell, meanwhile, holds a 27-5 mark and is ranked 15th by the NWCA and as high as 12th in other polls.
"Buffalo has had pretty good success so far this year but we've always wrestled well against them," said Bobcat head coach Joel Greenlee. "It's important for us to get back on track and we should be able to wrestle with each and every one of their guys."
Ohio has won eight straight dual meets against Buffalo but the last three have not been decided until the final match. The Bobcats won on criteria in a 16-16 tie in 2003, by a 17-16 score in 2004 and 20-13 last year.
With a 16-10 record, junior 184-pounder Brian Cesear leads Ohio in wins this season while sophomore 174-pounder Ryan Knapp (14-13), sophomore 125-pounder Caleb Metcalf (13-12), 157-pound redshirt freshman Jake Frerichs (10-4) and 197-pounders Nick Terbay (11-8) and Larry Reichard (10-6) have also reached double-digits in victories.
After facing Buffalo, the Bobcats will take on Ithaca at 11 a.m. and Delaware State at 1 p.m. A traditional power in Division III, the Ithaca Bombers are off to a 5-4 start and feature senior Jad Duca, who is fresh off his 157-pound title at the New York State Championships. Under a first-year head coach, the Delaware State Hornets are 0-11 this season in Division I.
"We need these matches," said Greenlee. "I think we've gotten a lot better since the start of the year but our biggest problem is inexperience. We lose matches by a point because our mistakes here and there really cost us so to make up for that, we need to be aggressive and we need to be in great shape."
Complete results of all three Bobcat dual meets will be posted here at ohiobobcats.com as soon as they become available.
Ohio's tentative lineup for Saturday:
125 - Caleb Metcalf (13-12)
133 - Terry Jackson (8-6)
141 - Albert Madsen (6-9) or Frank Brown (4-6)
149 - Aaron Gomoll (9-14)
157 - Jake Frerichs (10-4) or Mike Grandominico (1-7)
165 - Kent Smith (4-13)
174 - Ryan Knapp (14-13)
184 - Brian Cesear (16-10)
197 - Nick Terbay (11-8) or Larry Reichard (10-6)
HWT - Marcus Adelman (7-5)
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