WILMINGTON – The Wilmington College wrestling team hosted its first dual meet inside Hermann Court in seven years, falling 53-0 to Otterbein University Tuesday in an Ohio Athletic Conference dual match.

Head coach Justin Kihn was inspired by the chance to compete at home.

“We have been eagerly waiting to be in Hermann Court and represent Wilmington College in front of our home fans,” he said. “I can’t wait to see how much we can change and adapt to really make this an exciting environment for our fans and especially our student-athletes.”

The match started off with in the 125-pound weight class. Zack Gutknecht of Wilmington against Chase Nelson of Otterbein. The match lasted all three rounds with Gutknecht leading through two. The turning point came around the fifth minute. Nelson pulled a reverse, maneuvering his way from having both hands and both feet on the mat to gaining position behind Gutknecht. This forced him to the floor and earned Otterbein a four-point swing that ultimately decided the match by decision 9-6.

Blanchester graduate Clayton Schirmer lost by major decision 16-5 in the 157-pound weight class to Ryan Whitten.

“We showed a lot of fight in certain positions,” said Kihn. “Every time we compete, we learn more about ourselves and where we need to get better.”

This was Otterbein’s first OAC match this season while Wilmington falls to 0-2 in conference duals. The Quakers return to action for the Baldwin Wallace Invitational Saturday.