No. 4 ranked Ohio State travelled east to take on the Maryland Terrapins on Sunday, but the Buckeyes had to battle back to defeat the Terps 30-12 after a slow start.

Maryland took an early 6-0 lead as the Buckeyes forfeited at 125. No reason was given for Jose Rodriguez’ absence from the match.

Top-ranked Nathan Tomasello remained perfect on the season with a 15-5 major decision over Billy Rappo at 133 lbs. Tomasello improves to 10-0 on the season and pulled the Buckeyes to within two points heading into 141.

At 141, No. 14 Luke Pletcher had a workman-like effort on his way to a 16-7 major decision over Maryland’s Jhared Simmons. Pletcher was able to score takedowns with relative ease, which is imperative as the Buckeyes prepare for a brutal conference schedule in the next two weeks. Pletcher momentarily gave the Buckeyes an 8-6 lead heading into 149.

The anticipated match between No. 5 Micah Jordan and No. 15 Alfred Bannister didn’t come to fruition and Blake Riley-Hawkins represented the Buckeyes at 149 while Adam Whitesel wrestled for Maryland. After a back and forth affair, Whitesel was able to pin Riley-Hawkins, regaining the lead for Maryland 12-8.

Jake Ryan was able to get another win under his belt as he snuck by with a close 3-2 decision over a tough Justin Alexander at 157. Ryan improves to 10-7 on the season and pulled the Buckeyes to within one halfway through the dual.

Cody Burcher also notched another one in the win column with a 6-2 decision over Patrick Gerish. Following the victory, Burcher improves to 14-8 on the season. The Buckeyes took a 14-12 lead with Burcher’s decision victory.

Top-ranked Bo Jordan was not in the lineup for the Buckeyes, but Justin Kresevic stepped in to secure the 3-2 decision over Josh Ugalde at 174. Kresevic gave the Buckeyes a 17-12 lead with just three matches remaining.

Myles Martin showed why he is ranked in the top ten with a 16-6 major decision over Maryland’s Sam Rowell at 184. Martin utilized a number of quick takedowns to give himself some breathing room in the match.

Speaking of takedowns, No. 5 Kollin Moore didn’t want to be outdone by Martin, so he put on a takedown clinic of his own against fellow Ohioan David-Brian Whisler at 197. Moore logged yet another major decision on the season with a 17-7 victory and secured the match for the Buckeyes with a 25-12 lead.

In the final match of the day, top-ranked Kyle Snyder demonstrated that heavyweight matches don’t have to be 2-1 snoozefests when he met Maryland’s Youssif Hemida. Snyder scored yet another tech fall and defeated Hemida 22-7 early in the third period. With the win, Snyder moves up to 6-0 on the season. After Snyder’s tech fall, the Buckeyes earned the 30-12 victory.

The Buckeyes will be in action next friday when they travel to Iowa City to take on the No. 3 Hawkeyes in what is sure to be an exciting match. The match will air live on BTN at 8 PM on Friday night. Check back with Eleven Warriors later in the week for a full preview of the match between top five teams.

On Friday night, the No. 4 ranked Buckeye wrestlers will take a serious step up in competition as they head west to Carver-Hawkeye Arena to take on the No. 3 Iowa Hawkeyes in what promises to be an exciting dual. Not only are the teams evenly matched, but the dual features three weight classes that will have wrestlers from each team ranked in the top ten.

Iowans can be passionate about their wrestlers and Carver Hawkeye can be vocal enough to make the Roman Colosseum spectators look tame in comparison. Though Tom Ryan has a young team in comparison to the Hawkeyes, the Buckeyes already appear to know what will be waiting for them in Iowa City.

The match will take place on Friday night at 8 PM ET and will air live on BTN. Let’s take a look at what to expect when the two top five teams butt heads on national television.

IOWA HAWKEYES

7-2 overall, 3-1 Big Ten ROSTER | SCHEDULE

8:00 PM – FRIDAY, JAN. 27 CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA IOWA CITY, IOWA

LIVE ON BTN

HAWKEYESPORTS.COM

The No. 3 IOWA HAWKEYES (7-2)

Head Coach: Tom Brands

Tom Brands is in just his eleventh year at the helm of the Hawkeye program, though it seems far longer to Iowa’s opponents. Brands learned his craft under legendary coach Dan Gable and was Gable’s right hand man for over a decade before taking over at Virginia Tech. Brands helped to revive the Hokie program before returning to his alma mater to inject some life into a stagnating Hawkeye program. In Brands’ ten years to date as Iowa head coach, he has led the team to three NCAA titles, four Big Ten titles, nine individual NCAA champions, and four seasons in which the Hawkeyes sent all ten wrestlers to the NCAA tournament.

As a wrestler himself, Brands won an Olympic gold medal in 1996 at the Atlanta games to go along with a handful of other world gold medals. Brands was three-time NCAA and Big Ten champion and was a four-time All-American for the Hawkeyes under the watchful eye of Dan Gable. Tom is a member of the wrestling Hall of Fame as a 2001 inductee.

Joining Tom on staff is his twin brother Terry, who was an Olympic bronze medalist at the 2000 Olympics. Terry was a two-time NCAA champion and won three Big Ten titles as an Iowa Hawkeye. In addition to the Brands brothers, Ryan Morningstar (Iowa), Ben Berhow (Minnesota), Luke Eustice (Iowa), and Travis Rutt (Wisconsin/Oklahoma) make up the Iowa coaching staff.

Ohioans on the Iowa Roster

Alex Marinelli (Fr, 165)
Marinelli was yet another wrestler in the long line of four-time state champions from Graham High School in St. Paris joining current Buckeye wrestlers Bo Jordan and Micah Jordan, among others. Marinelli led the team to four team state titles in Division II and rolled to a 200-4 career record. Alex initially committed to wrestle for Ohio State before flipping to sign with Iowa. Marinelli will redshirt this season.

Notable Hawkeye Wrestlers

#1 Thomas Gilman (RS Sr, 125)
Thomas Gilman could be compared to Urban Meyer, if you stop and take a minute to think about it. Prior to his days prowling Ohio State's sidelines, I viewed Meyer as a bully that kept his foot on the gas pedal and lit up the scoreboard to let the opponent know who was boss. Now that he's the Buckeye head coach, I am a big fan of his aggressive nature. 

That’s how I feel about Gilman; he is an intense wrestler that looks to punish his opponent for the duration of the match (and sometimes after the whistle, as well).  He is one of the lone legitimate villains in the relatively vanilla world of college wrestling, but if he were in a Buckeye singlet, he’d be among my favorites because of his aggressive style and no-nonsense demeanor. Gilman is a two-time All-American, finishing last year in second place behind nemesis Nico Megaludis. He’s undefeated this season with 16 of his 18 wins by bonus points.

#4 Cory Clark (RS Sr, 133)
Clark has been a force in the Big Ten since his freshman season, finishing fifth, second, and second at the NCAA tournament in three tries. His lone loss this season was a one point decision to No. 3 Kaid Brock of Oklahoma State. Clark is among the top contenders for the NCAA title when March rolls around, but he’ll have some tough competition, notably from fellow Big Ten wrestlers.

#3 Brandon Sorensen (RS Jr, 149)
Sorensen is a two-time All-American, finishing fourth and second (to Zain Retherford of Penn State) in his first two seasons. He won the Midlands earlier this season, but is currently riding a two match losing streak. For those thinking Sorensen is in a mid-season slump, he lost the last two matches in the TB2 period to each of the two wrestlers ranked above him (he’s currently No. 3, so that gives him losses only to Retherford and Anthony Collica of Oklahoma State).

Key Matchups

In a match between two powerhouse programs like this one, each match can technically be considered a key match. Since the dual is airing live on Big Ten Network, let’s take a look at each individual match to give even the most casual fan an idea of what to expect.

125: #18 Jose Rodriguez (11-4)  vs #1 Thomas Gilman (18-0)

I’ve already covered Gilman to a certain extent above, but there’s something to be said for a guy with his mindset on the mat. While you know exactly what you’re going to get when Gilman toes the line, Rodriguez has been a bit of a mystery to this point in the season. Rodriguez looked excellent in narrow losses to Cruz of Lehigh and Dance of VT, but he was defeated handily by an experienced Johnny Jimenez (Wisconsin) and unknown Travis Piotrowski of Illinois. Rodriguez was out of the Maryland match due to illness, but he’ll need to be at full speed if he is going to have any shot of slowing Gilman’s offense.

133: #1 Nathan Tomasello (10-0)  vs #4 Cory Clark (10-1)
The bout at 133 is one of the more-anticipated matches of the dual between two of the top wrestlers in the country. Top-ranked Tomasello is the more aggressive of the two wrestlers and looks to score every chance he can get. Clark, on the other hand, tends to find himself in matches decided by a point or two. Of Clark’s six bonus point victories this season, five of them came against wrestlers from non-Division I programs early in the season. Clark is a masterful rider in the top position, so one of the keys to this match will be whether Tomasello can escape from the bottom or not. Both wrestlers will be very much in the hunt for a national title in March, so this match could give fans an idea of who may have the upper hand at the moment in what has proven to be a deep weight class.

141: #14 Luke Pletcher (20-2) vs Topher Carton (17-4)
Carton doesn’t have any great wins to this point in the season, but aside from a bizarre loss to Rohlfing of CSU-Bakersfield, he’s only lost to highly-ranked opponents. Pletcher was unexpectedly pulled from his redshirt when Ke-Shawn Hayes suffered an injury, but has filled in nicely as a true freshman at 141 despite being a better fit for 133. Pletcher’s two losses came at the 2016 Midlands where he was unable to finish his leg attacks. When Pletcher is firing on all cylinders, he generally puts on a measured, consistent offensive performance and is rarely caught in a bad position. This match is likely one of the more crucial swing matches that will determine the winner of the dual meet.

149: #5 Micah Jordan (21-0) vs #3 Brandon Sorensen (17-2)
The younger Jordan had an impressive redshirt freshman season last year at 141, but fell short of the All-American podium. This year, Micah is at 149 and looks to be far less depleted from a tough weight cut. He is stronger and more equipped to continue attacking late into the match at the higher weight. Micah was unable to wrestle last weekend due to illness, but he should be back to full strength to face his toughest test of the season. Sorensen will be facing his third straight opponent ranked in the top five, but he will be looking to get a win to put a halt to his current losing streak.

157: Jake Ryan (10-7) vs #2  Michael Kemerer (19-1)
Ryan was an excellent surprise as a freshman last season, getting some quality wins under his belt and leaving fans with some optimism moving forward. This season has been another story as Ryan has faltered late in several winnable matches throughout the year. Kemerer suffered the first loss of his college career against top-ranked Jason Nolf of Penn State, so he will be looking to get back in the win column. Bonus point wins are hit or miss for Kemerer, but with the dual possibly hanging in the balance, he may look to open up against Ryan.

165: Cody Burcher (14-7) vs Joey Gunther (12-4) or Skyler St. John (5-3)
This weight is really a toss-up as neither Gunther nor St. John have wrestled Burcher in a collegiate match. Burcher and Gunther have a few common opponents, but the results have been mixed with neither wrestler having a clear edge. Burcher has a dynamite cradle, but I don’t really see a kid from Iowa getting caught in it.

174: #1 Bo Jordan (8-0) vs #13 Alex Meyer (15-4)
Bo has been hampered by injury for much of the year, but he should be ready to go against the Hawkeyes. In his eight matches to date, Bo has earned at least a major decision in all eight, albeit against lesser competition. Meyer will certainly be a step up in quality as a returning All-American from a year ago. Meyer has taken some lumps this season, but his most notable match was his last match, where he outlasted all-world true freshman Mark Hall in the dual against Penn State. Jordan should get the victory against Meyer if he is at 100%, but the Buckeyes may be counting on bonus points from Bo if earlier matches didn’t go in their favor. While a major decision isn’t out of the question for Bo, Meyer is a veteran with some tough matches under his belt this season.

184: #10 Myles Martin (20-3) vs #5 Sammy Brooks (16-2)
Martin is a point-scoring machine at 184, which is not really a surprise from the defending NCAA champ at 174. Myles had a rough weekend at the Midlands tournament and lost to a pair of tough opponents, but he seems to be back on track heading into Big Ten competition. Brooks was involved in a shocker last week as he was pinned in a spladle by Penn State’s Bo Nickal in under a minute, but that is atypical of Brooks’ performances. He is a tough opponent to score on, which will be interesting to see how he operates against Myles’ wide-open style. This will certainly be one of the matches to watch.

197: #4 Kollin Moore (19-2) vs Cash Wilcke (11-6)
Moore is clearly benefiting from working with Kyle Snyder on a daily basis as he is a takedown machine, which is rare for the upper weights. Moore’s two losses are to No. 2 ranked Brett Pfarr of Minnesota and Olympic bronze medalist and defending NCAA champ J’Den Cox in a match where Moore nearly pulled off the upset. Wilcke has filled the 197 spot nicely for the Hawkeyes, but he does not have huge potential for points at the Big Ten or NCAA tournaments. Interesting fact: Cash has a sibling named Chaps, if the Iowa player bio can be believed.

HWT: Josh Fox (8-10) vs Steven Holloway (5-6)
In an ideal world, this match would feature Kyle Snyder against Sam Stoll of Iowa, but Snyder is wrestling at the Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix in Krasnoyarsk, Russia and Stoll sustained a season-ending knee injury in the past few weeks. Fox and Holloway both typically wrestle at 197 and while Fox has been tapped as Snyder’s temporary replacement, Holloway will be filling in for Stoll for the remainder of the season. Fox has come up on the short end of some matches earlier this season simply becau, se he was significantly outweighed by his opponent. That will not be the case against Holloway, who is an undersized heavyweight himself. The dual may very well come down to this match, so expect it to be a tense one.

Match Outlook

As with any close wrestling match, bonus points are going to be absolutely critical if the Buckeyes are going to walk out of Carver-Hawkeye with the victory. In case it's the BTN's trivia question on Friday, Calvin Coolidge was the President of the United States the last time Ohio State won a dual at Iowa. The Buckeyes haven't won in Iowa City since 1929, which is the same year that the Great Depression started. 

The Buckeyes will need to do their best to prevent bonus points at 125 and 157 especially and win the close matches elsewhere in the lineup. Iowa will provide a real litmus test for guys like Luke Pletcher, Kollin Moore, and Cody Burcher to determine if they are ready to compete at the highest level. 

If Ohio State has any hope of winning, they are going to need wins at the top of the lineup as Iowa's lightweights are absolutely stacked. If Ohio State can have the edge midway through the match, they should feel great about their chances for a win. Iowa's fans are knowledgeable, passionate, and especially loud, so if the Buckeyes are able to strike big blows early, that would go a long way in negating the crowd and heading home with a huge win. 

Ohio State wrestling's 88-year drought on the road against Iowa will live on for at least another two years.

The No. 4 Buckeyes, who have not beaten the Hawkeyes in Iowa City since winning the first ever match between the two teams, 17-13 in 1929, saw their undefeated season come to an end at the hands of No. 3 Iowa, as the Hawkeyes prevailed 21-13 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena Friday night.

Ohio State managed to win four of the 10 weight classes, but Iowa won both of the matches between top 10 wrestlers. The Hawkeyes managed to minimize the Buckeye bonus points on their way to a win to snap a two-match losing streak.

Both teams were without key starters as Ohio State's national champion and Olympic gold medalist Kyle Snyder missed the match due to his participation in a tournament in Russia, while Iowa’s heavyweight Sam Stoll is out for the season due to injury. Iowa was also without All-American Cory Clark at 133, so his anticipated match with Nathan Tomasello will have to wait for the postseason.

Thomas Gilman got Iowa on the board early with his seventh technical fall of the season, taking out freshman Jose Rodriguez 23-8. Gilman was relentless on the attack, only yielding escapes to Rodriguez. The Iowa senior gave the Hawkeyes a quick 5-0 lead to start things off.

Tomasello got the Buckeyes on the board, but it wasn’t quite like it was drawn up. Rather than facing Clark, the Ohio State grappler met Iowa’s Phillip Laux at 133. Laux wrestled with the idea of slowing Tomasello down and was successful in doing so as Tomasello only won by decision. Tomasello’s victory, while not what he wanted, put the Buckeyes on the board and they trailed Iowa 5-3 after two matches.

Two days after firing off the tweet of the year, Luke Pletcher backed it up with a win by the slimmest of margins against Topher Carton at 141. Pletcher was able to score a takedown in the second period but was quickly reversed by Carton. Pletcher took the lead late with a throw that put Carton on his back for the blink of an eye, but Carton nearly reversed him again on the edge of the mat before going out of bounds. Pletcher was able to ward off a takedown from Carton as time expired to hang on to a 5-4 decision and momentarily give the Buckeyes a 6-5 lead.

In the night’s first match between top 10 opponents, Iowa’s Brandon Sorensen negated all of Micah Jordan’s offense and was able to ride Jordan out for the duration of the third period to earn a 2-0 decision. Sorensen regained the lead for Iowa 8-6.

Jake Ryan failed to get anything going, but was at least able to prevent a tech fall or pin from No. 2 Michael Kemerer at 157. Kemerer brutalized Ryan, but only earned a major decision 14-3. Ohio State trailed 12-6 at the midway point in the match.

Cody Burcher was unable to get anything going at 165, losing to Joey Gunther 3-0. In looking for positives in the bout, Burcher was able to defend a deep takedown for much of the last minute of the first period. Gunther gave Iowa a 15-6 lead.

Top-ranked Bo Jordan picked up another win for the Buckeyes, but it was less impressive than he had hoped. Jordan looked reluctant against #13 Alex Meyer, but Meyer made Bo earn  his 3-2 decision. Meyer defended Bo’s few takedown attempts very aggressively, but Jordan was able to break through late to earn the decision and stay undefeated.

Myles Martin became the second Buckeye to drop a close match between top 10 wrestlers as he fell 5-3 to No. 5 Sammy Brooks at 184. Martin was able to take Brooks down, but was unable to get any riding time. Brooks was able to get a takedown and rack up the riding time to defeat No. 10 Martin 5-3 and give the Hawkeyes a nine point advantage.

Kollin Moore did his best to keep the Buckeyes alive with a major decision at 197 over Cash Wilcke. Moore rattled off takedown after takedown and pulled the Buckeyes to within striking distance with just the heavyweights left to tangle.

With Snyder in Russia, Josh Fox stepped in to face Steven Holloway, who was replacing the injured Sam Stoll. The Buckeyes trailed Iowa by five points, so Fox needed a pin if the Buckeyes were going to win for the first time at Iowa in nearly 90 years. The pin wasn’t in the cards and Holloway outwrestled Fox to a 6-1 decision.

Iowa won six of the 10 matches and the Hawkeyes were led by a tech fall from top-ranked Thomas Gilman and a major decision by No. 2 Michael Kemerer at 157.

The loss was Ohio State’s first of the season and they fall to 4-1 in the Big Ten and 8-1 overall. The Buckeyes will need to lick their wounds and bounce back quickly as they will welcome No. 2 Penn State to the Schottenstein Center next Friday night.

A year after he captured bronze in the Ivan Yarygin Memorial Invitational, Ohio State junior wrestler Kyle Snyder is bringing the gold medal home from Russia, winning what's widely considered the toughest wrestling tournament in the world.

And he did it in dominating fashion, collecting three technical falls to go with a pin in the championship.

Snyder was a destroyer on his way to the title at 97kg, winning all four of his matches with ease. In the opening round, he made quick work of China's Chaganxhana, rolling to a quick 11-0 victory. He followed, dispatching Belbute Munkhzhargal of Mongolia and Hossein Ramnezaiainjelodar of Iran in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively, by identical 11-1 scores.

Snyder's opponent in the finals was Rasul Magomedov of Russia, winner of golds at the Alarosa Cup, the Ali Aliev Tournament and the Intercontinental Cup. He was no match for the Buckeye in Krasnoyarsk, the Siberian town that plays host to the annual competition.

Snyder jumped out to an early 1-0 lead after Magomedov was penalized for stalling halfway through the first period. The Russian scored a takedown 30 seconds into the final period and turned Snyder for a four-point move to take a 4-1 lead, but Snyder quickly answered with a takedown of his own to cut the deficit to one.

Trailing by one with 90 seconds remaining, Snyder collected another takedown to retake the lead, 5-4. Seconds later, he pushed Magomedov out for another point to advance his lead to 6-4. Snyder collected a final takedown seconds later and finished with a pin at the 5:02 mark to capture gold.

Snyder becomes only the 11th American man to ever win the Yarygin. Prior to Sunday, the last American men’s freestyle champion was Steve Mocco at 120kg in 2009.

In the last 15 months, Snyder has collected gold medals from the World Championships, the Summer Olympics, and now, the prestigious Ivan Yarygin Memorial International to his impressive trophy case.

Oh, he also managed to squeeze in time to capture an NCAA Championship in March – snapping the defending champion's 88-match winning-streak in the process.

Simply put, he's the most accomplished athlete of any sport currently at Ohio State and may end up going down as one of the best Buckeye student-athletes of all time.

You can catch Snyder in action at the Schottenstein Center Friday night as the Buckeyes welcome No. 2 Penn State to town for a dual meet.

No. 4 Ohio State will face a second top three opponent in a week as they host No. 2 Penn State on Friday night. The Buckeyes are looking to bounce back from a tough 21-13 loss on the road at No. 3 Iowa last week with an upset of the undefeated Nittany Lions. 

#2 PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS

10–0 overall, 6-0 Big Ten ROSTER | SCHEDULE

6:00 PM – Friday, Feb. 3 SCHOTTENSTEIN CENTER COLUMBUS, OHIO

Live on BTN —or— TICKETS

GoPSUSports.com

Penn State is led into action by top-ranked wrestlers Zain Retherford at 149 and Jason Nolf at 157. The Buckeyes will counter the Nittany Lions with a trio of top ranked wrestlers in Nathan Tomasello at 133, Bo Jordan at 174, and Kyle Snyder at heavyweight. 

The match begins at 6 PM from the Schottenstein Center and will air live on BTN. Follow the action on Twitter with @CurtHeinrichs and @wrestlingbucks for match updates. 

#2 Penn State (10-0, 6-0 B1G)

Head Coach: Cael Sanderson

Sanderson is in his eighth season as head coach of the Nittany Lions, and his team has finished in the top ten at the NCAA tournament each season with five national titles. Five NCAA titles in seven years. That’s about as good as it gets. He has coached 11 Penn State wrestlers to individual national championships in his seven previous seasons and is looking for a few more this season. In his seven seasons at Penn State, Sanderson has coached 38 All-Americans including guys like unheralded James English in addition to the national champions like David Taylor and Ed Ruth.

As a wrestler at Iowa State, Sanderson was the first Division I wrestler to win four NCAA titles and go undefeated in the process (though he did lose during his redshirt season). Cael won four Most Outstanding Wrestler awards at the NCAA tournament and won three Hodge Trophies (the wrestling equivalent to the Heisman Trophy). Not satisfied with dominating on American soil, Sanderson won an Olympic gold medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens at 84 kg before largely hanging up his shoes as a competitor.

Sanderson is joined on the Penn State staff by his brother Cody Sanderson (Iowa State), Casey Cunningham (Central Michigan), and fellow Olympic champion Jake Varner (Iowa State). Interestingly enough, Varner won the 2012 Olympic gold medal, but was defeated by Kyle Snyder in his bid to repeat as America’s representative at the Olympics. Snyder, as you well know, ended up having a decent Olympic tournament himself.

Ohioans on the Penn State Roster

None. The Nittany Lions have defied the odds and built a juggernaut wrestling program without any Ohio natives on the roster. It has worked for Penn State, but this should not be seen as a viable strategy for every program.

Notable Nittany Lion Wrestlers

No. 1 Zain Retherford (RS-JR, 149)
Zain Retherford is not a bad wrestler. He’s is notable for being the last man to hand Logan Stieber a loss in college at the dual meet in December of 2014. Stieber avenged the loss in the Big Ten finals and the NCAA semis, and Retherford lost in the consolation semifinals to finish fifth in the country as a redshirt freshman. He hasn’t lost since and most of the matches are absolute bloodbaths. Zain just won his 50th consecutive match last week, and is 15-0 this season with 11 pins. He tops the NCAA Most Dominant Wrestler list and averages 5.60 team points per match (notable because a pin earns the team six points).

No. 1 Jason Nolf (RS-SO, 157)
I didn’t know much about Nolf until he handed Isaiah Martinez of Illinois his first career loss (by pin, nonetheless). IMar avenged the loss in both the Big Ten and NCAA championship matches and the margin of victory was a single point (IMar won the Big Ten title in TB2 based on having more riding time). With Martinez up at 165 this season, Nolf is laying waste to the country’s 157 lbers. He has nine pins during his current 15-0 season and averages 5.4 team points per match. Like Retherford, Nolf is an absolute monster on the mat and only has a single victory this season not decided by bonus points (a 9-4 decision over No. 2 Michael Kemerer of Iowa).

No. 2 Bo Nickal (RS-SO, 184)
If Nickal’s name is familiar to you, it should be; Nickal was the opponent that Myles Martin defeated last season to win the NCAA championship. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but Nickal is undefeated with just a single victory this season coming by a decision to a top five opponent. Nickal has 11 pins this season and averages 5.5 team points per match, trailing only Retherford in Division I.

Key Matchups

Like the Iowa dual last week, every match will be important in this one. Quite frankly, the Buckeyes will need all of the breaks to go their way if they’re hoping to knock Penn State off at the Schott.  Let’s take a look at each match from the top at how it may play out starting at 125.

125: #18 Jose Rodriguez (11-5) vs. #2 Nick Suriano (13-1)
I can’t recite much poetry from memory, but I do remember the Robert Frost poem about two paths diverging in a wood and this match is a case of that poem. Both guys at 125 are redshirt freshmen, but they are trending in opposite directions at the moment. Rodriguez started out hot, but hasn’t wrestled well since the Missouri dual in early December. He’s lost his last three matches by at least ten points to Thomas Gilman of Iowa and a pair of serviceable Big Ten 125s. Suriano has defeated the current fifth, sixth, and seventh ranked wrestlers at 125 and his lone loss was a one-point decision to Gilman. If Rodriguez doesn’t show more life against Suriano than he did against Gilman, he could easily fall to 1-4 against Big Ten competition.

133: #1 Nathan Tomasello (11-0) vs. George Carpenter (1-8) or Triston Law (0-1)
Tomasello looked a bit off in the Iowa dual and seemed frustrated that he wasn’t able to break through Phillip Laux’s defense. He shouldn’t have the same issues against whichever wrestler Sanderson trots out at 133 to fill in for Jared Cortez, who is sidelined for the season due to injury.  The Buckeyes will be leaning heavily on Tomasello to score bonus points to make up for some serious mismatches in favor of Penn State throughout the lineup. To this point in his career, Tomasello has an NCAA title and an overall record of 71-5.

141: #15 Luke Pletcher (21-2) vs. #11 Jimmy Gulibon (10-6)
This is one of the bigger matches on paper in the dual as both wrestlers are similarly ranked in the latest InterMat rankings. Both wrestlers were highly regarded recruits out of the same Pennsylvania town (Latrobe), but Pletcher is a true freshman while Gulibon is a redshirt senior. Gulibon shows flashes of brilliance, but then shows lapses on the mat. Pletcher earned a big win over Carton of Iowa, but Gulibon will present a more aggressive challenge in the neutral position.

149: #5 Micah Jordan (21-1) vs. #1 Zain Retherford (15-0)
This is the first of the marquee matchups in this dual with a pair of top five wrestlers squaring off. Jordan held his own against Iowa’s Brandon Sorensen, but was unable to escape from the bottom and Sorensen took the decision. If Jordan isn’t able to get a quick escape against Retherford, he could be in for a quick and painful evening as Retherford is one of the most dominant top wrestlers in college wrestling. Zain is fond of putting the legs in and running a power half, which is a favorite of Micah’s brother Bo, so Micah will have some experience defending it. Retherford has been largely unchallenged this season, but Sorensen may have provided the template for how to beat Retherford after losing to Zain by just a single point in double overtime. Micah will need to be intelligently aggressive in picking his spots because Retherford can turn a mistake into points in a hurry.

157: Jake Ryan (10-8) or Anthony DeCarlo (2-6) vs. #1 Jason Nolf (15-0)
As described above, Nolf is a dominant force at 157 and may very well cruise to his first NCAA title now that IMar is up at 165. Ryan showed some flashes of potential last season, but seems to be missing a spark this year. Nolf only managed a major decision last year thanks to some of what I’ll call “defensive (stalling) tactics” on the part of Ryan. He won’t be so lucky this year and this one may get ugly in a hurry in favor of Nolf.

165: Cody Burcher (14-8) vs. #4 Vincenzo Joseph (11-2)
Burcher, like Ryan at 157, has yet to have the necessary pieces fall into place for him this season. To his credit, Burcher is able to keep losses close, but he often finds himself in nailbiters in matches that he wins against lesser opponents. Admittedly, I don’t know as much about Joseph as the other killers in the Penn State lineup, but he’s got several nice wins under his belt. Burcher needs to keep this one close for the Buckeyes to have much of a shot to win the dual.

174: #1 Bo Jordan (9-0) vs. #7 Mark Hall (20-2)
If you’re somebody that closely follows prep wrestling, these are both wrestlers that have been on your radar for some time now as each were at or very near the top in all recruiting services prior to college. Bo has been hobbled by a foot injury, and it was reported that he hadn’t practiced for two weeks prior to earning a decision against Iowa. Hall was expected to redshirt this season, but Sanderson decided to start him in the Iowa dual in a match Hall ended up losing to Alex Meyer 7-5. Hall won an amazing six state titles in Minnesota (where seventh and eighth graders can compete at the high school state championships) while Bo won four in Ohio, so there are going to be some bragging rights at stake on Friday night. While Hall is an incredible wrestler, he is still a bit green and Bo has been in a college wrestling room for going on four years. If Jordan is healthy, he should have the edge.

184: #10 Myles Martin (20-4) vs. #2 Bo Nickal (14-0)
This one is a rematch of the NCAA finals a year ago where Martin avenged his three previous losses to Nickal and defeated him for an NCAA title at 174 lbs as a true freshman. Martin has had one rough weekend at the Midlands and a tough decision loss to Sammy Brooks on the season, while Nickal has not shown any struggles in moving up a weight class. Both wrestlers are aggressive in the neutral position with Martin looking for the more traditional leg attacks while Nickal likes to pepper in some highlight-reel throws among his shots. Don’t take this match as an opportunity to grab a snack or run to the restroom or you may miss a ton of points in a short time.

197: #4 Kollin Moore (20-2) vs. #9 Matt McCutcheon (12-2)
Moore is a scoring threat from anywhere on the mat with the kind of quickness that you don’t often see in wrestlers of his size. His ankle picks remind me a bit of Cael Sanderson, which is never a bad thing. Moore’s only two losses this season are to the top two wrestlers in the country, so he’s used to a challenge. McCutcheon is one of those guys that I would swear has been at Penn State for the better part of a decade, but he is only a redshirt junior. He found himself needing to move up to accommodate Bo Nickal moving up in weight, so he finds himself as an undersized but successful 197. McCutcheon has a high mat IQ and finds a way to score in tight situations, so this will be a good test for the freshman Moore.

HWT: #1 Kyle Snyder (6-0) vs. #3 Nick Nevills (13-1)
Nevills has a few nice wins including victories over Butler of Stanford and Kroells of Minnesota, but he hasn’t yet faced Kyle Snyder. Nevills was injured and missed much of last season, but he seems to be rounding into form nicely as a sophomore. His lone loss is a one point decision to No. 2 Connor Medbery of Wisconsin. Snyder is returning from a gold medal at last weekend’s Yarygin tournament in Russia. While Snyder was targeted with some ridiculous griping about his decision to skip the Iowa dual for the incredibly prestigious Yarygin, he’s in the lineup against Penn State and could serve notice on Nevills that he’s incredibly focused on wrestling at his best in the United States as well.

Match Outlook

As previously mentioned, the Buckeyes look to be facing a stiff test on Friday night. Penn State will roll out some serious scorers in the middle of the lineup where the Buckeyes are comparatively weak. In the matches where Ohio State features a real offensive threat, Penn State will send out a comparably-ranked opponent in every weight class except for 133. The Buckeyes will need to get some serious breaks in their favor as Penn State’s lineup doesn’t allow for any mistakes.

If the Buckeyes are going to topple the Nittany Lions, they are going to need to minimize bonus points at 125, 157, and 165. Luke Pletcher will need to assert himself at 141 and a minor upset out of him and Myles Martin at 184 will go a long way toward a Buckeye victory. Micah Jordan is a threat to anyone at 149, but he may have his hands full against the excellent Retherford, especially if Jordan gets broken down on the bottom.

Ohio State nearly upset Iowa last weekend despite putting up a lackluster effort several times throughout the evening. If the Buckeyes come out fired up in front of what could be a large, loud crowd at the Schottenstein Center, they’ll stand a real shot at pulling off a significant upset against the Nittany Lions.

A crowd of 15,338 braved the cold on Friday night to watch the No. 4 Buckeye wrestling team host the No. 2 Penn State Nittany Lions. While the fans were excitable and appreciative of the bright spots from the Buckeyes, those moments of excitement were few and far between as the Nittany Lions trounced the Buckeyes 32-12. Just three Buckeyes were able to earn victories on Friday as Nathan Tomasello, Kollin Moore, and Kyle Snyder were the only Ohio State wrestlers to get their hand raised. 

The dual began at 125 with No. 2 Nick Suriano of Penn State earning a tech fall over No. 18 Jose Rodriguez. Though the result was the same as last Friday against Thomas Gilman of Iowa, Rodriguez was far more aggressive against Suriano, but the Nittany Lion freshman was able to score nearly at will over Rodriguez with a bevy of go-behinds off of Rodriguez’ shot attempts. Rodriguez fought off his back when Suriano nearly had him dead to rights, saving the Buckeyes a point. With the tech fall, the Nittany Lions took a 5-0 lead.

The Buckeyes tied the match up in short order as top-ranked Nathan Tomasello made short work of Penn State’s George Carpenter. Tomasello took Carpenter down at will and looked for a pin late in the match, but Carpenter was able to get off his back to hold Tomasello to just a tech fall.

Luke Pletcher faced yet another tough opponent in former All-American Jimmy Gulibon. Pletcher and Gulibon were evenly matched throughout, trading takedowns early, but Gulibon was able to secure riding time and once more escape to take the 5-3 decision. Pletcher looked frustrated late as Gulibon avoided contact to secure the victory and give the Nittany Lions an 8-5 lead.

Fifth-ranked Micah Jordan was the aggressor early on and secured the opening takedown against top-ranked Zain Retherford at 149, but Retherford proved to be too much for the younger Jordan. Zain proved why he is the number one wrestler in the country when he anticipated a Jordan granby roll and caught Micah on his back to swing the momentum all they way in his favor. Jordan managed a second takedown, but Retherford got a late takedown of his own and set of backpoints to secure a 20-5 tech fall. With the victory, Penn State began to pull away with a 13-5 lead heading into Jason Nolf at 157.

Jake Ryan was not in the lineup to face top-ranked Jason Nolf, so Anthony DeCarlo made the most of the opportunity. DeCarlo opened the match against the heavily favored Nolf with a quick shot off the whistle. Nolf was able to score his own takedown, but DeCarlo shocked the crowd with a reversal. That was all DeCarlo had in the tank, however, as Nolf scored a takedown and quick pin to give Penn State a 19-5 lead at the midway point.

Cody Burcher was unable to get anything going as he dropped an ugly 11-1 major decision to No. 4 Vincenzo Joseph. Joseph let his foot off the gas late in the match, but Burcher was unable to get off the bottom and dropped a major decision.

Ohio State’s top-ranked Bo Jordan was not in the lineup at 174, so Penn State’s No. 7 Mark Hall took his frustrations out on Justin Kresevic. Hall seemed content to put on a takedown clinic before catching Kresevic in a gator roll off a Kresevic shot attempt and pinning Kresevic 20 seconds into the third period. Hall’s pin locked up the match for the Nittany Lions as they took a 29-5 lead with just three matches remaining.

In one of the most anticipated matches of the evening, Myles Martin took on familiar foe Bo Nickal at 184. Martin was aggressive throughout the match, but Nickal just seemed to have the answer to each MyMar attack. Nickal was able to stymie every Martin near-takedown and score an 8-2 victory.

Fourth-ranked Kollin Moore got the Buckeyes back in the win column with an exciting back-and-forth decision over No. 9 Matt McCutcheon at 197. The wrestlers traded takedowns throughout the match, but Moore kept coming and scored a takedown with under 10 seconds on the clock to seal the victory and pull the Buckeyes to within two dozen.

In the final bout of the evening, Kyle Snyder showed no rust after traveling around the world with a Yarygin gold medal in his pocket as he put on a show against No. 3 ranked Nick Nevills. Snyder had little difficulty in taking Nevills down, keeping the bigger man off balance as he grabbed low singles time and time again to earn a 19-9 major decision to put a cap on the scoring. Despite Snyder's efforts, the Penn State Nittany Lions thoroughly dominated the Buckeyes to the tune of 32-12.

Following the match, head coach Tom Ryan mentioned that it is impossible to come out flat against a team like Penn State if you have any hope of securing a victory. “I thought we wrestled really well in certain spots,” Ryan said, “but when we lose focus and take mental breaks, that leads to big points. Take a look at Micah Jordan; he wrestled Retherford really well, but lost focus for a few seconds on two occasions and Retherford turned those breaks into six point moves. We can’t have that if we have any shot at beating them.”

The Buckeyes will return to action on Monday evening when they host No. 13 Rutgers in a match that was rescheduled due to inclement weather.

Though the Ohio State wrestling team didn't get the outcome they were looking for in their dual against Penn State last night, the Schottenstein Center was on fire as 15,338 Buckeye fans packed in to watch one of the greatest and most accomplished athletes in Ohio State history.

In the last match of the night, Snyder manhandled the Lions' Nick Nevills 19-9, further cementing his status as maybe the best pound-for-pound wrestler in the world. Snyder is coming off a gold medal in the prestigious Yarygin Tournament, and showed little rust against his opponent, ranked third in the country.

Here is what the Schott looked like shortly before his match:

The Best Fans in the Land LIGHT UP THE SCHOTT before Buckeye Kyle Snyder takes the mat vs. No. 1 Penn State Friday, Feb. 3, 2017. - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA

The overall attendance of 15,338 should also be noted; it's close to the 17,449 that the Ohio State versus Michigan State men's basketball game brought to the arena just a few weeks ago.

THANK YOU to the BEST FANS IN THE LAND!

@wrestlingbucks attendance record (15,338) set last night! #GoBuckshttps://t.co/hM5sQtENED

— Ohio State Buckeyes (@OhioStAthletics) February 4, 2017

With average basketball attendance in decline, and Ohio State wrestling sporting one of the best Buckeye athletes ever, it's not inconceivable that wrestling could overtake men's basketball sometime in the future. The Buckeyes have one more home matchup, this Monday at 7pm against Rutgers.

If last night was any indication, it should be a lot of fun.

The fourth-ranked Buckeyes will look to rebound from a pair of tough losses on Monday night as they welcome a capable Rutgers team to St. John Arena. 

The Buckeyes are coming off of a pair of losses to No. 3 Iowa and No. 2 Penn State, so they will gladly welcome the Scarlet Knights as a chance to get back in the win column. 

Rutgers features a returning All-American in Anthony Ashnault at 141, and the match could feature three bouts between ranked wrestlers. 

Let's take a look at what to expect when Rutgers comes to Columbus to take on the Buckeyes. 

RUTGERS SCARLET KNIGHTS

11-3 overall, 5-2 Big Ten ROSTER | SCHEDULE

7:00 PM – MONDAY, FEB. 6 ST. JOHN ARENA COLUMBUS, OHIO

AIRING LIVE ON BTN

SCARLETKNIGHTS.COM

The No. 13 SCARLET KNIGHTS (11-3 OVERALL, 5-2 BIG TEN)

Head Coach: Scott Goodale

Goodale is in his 10th season as head coach of the Scarlet Knights, and is building Rutgers into a notable program a step at a time. Rutgers has earned an All-American in each of the past three seasons, including two straight by Anthony Ashnault at 141. Rutgers earned a record of 7-11 in dual meets in their first two seasons in the Big Ten, but Goodale is gradually guiding the Scarlet Knights to consistently high team rankings.

Two-time NCAA champion Donny Pritzlaff (Wisconsin), John Leonardis (Lehigh), and Joe Pollard (Rider) comprise Goodale’s coaching staff.

Ohioans on the Rutgers Roster

Alex Mackall (Fr, 125)
Mackall was a two-time state finalist for Walsh Jesuit High School, winning the Division I state title as a junior in 2014.

Kyle Kremiller (RS Fr, 197)
Kremiller was state champion in Division II for Perry High School at 195 lbs. He also finished fourth at the state tournament in 2014.

Notable Scarlet Knight Wrestlers

No. 6 Anthony Ashnault (RS Jr, 141)
Ashnault is a two-time All-American at 141, finishing fourth at last year’s NCAA tournament following his first Big Ten title. Ashnault is 23-3 on the season with his only losses coming as close decisions to the No. 2 and No. 4 ranked wrestlers at the weight. Ashnault is currently undefeated against Big Ten competition this season.

Ashnault is the only returning All-American for the Scarlet Knights, but they have ranked wrestlers at 149, 157, and 184.

Key Matchups

141- No. 15 Luke Pletcher (21-3) vs No. 6 Anthony Ashnault (20-3)
Pletcher suffered a tough loss to Jimmy Gulibon on Friday night, but he won’t get an opportunity to rebound with an easy win as his next three opponents are all currently ranked in the top 12 at 141. This tough stretch begins with Ashnault, who has a knack for winning tight matches against capable opponents.

149- No. 5 Micah Jordan (21-2) vs No. 14 Ken Theobald (16-5) or Anthony Giraldo (15-6)
Jordan came out with guns blazing against Zain Retherford, but ended up on the wrong end of a tech fall against the top-ranked Nittany Lion. Theobald is a tough opponent, but Jordan should be able to handle him with ease if Micah is able to have a short memory and push the Retherford loss out of his mind.

184- No. 10 Myles Martin (20-5) vs No. 13 Nicholas Gravina (16-5)
Martin has two tough losses in a row, thanks to Sammy Brooks of Iowa and Bo Nickal of Penn State. Gravina is beatable, but Martin will need to bounce back quickly if he is going to put an end to his current losing skid. Gravina is tough, but his defense is not rock-solid by any means, which gives Martin plenty of opportunities to get in on his legs and improve upon finishing his shots quickly.

Match Outlook

Rutgers is a decent team, but they’re a definite tier or two below Ohio State’s last two opponents. The Scarlet Knights will come into Columbus riding a two match winning streak over Michigan State and Indiana, but Ohio State is significantly better than both, even missing Bo Jordan and Jake Ryan. The Buckeyes should rebound from a pair of tough losses and refocus their efforts for the upcoming weekend featuring two Big Ten duals.

The fourth-ranked Ohio State wrestling team bounced back from a couple of decisive losses to No. 3 Iowa and No. 2 Penn State with a 23-18 victory over a scrappy No. 13 Rutgers team. The Buckeyes won six of the 10 matches, including four by bonus points as they ended their home schedule on a high note.

The match started at 141 with a pair of ranked wrestlers, but Luke Pletcher was unable to get anything going against No. 6 Anthony Ashnault. Ashnault struck early and often, only giving up an escape in the third period to the Buckeye freshman. Rutgers’ two-time All-American gave the Scarlet Knights a 4-0 lead after the first match.

Micah Jordan showed that he’s put consecutive losses behind him as he scored four first period takedowns against No. 14 Ken Theobold at 149. Theobold swung some of the momentum back his way as he rode the younger Jordan for the entire second period, but Jordan was able to score a takedown seconds before the end of the match to secure the 12-4 major decision and tie the dual at 4-4.

Jake Ryan was still out of the lineup, so Josh Powell got his first start of the season at 157 against No. 18 John Van Brill. Van Brill absolutely had his way with Powell, rolling to a 17-0 tech fall after a relatively slow first period. The tech fall gave Rutgers a 9-4 lead heading into 165.

Cody Burcher notched his second win of 2017 when he held of for a 7-5 decision over Anthony Pafumi at 157. Burcher had a couple of nice takedowns, but ran out of gas down the stretch and managed to avoid Pafumi as the match came to a close.

Bo Jordan was out of the lineup after injuring his ankle against Iowa, so Justin Kresevic got the nod at 174 against Jordan Pagano. Pagano breezed to a 7-1 decision, but was unable to secure a late takedown to earn a major decision. Following the third Rutgers victory, the Scarlet Knights held a 12-7 lead over the No. 4 Buckeyes halfway through the dual.

Myles Martin bounced back from a tough loss to Bo Nickal of Penn State with a 9-2 decision over No. 13 Nicholas Gravina at 184. Martin showed some excellent patience and motion in addition to some tough riding on his way to his 21st win of the season.

Kollin Moore stayed hot, winning his 22nd match of the year with a major decision over Matt Correnti at 197. Moore stayed aggressive throughout the match, but needed all seven minutes to score the major decision against a game Correnti. Moore gave the Buckeyes their first lead of the dual meet.

Kyle Snyder had a difficult time taking Razohnn Gross down for the first 30 seconds of the match, but was able to keep the pressure on enough to earn yet another technical fall. Snyder used a variety of takedowns to win 25-9.

Jose Rodriguez was unable to wrestle due to injury, so Brandon Paetzell of Rutgers earned the medical forfeit at 125 to pull the Scarlet Knights to within a single point with only the 133 match remaining.

Top-ranked Nathan Tomasello put the nail in the coffin, scoring a major decision over a tough Scott DelVecchio to lock up the match for the Buckeyes. Tomasello struck first, but DelVecchio managed a takedown of his own. Tomasello notched a final takedown just inside the final buzzer to win 14-5.

The Buckeyes improve to 9-2 overall and 5-2 in the Big Ten with the 23-18 victory. While the score looks closer than many expected, the Buckeyes were without three starters and Rutgers scored 14 points at those weights. Ohio State will return to action twice next weekend when they travel to No. 5 Nebraska on Friday and No. 10 Minnesota on Sunday. Check back with Eleven Warriors for previews of all of the action this weekend.

No. 4 Ohio State will wrap up the end of their regular season dual meet schedule this weekend, beginning with a trip to Lincoln to take on No. 5 Nebraska. The dual will feature six bouts between ranked wrestlers in each of the first three and the last three bouts.

Let’s take a look at what to expect when Ohio State heads west for the first match of the weekend.

#5 Nebraska Cornhuskers

12-1 overall, 6-1 Big Ten ROSTER | SCHEDULE

8:00 PM EST – Friday, Feb. 10 Devaney Center Lincoln, Nebraska

Live on BTN Plus (Subscription required)

Huskers.com

The no. 5 nebraska cornhuskers

Head Coach: Mark Manning

Manning is in his 16th year as head coach of the Husker program and has made some serious strides in making Nebraska a perennial powerhouse. Manning is the winningest coach in Nebraska wrestling history and has lead his teams to six finishes in the top eight at the NCAA tournament. Manning has been a coach for the US Olympic team on two occasions, owing to his star pupil Jordan Burroughs. Manning is a two time FILA Freestyle Coach of the Year, and has molded Burroughs and his fellow Cornhusker James Green into elite talents in international wrestling.

As a competitor, Manning won two NCAA Division II national championships for Nebraska-Omaha before spending three years as a member of the US National Freestyle team in the late 80’s. Coach Manning also took second place at the 1989 Pan Am Games while an assistant coach at North Carolina.

The impact Manning has had as a coach is evident in that three of his top wrestlers from Nebraska returned to work with him on staff as NCAA runner-up Brian Snyder (Nebraska), three-time All-American Jason Powell (Nebraska), and four-time All-American James Green (Nebraska) all assist Manning with the wrestling team. The lone non-Husker graduate on staff is Matt Meulener (Northern State).  

Ohioans on the Nebraska Roster

None

Notable Husker Wrestlers

No. 5 Tim Lambert (RS Sr, 125)

Lambert is an impressive talent, but tends to get lost in the shuffle of all of the talent in the Big Ten at 125. He is tough to take down and finds a way to score points from the top position. Lambert has qualified for the NCAA tournament each year, but has never earned an All-American finish and finished fourth or below at the Big Ten tournament in each season.

No. 5 Eric Montoya (RS Sr, 133)
Montoya earned a fifth place finish at last year’s NCAA tournament, giving him his first All-American finish. Montoya was the kryptonite to Buckeye graduate Johnni DiJulius, defeating JDJ at the NCAA tournament in each of the last two seasons. Montoya’s lone loss of the current season was a mild upset to Michigan’s No. 7 Stevan Micic, though Montoya has victories over No. 11 Earl Hall, No. 2 Seth Gross, and No. 6 Zane Richards to his credit.

No. 3 TJ Dudley (RS Sr, 184)
Dudley is a two-time All-American for Nebraska, finishing runner-up to the outstanding Gabe Dean of Cornell at last year’s NCAA tournament. Only Penn State’s Bo Nickal has defeated Dudley this season, and that was merely by decision. Dudley has wins over No. 7 Nate Jackson, No. 9 Jack Dechow, and No. 12 Emery Parker this season.

Key Matchups

133- No. 1 Nathan Tomasello (13-0) vs No. 5 Eric Montoya (21-1)

Tomasello was given a path of lesser resistance against Iowa and Penn State, but he’ll look to round into post-season form here against Montoya. The two have never met on the mat, but they are likely to meet again either at the Big Ten tournament or the NCAA tournament. Tomasello is tough to stop if he’s getting to the legs, especially with his left handed high crotch attack.

184- No. 10 Myles Martin (21-5) vs No. 3 TJ Dudley (22-1)
Both guys have crazy quickness and surprising strength despite being lanky wrestlers. Martin hasn’t been as consistent as Dudley throughout the season, but he looked really tough in his last two losses to Brooks and Nickal. Myles was in deep on shots, but was unable to finish them against the top five opponents. Dudley will be another stiff test, but Martin may be able to reverse the outcome if he’s able to finish his leg attacks quickly without being put in a scramble situation.

197- No. 4 Kollin Moore (22-2) vs No. 6 Aaron Studebaker (23-4)
Studebaker has twice been a match away from earning All-American honors, but lost each time in the bloodround at the NCAA tournament. Moore is a point scorer, while Studebaker is more of a defensive wrestler, looking to capitalize on an opponent’s mistake in a close match. A win here would be huge for Moore’s confidence heading into the post season.

Match Outlook

Bonus points, as usual, will be key in the dual, especially if the Buckeyes are without Bo Jordan or Kyle Snyder. The Buckeyes will be heavily favored at 141, 174 (if Bo is in the lineup), and heavyweight (again, if Snyder wrestles). Both Jordans and Snyder are likely to earn bonus points, but the Buckeyes are at risk of giving up bonus points at 125, 157, 174 (if Bo doesn’t wrestle), and HWT (if Snyder is on the bench).

Jose Rodriguez started tough this season, but has fallen on hard times lately, looking outgunned against Gilman and Suriano. Rodriguez showed flashes of potential early on, but looks like the weight cut to 125 is starting to get the best of him. Lambert of Nebraska is tough, but Rodriguez will need to bring his “A game” to keep the damage to a minimum. Jake Ryan is out of the lineup at 157, but Josh Powell has done little to inspire any confidence in his spot. Cody Burcher’s matches always seem to be a toss-up, especially late in the match when he seems to run out of steam.

This dual meet is unique in that it only features a single match where the competitors have wrestled one another in college, with Kyle Snyder owning a pair of bonus point victories over Collin Jensen at heavyweight. There will be plenty of Buckeyes matching up with Huskers at the Big Ten tournament, so this dual meet is going to be crucial for seeding purposes in the postseason.

The No. 4 Buckeye wrestling team started off the weekend on the right foot, taking out No. 5 Nebraska on the road by the score of 24-13. Ohio State won all three of the matches contested between two top-ten ranked wrestlers and scored minor upsets at 184 and 141 to help clinch the victory. 

Micah Jordan started the dual by putting the Buckeyes on the board with a 12-4 major decision over Collin Purinton at 149. The fifth-ranked Jordan had a tough go of it early in the match, but found his groove in the second period and earned the major decision. 

Anthony DeCarlo had the unenviable task of filling in for Jake Ryan at 157, and DeCarlo took his lumps against the No. 3 Tyler Berger throughout the match. Berger roughed DeCarlo up before getting pinned late in the third period. 

Cody Burcher showed some life early on, but a reversal in the second overtime period was the difference in the match as Dustin Williams earned the 7-6 victory. After several lackluster outings, Burcher a glimpse of his potential, but was unable to finish an early lead. The Huskers took a 9-4 lead after three matches. 

Top-ranked Bo Jordan returned to the lineup at 174, but struggled to break through Micah Barnes' defense for much of the first period. In the second and third periods, Jordan found the necessary angles and earned an 11-1 major decision to draw the Buckeyes to within a point of the host Huskers. 

In the first of several matches between top-ten wrestlers, No. 10 Myles Martin got back to his winning ways with an impressive decision victory over No. 3 TJ Dudley. Martin had little difficulty in getting to the opponent's legs in the last two matches, but he was unable to finish and lost to Brooks of Iowa and Nickal of Penn State. Martin finished nicely on his shots and surprised the Nebraska crowd with an impressive showing. A late takedown made the score look more lopsided than it really was, but Martin gave the Buckeyes an 11-9 lead heading into the match at 197. 

No. 4 ranked Kollin Moore attacked No. 6 Aaron Studebaker with his usual aggression in the neutral position, but Studebaker held his ground nicely and prevented several close takedowns for Moore. In a back and forth affair, both wrestlers were in deep on multiple shots, but were unable to finish. Moore earned the deciding takedown and held off Studebaker's frantic attempts for a 3-2 victory. 

Nebraska's No. 14 Collin Jensen showed no fear when facing top-ranked Kyle Snyder at heavyweight, but Snyder eventually had his way with Jensen en route to a 17-6 major decision. Jensen rode Snyder tough and made Snyder earn the first few takedowns, but Snyder's prowess on the feet was too much for the Nebraska senior. Snyder's major decision gave the Buckeyes an 18-9 lead. 

Jose Rodriguez looked to snap himself out of a late-season funk against No. 5 Tim Lambert with an aggressive first period, but Lambert's defense won the battle against Rodriguez' attacks. Lambert eventually got on the board and used some near fall points to earn the 8-0 major decision over Rodriguez. 

Nathan Tomasello faced a stiff test in No. 5 Eric Montoya at 133, but Tomasello was able to get his hand raised after seven grueling minutes of action. Montoya was ready for Tomasello's attacks and almost seemed to encourage scramble positions, which nearly paid off late in the match for the Husker senior. Tomasello held on for the decision victory, much to the dismay of the Nebraska crowd, and the Buckeyes took an insurmountable 21-13 lead with just one match remaining. 

Though he's wrestled well of late, Luke Pletcher was able to get a nice win for his efforts, upending No. 10 Colton McCrystal to put a cap on the match. After a scoreless first period, Pletcher rode McCrystal for the entire second period before tacking on an escape and a late takedown to seal the deal at 141. 

Ohio State improves to 10-2 on the season and 6-2 in the Big Ten with the victory. They will wrap up the conference dual meet season on Sunday when they head to Minnesota to take on the No. 13 Golden Gophers. 

The No. 4 Buckeyes will wrap up the regular season on Sunday afternoon with a road dual at No. 12 Minnesota. Ohio State is coming off the heels of a 24-13 victory on Friday night at No. 5 Nebraska. 

Minnesota Golden Gophers

6-4 overall, 5-3 Big Ten ROSTER | SCHEDULE

2:00 PM EST – SUNDAY, FEB. 11 Sports Pavillion Minneapolis, Minnesota

Match airs live on BTN Plus (Subscription required)

GopherSports.com

The Golden Gophers lead the series by a wide margin, but the Buckeyes earned the victory the last time the two teams met in 2015. 

Let's take a look at what to expect when the Buckeyes roll into Minneapolis on Sunday afternoon. 

The No. 12 Minnesota golden gophers (6-4 overall, 5-3 big ten)

Head Coach: Brandon Eggum

Eggum has been the official head coach of the Golden Gophers for less than a month, but he held the title of interim head coach for the entire season after legendary coach J Robinson was unceremoniously ousted in September. Eggum was a successful wrestler for Robinson and then joined the Gopher coaching staff immediately following his graduation in 2001. Eggum was a three-time All-American for Minnesota and earned two international silver medals in freestyle.

Like Nebraska, Minnesota’s coaching staff is comprised of former Golden Gopher stars as four-time All-Americans Luke Becker and Zach Sanders are assistant coaches under Eggum. Also, an assistant coach is Ohio native Dustin Schlatter, who is merely a three-time All-American, but the younger Schlatter won an NCAA title as a freshman before injuries and stacked weight classes prevented him from anymore.

The Golden Gophers also feature a trio of four-time All-American alumni as “administrative assistants,” though I’d like to know the words per minute that Anthony Nelson, Dylan Ness and Jayson Ness can type.

Ohioans on the Minnesota Roster

None. This is becoming a disturbing trend in the Big Ten as they join Penn State and Nebraska as excellent teams without a firm foundation of Ohioans on the team.

Notable Gopher Wrestlers

No. 2 Brett Pfarr (RS Sr, 197)

Pfarr is a big, athletic 197 that can score points in a hurry. His lone loss this season is to Olympic bronze medalist and two-time NCAA champ J’Den Cox of Missouri at the Southern Scuffle. Pfarr was unable to crack the lineup as a freshman because the Gophers were stacked in the upper weights that year, but he has made the most of his opportunity in the lineup since. Pfarr was 0-2 at the NCAA tournament as a sophomore but finished 3rd at an outstanding weight class as a junior.

No. 8 Michael Kroells (RS Sr, HWT)

Kroells, like Pfarr, followed an absolute stud in the lineup, replacing two-time NCAA champion Tony Nelson at heavyweight. Kroells is a two-time All-American, finishing eighth as a sophomore and seventh as a junior. If his bio on the Minnesota wrestling website can be believed, Kroells is frequently an Academic All-American, which is impressive enough before you learn that he’s also achieving at a high level as an aerospace engineering major. It’s hard to dislike a guy that gets it done on a high level on the mat and in the classroom, and soon in the skies.

Key Matchups

HWT- No. 1 Kyle Snyder (9-0) vs No. 8 Michael Kroells (22-7)

Snyder has laid waste to the field at heavyweight, but Kroells is yet another big, athletic heavyweight looking to test his skills against Snyderman. Don’t count on Snyder settling for a 2-1 victory like many heavyweights, even if Kroells is a two-time All-American.

141- No. 15 Luke Pletcher (22-4) vs No. 12 Tommy Thorn (13-4)

Thorn had several tough matches against Micah Jordan a season ago, but Pletcher is a different animal at 141 than Jordan. It will be interesting to see how Pletcher comes out after ending the Nebraska match with a nice minor upset of No. 10 Colton McCrystal. As Pletcher is just a true freshman, he will need to position himself the best that he can to earn a high seed at the Big Ten tournament because 141 is looking like a real meat grinder.

197- No. 4 Kollin Moore (23-2) vs No. 2 Brett Pfarr (22-1)

Moore will be looking to avenge one of his two losses on the season, which came to Pfarr at the CKLV Las Vegas Invitational early in the season. Moore was unable to get his offense going against Pfarr, and the Gopher senior earned a major decision for his efforts. Now that Moore has seen what Pfarr brings to the table, it will be interesting to see if he is able to craft a new gameplan to attack Pfarr, who will likely be the top seed at the Big Ten tournament barring something crazy happening for the remainder of the Minnesota schedule.

Match Outlook

Minnesota has a nice team this year and it is certainly trending upward after a very down season (by Minnesota standards) last year. While they aren’t up to the level of Nebraska, they match up favorably for the Buckeyes, assuming the Buckeyes wrestle well with a mostly intact lineup. We saw Bo Jordan return to action on Friday night against Nebraska, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him rest his ankle and give Justin Kresevic the start against Chris Pfarr.

The Gophers are clearly stronger in the middle of the lineup, which has been a major weakness in the Buckeye lineup this season, but Ohio State is superior in at least four of the other weight classes. If Jose Rodriguez continues to slump at 125, Lizak may put up bonus points. The same can be said for Cody Burcher at 165. If Jake Ryan is out of the lineup at 157 as he has been of late, the Buckeyes will almost certainly need to make up some bonus points in favor of the Gophers at 157.

While I believe that Nebraska is the superior team to Minnesota (Nebraska defeated Minnesota 21-11 in January), the match on Sunday could actually be closer than the Buckeyes’ 24-13 victory over Nebraska based on some matchups favoring the Gophers. Ohio State will need to wrestle aggressively against a Minnesota lineup that will be looking for an upset on their Senior Day if they are going to end the regular season on a high note.

The fourth-ranked Buckeye wrestlers put a cap on their conference dual schedule with a 24-20 road victory over No. 12 Minnesota on Sunday afternoon. The Buckeyes won five of the 10 matches, but Ohio State scored bonus point victories in four of the five victories to provide the margin of victory.

Nathan Tomasello and Bo Jordan gave the Buckeyes a spark with pins, while Micah Jordan's tech fall and Myles Martin's major decision contributed to the victory. The match saw five lead changes, but the Buckeyes finished strong and earned the win. 

The match began at 197 as Ohio State's No. 4 Kollin Moore looked to avenge one of his two losses on the season, but No. 2 Brett Pfarr wasn't to be denied in his last home match at Minnesota, taking a 7-5 decision. The first bout was very one-sided in favor of Pfarr, but Moore held his own in the rematch and nearly scored the takedown at the end of regulation, but was unable to keep Pfarr on the mat. Though it goes as a loss on his record, Moore should not hang his head after this loss to Pfarr because he knows that he is able to get to Pfarr's legs and finish shots against the All-American. 

Kyle Snyder was out of the lineup at heavyweight as the Iranian ban on American wrestlers was lifted and Snyder will compete in the upcoming World Cup. Josh Fox took the mat at heavyweight, but was unable to stop — or even slow — No. 8 Michael Kroells down, giving up a 20-5 technical fall. The Gophers led 8-0 after two matches. 

No. 18 Jose Rodriguez started the season strong but struggled of late against Big Ten competition. The Buckeye freshman trailed No. 6 Ethan Lizak early, but kept fighting back and managed to tie the bout at the very end of regulation to send the bout to overtime. Once the match went to overtime, Rodriguez scored a takedown almost immediately to win, 12-10. The broadcasters mentioned Lizak had been fighting illness leading up to the match, but after slumping since December, Rodriguez has to feel good about sticking with his attacks and earning the upset. 

Top-ranked Nathan Tomasello made short work of No. 17 Mitch McKee, capitalizing on McKee's defense of a shot attempt to take the Gopher straight to his back. Once on the mat, Tomasello used just about every pinning combination he could think of before sinking in the double grapevines and pinning McKee late in the first period. The pin, paired with Rodriguez' decision, gave the Buckeyes a 9-8 lead in the dual. The win was Tomasello's 95th in his Ohio State career. 

Luke Pletcher faced yet another tough opponent in No. 12 Tommy Thorn, but Pletcher was unable to earn the minor upset as Thorn was just a step ahead of the Buckeye freshman and earned a 7-2 decision. Thorn earned the better of the scrambles and put Minnesota back in the lead, 11-9. 

Micah Jordan gave the Buckeyes a 14-11 lead with a technical fall over Brandon Kingsley at 149. Kingsley joined Brett Pfarr and Michael Kroells as seniors in the lineup, but Kingsley was outmatched from the get-go and Jordan earned the tech fall. Micah locked up a late cradle and clinched the tech fall with a set of late back points to give the Buckeyes another lead. 

Anthony DeCarlo took the mat for the Buckeyes at 157 but had no answer for No. 8 Jake Short. Short pinned DeCarlo midway through the first period to again put Minnesota back in the lead, 17-14. 

Minnesota won a second-straight match to push its lead to 20-14 as No. 18 Nick Wanzek controlled Cody Burcher for a 5-2 decision. Burcher is just 2-6 since the beginning of 2017, which has to be a concern for the Buckeye staff heading into the postseason. 

Bo Jordan knotted the match at 20 apiece with a quick pin over Chris Pfarr at 174. Jordan has been hobbled by injuries of late but looked to be at least halfway decent against Pfarr. Jordan scored a quick takedown and worked his trademark power half to stick Pfarr late in the first period. The pin tied the match heading into the final bout of the day at 184. 

With the win hanging in the balance, Myles Martin scored early and often against Bobby Steveson to ice the win for the Buckeyes. Martin put on a takedown clinic and led 4-1 just seconds into the match. The major decision improved Martin's record to 23-5 and was his seventh major decision of the season. Martin gave the Buckeyes a 24-20 victory to wrap up their Big Ten dual meet season, finishing with a 7-2 conference record and an 11-2 mark overall. 

Ohio State will get back to action in the NWCA Dual Championship Series against a non-Big Ten team to be named later, though it is looking like the Buckeyes may face the Missouri Tigers. Eleven Warriors will have all the details of the NWCA Dual Championship Series as they become available. The Big Ten Championships will take place on March 4 and 5 in Bloomington, Indiana. 

The pairings for the 2017 edition of the National Wrestling Coaches Association's Dual Championship Series were announced Monday morning, with the No. 4 Buckeyes drawing the No. 9 Cornell Big Red. 

The Buckeyes are tied in the 13 previous matches against the Big Red with a record of 6-6-1 all time, with the most recent being a 27-6 loss to Cornell in the 2011 National Duals. 

While the National Duals used to be contested as a bracketed dual tournament, 2016 marked the first time that the tournament adopted a style that more closely resembled college football's bowl selection. The current model has the top eight teams from the Big Ten wrestling eight of the top non-Big Ten programs from around the country. The conferences alternate on host sites with the Big Ten teams travelling this year after hosting in 2016. 

Ohio State and Cornell will feature four bouts between ranked wrestlers and two of those will be between wrestlers each in the current top 10. Top-ranked Bo Jordan will face Cornell's No. 3 Brian Realbuto at 174 while Cornell's two-time NCAA champion Gabe Dean awaits No. 10 Myles Martin at 184. 

Below are the final pairings as well as how you can watch them. 

Fresh off a pair of wins over ranked opponents, 133-pounder Nathan Tomasello has been named the Big Ten's Wrestler of the Week.

Tomasello led the No. 4 Buckeyes to wins over No. 12 Minnesota and No. 5 Nebraska over the weekend, topping No. 5 Eric Montoya of Nebraska, 5-2, and pinning No. 17 Mitch McKee of Minnesota, both on the road.

The wins improve Tomasello's season record to 15–0, including a 6–0 slate against ranked opponents.

This is the third time the junior has captured the Big Ten's top weekly honor and second this season. Tomasello was last named B1G Wrestler of the Week on Jan. 17.

A pair of Buckeyes shone brightly for the United States at the World Cup, helping the American wrestlers earn silver as a team. The Americans went 3-0 against Georgia, Russia, and Azerbaijan before falling to host Iran in the gold medal match. 

Stieber went 3-1 in the World Cup in Kermanshah, Iran, with his lone loss coming Friday morning in the final match. Stieber showed serious grit as he won three tough matches including a huge win against Azerbaijan that helped the United States advance to the finals.

Buckeye heavyweight Kyle Snyder also went 3-1 over the course of the tournament, earning a decision, tech fall, and pin. The Buckeye junior was dominant on Thursday, rolling to an 11-0 tech fall against Georgian Zviad Metreveli and a pin over Yury Belonovskiy of Russia. 

Snyder's lone loss was to Aslanbek Alborov of Azerbaijan, who took a slim 5-4 decision over the Olympic and NCAA champ. Despite Snyder's loss, the United States was able to defeat Azerbaijan on criteria to advance to the championship bout. 

In the final match, Stieber took his lone loss of the weekend, falling to Masoud Esmailpoor of Iran by the score of 6-2 at 61 kg.

Stieber's match at 61 kg was part of a four match run by the Iranians, which put the United States in a deep hole before Olympic champion and Nebraska graduate Jordan Burroughs got the Americans a win.  

Burroughs' 3-2 decision at 74 kg kicked off a streak for the USA that was followed up by a pin from Ohio native David Taylor at 86 kg and an exciting victory for Snyder at 97 kg to tie the team score heading into the final bout.

Snyder was on the offensive early on against Mohammadi of Iran, finding the Irani's legs twice in the first period. Snyder held a 2-0 lead after the first period thanks to his aggression, but scored first in the second period in response to Mohammadi's attacks. Snyder scored a final takedown on a go behind and took the 6-0 victory. 

At heavyweight, NC State graduate Nick Gwiazdowski was unable to secure the team victory, falling 5-0 to a tough Komeil Ghasemi.  

The fourth-ranked Buckeye wrestlers will participate in the 2017 NWCA Dual Championship series on Sunday when they travel to Ithaca, New York to take on the No. 8 Cornell Big Red. The dual is one of eight scheduled to take place between eight Big Ten schools and eight of the best non-Big Ten teams to determine the best dual meet team in the country. 

Let's take a look at what to expect when the Buckeyes take on a tough Ivy League opponent. 

CORNELL BIG RED

12-2 overall (5-0 conference) ROSTER | SCHEDULE

1:00 PM – SUNDAY, FEB 19. BARTELS HALL ITHACA, NEW YORK

Match streaming available at trackwrestling.com

CORNELLBIGRED.COM

The No. 8 Cornell Big Red

Head Coach: Rob Koll

Koll is in his 23rd season at the helm of the Big Red, and he has built the program into a formidable wrestling machine despite being held to Ivy League academic standards. Cornell has won 14 consecutive Ivy League championships and has sent nine wrestlers to the NCAA tournament on six separate occasions. Koll has coached 14 NCAA champions, including Kyle Dake, who is just one of four wrestlers to win four individual NCAA titles (and Dake is the only one to win all four at different weight classes each year). Though the Cornell has yet to win an NCAA title under Koll, they are a mainstay at the top of the NCAA team scoreboard year in and year out. As a wrestler himself, Koll was an NCAA champion for North Carolina and was the winningest wrestler in ACC history. Koll then won gold medals at two World Cups and was an alternate for the 1992 US Olympic team.

Koll is aided by former NCAA champion Damion Hahn (Minnesota), Mike Grey (Cornell), and Donnie Vinson (Binghamton).

Ohioans on Cornell

Noah Baughman (Fr, 125)

Baughman was a two-time state champion for Wadsworth High School, capturing Division I state titles as a sophomore and a senior. Baughman placed third as a junior.

Jonathan Furnas (So, 133)

Furnas was a three-time state placer for Olentangy Liberty, capturing a Division I state title as a senior at 132. Furnas was high school teammates with current Buckeye Jake Ryan.

Notable Big Red Wrestlers

No. 1 Gabe Dean (Sr, 184)

Dean’s achievement list would be a mile long, but by the time you’d finished reading it, he would have likely added more accolades to the list. Dean is a two-time NCAA champion, finishing third as a freshman with a loss to Ed Ruth in the semifinals. Dean’s career record currently sits at 146-6, with a record of 59-1 in his last two seasons. While Dean was a dominant wrestler early in his career, he has increased his desire for bonus points as a senior, winning all but one of his matches as a senior by bonus points in a serious push for the Hodge Trophy. Dean currently sits at No. 3 in the NCAA’s Most Dominant List, averaging 5.43 team points per match.

No. 10 Dylan Palacio (Sr, 165)

Palacio has had a truncated career for the Big Red, battling injury for much of the last two seasons. As a junior, he got hot at the right time, winning five straight in the consolation bracket to finish fourth at the NCAA tournament for his first All-American finish. Palacio has only wrestled in four matches this season, compiling a 3-1 record.

No. 3 Brian Realbuto (Sr, 174)

Realbuto is a two-time All-American finishing as high as second as a sophomore to IMar of Illinois before being injured early at last year’s tournament and going 0-2. Realbuto is 18-1 on the season, with his lone loss coming as a one-point decision to No. 2 Zahid Valencia of Arizona State. Realbuto doesn’t have many notable wins on the season, but he did pin No. 4 Ryan Preisch (Lehigh) and has a major decision over No. 13 Casey Kent (Penn).

Key Matchups

184 — No. 7 Myles Martin (23-5) vs No. 1 Gabe Dean (25-0)

Dean dismantled Martin earlier this season at the NWCA All-Star Classic in Cleveland, winning 13-4 over the Buckeye sophomore. While Dean has been consistently scary all season, Martin is rounding into form late in the season and is wrestling incredibly well of late while putting the finishing touches on his excellent offensive attacks. I expect Dean to win the rematch, but by far less now that Myles has had time to rethink his approach to the two-time NCAA champ.

174 — No. 1 Bo Jordan (11-0) vs No. 3 Brian Realbuto (18-1)

A healthy Bo Jordan is always fun to watch, unless you’re cheering for his opponent. Bo’s schedule of late has been ridiculous and he’s not exactly easing himself back into the lineup after being nagged by injury for much of the season. Realbuto is tough, but Bo showed some serious confidence in getting to the legs of his opponents against Minnesota and Nebraska, so we’ll see if he’s really back to normal. Both of these guys should be high finishers at the NCAA tournament next month, so this one could be a preview of things to come.

125 — No. 16 Jose Rodriguez (12-7) vs Noah Baughman (21-12)

If the Buckeyes are going to finish as high as they’d like at the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments, they’re going to need points from Rodriguez. After a serious slump early in 2017 that some attributed to a weight-cutting issue, Rodriguez seems to have turned the corner and is wrestling better late in matches. This one between two Ohio natives could be a nice confidence-builder for Jose as Baughman is no slouch at 125. Rodriguez defeated Baughman at the CKLV Invitational by major decision. 

Match Outlook

Koll has absolutely fostered a sense of family with the Cornell program as his son William starts at 141 for the Big Red, but the team also has four sets of brothers on the current roster for the Big Red. That doesn’t have anything to do with the match outcome, but it is an interesting fact that separates Cornell from most of the programs around the country.

While this match is largely an exhibition since it is out of conference and the Buckeyes are not competing for a national title, I would be quite surprised to see all of the regular starters in the lineup (excluding Snyder as he is still acclimating himself from wrestling at the World Cup in Iran). This dual would be a good measuring stick for Bo Jordan to see how he’s feeling before the Big Ten tournament next month. If the Buckeyes are wrestling with the full lineup of starters, I think they win this one going away, but Snyder is out of the lineup and there is some question about who is the starter at 157 for the Buckeyes, so this one may be closer than expected.

Myles Martin will face a huge test as Gabe Dean is pursuing a third NCAA title, so hopefully Martin has made the necessary adjustments to close the gap with Dean since they met in November.

The No. 4 Buckeyes dropped a tight match on the road to No. 8 Cornell on Sunday as part of the 2017 NWCA Dual Championship Series by the score of 19-18. 

The Buckeyes were led by bonus point victories from Nathan Tomasello, Micah Jordan, and Kollin Moore while Luke Pletcher added a decision in the losing effort. Ohio State won four of the 10 matches, but the Big Red were able to win at heavyweight to earn the one-point victory. 

The match kicked off at 125 where No. 16 Jose Rodriguez dropped a 4-0 decision to fellow Ohioan, Noah Baughman. Rodriguez owned a victory over Baughman from earlier in the season but the Cornell freshman was able to avenge the loss to give his team a 3-0 lead. 

Tomasello made quick work of Cornell's Mark Grey with a 19-4 tech fall at the end of the second period. Tomasello improved to 16-0 on the season with his fourth tech fall of the year and gave the Buckeyes a 5-3 lead. 

No. 12 Pletcher defeated Will Koll at 141 by the score of 5-2 in a tough decision. With the victory, Pletcher improved to 24-5 in his true freshman season. The Buckeyes pushed the lead to 8-3 with the decision victory. 

Jordan was not a friendly foe to fellow Ohioan Jonathan Furnas, taking the Cornell sophomore down at will before pinning him early in the third period. The pin was Micah's sixth of the season and gave the Buckeyes a 14-3 lead after four matches. 

Former All-American Dylan Palacio has missed much of this season due to injury but he was able to have his way with Buckeye 157 Anthony DeCarlo, winning 19-8. Cornell drew to within seven halfway through the dual. 

Cody Burcher was unable to  get back to his winning ways, falling to Brandon Womack 4-2 at 165. Burcher's record now stands at 15-12 on the season after losing his third straight. 

Bo Jordan suffered his first loss of the season to No. 3 Brian Realbuto in a low-scoring affair at 174. Realbuto managed just a takedown and an escape but it was enough to defeat Jordan, 3-2. Realbuto's victory drew the Big Red to within one of the Buckeyes with three matches left in the dual. 

Myles Martin was blown out in the preseason All-Star Classic by top-ranked Gabe Dean, but Martin was able to make some necessary adjustments to stymie the two-time NCAA champion a little better. Dean was able to earn the 10-5 decision and give Cornell a 16-14 lead with just two matches left. 

No. 4 Moore regained the lead for the Buckeyes with his usual offensive output against Ben Honis with a 20-9 major decision. Moore suffered a tough loss to Minnesota's No. 2 Brett Pfarr recently, so he was able to get back to his winning ways against Honis in his last match heading into the postseason. Moore put the Buckeyes back in the lead 18-16 heading into the heavyweight bout. 

Josh Fox took the mat for the Buckeyes at heavyweight against Cornell's Jeramy Sweany since Kyle Snyder is returning to the United States from the World Cup in Iran but Fox was unable to hold onto the lead for the Buckeyes. Sweany scored a 4-0 decision, giving the Big Red a comeback victory in the last match. 

With the dual season wrapped up, the Buckeyes will take a break from the action to recuperate and prepare for the postseason. The Buckeyes finished the season with an 11-3 record in dual meets with losses to Iowa, Penn State, and Cornell. 

The Buckeyes will compete at the Big Ten Championships in Bloomington, Indiana on March 4-5 before the NCAA Championships in St. Louis in March 16-18. 

Former Ohio State wrestler Nick Roberts was found dead late Saturday night in his apartment on the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown campus. He was 23 years old.

Pitt-Johnstown Mourns Loss of National Champion Nick Roberts https://t.co/VmKrl4el41

— PittJohnstownSports (@MtnCatAthletics) February 26, 2017

Roberts, a three-time state champion at North Star High in Boswell, Pennsylvania, qualified for NCAA championships as a redshirt freshman at Ohio State in 2013-14. He then transferred to Pitt-Johnstown and won a Division II national title as a junior.

Roberts was honored on Senior Night just two weeks ago, though a knee injury ended his competitive career.

The Cambria County Coroner’s Office and Pennsylvania State Police are investigating Roberts' death, though Pitt-Johnstown President Jen Spectar released the following statement:

It is with great sadness that I share with you the loss of one of our university family, Nick Roberts. The death occurred earlier this evening in his room. The cause of death is not known at this time, but foul play is not suspected.
 
Nick is a senior in the class of 2017. We also know Nick as a standout member of our Mountain Cat wrestling team.
 
Our thoughts and prayers go out to his parents, family, friends and loved ones.

Tuesday night proved that the Buckeyes are not simply content to succeed in the current season, but they are aiming for success down the road as well. With the Big Ten tournament just around the corner, Ohio State stayed on the recruiting trail and landed a commit from the top 106 in the country in Colorado's Malik Heinselman:

I am proud to announce that I will further my wrestling career at The Ohio State University. I cannot name all of the people that have helped me along the way, but thank you all for the support. #gobucks

Heinselman just won his second Colorado 5A state title for Castle View High School, and is a member of the Class of 2018. Heinselman continues the Buckeye trend of nabbing guys with excellent freestyle credentials as he has won three Fargo freestyle titles and has won the UWW Cadet National title in each of the last two seasons. Malik will look to continue the international freestyle success found by Kyle Snyder and Logan Stieber, albeit at a significantly lighter weight. The lightest collegiate weight is 125, so Heinselman will need to put on some weight in the next few years if he is going to contribute to the lineup. 

Heinselman joins fellow Top 100 recruit Jaden Mattox as Buckeye commits in the Class of 2018, which will have the unenviable task of replacing the class featuring Nathan Tomasello, Bo Jordan, and Kyle Snyder. 

Head Coach Tom Ryan teased more good news to come, so check back with Eleven Warriors for more on the wrestling program as they take a shot at the Big Ten title this weekend. 

Good news last night & more to come. Grateful for Buckeye Nation! The best way to predict the future is to create it. Abraham Lincoln

— Thomas Ryan (@Buckeye158) March 1, 2017