CLEVELAND, Ohio – A trio of prospective student-athletes have committed to the Cleveland State University wrestling program during the ongoing spring signing period.

Dylan Burns (Milan, Ohio / Edison), Caleb Cass (Lodi, Ohio / Cloverleaf) and Ben Smith (North Canton, Ohio / Hoover) have all committed to continue their careers as Vikings for the 2018-19 academic year.

Burns owned a 46-3 record as a senior before an injury he sustained in the 120-pound title match at the Sandusky Bay Conference Championships ended his season prematurely. He was ranked second in the state at his weight at the time of the injury. Burns won four matches to place fourth at 113 pounds at the 2017 Ohio State Championships. He had previously won the Plymouth sectional title, picking up four pins across his sectional and district tournaments, and finished the season with 48 wins. Burns also won four bouts at the 2016 state championships and placed fifth at 106 pounds. He posted a pair of pins at the state tournament as a sophomore and finished with 54 wins on the season. Burns won 39 matches as a freshman and qualified for the state tournament at 106 pounds.

Burns also helped Edison to a state championship in the team dual competition in 2017, winning both his semifinal and final matches to help the Chargers to a one-point win and a four-point win. Burns was also in the lineup when Edison reached the dual semifinals in 2015 when current Vikings Brady Barnett, Evan Cheek and Jacob Worthington were also in that lineup.

"Dylan is a lanky wrestler that has the ability to use his leverage as an advantage," said assistant coach Josh Moore. "We have a great group of Edison guys on our team already and are excited to keep the pipeline going with adding Dylan to our program. His coaches say that he is mentally tough and the hardest worker in the room. He will compete at either 125 pounds or 133 pounds."

Cass finished his career at Cloverleaf with 152 victories, including 43 in his senior season. Cass placed sixth at 152 pounds at the 2017 Ohio State Championships, winning a trio of matches at the event. Cass won 40 matches as a sophomore and also earned All-Gazette honors in his career from the Medina County Gazette.

"From the first time we met Caleb, it was evident that he was a great kid that was focused on being the best student-athlete he could be," Moore said. "His hard work and attitude will make him a great college wrestler and a leader among the team. He will compete at either 157 pounds or 165 pounds."

Smith placed fourth at 195 pounds at the Division I Ohio State Championships this past March. He went 53-3 on the year and also won the Hoover District and the Massillon Perry sectional, combining for six bonus-point wins and three pins, in those events. Smith also competed for Team Ohio at the Junior Freestyle and Greco Nationals last summer. He won four matches in the freestyle competition at 220 pounds and was one point short of earning All-American status. Smith was an All-Federal League First Team selection and also was named to the Northeast Ohio All-Lakes District Team for football.

"We were impressed with how Ben competed this season and his ability to score a lot of points," Moore said. "He is very athletic, has some great offense on his feet and feels comfortable from the top position. He started wrestling in ninth grade, so we are excited about his growth as a wrestler. He will compete at 197 pounds."

All three of the commits are accomplished in the classroom as well as on the mat. Burns carries a 3.7 grade point average and intends to major in engineering. Cass owns a 3.8 GPA and plans to pursue a secondary education degree with an emphasis on biology. Smith has a 3.6 GPA and intends to major in business.

These three student-athletes join a pair of future Vikings who committed to CSU during the fall of 2017.