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Ohio State started the NCAA Wrestling Championships with hopes of being the clear second place team in the tournament, with an outside shot of taking home the title if Penn State faltered. Well, Penn State hasn't faltered. But even if it had, it was a rough day all around for the Buckeyes. They're still in the thick of the team race, and they definitely have a shot at second place, but the Buckeyes are nowhere near where they expected to be on Thursday morning.
The second session started poorly for the Buckeyes, as Nic Bouzakis was upset by No. 14 seed Jacob Moran (Indiana). Bouzakis came out on the wrong end of two early scrambles, and he just didn't look like himself on the mat. Maybe it's a health issue, or maybe he's struggling to keep weight down at 125 (he's a natural 133), but whatever the issue, he'll need to be healthy for the wrestlebacks or this could be a very disappointing tournament. If he is fully fit, though, he should be favored to at least reach the "Blood Round" and could still earn All-American status--or even go all the way to third place.
The day also ended poorly for the Buckeyes, as Nick Feldman lost at heavyweight to No. 21 seed Juan Mora (Oklahoma). Head coach Tom Ryan said on air in the morning session that Feldman isn't fully healthy, but he's still wrestling pretty well. He'll also have opportunities to go deep in the wrestlebacks.
Three other Buckeyes lost in the evening session. Dylan Fishback and Paddy Gallagher lost to better opponents. Gallagher actually relatively impressed in his loss, stopping No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn State) from earning a pin or Tech Fall for the third time this year. And at 149 lbs, Ethan Stiles seemed to run out of gas against No. 10 seed Aden Valencia (Stanford), giving up a late takedown to lose a match he controlled for the first five minutes.
As all season, the 133 and 141 lb weight classes were the bright spots for the Buckeyes. Ben Davino and Jesse Mendez both earned Tech Fall victories as they both look to be on the trail for podium finishes. Carson Kharchla also looks strong, though he has a very tough quarterfinal match upcoming against Patrick Kennedy (Iowa). Brandon Cannon was the fourth Buckeye to win in the evening session, scoring a late takedown for a dramatic comeback victory over Daniel Cardenas (Stanford). His reward? A quarterfinal meeting with No. 1 seed P.J. Duke (Penn State), who dominated him in the Big Ten Championships a few weeks ago.
In the team standings, Ohio State currently sits in fifth place, but only four points separate the Buckeyes from second place Nebraska. The problem for the Buckeyes is that all three teams ahead of them (not including Penn State) will have seven wrestlers competing in the quarterfinals, while the Buckeyes only have four. There are still plenty of team points to be earned in the wrestlebacks, but it's tougher. The Buckeyes will need to come out stronger on Friday if they want to stay around in the hunt for a podium finish as a team.
The next session (quarterfinals and wrestlebacks) begins Friday at noon Eastern.
125 lbs (consolation): Nic Bouzakis vs No. 29 Tyler Chappell (Pitt)
133 lbs (quarterfinal): Ben Davino vs No. 7 Lucas Byrd (Illinois)
141 lbs (quarterfinal): Jesse Mendez vs No. 8 Vance Vombaur (Minnesota)
149 lbs (consolation): Ethan Stiles vs No. 25 Michael Gioffre (Illinois)
157 lbs (quarterfinal): Brandon Cannon vs No. 1 P.J. Duke (Penn State)
165 lbs (consolation): Paddy Gallagher vs No. 31 Jared Keslar (Pitt)
174 lbs (championship): Carson Kharchla vs No. 5 Patrick Kennedy (Iowa)
184 lbs (consolation): Dylan Fishback vs No. 11 Shane Cartagena-Walsh (Rutgers)
197 lbs (consolation): Luke Geog vs No. 6 Justin Rademacher (Oregon State)
Heavyweight (consolation): Nick Feldman vs Nathan Taylor (Lehigh)
This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Four Ohio State wrestlers advance to NCAA Championships quarterfinals
Continue reading...
The second session started poorly for the Buckeyes, as Nic Bouzakis was upset by No. 14 seed Jacob Moran (Indiana). Bouzakis came out on the wrong end of two early scrambles, and he just didn't look like himself on the mat. Maybe it's a health issue, or maybe he's struggling to keep weight down at 125 (he's a natural 133), but whatever the issue, he'll need to be healthy for the wrestlebacks or this could be a very disappointing tournament. If he is fully fit, though, he should be favored to at least reach the "Blood Round" and could still earn All-American status--or even go all the way to third place.
The day also ended poorly for the Buckeyes, as Nick Feldman lost at heavyweight to No. 21 seed Juan Mora (Oklahoma). Head coach Tom Ryan said on air in the morning session that Feldman isn't fully healthy, but he's still wrestling pretty well. He'll also have opportunities to go deep in the wrestlebacks.
Three other Buckeyes lost in the evening session. Dylan Fishback and Paddy Gallagher lost to better opponents. Gallagher actually relatively impressed in his loss, stopping No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn State) from earning a pin or Tech Fall for the third time this year. And at 149 lbs, Ethan Stiles seemed to run out of gas against No. 10 seed Aden Valencia (Stanford), giving up a late takedown to lose a match he controlled for the first five minutes.
As all season, the 133 and 141 lb weight classes were the bright spots for the Buckeyes. Ben Davino and Jesse Mendez both earned Tech Fall victories as they both look to be on the trail for podium finishes. Carson Kharchla also looks strong, though he has a very tough quarterfinal match upcoming against Patrick Kennedy (Iowa). Brandon Cannon was the fourth Buckeye to win in the evening session, scoring a late takedown for a dramatic comeback victory over Daniel Cardenas (Stanford). His reward? A quarterfinal meeting with No. 1 seed P.J. Duke (Penn State), who dominated him in the Big Ten Championships a few weeks ago.
In the team standings, Ohio State currently sits in fifth place, but only four points separate the Buckeyes from second place Nebraska. The problem for the Buckeyes is that all three teams ahead of them (not including Penn State) will have seven wrestlers competing in the quarterfinals, while the Buckeyes only have four. There are still plenty of team points to be earned in the wrestlebacks, but it's tougher. The Buckeyes will need to come out stronger on Friday if they want to stay around in the hunt for a podium finish as a team.
The next session (quarterfinals and wrestlebacks) begins Friday at noon Eastern.
Ohio State's Next Matches
125 lbs (consolation): Nic Bouzakis vs No. 29 Tyler Chappell (Pitt)
133 lbs (quarterfinal): Ben Davino vs No. 7 Lucas Byrd (Illinois)
141 lbs (quarterfinal): Jesse Mendez vs No. 8 Vance Vombaur (Minnesota)
149 lbs (consolation): Ethan Stiles vs No. 25 Michael Gioffre (Illinois)
157 lbs (quarterfinal): Brandon Cannon vs No. 1 P.J. Duke (Penn State)
165 lbs (consolation): Paddy Gallagher vs No. 31 Jared Keslar (Pitt)
174 lbs (championship): Carson Kharchla vs No. 5 Patrick Kennedy (Iowa)
184 lbs (consolation): Dylan Fishback vs No. 11 Shane Cartagena-Walsh (Rutgers)
197 lbs (consolation): Luke Geog vs No. 6 Justin Rademacher (Oregon State)
Heavyweight (consolation): Nick Feldman vs Nathan Taylor (Lehigh)
This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Four Ohio State wrestlers advance to NCAA Championships quarterfinals
Continue reading...
