The wrestling team came into Thursday’s match against Ohio Valley ranked No. 10 in the nation. Ashland head coach Tim Dernlan had to make some tough decisions and change his lineup due to injuries plaguing some of his starters. The injuries could not stop the Eagles, however, as they soared past Ohio Valley 45-6. The win moved Ashland to 12-2 in dual matches.

Coach Dernlan rested four regulars and the subs that took their places looked great. At 133, freshman Dan McNulty wrestled in place for Adli Edwards and won his match 13-2 in a major decision over Josue Rodriquez. At 149, junior Jacob Garringer took over for senior Marc Hoff and pinned Luke Parsons in 3:39.

Sophomore Jake Piatt wrestled in place of senior Tommie Graszl at 165. Piatt won his match by medical default. The last replacement, sophomore Corby Running, won a 7-1 decision over Chase Long. Running replaced freshman Joe Brandt even though Running wrestled for most of last season as a starter.

“Corby Running looked great, it was good to see him back in there and wrestling,” Dernlan said. “I was impressed with him.”

AU always has one match to look forward to, and that is senior Jacob Southwick wrestling in the 285 “heavyweight” class. This matchup usually features the biggest wrestler on each team and is always an exciting match to see with two giant man-beasts going at it. Southwick is a monster at over six feet tall weighing around 285 pounds. His career record is 51-22 and he has been noted as one of the best 285 wrestlers in the nation, setting a record of 18 pins last season. He is the third wrestler in school history to win 36 matches in one season.

Many fans go to see Southwick wrestle, and even though he did not pin his opponent he gave the crowd a show. Southwick’s opponent, Blake Lucas, lost 6-0 after the match was called for Lucas stalling. Lucas was warned early in the match when he first stalled in the match. After his fifth infraction, the match was stopped and Southwick was declared winner.

Other wins for the Eagles were at 125, where Brandon Davis won by forfeit, and 157, where Dan Genetin won by technical fall over Nicco Niday 21-6. At 174, Bryson Hall pinned Justin Smith at 3:21, and at 184 Kurt Schaefer pinned Seth Jack at 1:51. Ashland’s only loss came at 141 pounds, where Kyle Honeycutt pinned AU freshman Clarence Longley.

Ashland lost its last dual meet Tuesday to No. 16 West Liberty 21-17 at Kates Gymnasium. The Eagles’ next match is Feb. 25 at NCAA Regionals.