Old Dominion (0-1, 0-0 MAC) vs. SIUE (1-2, 0-0 MAC)
Match Info – Saturday, Dec. 18 at 7:00 p.m. ET
Location – First Community Arena at the Vadalabene Center (Edwardsville, Ill.)
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EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – The Old Dominion (0-1, 0-0 MAC) wrestling team will compete in its first Mid-American Conference (MAC) match on Wednesday, December 18 at 7:00 p.m. ET when it takes on SIUE on the road.
The Monarchs could have all five of their ranked wrestlers in attendance, as No. 4 Larry Early (157 lbs.), No. 13 Sa'Derian Perry (141 lbs.), No. 20 Shane Jones (165 lbs.) and No. 29 Will Hilliard (285 lbs.) are all scheduled to start, while one of either No. 11 Killian Cardinale or Michael McGee will get the nod in the 125-pound bout.
ODU last competed in the Patriot Open, where the team had six placewinners in the event on December 7. In their first dual meet of the season, the Monarchs fell against then-No. 9 NC State, 22-11. Both Jones and Cardinale earned victories against top-15 opponents in the loss.
In the latest MAC Rankings ODU garnered 25.0 points, placing it in second behind Missouri's 36.0 points. Seven Monarch wrestlers were also featured in the rankings, as Early, McGee, Perry, Jones, Kevin Budock, Antonio Agee, and Hilliard, all placed in the top-six in their weight classes.
The heavyweight bout could feature two ranked opponents, as Hilliard who sits at No. 29 in TrackWrestling's rankings is scheduled to take on either No. 17 Colton McKiernan or unranked Tommy Helton.
At 157, ODU's top-five wrestler Early will take on No. 23 Justin Ruffin, who has been off to a hot start this season, earning a spot in FloWrestling's top-25.
Currently, ODU wrestling is featured in the top-25 in both the Intermat team tournament rankings and FloWrestling's team rankings, wrapping up both lists at No. 25.
About SIUE
SIUE is in its first season in the MAC, and in the latest conference rankings, which was released last Friday, the Cougars were ranked 12th out of the 15 teams. In the individual rankings, SIUE had three wrestlers represented, headlined by McKiernan at 285 pounds, as the sophomore was ranked second in the MAC.
The Cougars come into the meet with a 1-2 dual record, defeating West Liberty and losing to both Chattanooga and Drexel over a month ago. More recently, SIUE played host to the Cougar Clash on December 7, where six cougars finished the event in the top-six in their weight classes. At 149 pounds, Tyshawn Williams was the team's top finisher, placing second, while Ruffin placed third at 157 pounds.
Ruffin has accumulated a 9-2 record so far this season, while McKiernan has gone 6-3 against fellow heavyweights, with his three losses coming due to medical forfeits.
SERIES HISTORY
The Monarchs and the Cougars have faced off against each other only one other time, which came last season when the Monarchs earned a 28-13 victory over the Cougars at home. In that match both McGee and Tim Young earned pins, while Perry won in a major decision, 21-9.
PROBABLE STARTERS
125: Michael McGee or No. 10 Killian Cardinale vs. Gage Datlovsky or Matt Malavsky
133: Shannon Hanna II or Steven Simpson vs. Jacob Blaha
141: No. 13 Sa'Derian Perry vs. Saul Ervin
149: Kevin Budock vs. Max Kristoff or Tyshawn Williams
157: No. 4 Larry Early vs. No. 23 Justin Ruffin
165: No. 20 Shane Jones vs. Chase Diehl
174: Luke Drugac vs. Kevin Gschwendtner
184: Antonio Agee vs. Ryan Yarnell
197: Tim Young vs. Aric Bohn
285: No. 29 Will Hilliard vs. No. 17 Colton McKiernan or Tommy Helton
Wrestling Opens MAC Action Against SIUE on Wednesday
