B-W Senior Gino Russo Wins OAC Title at 165 Pounds; Qualifies for Nationals
BEREA, OHIO -- Baldwin-Wallace College senior 165-pound wrestler Gino Russo (Northfield Center/ Macedonia Nordonia) won the Ohio Athletic Conference title for the second straight year and qualified for the March 7-8 NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Russo had a 2-0 record in the OAC Tournament and improved to 24-1 this season en route to winning his second straight OAC crown. A year ago, Russo advanced to the Division III National Tournament where he earned All-America status with a sixth place finish. With his two wins, Russo also improved his career record to 89-26 overall, including 48-8 the past two seasons.
At this year’s OAC Tournament, Russo defeated Mount Union’s Mike Manypenny, 12-7, in the semifinal round and then beat Heidelberg’s Aaron Jonhenry, 11-7, in the championship match. The win against Manypenny avenged his only loss of the season. Manypenny beat Russo, 13-12, on January 15 in a match where Russo broke his hand in the first minute of the match, but still wrestled the rest of the match despite the injury.
In addition to Russo, senior 174-pounder Jeremy Feador (North Olmsted), freshman 184-pounder Andrew Scavuzzo (Cuyahoga Falls/ Woodridge) and senior 197-pounder Brian Haines (Amanda/ Teays Valley) each placed third, and junior 133-pounder Brian Bucher (Ottawa Hills/ Avon Lake), sophomore 141-pounder Eric Schubert (Oberlin) and junior 157-pounder Joe Incorvaia (Medina/ Highland) each placed fourth.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, please contact B-W Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple by telephone at 440-826-2327, by FAX machine at 440-826-2329 or via e-mail at kruple@bw.edu. To contact Head Coach Rich Fleming, please call 440-826-3258 or e-mail at rfleming@bw.edu. You can get all of the latest B-W athletics information by visiting our Web site at www.bw.edu/athletics