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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Ohio Wrestling's redshirt sophomore Peyten Kellar (Cutler, Ohio) is one win away from All-American status at the 2024 NCAA Wrestling Championships. No. 7 Kellar was two-for-two in his matches in today's afternoon session (Mar. 22), defeating Northwestern's No. 25 Trevor Chumbley and South Dakota State's No. 15 Cael Swensen. 

Kellar was outstanding in his opening match of the day, defeating Chumbley by way of a 9-1 major decision. Ohio's 157-pounder jumped out to an early lead in the first period. A take down provided him with three points and added 45 seconds of riding time. An escape from Chumbley cut the score to 3-1. In the second round, Kellar grew his advantage with a quick escape. 
Entering the third round Kellar secured his lead with a four-point near fall in the final minute. He rode out his opponent for the final seconds to ensure a riding time point.

The redshirt sophomore's win helped him stay alive in the consolation bracket, advancing him to take on SDSU's Cael Swensen. The Jackrabbit entered the match with a 22-10 record compared to Kellar's 24-2 mark. Both sides played defensive for all seven minutes of the match. After a scoreless first period, Kellar quickly escaped Swensen's hold in the second to help him gain a one-point advantage. Entering the third period, Swensen took a neutral position. The two went toe-to-toe, but the period ended without a score and Kellar preserved his 1-0 lead. 

With the win, Kellar advanced to the blood round for the first time in his career and the first time since current assistant coach Cody Walter's won his blood round match in 2016. Kellar will face off against North Carolina State's No. 4 Ed Scott in the match. The pair faced off once before this season at the Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas. In December, it was Kellar who picked up the win over Scott with a 8-5 sudden victory. 

The match will take place in tonight's session, beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET. For more up-to-date information, follow Ohio Wrestling's Twitter account here. For complete information regarding the 2024 NCAA Wrestling Championships, follow this link. 
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