Drew Kasper arrived to Otterbein as the headliner of his longtime head coach Brent Rastetter’s inaugural recruiting class, helping resurrect a program that had been absent for over 40 years. He eventually delivered a standout career that saw him finish with a 108-13 record.

Kasper went 46-11 across his first two seasons competing at 197 pounds, reaching as high as No. 10 in the national rankings and repeating as first team All-Ohio Athletic Conference. He became the program’s first national qualifier at the end of his sophomore year.

The Lexington, Ohio native then moved up to heavyweight entering his junior year, and proceeded to compile a stellar 62-2 record from that point. Taking the mat at roughly 230 pounds in a division that allows competitors up to 285, he pieced together the perfect combination of strength and agility.

He went 32-2 as a junior, winning his first NCAA Central Regional crown and ultimately taking fifth place at the NCAA Championship to become the program’s first All-American. He took down defending national champ Jake Evans, 12-11, during that weekend.

His senior year in 2019-20 was even better, as Kasper went unscathed en route to a perfect 30-0 record. He spent almost the entire season ranked No. 1 in the nation, beating 10 nationally-ranked opponents and securing 19 bonus-point wins. After repeating as Central Regional champ, he ventured to Cedar Rapids, Iowa as the top seed in his bracket chasing a national title. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the tournament less than 24 hours before opening bouts.

Kasper finished as a 4x All-OAC standout, won Otterbein’s Male Athlete of the Year award twice, and became an inspiration to other student-athletes after sharing his battles with depression, anxiety and a learning disability. The program pioneer earned a degree in exercise science and health promotion to cap his career, and left a legacy that will not be forgotten.