Trailing Ohio (5-2) 11-3 after four bouts, the Navy wrestling team (2-2, 1-1 EIWA) went on to win five of the final six matches to earn a 21-14 victory over the Bobcats Saturday afternoon at the Convocation Center in Athens, Ohio. Back-to-back victories by Navy in the middle of the lineup helped turn the tide, but it was rookie Sammy Starr's win by fall over Sean O'Dwyer at 165 pounds that shifted the momentum and gave the Mids their first lead at 12-11. Two bouts later, a 5-2 decision by 33rd-ranked David Key over Zayne Lehman at 184 pounds gave Navy the lead for good.

"We didn't see our best wrestling on the mat today," said second-year Navy head coach Cary Kolat (7-3 Navy, 46-43 overall). "Our guys need to be more aggressive - going under more and attacking more. You can't stand around and expect to win. The positive was our upper weights went out and performed today and led us to the dual win."

The Highlights
• Navy and Ohio split the first two bouts before the Bobcats won back-to-back matches, including a 15-0 (3:59) tech fall by 31st-ranked Alec Hagan at 149 pounds, to take an 11-3 advantage.
• Navy answered with a pair of wins at 157 and 165 pounds, taking its first lead of the day (12-11) on a Sammy Starr (Fr / 165 / Leechburg, Pa.) pin against Sean O'Dwyer with just over a minute left in the bout (5:54).
• Ohio momentarily retook the lead when 24th-ranked Sal Perrine dealt Navy's Cael Crebs (Fr / 174 / Montoursville, Pa.) a 7-5 loss.
• #33 David Key (So / 184 / Norcross, Ga.), however, put the lead back in the hands of Navy for good with his 5-2 victory over Zayne Lehman.
• A 7-0 shutout by Jacob Koser (Jr / 197 / Dillsburg, Pa.) over Carson Brewer gave Navy an 18-14 lead, however, the team victory was not sealed until the final bout of the day when Ryan Catka (Fr / 285 / Brookhaven, Pa.) scored a 5-3 decision over Jordan Greer to post the seven-point victory.

The Series
• Saturday's dual marked the inaugural meeting between the two programs.
• Cary Kolat, meanwhile, is familiar with the Ohio program, having met and beaten the Bobcats on three occasions as the head coach at Campbell.

Navy Notables
• Navy used its fourth different lineup in as many duals this season.
• Three wrestlers have participated in all four duals for the Mids this season - Josh Koderhandt (133), Andrew Cerniglia (157) and Jacob Koser (197).
• Eight of the 10 matches were won by decision, while just two bouts, one for each team (149, Ohio tech fall / 165, Navy fall), earned bonus points.
• Six bouts featured ranked wrestlers, including 157 pounds where both Andrew Cerniglia (So / Nazareth, Pa.) (#20) and Jordan Slivka (#26) entered the match ranked among the top 26.
• The win by Andrew Cerniglia marked his third win over a ranked wrestler this season.
• Andrew Cerniglia dealt Jodan Slivka just his third loss of the season and his first dual loss of the year.
• Three of Navy's six victories were by freshmen, including two key points of the dual. Making his first-career dual appearance, Sammy Starr gave Navy its first lead in the dual with his pin at 165 pounds, while Ryan Catka secured the team victory thanks to a 5-3 decision over Jordan Greer in the final bout of the night which also marked Catka's first-career dual win.
• David Key is now 2-0 in duals this season and 7-1 for his career.
• After dropping his first dual of the season, Jacob Koser has won each of his last three duals and stands 17-6 all-time in dual competition.
• Josh Koderhandt (Fr / 133 / Belleville, Ill.) and Andrew Cerniglia join Jacob Koser with 3-1 marks in dual action this winter.

A Look Ahead
• Navy will be back in action on Sunday when it travels to Cleveland State (7-4) for a 2:00 pm dual at Woodling Gymnasium.
• There will be no video coverage of the Navy-Cleveland State match.

Navy 21, Ohio 14
125 | Oscar Sanchez dec Jacob Allen (NAVY), 3-1 SV // Ohio 3, Navy 0
133 | #21 Josh Koderhandt (NAVY) dec Gio DeSabato, 4-3  //  Ohio 3, Navy 3
141 | Mario Guillen dec Tyler Hunt (NAVY), 6-4  //  Ohio 6, Navy 3
149 | #31 Alec Hagan tech fall Jonathan Miranda (NAVY), 15-0 (3:59) //  Ohio 11, Navy 3
157 | #20 Andrew Cerniglia (NAVY) dec #26 Jordan Slivka, 5-4  //  Ohio 11, Navy 6
165 | Sammy Starr (NAVY) fall Sean O'Dwyer, 5:54  //  Navy 12, Ohio 11
174 | #24 Sal Perrine dec Cael Crebs (NAVY), 8-5  //  Ohio 14, Navy 12
184 | #33 David Key (NAVY) dec Zayne Lehman, 5-2  //  Navy 15, Ohio 14
197 | #27 Jacob Koser (NAVY) dec Carson Brewer, 7-0  //  Navy 18, Ohio 14
285 | Ryan Catka (NAVY) dec Jordan Greer, 5-3  //  Navy 21, Ohio 14


### Go Navy ###