BEREA, Ohio – After claiming its second NCAAA Division III Central Regional championship in three years and reaching its seventh straight NCAA Division III National Tournament, the Baldwin Wallace University wrestling team is set to return to mats after a 10-month hiatus on January 24 when the Ohio Athletic Conference Championship seasons opens.
Head Coach Jamie Gibbs, who is in his 11th season, returns 12 letterwinners, five NCAA Division III National Championship qualifiers, four All-Ohio Athletic Conference performers and four Academic All-OAC selections from last year's squad that went 13-3 overall, 6-1 in the OAC and won the NCAA Division III Central Regional Championship for the second time in three years.
In search of its fifth OAC title in the last six seasons, BW will be led by national qualifiers in seniors Stanley Bleich (North Ridgeville/Elyria Catholic), Dante Ginetti (Poland/Seminary), Dalton Leightner (Ravenna/Rootstown) and sophomores Doug Byrne (Wickliffe) and Jack Stanley (Brecksville/Brecksville-Broadview Heights).
Bleich led the team with career-highs in victories with 38 and a takedowns with 148. He is a three-time All-OAC selection, two-time Academic All-OAC performer, a National Wrestling Coaches Association All-American. Off the mat, Bleich is a three-time National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Scholar All-American team selection, a College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-American, Dean's List student, a Jacket scholar and a member of the Chi Alpha Sigma Honor Society. He enters his final season ranked 10th on the all-time wins list with 99.
Ginetti, who did not compete in 2019-20, is a two-time national qualifier that a posted a 25-8 record with 57 escapes 41 takedowns, 20 near falls, 14 pins, nine reversals, four technical falls and two major decisions in 2018-19. He is the 2019 NCAA Central Region Most Valuable wrestler and a two-time All-OAC selection. Off the mat, Ginetti is a two-time Academic All-OAC performer, a NWCA All-Academic team and CoSIDA Academic All-District 7 At-Large selection, Dean's List student, Jacket Scholar and a member of the Alpha Lambda Delta and Chi Sigma honoraries. He enters his final campaign ranked 22nd on the all-time victory list with 85.
Leightner led the team with a career-best 38 near falls. He posted a record of 28-10 and recorded 24 takedowns, 27 escapes and 10 reversals, career-best tying six technical falls, career-high six major decisions and five pins. Leightner is a NWCA All-American first-team selection and a two-time OAC Wrestler of the Week performer. Off the matt, he is a two-time NWCA Scholar All-American team pick. Leightner comes into his last season ranked 31st on the all-time wins list with 75.
Byrne had an outstanding first season as he finished with a record of 25-9. He led the team with 12 pins and tallied 43 takedowns, 43 escapes, seven near falls, four reversals, three major decisions and one technical fall.
Stanley finished his impressive rookie campaign with a record of 28-11 with 60 takedowns, 44 escapes, 12 near falls, nine reversals, seven pins, five major decisions and one technical fall. He was tabbed as an All-OAC and NWCA All-American second-team selection and the BW Rookie of the Year Award recipient. Stanley also earned All-Central Region honors with his runner-up finish that include a victory over the number one ranked wrestler.
Senior Tanner McHugh (New Ringgold, Pa./Tamaqua), junior Jarod Miller (Greenville, Pa./Reynolds) and sophomores Griffin Rathburn (New Albany/Bishop Hartley) and Luke Salmon (Sandusky/Perkins) are expected to have a major impact on the starting 10.
McHugh, who has compiled 63 victories in three seasons, had a record of 18-11 with 33 takedowns and 29 escapes. He also notched career-highs in reversals with five and near falls with four. McHugh is a two-time NWCA Scholar All-American team and All-Academic All-OAC selection as well as an All-OAC second-team pick. Off the mat, he is a Dean's list student, Jacket Scholar and member of the Chi Alpha Sigma Honor Society.
Miller had a career year in just his second season as he tallied a career-high 26 victories. He also recorded career-highs in escapes with 38, takedowns with 36, near falls with nine, pins with six, major decisions and reversals with three apiece and technical falls with two.
Griffin was named to the NWCA Scholar All-American team after posting a record of 23-11. He tallied 42 takedowns, 29 escapes, 16 near falls, five pins, five reversals, three major decisions and two technical falls.
Salmon was an All-OAC first-team selection and was named to NWCA Scholar All-American team after posting a record of 24-10. He led the team with 15 reversals and added 39 escapes, 30 takedowns, five puns, five major decisions and three technical falls.
Seniors Kevin Kelly (North Olmsted) and Ryan Orr (Wadsworth), juniors Andrew Bachie (Berea/Berea-Midpark), Aidan Cardaman (Geneva), Ryan Haas (Toledo/Maumee), Quinton Kelley (Akron/Archbishop Hoban) and Dominic Shelley (Mentor) and sophomores Zachery Anderson (Elyria/Midview), Conner DeBoe (Mentor), Luke Hopkins (Cuyahoga Heights), Joey Koplow (Newbury/Kenston) Drew Levis (Elyria) and Matthew Werts (Buffalo, N.Y. /Saint Joseph's Collegiate Institute) all have seen action and will provide BW veteran leadership and depth.
Freshmen Jackson Allen (Webster, N.Y./Webster Thomas), Jaden Hinton (Glassboro, N.J.), Hunter Kupniewski (North Royalton), Robby Palmieri (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland), David Panda (Columbia, Md./Atholton), Michael Petrella (Reynoldsburg/Bishop Hartley) who is the son of Alumni Athletics Hall of Famer Paul Petrella '79, Justin Ritchie (Carlisle) and Mitch Sanders (Newbury) look to make an impact this season.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Yellow Jackets will be competing in OAC dual matches only over a course of three Sundays at two locations each Sunday. BW opens the season by hosting back-to-back duals with matches against Muskingum University and Otterbein University on January 24 and then against Ohio Northern University and Wilmington College on January 21
The Yellow Jackets close out the OAC schedule on February 7 when it travels to Alliance for dual matches against Heidelberg University, the University of Mount Union and crosstown rival John Carroll University.
The 2021 season concludes with postseason action at the NCAA Division III Central Regional Championships on February 26 and 27 and the NCAA Championships on March 12 and 13.