O-H-I-O! Strong session boosts Ohio State Buckeyes to first national championship
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by Craig Sesker USA Wrestling
Ohio State freshman Bo Jordan finished third at the NCAA Championships on Saturday. John Sachs photo.
VIDEO: NCAA Championships Athlete and Coach Interviews
ST. LOUIS – Ohio State shared the Big Ten Conference title two weeks ago.
But the NCAA Wrestling Championships trophy belongs only to the Buckeyes.
Bo Jordan placed third and Kenny Courts fifth as Ohio State clinched its first national title in school history during the medal round Saturday at the 85th NCAA Wrestling Championships.
The Buckeyes built their leading point total to 94 points, 10 ahead of Big Ten co-champion Iowa, in Session V before 18,761 fans at the Scottrade Center.
“I feel great, and a bit relieved,” Ohio State coach Tom Ryan said. “1921 was the year Ohio State started wrestling. We’ve gone 94 years since the beginning of the program to winning our first NCAA championship. I’m so happy for all the support we’ve received from everyone. We felt all year we had the team to win a national championship. I’m so proud of our guys for the way they’ve competed and battled in this tournament.”
Jordan, a talented freshman, recorded a quick fall in one minute over Jackson Morse of Illinois at 165 to finish third. Courts, a junior, then followed with a 4-3 win over North Dakota State’s Hayden Zillmer to take fifth.
“This feels great – it’s real exciting,” Jordan said. “I had a tough loss in the semis, but I had to come back strong today and get third for the team. I’m so pumped to help our team get that national title.”
Ohio State will have three-time NCAA champion Logan Stieber (141) in the finals along with freshman teammates Nathan Tomasello (125) and Kyle Snyder (197).
Iowa has just one finalist in sophomore Cory Clark at 133. The Hawkeyes also had All-Americans with Thomas Gilman (fourth at 125), Brandon Sorensen (fourth at 149), Bobby Telford (fifth at 285), Mike Evans (sixth at 174) and Nathan Burak (seventh at 197).
"We definitely under-wrestled the tournament,” Iowa coach Tom Brands said. “(Ohio State) did more work than us. There is some regret when you look back at it for sure. It's not like we let it slip away. We didn't do enough. We didn't score enough match points, and we didn't score enough team points.”
The finals are set for 7 p.m. and will be shown on ESPN.
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.
Stieber will compete in 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.
Edinboro’s A.J. Schopp won his seventh straight match after a first-round loss to place third at 133. Schopp rallied for a 4-3 win over No. 1 seed Chris Dardanes of Minnesota in the third-place bout.
“That first match I lost, I don’t know what was wrong with me,” Schopp said. “I definitely changed my mindset and attitude to work my way back to third.”
Returning champion Jason Tsirtsis of Northwestern downed Iowa freshman Brandon Sorensen 3-1 in sudden victory to take third at 149.
“I need to figure out how to break through and score more points,” Tsirtsis said. “I want to be an offensive wrestler. I’m extremely disappointed about where I finished, but I had to come back today and finish strong.”
No. 1 seed Alan Waters of Missouri battled back from a 4-1 deficit to down No. 6 Thomas Gilman of Iowa 7-4 in the third-place match at 125. Waters took Gilman to his back with a four-point move to take control in the final period.
Nebraska senior James Green capped a strong career by beating Virginia Tech’s Nick Brascetta to take third at 157. Green won 3-2 to place third for the second straight year. He was a four-time All-American for the Huskers. Green was second at the U.S. World Team Trials in freestyle last year.
Green’s teammate, top-seeded senior Robert Kokesh, rebounded to beat Minnesota’s Logan Storley 6-4 in sudden victory to take third at 174. Kokesh avenged a loss to Storley in last year’s third-place match. Kokesh placed third, fourth and third the last three seasons at NCAAs.
Returning champions Alex Dieringer of Oklahoma State (165) and Nick Gwiazdowski of North Carolina State (285) will be looking to repeat in tonight’s finals.
Dieringer has won his last 48 matches and will seek his 100th career win Saturday night. Gwiazdowski has won 54 straight matches.
NCAA Championships
March 19-21, Scottrade Center, St. Louis
Team scoring (top 10)
Ohio State 94, Iowa 84, Edinboro 75.5, Missouri 69.5, Cornell 67.5, Penn State 63.5, Oklahoma State 61, Minnesota 59.5, Nebraska 59, Virginia Tech 56
Medal matches
125 pounds
1st – Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State) vs. Zeke Moisey (West Virginia)
3rd – Alan Waters (Missouri) dec. Thomas Gilman (Iowa), 7-4
5th – Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) dec. Connor Youtsey (Michigan), 9-3
7th – Eddie Klimara (Oklahoma State) dec. Jordan Conaway (Penn State), 5-4
133 pounds
1st – Cody Brewer (Oklahoma) vs. Cory Clark (Iowa)
3rd – A.J. Schopp (Edinboro) dec. Chris Dardanes (Minnesota), 4-3
5th – Jimmy Gulibon (Penn State) dec. Mason Beckman (Lehigh), 9-5
7th – Ryan Taylor (Wisconsin) dec. Rossi Bruno (Michigan), 7-3
141 pounds
1st – Logan Stieber (Ohio State) vs. Mitchell Port (Edinboro)
3rd – Devin Carter (Virginia Tech) dec. Dean Heil (Oklahoma State), 17-8
5th – Kevin Jack (North Carolina State) dec. Chris Mecate (Old Dominion), 3-0
7th – Lavion Mayes (Missouri) wins by medical forfeit over Anthony Ashnault (Rutgers)
149 pounds
1st – Drake Houdashelt (Missouri) vs. David Habat (Edinboro)
3rd – Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern) dec. Brandon Sorensen (Iowa), 3-1 SV
5th – Bryant Clagon (Rider) dec. Chris Villalonga (Cornell), 6-3
7th – Alexander Richardson (Old Dominion) pinned Daniel Neff (Lock Haven), 2:38
157 pounds
1st – Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) vs. Brian Realbuto (Cornell)
3rd – James Green (Nebraska) dec. Nick Brascetta (Virginia Tech), 3-2
5th – Ian Miller (Kent State) won by medical forfeit over Dylan Ness (Minnesota)
7th – Brian Murphy (Michigan) won by medical forfeit over Mitchell Minotti (Lehigh)
165 pounds
1st – Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State) vs. Taylor Walsh (Indiana)
3rd – Bo Jordan (Ohio State) pinned Jackson Morse (Illinois), 1:00
5th – Nick Sulzer (Virginia) dec. Ethan Ramos (North Carolina), 12-4
7th – Isaac Jordan (Wisconsin) dec. Jim Wilson (Stanford), 3-2
174 pounds
1st – Tyler Wilps (Pittsburgh) vs. Matt Brown (Penn State)
3rd – Robert Kokesh (Nebraska) dec. Logan Storley (Minnesota), 6-4 SV
5th – Kyle Crutchmer (Oklahoma State) dec. Mike Evans (Iowa), 2-1 TB1
7th – Zach Epperly (Virginia Tech) dec. Kurtis Julson (North Dakota State), 3-2
184 pounds
1st – Gabe Dean (Cornell) vs. Nate Brown (Lehigh)
3rd – Victor Avery (Edinboro) dec. Blake Stauffer (Arizona State), 3-2
5th – Kenny Courts (Ohio State) dec. Hayden Zillmer (North Dakota State), 4-3
7th – Willie Miklus (Missouri) dec. Tim Dudley (Nebraska), 6-5
197 pounds
1st – Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) vs. Kyven Gadson (Iowa State)
3rd – Morgan McIntosh (Penn State) dec. Scott Schiller (Minnesota), 12-7
5th – J’den Cox (Missouri) dec. Conner Hartmann (Duke), 4-2 TB1
7th – Nathan Burak (Iowa) dec. Max Huntley (Michigan), 6-4
285 pounds
1st – Nick Gwiazdowski (North Carolina State) vs. Adam Coon (Michigan)
3rd – Mike McMullan (Northwestern) dec. Connor Medbery (Wisconsin), 3-2
5th – Bobby Telford (Iowa) dec. Jimmy Lawson (Penn State), 6-0
7th – Ty Walz (Virginia Tech) dec. Michael Kroells (Minnesota), 6-2
VIDEO: NCAA Championships Athlete and Coach Interviews
ST. LOUIS – Ohio State shared the Big Ten Conference title two weeks ago.
But the NCAA Wrestling Championships trophy belongs only to the Buckeyes.
Bo Jordan placed third and Kenny Courts fifth as Ohio State clinched its first national title in school history during the medal round Saturday at the 85th NCAA Wrestling Championships.
The Buckeyes built their leading point total to 94 points, 10 ahead of Big Ten co-champion Iowa, in Session V before 18,761 fans at the Scottrade Center.
“I feel great, and a bit relieved,” Ohio State coach Tom Ryan said. “1921 was the year Ohio State started wrestling. We’ve gone 94 years since the beginning of the program to winning our first NCAA championship. I’m so happy for all the support we’ve received from everyone. We felt all year we had the team to win a national championship. I’m so proud of our guys for the way they’ve competed and battled in this tournament.”
Jordan, a talented freshman, recorded a quick fall in one minute over Jackson Morse of Illinois at 165 to finish third. Courts, a junior, then followed with a 4-3 win over North Dakota State’s Hayden Zillmer to take fifth.
“This feels great – it’s real exciting,” Jordan said. “I had a tough loss in the semis, but I had to come back strong today and get third for the team. I’m so pumped to help our team get that national title.”
Ohio State will have three-time NCAA champion Logan Stieber (141) in the finals along with freshman teammates Nathan Tomasello (125) and Kyle Snyder (197).
Iowa has just one finalist in sophomore Cory Clark at 133. The Hawkeyes also had All-Americans with Thomas Gilman (fourth at 125), Brandon Sorensen (fourth at 149), Bobby Telford (fifth at 285), Mike Evans (sixth at 174) and Nathan Burak (seventh at 197).
"We definitely under-wrestled the tournament,” Iowa coach Tom Brands said. “(Ohio State) did more work than us. There is some regret when you look back at it for sure. It's not like we let it slip away. We didn't do enough. We didn't score enough match points, and we didn't score enough team points.”
The finals are set for 7 p.m. and will be shown on ESPN.
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.
Stieber will compete in 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.
Edinboro’s A.J. Schopp won his seventh straight match after a first-round loss to place third at 133. Schopp rallied for a 4-3 win over No. 1 seed Chris Dardanes of Minnesota in the third-place bout.
“That first match I lost, I don’t know what was wrong with me,” Schopp said. “I definitely changed my mindset and attitude to work my way back to third.”
Returning champion Jason Tsirtsis of Northwestern downed Iowa freshman Brandon Sorensen 3-1 in sudden victory to take third at 149.
“I need to figure out how to break through and score more points,” Tsirtsis said. “I want to be an offensive wrestler. I’m extremely disappointed about where I finished, but I had to come back today and finish strong.”
No. 1 seed Alan Waters of Missouri battled back from a 4-1 deficit to down No. 6 Thomas Gilman of Iowa 7-4 in the third-place match at 125. Waters took Gilman to his back with a four-point move to take control in the final period.
Nebraska senior James Green capped a strong career by beating Virginia Tech’s Nick Brascetta to take third at 157. Green won 3-2 to place third for the second straight year. He was a four-time All-American for the Huskers. Green was second at the U.S. World Team Trials in freestyle last year.
Green’s teammate, top-seeded senior Robert Kokesh, rebounded to beat Minnesota’s Logan Storley 6-4 in sudden victory to take third at 174. Kokesh avenged a loss to Storley in last year’s third-place match. Kokesh placed third, fourth and third the last three seasons at NCAAs.
Returning champions Alex Dieringer of Oklahoma State (165) and Nick Gwiazdowski of North Carolina State (285) will be looking to repeat in tonight’s finals.
Dieringer has won his last 48 matches and will seek his 100th career win Saturday night. Gwiazdowski has won 54 straight matches.
NCAA Championships
March 19-21, Scottrade Center, St. Louis
Team scoring (top 10)
Ohio State 94, Iowa 84, Edinboro 75.5, Missouri 69.5, Cornell 67.5, Penn State 63.5, Oklahoma State 61, Minnesota 59.5, Nebraska 59, Virginia Tech 56
Medal matches
125 pounds
1st – Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State) vs. Zeke Moisey (West Virginia)
3rd – Alan Waters (Missouri) dec. Thomas Gilman (Iowa), 7-4
5th – Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) dec. Connor Youtsey (Michigan), 9-3
7th – Eddie Klimara (Oklahoma State) dec. Jordan Conaway (Penn State), 5-4
133 pounds
1st – Cody Brewer (Oklahoma) vs. Cory Clark (Iowa)
3rd – A.J. Schopp (Edinboro) dec. Chris Dardanes (Minnesota), 4-3
5th – Jimmy Gulibon (Penn State) dec. Mason Beckman (Lehigh), 9-5
7th – Ryan Taylor (Wisconsin) dec. Rossi Bruno (Michigan), 7-3
141 pounds
1st – Logan Stieber (Ohio State) vs. Mitchell Port (Edinboro)
3rd – Devin Carter (Virginia Tech) dec. Dean Heil (Oklahoma State), 17-8
5th – Kevin Jack (North Carolina State) dec. Chris Mecate (Old Dominion), 3-0
7th – Lavion Mayes (Missouri) wins by medical forfeit over Anthony Ashnault (Rutgers)
149 pounds
1st – Drake Houdashelt (Missouri) vs. David Habat (Edinboro)
3rd – Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern) dec. Brandon Sorensen (Iowa), 3-1 SV
5th – Bryant Clagon (Rider) dec. Chris Villalonga (Cornell), 6-3
7th – Alexander Richardson (Old Dominion) pinned Daniel Neff (Lock Haven), 2:38
157 pounds
1st – Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) vs. Brian Realbuto (Cornell)
3rd – James Green (Nebraska) dec. Nick Brascetta (Virginia Tech), 3-2
5th – Ian Miller (Kent State) won by medical forfeit over Dylan Ness (Minnesota)
7th – Brian Murphy (Michigan) won by medical forfeit over Mitchell Minotti (Lehigh)
165 pounds
1st – Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State) vs. Taylor Walsh (Indiana)
3rd – Bo Jordan (Ohio State) pinned Jackson Morse (Illinois), 1:00
5th – Nick Sulzer (Virginia) dec. Ethan Ramos (North Carolina), 12-4
7th – Isaac Jordan (Wisconsin) dec. Jim Wilson (Stanford), 3-2
174 pounds
1st – Tyler Wilps (Pittsburgh) vs. Matt Brown (Penn State)
3rd – Robert Kokesh (Nebraska) dec. Logan Storley (Minnesota), 6-4 SV
5th – Kyle Crutchmer (Oklahoma State) dec. Mike Evans (Iowa), 2-1 TB1
7th – Zach Epperly (Virginia Tech) dec. Kurtis Julson (North Dakota State), 3-2
184 pounds
1st – Gabe Dean (Cornell) vs. Nate Brown (Lehigh)
3rd – Victor Avery (Edinboro) dec. Blake Stauffer (Arizona State), 3-2
5th – Kenny Courts (Ohio State) dec. Hayden Zillmer (North Dakota State), 4-3
7th – Willie Miklus (Missouri) dec. Tim Dudley (Nebraska), 6-5
197 pounds
1st – Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) vs. Kyven Gadson (Iowa State)
3rd – Morgan McIntosh (Penn State) dec. Scott Schiller (Minnesota), 12-7
5th – J’den Cox (Missouri) dec. Conner Hartmann (Duke), 4-2 TB1
7th – Nathan Burak (Iowa) dec. Max Huntley (Michigan), 6-4
285 pounds
1st – Nick Gwiazdowski (North Carolina State) vs. Adam Coon (Michigan)
3rd – Mike McMullan (Northwestern) dec. Connor Medbery (Wisconsin), 3-2
5th – Bobby Telford (Iowa) dec. Jimmy Lawson (Penn State), 6-0
7th – Ty Walz (Virginia Tech) dec. Michael Kroells (Minnesota), 6-2
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