College wrestling: Buckeye alum Eddie Neitenbach gets All-American honors at NCAA championship

CLEVELAND — Wyoming sophomore Eddie Neitenbach completed his first NCAA Division I All-America season without even breaking a sweat Saturday. The former Buckeye standout earned seventh place at 184 pounds when Oklahoma State's Zack Ryder medically forfeited their placement match. Neitenbach had defeated Ryder 7-2 in the second round at Rocket Arena on Thursday. "I'm feeling great," Neitenbach said after getting his hand raised. "It was a great tournament. I loved every second of it, spending time with my teammates, my coaches and my family. It's a blessing to be home and be able to compete. "It was a wonderful time." Throughout the tournament, Neitenbach won once by major decision and twice by decision, including a thrilling 4-2 win against Lehigh's Rylan Rogers in the blood round Friday after losing to Minnesota's Max McEnelly in the quarterfinals. Neitenbach got to celebrate his first All-America honor close to home, with family Buckeye coaches and others cheering him on from the stands. He gave up playing every other sport when he was 10 years old to focus on the mats. "I love wrestling. It's my passion," he said. "I knew it's what I wanted to do, and I embraced at an early age that if I wanted to be elite at this sport I'm going to have to work hard and adopt a mentality that elite athletes use. "I'm so grateful for the sport. It's awesome." Neitenbach, the sixth seed, finished the season 25-8 counting the forfeit by Ryder. He was 14-6 against NCAA qualifiers at 184 and won two matches by pin, five by technical fall and four by major decision this season. Neitenbach connected the success he's having with the Cowboys to his roots at Buckeye, where he practiced with fellow state champions and D-I competitors. "It's a testament to my coaches (at Buckeye)," he said. "A lot of those coaches are here today. Growing up, I was supported all the way through my journey. I had so much belief and support. It's awesome." Neitenbach joined former Ohio State wrestlers Nick Nutter (7th, 275 pounds, 1996) and Richard Burton (6th, 134, 1983) as Medina County natives to earn D-I All-America. Burton wrestled for Highland, while Nutter competed for the Bucks before going on to serve as an assistant coach. One of Nutter's students was Neitenbach. "He's been texting me all weekend," Neitenbach said of Nutter. "I really looked up to him because I considered him the best wrestler to ever come out of Buckeye High School. I think it's true, for sure. He's a great guy to be around with a great personality and a great role model." Contact John Urchek at jurchek@medina-gazette.com.