WVU Set To Wrestle Locally
By RICH GIBSONNCAA Division-I college wrestling is coming to the Ohio Valley.
Details are being finalized to stage a 2009-10 regular-season dual match between Ohio University and West Virginia's Mountaineers next February. The match will be held at Ohio University Eastern's spacious Health and Physical Education facility.
Veteran Bobcats coach Joel Greenlee discussed the first-time venture during last week's Ohio University caravan which visited Belmont County.
''It's unusual that we have an inordinate amount of home matches scheduled (next season),'' Greenlee explained. ''I approached (Ohio) administrative officials about the possibility of holding one of our home matches at a regional campus facility and they were very receptive.''
A OU-WVU match would permit valley fans an opportunity to catch a pair of local grapplers in an area setting.
Martins Ferry's Clay Tucker, OU's outstanding 157-pound captain, will enter his senior season this fall on the Athens campus. Tucker topped the Cats last season with 21 victories.
The Mountaineers, under the leadership of longtime coach Craig Turnbull, have a local wrestler on their roster. Dusty Hill, a redshirt freshman last winter, is a former Wheeling Park talent who was a four-time placer in the annual OVAC tournament.
''We recognize the Ohio Valley as a strong region for producing outstanding prep talent both from an individual and team perspective,'' Greenlee said. ''We think a OU-WVU dual meet will attract a very nice turnout.''
According to OU-Eastern Athletics Director E.J. Schodzinski, additional activities are being discussed.
''We're looking into the possibility of staging a preliminary high-school dual match,'' Schodzinski said. ''And we're also talking about conducting a (wrestling) clinic earlier in the day. We think this can be a highly successful event.''
