Wrestling: No. 3 Ohio State looks ahead to more Big Ten meets

Jake Rice
Fri, 31 Jan 2020 02:10:14 +0000
News, Sports, Wrestling, All-American, Big Ten, Buckeyes, buckeyes wrestling, Chase Singletary, Elijah Cleary, Ethan Smith, heavyweights, Hunter Lucas, joey mckenna, Ke-shawn Hayes, Keshawn Hayes, Kollin Moore, Luke Pletcher, Malik Heinselman, Maryland, Maryland wrestling, Nebaska wrestling, Nebraska, ohio state, Ohio State wrestling, Ohio State wrestling roster, Ohio State wrestling schedule, Ohio State wrestling tickets, osu, OSU wrestling, Tom Ryan, wrestlers, wrestling

No. 2 Kollin Moore gets his hand raised after defeating No. 19 Malik McDonald of North Carolina State University by major decision in the 197-pound bout, 15-6. Credit: Sal Marandino | For The Lantern

Now 4-1 in the Big Ten after a split showing in conference meets this past weekend, Ohio State won’t slow down with another two-meet showdown in the nation’s top league this weekend.

The No. 3 Buckeyes (8-2, 4-1 Big Ten) will face the Maryland Terrapins (2-11, 0-5 Big Ten) at home Friday before making a road trip to face No. 6 Nebraska (6-3, 1-3 Big Ten) Sunday.

“It’s going to be good coming home after two tough duals on the road. Definitely excited to get back to the Covelli Center,” redshirt junior heavyweight Gary Traub said.

Maryland sits at the bottom of Big Ten standings, having not won a single meet against a conference opponent and losing five straight meets overall. Against Indiana, the second-worst Big Ten team by record, the Terrapins came close Sunday, but still lost 19-16.

In Nebraska, though, the Buckeyes have another top-flight national program with which to test its mettle. The Cornhuskers have dropped three out of their past four meets, but each came to top 10 programs in No. 8 Wisconsin, No. 2 Penn State and No. 1 Iowa.

Nebraska fought Penn State to a tight 20-18 finish but was mostly dominated in a 26-6 loss to top-rated Iowa Jan. 18. However, Nebraska broke out of its slump this past Sunday, getting a sorely needed win against Michigan State to remain in the upper echelon of NCAA rankings.

“Just looking at the opponents we have left, we’re really excited. Have to keep doing what we’re doing, keep getting better and get ready for [the Big Ten and National Tournaments],” Traub said.

Even though the Buckeyes’ two opponents sit on opposite ends of the conference ladder this weekend, Ohio State redshirt freshman Sammy Sasso knows each meet must be treated with the same level of focus.

“You can’t overlook anyone,” Sasso said. “You can’t make other matches [more] important. You have to go in ready to give it all every time you step out there. It’s a grind.”

Sasso moved up to the No. 2 spot from No. 6 in the 149-pound weight class this week, spurred from upset wins against then-No. 1 Iowa redshirt senior Pat Lugo and then-No. 4 Minnesota redshirt freshman Brayton Lee on Friday and Sunday, respectively.

Ohio State head coach Tom Ryan made an adjustment at 157 pounds, moving redshirt freshman Quinn Kinner up from his former 133-pound distinction to replace redshirt freshman Elijah Cleary Friday.

There, Kinner will likely face either Maryland redshirt freshman Lucas Cordio or redshirt senior Jahi Jones –– both of whom Ryan said will serve as worthy adversaries in a closely contested matchup.

“It’s probably the biggest match of the night so we’ll give Kinner a shot and see how he looks against a high-level guy,” Ryan said.

A few possible ranked matchups to occur against Nebraska could end with potential upsets.

Ohio State redshirt sophomore Kaleb Romero – ranked No. 7 at 174 pounds – is the only Buckeye to potentially face two ranked opponents this weekend. Romero is in line to take on Maryland redshirt sophomore Philip Spadafora and Nebraska redshirt sophomore Mikey Labriola. Spadafora is ranked No. 24, while Labriola is ranked No. 6.

Buckeye redshirt sophomore Ethan Smith, ranked No. 13 at 165 pounds, has a chance to pull off an upset victory against Cornhusker senior Isaiah White, ranked No. 4.

Buckeye redshirt freshman Rocky Jordan – No. 24 at 184 pounds — is set to take on Nebraska redshirt junior Taylor Venz, who is ranked No. 9.

Ohio State will host Maryland at 7 p.m. Friday in the Covelli Center before traveling to Lincoln, Nebraska, to compete against the Cornhuskers at 1 p.m. Sunday.