When Kent State wrestler Keith Witt (Oak Harbor, Ohio) first heard the idea of moving up to heavyweight for his senior season, he took it as a joke.  Just two years prior, he was competing at 174.

But as his junior year progressed, Witt became more comfortable at his new 197-pound weight class, winning 16-of-20 matches and a MAC title down the final stretch of the season.  With national champion Dustin Kilgore (Berea, Ohio) due to return in the fall, bumping up another weight suddenly didn’t sound like such a crazy idea.

Since his second appearance at the NCAA Championships this past March, Witt has worked closely with Strength and Conditioning Coach Bob Lemieux in a quest to put on more muscle and prepare to take on some of the biggest and strongest opponents in the nation.

Along with plenty of time in the weight room, Lemieux has put a strong emphasis on Witt’s nutrition and protein intake.  With over a month of summer break left, the results are already showing, as Witt’s numbers in the weight room progressively increase.

If Witt continues down his current path, he could accomplish a feat that is very rare in NCAA wrestling…become a national qualifier in three different weight classes over the course of his collegiate career.

Last season, Kent State won an outright Mid-American Conference regular season title, going 5-0 in conference duals.  Kent State also finished No. 13 in the final NWCA Coaches poll, its highest ranking school history.