NORFOLK, Va. – The Old Dominion wrestling team jumped two spots in the InterMat Division I Wrestling Rankings, coming in at No. 17 in the Tournament Rankings. The Monarchs stayed at No. 20 in the Dual Meet Rankings, while four wrestlers were ranked in their respective weight class.
The Wrestling Monarchs officially began their season this past weekend, as they traveled to Binghamton, N.Y. for the Jonathan Kaloust Bearcat Open. Old Dominion had a successful showing on Sunday, finishing the open with six placers. Tristan Warner won the 165-pound weight class, while Jake Henderson (285) and TC Warner (157) each finished second in their divisions. Austin Coburn and Michael Hayes won the consolation bracket to place third overall and Matt Tourdot rounded out the results with a fourth-place finish.
Throughout this season, the squad will host six dual meets at the Ted Constant Center in Norfolk, including a showdown with perennial powerhouse Missouri on Nov. 23.
All-American Jack Dechow (Richmond, Ill.) picked up a second-place ranking at 184 lbs. Dechow sits right behind All-American Gabe Dean from Cornell. The two wrestlers met for the second time in their careers at the NWCA All-Star Classic on Nov. 1, as Dean came out with the victory. Dechow finished the 2013-14 season with a 21-6 overall record and 11-3 in duals, taking down nine national qualifiers in the process. He earned a bid to the 2014 NCAA Championships after winning the 184-pound MAC title by defeating Northern Iowa’s All-American Ryan Loder. He currently holds a 55-18 career record and has beaten 11 national qualifiers during his time as a Monarch. Dechow was also ranked No. 2 in TheOpenMat.com rankings.
At 141 pounds, Chris Mecate (Highland, Calif.) improves to No. 5 this week after he went 28-9 a season ago. Mecate placed second at the MAC Tournament at 141 lbs. and qualified for the NCAA Championship for the second-consecutive season where he entered as the No. 5 seed. Throughout his sophomore campaign, Mecate took down 11 NCAA qualifiers. For his career, he has posted a 68-20 overall record and defeated 20 NCAA qualifiers. Mecate was also ranked No. 9 in TheOpenMat.com rankings.
Coming in at No. 11 is Alex Richardson (Jersey City, N.J.) at 149 pounds. The junior went 26-9 last season and recorded eight victories over NCAA qualifiers during the season. He finished second at the MAC Tournament and received a bid as the No. 16 seed for the NCAA Tournament, making his second-straight appearance. During his two years as a Monarch, Richardson has recorded a 55-25 overall record and taken down 12 NCAA qualifiers.
Brandon Jeske makes his season debut in the InterMat Rankings, coming in at No. 18 at 125 pounds. Last season, he placed third at the MAC Championships and reached a top-20 ranking in both AWN and InterMat polls as a true freshman. He finished the year ranked 20-15 and defeated five national qualifiers.
The Monarchs will be back in action next weekend when they travel to Raleigh, N.C. for the NC State Open on Sunday, Nov. 16. ODU returns home on Nov. 23 against No. 6 Missouri, which is just days away! Make sure you get your season ticket voucher books so you don’t miss any of the action! To order, please visit here.
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