The Ohio State wrestling team earned a big commitment on Saturday as junior college national champ Dayton Racer announced his intentions to wrestle for Tom Ryan and the Buckeyes.
I am thrilled to announce that I have decided to continue my Academic & Athletic career at THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY #GOBUCKS pic.twitter.com/Xhj2w5xYBs
— Dayton Racer (@d_race138) April 22, 2017
Racer initially committed to wrestle for Virginia Tech out of high school, but opted to wrestle for Iowa Central Junior College for a season, helping the Tritons to a team national title as one of three Iowa Central individual champions. Racer earned the title at 157 in his freshman year, and will look to compete immediately with what is believed to be three years of eligibility remaining.
Racer is no stranger to wrestling at a new school as he grew up in Missouri before wrestling for two seasons and part of another at powerhouse Apple Valley in Minnesota. Racer then abruptly transferred to another Minnesota high school but was not eligible to compete in the postseason as a junior. As a senior, Racer again moved, this time competing for Bettendorf High School in Bettendorf, Iowa. Buckeye fans certainly hope that Racer sticks with the Ohio State program, as he is able to be a major contributor in an area of need at either 157 or 165.
At Apple Valley, Racer was high school teammates with 2017 NCAA champ Mark Hall, and he was teammates with recent Cornell transfer Fredy Stroker at Bettendorf, so he is no stranger to having an excellent training partner.
The Buckeyes will look to improve upon their 2017 finish at the NCAA tournament, where they finished runner-up to the Penn State Nittany Lions.
