Percival Named MAC Wrestler of the Week

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Matt Rayal (Ohio Sports Information)
12/05/2002


CLEVELAND, Ohio - All-American sophomore Jake Percival (Elyria) earned the distinction of being named Mid-American Conference Wrestler of the Week, the league office announced Tuesday. Percival, who has started the season with 12 consecutive victories, has now won 50 of 54 overall decisions while at Ohio.     Percival, one of three returning NCAA qualifiers on the Ohio squad, remained undefeated at 12-0 in capturing his second individual title of the season at Saturday's Mat Town USA Invitational Tournament. He entered the competition as the No. 1 seed in the 149-pound weight class, and by winning all four of his bouts over the weekend, the standout sophomore has now come out on top in 40 of his last 42 matches. In a season-opening title bout at the Eastern Michigan Open, Percival defeated Michigan State's Karl Nadolsky.     During the first weeks of the 2002-03 season, the graduate of Marion L. Steele High School has recorded three victories by major decision with a team second-best two pins, tying him with teammates Erik Jones and Joel Weimer. He has also won two matches by technical fall. In the latest NCAA Division I rankings, Percival stands fourth nationally among all 149-pound wrestlers.     In 2001-02, he received the same award one time as the only Bobcat to gain such recognition. After winning a MAC Championship and finishing fourth at the NCAA Tournament at 149 pounds, Percival added conference Freshman of the Year to his long list of personal achievements.