Wingrove looking to forge his own legacy at Ohio
Evan Wingrove knows all about legacy.
His father Robi was a Mid-American Conference wrestling champion for Ohio University back in 1993 and Evan has dedicated the past 13 years of his life to learning and growing in the sport.
Along the way, he’s left quite his own legacy at Heritage High School.
A three-time state finalist and the 2024 Class 4A state champion at 190 pounds, Wingrove will be wrestling for his dad’s alma mater after signing with the Bobcats in a ceremony this past Wednesday.
“It means a lot,” Evan said. “It just means all the hard work I’ve put in is finally paying off. I’ve been wrestling since I was about five years old. My first tournament was actually here (at Heritage), so it’s really nice to start it off here and end it here. It’s really rewarding.
“I’m just trying to follow in (my dad’s) footsteps and do the best I can and maybe outdo him a little bit. That’s the goal.”
During his time with the Generals, Wingrove became one of the program’s all-time bests.
Wingrove placed third at the Area 7-AAAA tournament at 138 pounds and qualified for state. Then as a sophomore, he went 44-6 at 160 and helped Heritage advance to the championship semifinals at the Class 4A State Duals. Individually, he won area and sectional titles before placing second at state.
As a junior, he went 50-5, earned another area crown and was third at sectionals before once again finishing as state runner-up, this time at 175.
However, the third time was the charm as Wingrove posted a dominant 51-2 record as a senior, winning the area and sectional tournaments before rolling into the 190-pound final at state. There, he defeated North Hall’s Ezekiel Harris, 10-5, to win his long-awaited state crown.
“I’ve been watching him develop ever since he was four or five years old and coached him on and off through that time and then the last four years in high school, which has been awesome,” said Generals’ head coach Mike Craft. “He’s worked hard over the years and it’s paid off. He’s developed into a team leader the last couple of years and I’ve been able to use him like another coach during practice.
“He’s been one of the most successful wrestlers we’ve had in the program and I’m looking forward to seeing what he’s going to be able to do at the (NCAA) Division I level.”
Wingrove said he can’t wait to get started at Ohio and wants to make the starting lineup sooner rather than later. He said he’s projected to wrestle at 197.
“I really like it up there and really like the guys up there,” he began. “They just seem to have a plan for me and I really like how the coaches are, just as humans in general. There’s going to be a lot of competition up there for me and a lot of big dudes I can work with. They were really interested in me and I also really like the campus. It’s just a nice place to be in general.
“I really don’t want to redshirt. I want to try to make the starting lineup (as a freshman) and I want to make everybody on the team better and get better myself.”
Wingrove, who also played linebacker and tight end on the football team and who was named the 7-AAAA Defensive Player of the Year this past season, plans to major in Information and Communications Technologies.