Otterbein wrestling returns after a 40-plus year hiatus

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In November 2016, Otterbein University’s varsity wrestling team competed for the first time since the program was cut in 1974.

As the Cardinals returned to the mat, the thunderous ovation from the crowd was just the beginning of what’s been an amazing year. And the season’s just getting started.

As the idea of adding wrestling back into Otterbein’s repertoire came to life, everything had to be built from scratch – the coach, the wrestlers, the practice space. After a thorough search, Otterbein hired Brent Rastetter as its new head coach.

Rastetter came to Otterbein after a decorated run at Lexington High School in Lexington, Ohio, where he had been the varsity wrestling coach for the past 12 years, during which he was named Ohio Cardinal Conference Coach of the Year eight times.

Rastetter is excited about his new role at Otterbein working on the NCAA-sanctioned, OAC-sanctioned, NCAA Division III wrestling team, he says.

“The most appealing aspect of this position was the opportunity to build a program from the ground up,” he says. “We’re going to focus on being the true student-athlete, promoting a quality education and walking out with a degree. At the same time, our guys will have the opportunity to compete at the highest level on the wrestling mat.”

With Rastetter in place, the next step was recruiting. Rastetter got to work right away, filling his 2016-17 roster with 29 student-athletes ready to give it their all.

Finally, Otterbein’s racquetball courts were torn down to make room for the wrestling team’s new practice space.

Once everything was assembled, the new Otterbein wrestling team began practicing at least once a day, determined to bring wrestling back to Otterbein in a powerful way.

Sophomore Gage Archer, a 285-pound heavyweight, says the sense of community among team members made it a great group from the beginning.

“Everybody just instantly felt like family,” Archer says. “I can hang out with anybody on the team. We’re all friends, and it’s such a close-knit team.”

The team kicked off its season Nov. 9 with a 36-10 victory over Thomas More College. Its biggest accomplishment so far was going undefeated at the John Carroll Duals in November, its 4-0 finish highlighted by a victory over No. 9 ranked Lycoming College. The team’s record stands at 7-1, its only loss coming Nov. 19 against Olivet College, and it placed sixth of 11 teams at the Ohio Northern Invitational Dec. 3.  

The John Carroll Duals sweep only foreshadows many victories to come, says freshman 165-pounder Donny Didion.

“To get off to such a great start as a first-year program is pretty impressive,” Didion says. “We have mostly freshmen on our team, and we knocked off the No. 9 team in the country. It shows that we have a lot of potential and a lot of great things on the horizon.”

The event Didion is most looking forward to this year is the national tournament, formally called the NCAA Division III Championships. It’s scheduled for March 10 in La Crosse, Wis.

“We have a few months of wrestling coming up before the national tournament, but we’re really looking forward to the challenge,” Didion says. “We have some really high goals for that.”

Archer echoes these sentiments.

“First, Coach Rastetter really wants us to place somewhere in our conference, the OAC,” he says. “Then, we have to focus on our next goal, which is to make sure we have quite a few people make it to nationals. Coach is really confident that we’ll have a good amount of people make it.”

For now, the new wrestling Cardinals have their sights set on improving each day.

Adam Prescott, sports information director at Otterbein, says that ushering the wrestling program back to campus has been an extraordinary process.

“That first home meet back in November was one of the most memorable moments in my nine years at Otterbein,” Prescott says. “The crowd was electric, and the ovation given to our team as they took the mat was amazing. I’ve also really loved working with Coach Rastetter and learning his vision for the program.”

The opportunity to develop a vision for the revived wrestling program is a chance for Rastetter to do what he loves, he says.

“Wrestling is my lifelong passion,” says Rastetter. “I love helping kids accomplish the same kinds of things that my coaches did. I’m really lucky. I’m living my dream job.”

As the Otterbein wrestling team grows, the wrestlers look forward to more wins on the mat, as well as camaraderie off the mat.

“All of us here at the Division III level, we’re not getting paid to do this. We’re here because we love it,” says Didion. “We love wrestling. We love being able to compete. We get to do what we love every day. Otterbein’s a great place, Coach Rastetter is a great coach and we have a great team. … Now that it’s back, Otterbein wrestling is going to be a special program for years to come.”

Otterbein will be back in action for the Ohio Athletic Conference opener Jan. 10 at 7:30 p.m., taking on Muskingum College at home.

Ann Poirier is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.

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