Season Review: Wrestling finishes with 3 All-Americans, 9 Scholar All-Americans in highly successful 2022-23
By Wes Mayberry
ADA — The Ohio Northern wrestling team experienced a ton of success both on the mat and in the classroom during the 2022-23 season.
Under the direction of 35th-year head coach Ron Beaschler, the Polar Bears finished the season with a 20-3 record in dual meets, three All-Americans and nine NWCA Scholar All-Americans. Northern finished second in the Ohio Athletic Conference with a 6-1 record and closed the season ranked No. 13 in the NWCA Tournament Poll and No. 16 in the NWCA Dual Poll.
"It is always nice to win, but when you see the commitment that the wrestlers make to themselves and to their teammates in the offseason and during the season, it is so much more gratifying," Beaschler said. "Rankings are just a few individuals' opinions, but it does show that people are noticing what the team is accomplishing on the mat."
Sophomore Jacob Reed (Lancaster), senior Chase Sumner (Ada) and fifth-year senior Jordan Hardrick (Dayton/Wayne) capped the season by earning All-American status in their respective weight classes. The three All-American honors tied the program record for most in one season, matching 1994. Sophomore Gavin Layman (Chesterton, Ind.) also qualified for the NCAA Championships.
Northern's Scholar All-Americans included Reed, Sumner, Layman, senior Ben DePrest (Louisville, Ky./St. Xavier) and sophomores Adam Myers (Springfield/Shawnee), Cael Vanderhorst (Covington), Colin Mellott (Wapakoneta), Jayden Jones (Ashland) and Teagan Hendricks (Jamestown/Greenview).
The nine Scholar All-American accolades were a single-season program record, and the Polar Bears ranked eighth nationally in NCAA Division III with a teamwide GPA of 3.667. That marked the team's sixth all-time top-10 ranking in the NWCA Scholar Team All-America standings and best since a No. 5 ranking in 2010.
Individually, six Polar Bears posted 30-plus wins in 2022-23. That group was led by Reed, Hardrick and Sumner with 40-plus victories and also included Layman, senior Logan Painter (Marysville/Early College) and sophomore Dylan Le (Powell/Dublin Scioto).
The D3wrestle.com Freshman of the Year last season, Reed continued to build on his impressive career in 2022-23. After earning All-American honors with a third-place finish at 141 pounds as a freshman, he matched that this season to become the fifth two-time All-American in program history. Reed posted a record of 44-1, finishing one victory shy of the program's all-time single-season record set by current assistant coach Kyle Kwiat in 2012-13. He closed the year with 19 pins and 11 major decisions.
Reed won the Mount Union Invitational, ONU Invitational, Wilkes (Pa.) Open and NCAA Central Regionals and was named the OAC Wrestler of the Year as a member of the All-OAC First Team. He was named OAC Wrestler of the Week three times and was an Academic All-OAC selection.
In two seasons at ONU, Reed boasts an 87-6 record with 32 pins and 19 major decisions and is a two-time All-OAC and NWCA Scholar All-American selection.
"Jacob is an outstanding wrestler and student. He commits himself to his sport and his academics, and that is why he is one of the top wrestlers in the country," Beaschler said. "Being both an All-American and Scholar All-American speaks volumes about his level of commitment to both his pursuits in wrestling and engineering."
Hardrick finished the season with a record of 43-8, matching the third-most single-season victories in program history. He won the 165-pound championship at the NCAA Division III Central Regional Championships to qualify for the NCAA Championships, where he earned All-American honors with an eighth-place finish.
An All-OAC First Team selection, Hardrick placed second at the Wheaton (Ill.) Invitational and third at the ONU Invitational and closed the year with nine technical falls and eight major decisions.
In five seasons at ONU, Hardrick is a three-time All-OAC selection with a 118-45 overall record to go with 10 pins, 18 technical falls and 19 major decisions. He ranks sixth all-time at ONU in career victories.
"Jordan has worked hard at becoming a great wrestler throughout his career, and it was such a joy to see that hard work pay off when he became an All-American this year," Beaschler said. "He had earned the Scholar All-American accolades in the past, which is not an easy task when you're majoring in pharmacy, and by achieving the wrestling All-American status this year, it really capped off an outstanding career."
Sumner finished as the runner-up at 149 pounds at the NCAA Regionals en route to earning All-American status with a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Championships. Selected to the All-OAC Second Team, he was named the OAC Wrestler of the Week on Nov. 14 and won the ONU Invitational and placed second at the Baldwin Wallace Invitational and Wilkes (Pa.) Open. He closed the year with a record of 40-6 to go with 19 pins, five technical falls and five major decisions.
A four-time NWCA Scholar All-American and two-time All-OAC selection, Sumner is 98-18 with 43 pins, nine technical falls and 20 major decisions in four seasons at Northern.
"Chase is the local hero in Ada. Being from Ada and having watched him develop as a wrestler starting in the biddy program has been special," Beaschler said. "He has battled through injuries and has come out on the other side as an All-American and three-time Scholar All-American. Chase has passion in everything he does, and that passion and dedication has paid off for him."
Layman qualified for the NCAA Championships after placing second at 184 pounds at the regional meet. An All-OAC First Team and Academic All-OAC selection, Layman placed second in the Mount Union Invitational and ONU Invitational and was third in the Wheaton (Ill.) Invitational. He finished with a record of 34-8 with 12 pins. In two seasons at ONU, he is 60-32 overall with 16 pins.
"What a great story Gavin wrote for himself this season," Beaschler said. "He had a really good freshman campaign last year to work hard and be a .500 wrestler, and his work ethic and determination moved him to being a national qualifier in a 12-month period. Being a sophomore and a Scholar All-American and national qualifier, the sky is the limit for him."
Painter earned All-OAC Second Team and Academic All-OAC recognition this season after posting a 30-16 record with 15 pins at 285 pounds. He placed second at the Mount Union Invitational and third at the Baldwin Wallace Invitational and was fourth at the NCAA Regionals. He owns a four-year record of 60-49 with 27 pins.
"It is always gratifying when you see the light bulb go off and everything comes together," Beaschler said. "Logan has had his struggles during his career, but to see it come together and to finish off his career missing the national tournament by one match is a testament to his character and desire to keep moving forward no matter what."
Le was 32-15 with nine pins and eight major decisions at 133 pounds this season, which included a second-place finish at the ONU Invitational and third-place showing at the Mount Union Invitational. He placed fourth at the NCAA Regionals. In two seasons at ONU, he is 58-32 overall with 10 pins and 15 major decisions.
"Dylan took a big step forward this year on the mat," Beaschler said. "The sky can be the limit for Dylan, and I expect to see great things from him as he is starting to realize his potential and can transfer that confidence out onto the mat."
ONU finished second in the 20-team regional tournament this year, as DePrest (5th at 197), Mellott (5th at 125) and Hendricks (7th at 157) gave the Polar Bears nine top-eight finishers at the meet. Beaschler and Kwiat were recognized as the Regional Coaching Staff of the Year.
On the season, DePrest was 26-15 with 14 pins, Mellott was 26-6 with seven pins and Hendricks was 29-13 with 11 pins.
Other Polar Bears with 20-plus victories on the season included Vanderhorst, Jones, Myers, freshman Jackson Hawker (Perrysburg) and junior Jadon Brownlee (Powell/Olentangy Liberty).
Hendricks, Mellott and Myers joined Reed, Layman and DePrest as Academic All-OAC honorees.
As a whole, the team posted a 535-310 mark in individual matches with 215 pins, 47 technical falls and 72 major decisions.
Coming off such a successful year, the Polar Bears are excited to see what the 2023-24 season has in store for them.
"We cannot live off of what we accomplished this past season. Next year is a new year and a new team. The key will be for each individual to make a commitment to themselves and to their teammates. When that happens, great things, both academically and athletically, will happen," Beaschler said. "I am excited and looking forward to next year to see what chapter in ONU wrestling's history next year's team can write for themselves."