Ohio State moves big step closer to winning 1st NCAA title
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by Craig Sesker USA Wrestling
Ohio State freshman Nathan Tomasello was one of three Buckeyes to advance to the finals of the NCAA Championships on Friday night. Tony Rotundo photo.
VIDEO: 2015 NCAA Championships Athlete and Coach Interviews
ST. LOUIS – The dream season Logan Stieber envisioned is another huge step closer to becoming reality.
Three-time NCAA champion Stieber and his Ohio State Buckeye teammates are on the brink of winning their first team title in school history after a superb performance Friday at the 85th NCAA Wrestling Championships.
Stieber stands one win from his fourth title and the Buckeyes built their leading total to 86.5 points on Friday night before 18,761 fans at the Scottrade Center.
Stieber will be joined in the finals by freshman teammates Nathan Tomasello (125) and Kyle Snyder (197). Ohio State’s Bo Jordan (165) and Kenny Courts (184) can still place as high as third.
The fourth-ranked Buckeyes are followed in the team standings by No. 2 Iowa (73), No. 5 Cornell (66.5), Edinboro (64.5) and No. 1 Missouri (60).
“This is really special,” Ohio State coach Tom Ryan said. “We’ve got to keep winning matches tomorrow, but we’re really excited about where Ohio State wrestling is. This group has really stepped up for us.”
Stieber is looking to join Oklahoma State’s Pat Smith, Iowa State’s Cael Sanderson and Cornell’s Kyle Dake as four-time NCAA champions.
“I’m just trying to enjoy it,” Stieber said. “It's been a fun ride. And if we could win a team title along the way, that would be cool.”
Stieber rolled to a 12-2 major decision over unseeded Kevin Jack of North Carolina State in the 141-pound semifinals.
Stieber advances to his fourth straight NCAA final. He is 19-0 in this tournament in his career and has won his last 49 matches overall.
Stieber will meet No. 2 seed Mitchell Port of Edinboro in the finals. Stieber beat Port 6-3 in a dual this season.
Iowa has one finalist and four other All-Americans who can place as high as third Saturday. Cornell has two finalists and two on the back side. Edinboro has two finalists and two others in the wrestlebacks. Missouri has one in the finals, two in the consolation semis and two going for seventh.
The consolation semifinals are set for 10 a.m. Saturday with the medal matches following. The finals are set for 7 p.m. and will be shown on ESPN.
Tomasello fired in for a takedown just before time expired to upset No. 1 Alan Waters of Missouri 4-2 in the 125 semifinals.
Tomasello, the No. 4 seed, will meet unseeded West Virginia freshman Zeke Moisey in the finals. Tomasello owns two wins over Moisey this season.
The fourth-seeded Snyder, a 2013 Junior World champion, knocked off returning champion and No. 1 seed J’den Cox of Missouri 3-2 in the 197 finals. Cox had won his previous 56 matches. Snyder will meet No. 3 Kyven Gadson of Iowa State in the finals.
Moisey continued his improbable and magical run, scoring a stunning 52-second fall over No. 6 Thomas Gilman of Iowa in the 125-pound semifinals.
Moisey scored on a single-leg shot to lead 2-1 before quickly shooting in again and locking up a near-side cradle to pin Gilman.
“I went out and really wanted to be offensive,” Moisey said. “I did have 13 losses this season, but I think I peaked at the right time. A lot of those losses I think I should have won or I could have won, and I’ve gained a lot of experience in those matches.”
Returning champion Nick Gwiazdowski of North Carolina State is back in the heavyweight finals. He will meet Michigan’s Adam Coon in the finals. Gwiazdowski has won 54 straight matches.
Third-seeded David Habat of Edinboro knocked off returning champion and No. 2 seed Jason Tsirtsis of Northwestern 3-2 in the 149 semis.
“Tsirtsis is a very, very good wrestler,” Habat said. “He beat me at the Midlands and I wanted to get revenge on him. But I like the guy. It's just a competitive thing. It wasn't a personal grudge – he wrestled really hard.”
Habat will face No. 1 seed Drake Houdashelt of Missouri in the finals. Houdashelt beat No. 5 Chris Villalonga of Cornell 4-0 in the semis.
Returning champion Alex Dieringer of Oklahoma State earned a gritty 6-1 win over Ohio State freshman Bo Jordan at 165. Dieringer has won his last 48 matches. He won the title at 157 last year. Dieringer will battle the dangerous Taylor Walsh of Indiana in the finals.
Dieringer will seek his 100th career win Saturday night.
“It’s pretty special to have a chance to get my 100th victory and be a national champion – that would be pretty cool,” said Dieringer, a junior. “I’m excited for it. I’m ready.”
No. 13 seed Cody Brewer of Oklahoma gave up the first takedown before storming back for a dominating 15-3 win over top seed Chris Dardanes of Minnesota in the 133 semifinals.
“As long as I was in the bracket I was good with whatever seed I had,” said Brewer, who is 21-1 this season. “13 seed was probably not what I was looking for, but it turned out to be good. Now I’m in the top two now.”
Brewer will face No. 3 seed Cory Clark of Iowa in the finals. Clark beat Penn State’s Jimmy Gulibon 7-5 in the semis.
“I knew I had to come out hard and ready to wrestle,” Clark said. “He’s really explosive, so you’ve got to be ready at all times.”
Cornell’s Brian Realbuto won by injury default over two-time finalist Dylan Ness of Minnesota in the 157 semis.
No. 1 seed Isaiah Martinez of Illinois edged No. 4 James Green of Nebraska 3-2 at 157. Martinez scored the decisive point with 1:07 in riding time. Martinez is an unbeaten freshman.
Penn State’s Matt Brown is back in the finals for a second time after edging Big Ten rival Mike Evans of Iowa 1-0 at 174. Brown will face Pitt’s Tyler Wilps in the finals. Brown was second at the 2013 NCAAs.
No. 1 seed Gabe Dean of Cornell will meet Lehigh’s Nate Brown in the 184 finals. Dean outlasted Edinboro’s Victor Avery in the semis, winning on riding time after they finished two cycles of overtime with a 3-3 score.
NCAA Championships
March 19-21, Scottrade Center, St. Louis
Team scoring (top 10)
Ohio State 86.5, Iowa 73, Cornell 66.5, Edinboro 64.5, Missouri 60, Penn State 58, Oklahoma State 55.5, Michigan 51, Minnesota 49, Nebraska 49
Finals matchups
125 pounds
Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State) vs. Zeke Moisey (West Virginia)
133 pounds
Cody Brewer (Oklahoma) vs. Cory Clark (Iowa)
141 pounds
Logan Stieber (Ohio State) vs. Mitchell Port (Edinboro)
149 pounds
Drake Houdashelt (Missouri) vs. David Habat (Edinboro)
157 pounds
Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) vs. Brian Realbuto (Cornell)
165 pounds
Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State) vs. Taylor Walsh (Indiana)
174 pounds
Tyler Wilps (Pittsburgh) vs. Matt Brown (Penn State)
184 pounds
Gabe Dean (Cornell) vs. Nate Brown (Lehigh)
197 pounds
Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) vs. Kyven Gadson (Iowa State)
285 pounds
Nick Gwiazdowski (North Carolina State) vs. Adam Coon (Michigan)
VIDEO: 2015 NCAA Championships Athlete and Coach Interviews
ST. LOUIS – The dream season Logan Stieber envisioned is another huge step closer to becoming reality.
Three-time NCAA champion Stieber and his Ohio State Buckeye teammates are on the brink of winning their first team title in school history after a superb performance Friday at the 85th NCAA Wrestling Championships.
Stieber stands one win from his fourth title and the Buckeyes built their leading total to 86.5 points on Friday night before 18,761 fans at the Scottrade Center.
Stieber will be joined in the finals by freshman teammates Nathan Tomasello (125) and Kyle Snyder (197). Ohio State’s Bo Jordan (165) and Kenny Courts (184) can still place as high as third.
The fourth-ranked Buckeyes are followed in the team standings by No. 2 Iowa (73), No. 5 Cornell (66.5), Edinboro (64.5) and No. 1 Missouri (60).
“This is really special,” Ohio State coach Tom Ryan said. “We’ve got to keep winning matches tomorrow, but we’re really excited about where Ohio State wrestling is. This group has really stepped up for us.”
Stieber is looking to join Oklahoma State’s Pat Smith, Iowa State’s Cael Sanderson and Cornell’s Kyle Dake as four-time NCAA champions.
“I’m just trying to enjoy it,” Stieber said. “It's been a fun ride. And if we could win a team title along the way, that would be cool.”
Stieber rolled to a 12-2 major decision over unseeded Kevin Jack of North Carolina State in the 141-pound semifinals.
Stieber advances to his fourth straight NCAA final. He is 19-0 in this tournament in his career and has won his last 49 matches overall.
Stieber will meet No. 2 seed Mitchell Port of Edinboro in the finals. Stieber beat Port 6-3 in a dual this season.
Iowa has one finalist and four other All-Americans who can place as high as third Saturday. Cornell has two finalists and two on the back side. Edinboro has two finalists and two others in the wrestlebacks. Missouri has one in the finals, two in the consolation semis and two going for seventh.
The consolation semifinals are set for 10 a.m. Saturday with the medal matches following. The finals are set for 7 p.m. and will be shown on ESPN.
Tomasello fired in for a takedown just before time expired to upset No. 1 Alan Waters of Missouri 4-2 in the 125 semifinals.
Tomasello, the No. 4 seed, will meet unseeded West Virginia freshman Zeke Moisey in the finals. Tomasello owns two wins over Moisey this season.
The fourth-seeded Snyder, a 2013 Junior World champion, knocked off returning champion and No. 1 seed J’den Cox of Missouri 3-2 in the 197 finals. Cox had won his previous 56 matches. Snyder will meet No. 3 Kyven Gadson of Iowa State in the finals.
Moisey continued his improbable and magical run, scoring a stunning 52-second fall over No. 6 Thomas Gilman of Iowa in the 125-pound semifinals.
Moisey scored on a single-leg shot to lead 2-1 before quickly shooting in again and locking up a near-side cradle to pin Gilman.
“I went out and really wanted to be offensive,” Moisey said. “I did have 13 losses this season, but I think I peaked at the right time. A lot of those losses I think I should have won or I could have won, and I’ve gained a lot of experience in those matches.”
Returning champion Nick Gwiazdowski of North Carolina State is back in the heavyweight finals. He will meet Michigan’s Adam Coon in the finals. Gwiazdowski has won 54 straight matches.
Third-seeded David Habat of Edinboro knocked off returning champion and No. 2 seed Jason Tsirtsis of Northwestern 3-2 in the 149 semis.
“Tsirtsis is a very, very good wrestler,” Habat said. “He beat me at the Midlands and I wanted to get revenge on him. But I like the guy. It's just a competitive thing. It wasn't a personal grudge – he wrestled really hard.”
Habat will face No. 1 seed Drake Houdashelt of Missouri in the finals. Houdashelt beat No. 5 Chris Villalonga of Cornell 4-0 in the semis.
Returning champion Alex Dieringer of Oklahoma State earned a gritty 6-1 win over Ohio State freshman Bo Jordan at 165. Dieringer has won his last 48 matches. He won the title at 157 last year. Dieringer will battle the dangerous Taylor Walsh of Indiana in the finals.
Dieringer will seek his 100th career win Saturday night.
“It’s pretty special to have a chance to get my 100th victory and be a national champion – that would be pretty cool,” said Dieringer, a junior. “I’m excited for it. I’m ready.”
No. 13 seed Cody Brewer of Oklahoma gave up the first takedown before storming back for a dominating 15-3 win over top seed Chris Dardanes of Minnesota in the 133 semifinals.
“As long as I was in the bracket I was good with whatever seed I had,” said Brewer, who is 21-1 this season. “13 seed was probably not what I was looking for, but it turned out to be good. Now I’m in the top two now.”
Brewer will face No. 3 seed Cory Clark of Iowa in the finals. Clark beat Penn State’s Jimmy Gulibon 7-5 in the semis.
“I knew I had to come out hard and ready to wrestle,” Clark said. “He’s really explosive, so you’ve got to be ready at all times.”
Cornell’s Brian Realbuto won by injury default over two-time finalist Dylan Ness of Minnesota in the 157 semis.
No. 1 seed Isaiah Martinez of Illinois edged No. 4 James Green of Nebraska 3-2 at 157. Martinez scored the decisive point with 1:07 in riding time. Martinez is an unbeaten freshman.
Penn State’s Matt Brown is back in the finals for a second time after edging Big Ten rival Mike Evans of Iowa 1-0 at 174. Brown will face Pitt’s Tyler Wilps in the finals. Brown was second at the 2013 NCAAs.
No. 1 seed Gabe Dean of Cornell will meet Lehigh’s Nate Brown in the 184 finals. Dean outlasted Edinboro’s Victor Avery in the semis, winning on riding time after they finished two cycles of overtime with a 3-3 score.
NCAA Championships
March 19-21, Scottrade Center, St. Louis
Team scoring (top 10)
Ohio State 86.5, Iowa 73, Cornell 66.5, Edinboro 64.5, Missouri 60, Penn State 58, Oklahoma State 55.5, Michigan 51, Minnesota 49, Nebraska 49
Finals matchups
125 pounds
Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State) vs. Zeke Moisey (West Virginia)
133 pounds
Cody Brewer (Oklahoma) vs. Cory Clark (Iowa)
141 pounds
Logan Stieber (Ohio State) vs. Mitchell Port (Edinboro)
149 pounds
Drake Houdashelt (Missouri) vs. David Habat (Edinboro)
157 pounds
Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) vs. Brian Realbuto (Cornell)
165 pounds
Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State) vs. Taylor Walsh (Indiana)
174 pounds
Tyler Wilps (Pittsburgh) vs. Matt Brown (Penn State)
184 pounds
Gabe Dean (Cornell) vs. Nate Brown (Lehigh)
197 pounds
Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) vs. Kyven Gadson (Iowa State)
285 pounds
Nick Gwiazdowski (North Carolina State) vs. Adam Coon (Michigan)
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