Ohio State out in front at Big Ten Championships after day one with six finalists
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by Richard Immel, USA Wrestling
Photo: Myles Martin (Ohio State) celebrates his 184-pound semifinal victory over Bo Nickal (Penn State). Photo by Richard Immel, USA Wrestling.
Video: 2017 Big Ten Championships Athlete and Coach Interviews
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Riding a banner day from NCAA champion Myles Martin, the sixth-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes took control of the team race at the Big Ten Championships by placing six wrestlers in the championship finals.
The Buckeyes won six-of-seven quarterfinal bouts on Saturday evening inside historic Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on the campus of Indiana University to push their team score to 117, a whopping 18.5 points ahead of top-ranked and undefeated Penn State.
The critical point of the Big Ten tournament thus far came in the 184-pound semifinal between Martin and No. 1 seed Bo Nickal of Penn State. Martin held a 1-4 record against Nickal entering the match, with his lone win coming in last year’s NCAA finals. Once again, Martin came through under high stakes and secured a 6-4 win over the previously undefeated Nittany Lion.
“It’s definitely a confidence builder,” Martin said following the win. “I’m big in just kind of trusting the process, peaking at the right time, and learning all through the season. It’s been ups and downs. A lot of learning.”
Nickal was the second returning NCAA finalist Martin defeated on Saturday. He controlled Nebraska’s Tim Dudley 12-7 in the quarterfinal round. Martin will seek redemption in the finals against defending Big Ten champion Sammy Brooks. It was Brooks over Martin, 5-3, in the Ohio State-Iowa dual meet contested in January.
“I came in the tournament excited to wrestle. I have a lot different motivation than last year. I just want to win, and everyone wants to win, but you’ve got to be excited too. In the finals, no matter who I have, I’m just going to go wrestle because I love wrestling and it’s fun,” Martin added.
Fellow Ohio State NCAA champions Nathan Tomasello and Kyle Snyder navigated to tomorrow night’s finals with impressive wins.
Tomasello, a two-time Big Ten champion, edged a game Stevan Micic of Michigan, 6-5, at 133 pounds. The win set up a highly-anticipated final between Tomasello and two-time NCAA finalist Cory Clark of Iowa.
It was business as usual for Snyder who won 14-7 over two-time NCAA All-American Michael Kroells of Minnesota. The Olympic champion now takes on Wisconsin All-American Conor Medbery in a No. 1 versus No. 2 battle at heavyweight.
At 149 pounds Buckeye sophomore Micah Jordan reversed his regular season loss to NCAA finalist Brandon Sorensen of Iowa, 2-1. Jordan is set to face defending Big Ten and NCAA champion Zain Retherford in the finals. Retherford ousted Jordan by 20-5 technical fall in their only meeting of the season.
Two-time NCAA All-American Bo Jordan joined his brother Micah in the finals with a comfortable 14-8 decision over No. 4 seed Myles Amine of Michigan at 174 pounds. Just like his brother, Bo will stare down a Penn State opponent in the finals, No. 2 seeded freshman Mark Hall.
The sixth finalist for the surging Ohio State squad is No. 2 seed Kollin Moore who is wrestling beyond his years as a freshman at the Big Tens. Moore won a gritty 10-8 bout over No. 3 seed Aaron Studebaker of Nebraska to set up a meeting with top seed Brett Pfarr of Minnesota in the 197-pound finals. Pfarr defeated Moore twice in the regular season.
“These guys came tonight and really wrestled,” said Ohio State head coach Tom Ryan. “We won all the close ones…We’ve got some momentum. The law of momentum was absolutely in place tonight. It’s far from over. I don’t think it’s over. Lots of wrestling to do tomorrow.”
For defending Big Ten and NCAA champion Penn State the margin for error is slim. The Nittany Lions only sent three of seven semifinalists to the championship round.
Joining Retherford and Hall in the finals is defending Big Ten champion and NCAA runner-up Jason Nolf. As the No. 1 seed at 157 pounds, Nolf pinned both of his opponents on day one, including a fall in 6:10 over No. 4 seed Jake Short in the semifinals. Nolf will rematch against Iowa freshman Michael Kemerer in the finals.
Although trailing Penn State by 3.5 points in the team standings, third-place Iowa moved four athletes to the finals, one more than its rival from State College, Pa.
NCAA finalist Thomas Gilman joins Clark, Kemerer and Brooks as Hawkeyes still alive on the championship side. Gilman left no opening for the upset-minded Conor Youtsey of Michigan in the 125-pound semis, controlling all areas to win by major decision, 16-5. He will face No. 3 seed Tim Lambert of Nebraska in the finals.
The gauntlet at 165 pounds has been sorted down to two men, two-time NCAA champion Isaiah Martinez of Illinois and Michigan freshman Logan Massa. Martinez won impressively in all three of his matches on Saturday, including an 8-5 win over No. 4 seed Vincenzo Joseph of Penn State in the semis. On the other side, Massa took down NCAA finalist Isaac Jordan of Wisconsin for the third time this season. The two wrestled in a January dual meet with Martinez winning, 3-1.
Reigning Big Ten champion Anthony Ashnault of Rutgers stifled Ohio State freshman Luke Pletcher in the 141-pound semis, 5-1, to make the finals for the second-straight year. Ashnault, a two-time NCAA All-American, will face No. 7 seed Javier Gasca III of Michigan State for the Big Ten crown.
The Big Ten Championships will resume on Sunday at Noon (ET) with consolation rounds. The first, third and fifth-place matches will be held at 3 p.m. (ET). A live stream of the event can be found on BTN Plus with the finals being televised live on Big Ten Network.
For complete brackets and match-by-match results of the event visit Trackwrestling.com.
2017 BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
March 4-5 at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind.
Team Standings
1. Ohio State 117
2. Penn State 98.5
3. Iowa 95
4. Minnesota 81
5. Nebraska 79.5
6. Illinois 71
7. Michigan 60.5
8. Wisconsin 59
9. Rutgers 55.5
10 Michigan State 37.5
11. Maryland 29
12. Purdue 25
13. Indiana 23.5
14. Northwestern 16
Finals Matchups
125: No. 1 Thomas Gilman (Iowa) vs. No. 3 Tim Lambert (Nebraska)
133: No. 1 Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State) vs. No. 3 Cory Clark (Iowa)
141: No. 1 Anthony Ashnault (Rutgers) vs. No. 7 Javier Gasca III (Michigan State)
149: No. 1 Zain Retherford (Penn State) vs. No. 3 Micah Jordan (Ohio State)
157: No. 1 Jason Nolf (Penn State) vs. No. 2 Michael Kemerer (Iowa)
165: No. 1 Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) vs. No. 2 Logan Massa (Michigan)
174: No. 1 Bo Jordan (Ohio State) vs. No. 2 Mark Hall (Penn State)
184: No. 4 Myles Martin (Ohio State) vs. No. 2 Sammy Brooks (Iowa)
197: No. 1 Brett Pfarr (Minnesota) vs. No. 2 Kollin Moore (Ohio State)
285: No. 1 Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) vs. No. 2 Connor Medbery (Wisconsin)
Semifinal Results
125 pounds
No. 1 Thomas Gilman (Iowa) maj. dec. No. 5 Conor Youtsey (Michigan), 16-5
No. 3 Tim Lambert (Nebraska) fall No. 7 Elijah Oliver (Indiana), 5:59
133 pounds
No. 1 Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State) dec. No. 5 Stevan Micic (Michigan), 6-5
No. 3 Cory Clark (Iowa) dec. No. 7 Mitch McKee (Minnesota), 7-1
141 pounds
No. 1 Anthony Ashnault (Rutgers) dec. No. 5 Luke Pletcher (Ohio State), 5-1
No. 7 Javier Gasca III (Michigan State) dec. No. 3 Tommy Thorn (Minnesota), 5-1 SV1
149 pounds
No. 1 Zain Retherford (Penn State) fall No. 4 Alfred Bannister (Maryland), 6:02
No. 3 Micah Jordan (Ohio State) dec. No. 2 Brandon Sorensen (Iowa), 2-1
157 pounds
No. 1 Jason Nolf (Penn State) fall No. 4 Jake Short (Minnesota), 6:10
No. 2 Michael Kemerer (Iowa) dec. No. 6 Brian Murphy (Michigan), 4-3
165 pounds
No. 1 Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) dec. No. 4 Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State), 8-5
No. 2 Logan Massa (Michigan) dec. No. 3 Isaac Jordan (Wisconsin), 4-3
174 pounds
No. 1 Bo Jordan (Ohio State) dec. No. 4 Myles Amine (Michigan), 14-8
No. 2 Mark Hall (Penn State) dec. No. 3 Zac Brunson (Illinois), 4-2
184 pounds
No. 4 Myles Martin (Ohio State) dec. No. 1 Bo Nickal (Penn State), 6-4
No. 2 Sammy Brooks (Iowa) dec. No. 3 Nathan Jackson (Indiana), 13-6
197 pounds
No. 1 Brett Pfarr (Minnesota) maj. dec. No. 4 Matt McCutcheon (Penn State), 11-3
No. 2 Kollin Moore (Ohio State) dec. No. 3 Aaron Studebaker (Nebraska), 10-8
285 pounds
No. 1 Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) dec. No. 4 Michael Kroells (Minnesota), 14-7
No. 2 Connor Medbery (Wisconsin) dec. No. 3 Nick Nevills (Penn State), 3-2
Video: 2017 Big Ten Championships Athlete and Coach Interviews
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Riding a banner day from NCAA champion Myles Martin, the sixth-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes took control of the team race at the Big Ten Championships by placing six wrestlers in the championship finals.
The Buckeyes won six-of-seven quarterfinal bouts on Saturday evening inside historic Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on the campus of Indiana University to push their team score to 117, a whopping 18.5 points ahead of top-ranked and undefeated Penn State.
The critical point of the Big Ten tournament thus far came in the 184-pound semifinal between Martin and No. 1 seed Bo Nickal of Penn State. Martin held a 1-4 record against Nickal entering the match, with his lone win coming in last year’s NCAA finals. Once again, Martin came through under high stakes and secured a 6-4 win over the previously undefeated Nittany Lion.
“It’s definitely a confidence builder,” Martin said following the win. “I’m big in just kind of trusting the process, peaking at the right time, and learning all through the season. It’s been ups and downs. A lot of learning.”
Nickal was the second returning NCAA finalist Martin defeated on Saturday. He controlled Nebraska’s Tim Dudley 12-7 in the quarterfinal round. Martin will seek redemption in the finals against defending Big Ten champion Sammy Brooks. It was Brooks over Martin, 5-3, in the Ohio State-Iowa dual meet contested in January.
“I came in the tournament excited to wrestle. I have a lot different motivation than last year. I just want to win, and everyone wants to win, but you’ve got to be excited too. In the finals, no matter who I have, I’m just going to go wrestle because I love wrestling and it’s fun,” Martin added.
Fellow Ohio State NCAA champions Nathan Tomasello and Kyle Snyder navigated to tomorrow night’s finals with impressive wins.
Tomasello, a two-time Big Ten champion, edged a game Stevan Micic of Michigan, 6-5, at 133 pounds. The win set up a highly-anticipated final between Tomasello and two-time NCAA finalist Cory Clark of Iowa.
It was business as usual for Snyder who won 14-7 over two-time NCAA All-American Michael Kroells of Minnesota. The Olympic champion now takes on Wisconsin All-American Conor Medbery in a No. 1 versus No. 2 battle at heavyweight.
At 149 pounds Buckeye sophomore Micah Jordan reversed his regular season loss to NCAA finalist Brandon Sorensen of Iowa, 2-1. Jordan is set to face defending Big Ten and NCAA champion Zain Retherford in the finals. Retherford ousted Jordan by 20-5 technical fall in their only meeting of the season.
Two-time NCAA All-American Bo Jordan joined his brother Micah in the finals with a comfortable 14-8 decision over No. 4 seed Myles Amine of Michigan at 174 pounds. Just like his brother, Bo will stare down a Penn State opponent in the finals, No. 2 seeded freshman Mark Hall.
The sixth finalist for the surging Ohio State squad is No. 2 seed Kollin Moore who is wrestling beyond his years as a freshman at the Big Tens. Moore won a gritty 10-8 bout over No. 3 seed Aaron Studebaker of Nebraska to set up a meeting with top seed Brett Pfarr of Minnesota in the 197-pound finals. Pfarr defeated Moore twice in the regular season.
“These guys came tonight and really wrestled,” said Ohio State head coach Tom Ryan. “We won all the close ones…We’ve got some momentum. The law of momentum was absolutely in place tonight. It’s far from over. I don’t think it’s over. Lots of wrestling to do tomorrow.”
For defending Big Ten and NCAA champion Penn State the margin for error is slim. The Nittany Lions only sent three of seven semifinalists to the championship round.
Joining Retherford and Hall in the finals is defending Big Ten champion and NCAA runner-up Jason Nolf. As the No. 1 seed at 157 pounds, Nolf pinned both of his opponents on day one, including a fall in 6:10 over No. 4 seed Jake Short in the semifinals. Nolf will rematch against Iowa freshman Michael Kemerer in the finals.
Although trailing Penn State by 3.5 points in the team standings, third-place Iowa moved four athletes to the finals, one more than its rival from State College, Pa.
NCAA finalist Thomas Gilman joins Clark, Kemerer and Brooks as Hawkeyes still alive on the championship side. Gilman left no opening for the upset-minded Conor Youtsey of Michigan in the 125-pound semis, controlling all areas to win by major decision, 16-5. He will face No. 3 seed Tim Lambert of Nebraska in the finals.
The gauntlet at 165 pounds has been sorted down to two men, two-time NCAA champion Isaiah Martinez of Illinois and Michigan freshman Logan Massa. Martinez won impressively in all three of his matches on Saturday, including an 8-5 win over No. 4 seed Vincenzo Joseph of Penn State in the semis. On the other side, Massa took down NCAA finalist Isaac Jordan of Wisconsin for the third time this season. The two wrestled in a January dual meet with Martinez winning, 3-1.
Reigning Big Ten champion Anthony Ashnault of Rutgers stifled Ohio State freshman Luke Pletcher in the 141-pound semis, 5-1, to make the finals for the second-straight year. Ashnault, a two-time NCAA All-American, will face No. 7 seed Javier Gasca III of Michigan State for the Big Ten crown.
The Big Ten Championships will resume on Sunday at Noon (ET) with consolation rounds. The first, third and fifth-place matches will be held at 3 p.m. (ET). A live stream of the event can be found on BTN Plus with the finals being televised live on Big Ten Network.
For complete brackets and match-by-match results of the event visit Trackwrestling.com.
2017 BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
March 4-5 at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind.
Team Standings
1. Ohio State 117
2. Penn State 98.5
3. Iowa 95
4. Minnesota 81
5. Nebraska 79.5
6. Illinois 71
7. Michigan 60.5
8. Wisconsin 59
9. Rutgers 55.5
10 Michigan State 37.5
11. Maryland 29
12. Purdue 25
13. Indiana 23.5
14. Northwestern 16
Finals Matchups
125: No. 1 Thomas Gilman (Iowa) vs. No. 3 Tim Lambert (Nebraska)
133: No. 1 Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State) vs. No. 3 Cory Clark (Iowa)
141: No. 1 Anthony Ashnault (Rutgers) vs. No. 7 Javier Gasca III (Michigan State)
149: No. 1 Zain Retherford (Penn State) vs. No. 3 Micah Jordan (Ohio State)
157: No. 1 Jason Nolf (Penn State) vs. No. 2 Michael Kemerer (Iowa)
165: No. 1 Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) vs. No. 2 Logan Massa (Michigan)
174: No. 1 Bo Jordan (Ohio State) vs. No. 2 Mark Hall (Penn State)
184: No. 4 Myles Martin (Ohio State) vs. No. 2 Sammy Brooks (Iowa)
197: No. 1 Brett Pfarr (Minnesota) vs. No. 2 Kollin Moore (Ohio State)
285: No. 1 Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) vs. No. 2 Connor Medbery (Wisconsin)
Semifinal Results
125 pounds
No. 1 Thomas Gilman (Iowa) maj. dec. No. 5 Conor Youtsey (Michigan), 16-5
No. 3 Tim Lambert (Nebraska) fall No. 7 Elijah Oliver (Indiana), 5:59
133 pounds
No. 1 Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State) dec. No. 5 Stevan Micic (Michigan), 6-5
No. 3 Cory Clark (Iowa) dec. No. 7 Mitch McKee (Minnesota), 7-1
141 pounds
No. 1 Anthony Ashnault (Rutgers) dec. No. 5 Luke Pletcher (Ohio State), 5-1
No. 7 Javier Gasca III (Michigan State) dec. No. 3 Tommy Thorn (Minnesota), 5-1 SV1
149 pounds
No. 1 Zain Retherford (Penn State) fall No. 4 Alfred Bannister (Maryland), 6:02
No. 3 Micah Jordan (Ohio State) dec. No. 2 Brandon Sorensen (Iowa), 2-1
157 pounds
No. 1 Jason Nolf (Penn State) fall No. 4 Jake Short (Minnesota), 6:10
No. 2 Michael Kemerer (Iowa) dec. No. 6 Brian Murphy (Michigan), 4-3
165 pounds
No. 1 Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) dec. No. 4 Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State), 8-5
No. 2 Logan Massa (Michigan) dec. No. 3 Isaac Jordan (Wisconsin), 4-3
174 pounds
No. 1 Bo Jordan (Ohio State) dec. No. 4 Myles Amine (Michigan), 14-8
No. 2 Mark Hall (Penn State) dec. No. 3 Zac Brunson (Illinois), 4-2
184 pounds
No. 4 Myles Martin (Ohio State) dec. No. 1 Bo Nickal (Penn State), 6-4
No. 2 Sammy Brooks (Iowa) dec. No. 3 Nathan Jackson (Indiana), 13-6
197 pounds
No. 1 Brett Pfarr (Minnesota) maj. dec. No. 4 Matt McCutcheon (Penn State), 11-3
No. 2 Kollin Moore (Ohio State) dec. No. 3 Aaron Studebaker (Nebraska), 10-8
285 pounds
No. 1 Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) dec. No. 4 Michael Kroells (Minnesota), 14-7
No. 2 Connor Medbery (Wisconsin) dec. No. 3 Nick Nevills (Penn State), 3-2
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