Snyder OT victory caps Ohio State Big Ten title; Tomasello, Martinez earn No. 4
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by Richard Immel, USA Wrestling
Photo: Ohio State's Kyle Snyder takes down Michigan's Adam Coon in overtime of the heavyweight finals (Richard Immel/USA Wrestling).
EAST LANSING, Mich. - A patented Kyle Snyder single leg takedown in overtime of the heavyweight final placed the proverbial feather in Ohio State's cap at the Big Ten Championships.
The Buckeyes hoisted the Big Ten team champion trophy for the second-straight year on the backs of four individual champions. Ohio State posted 164.5 team points to outrun top-ranked Penn State by 16.5 points.
"Knowing what a team is capable of and seeing it come together, the way we did this weekend, is pretty special. I'm proud of the effort across the board, every weight class." said Ohio State head coach Tom Ryan at day's end.
Buckeye champions bookended the final session of action at the Breslin Center as 125-pound champion Nathan Tomasello became the 15th man to win four individual Big Ten titles, while Olympic and World champion Snyder avenged his regular season loss to Michigan All-American Adam Coon to claim the 285-pound crown.
Tomasello, a past NCAA champion, fell behind returning NCAA finalist Ethan Lizak of Minnesota in the early stages of the contest. It was tighter than expected, but a four-takedown effort from the Buckeye senior got it done, 10-7.
"I'm grateful to get my fourth one, for the Big Ten, this conference is super tough. Every single year it's a loaded weight. It's been a blessing to win four now," Tomasello said.
The battle of big men Snyder and Coon lived up to its billing. The two men traded escapes in regulation and headed to overtime with neither coming close to offensive points. The story held true for the first sudden victory frame and ride-outs, each man gaining only an escape. In sudden victory two, Snyder dragged his feet to finish the match-clinching single leg going out of bounds and grab the 4-2 win.
"It's just making adjustments," Snyder said. "I'll probably never have to wrestle anyone like Coon after NCAA's…again in my career. It's just a challenge and you've got to try and figure it out. Next time I'll do it better."
All-American's Joey McKenna and Kollin Moore added to the Ohio State gold-medal haul by taking the top spots at 141 pounds and 197 pounds. McKenna was sharp as ever in a 13-0 near-technical fall win over Illinois sophomore Michael Carr. Moore scored four takedowns in an 8-4 decision over Penn State upstart Shakur Rasheed.
Tomasello wasn't the only wrestler to make four-times the history on Sunday. Illinois' powerful 165-pounder Isaiah Martinez completed stage one of his "return-to-form tour" by delivering defending NCAA champion Vincenzo Joseph a 4-1 defeat. The two had not met since last year's stunning NCAA final won by Joseph, who denied Martinez a third NCAA crown.
"It's only been 351 days since the last time we wrestled, but I'm not obsessed. It was more trying to know my value, know my worth and get the most out of myself when I'm out there. That's what it's about, not redemption, but returning to form," Martinez said.
Martinez became the 16th individual to win four Big Ten championships and is the first four-timer to be coached by a four-timer. Illinois head coach Jim Heffernan won his fourth Big Ten title in 1987 as an Iowa Hawkeye.
Two other contested finals were rematches of past NCAA finals, and both were won by Penn State standouts. Two-time NCAA champion and Hodge Trophy winner Zain Retherford took a gritty 2-0 win over three-time All-American Brandon Sorensen of Iowa at 149 pounds. Defending 184-pound NCAA champion Bo Nickal controlled fellow NCAA champion Myles Martin of Ohio State, 7-4.
The third and final Nittany Lion to pick up a Big Ten championship was returning 174-pound NCAA champion Mark Hall. He won a nip-and-tuck battle with All-American Myles Amine of Michigan, 4-3, to grab his first conference title.
The men from Ann Arbor head back with two individual championships, one at 133 pounds from Stevan Micic and the other at 157 pounds from Alec Pantaleo. Both Wolverines took down Buckeye rivals in their respective title fights, Micic 7-4 over Luke Pletcher and Pantaleo 3-1 over Micah Jordan. Michigan finished in third place overall as a team.
Complete brackets and match-by-match results from the Big Ten Championships can be found at Trackwrestling.com. Archived matches from the event can be found at Flowrestling.com and BTN2GO.com.
2018 BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
At East Lansing, Mich., March 3-4
Team Standings
1. Ohio State 164.5
2. Penn State 148
3. Michigan 118
4. Iowa 90.5
5. Nebraska 72.5
6. Wisconsin 67
7. Minnesota 66.5
8. Illinois 62.5
9. Purdue 59.5
10. Northwestern 55.5
11. Rutgers 42.5
12. Maryland 30.5
13. Indiana 10
14. Michigan State 9.5
Final Results
125 pounds
1st: Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State) dec. Ethan Lizak (Minnesota), 10-7
3rd: Spencer Lee (Iowa) tech. fall Luke Welch (Purdue), 16-0
5th: Sebastian Rivera (Northwestern) med. for. Nick Suriano (Rutgers)
7th: RayVon Foley (Michigan State) dec. Elijah Oliver (Indiana), 8-6
133 pounds
1st: Stevan Micic (Michigan) dec. Luke Pletcher (Ohio State), 7-4
3rd: Dylan Duncan (Illinois) dec. Mitch McKee (Minnesota), 8-3
5th: Jason Renteria (Nebraska) dec. Scott Delvecchio (Rutgers), 3-2
7th: Corey Keener (Penn State) maj. dec. Ben Thornton (Purdue), 11-3
141 pounds
1st: Joey McKenna (Ohio State) maj. dec. Michael Carr (Illinois), 13-0
3rd: Nick Lee (Penn State) maj. dec. Nate Limmex (Purdue), 15-5
5th: Vince Turk (Iowa) dec. Eli Stickley (Wisconsin), 4-1
7th: Chad Red (Nebraska) dec. Ryan Diehl (Maryland), 6-3
149 pounds
1st: Zain Retherford (Penn State) dec. Brandon Sorensen (Iowa), 2-0
3rd: Ke-Shawn Hayes (Ohio State) dec. Colton McCrystal (Nebraska), 7-5
5th: Alfred Bannister (Maryland) med. for. Ryan Deakin (Northwestern)
7th: Steve Bleise (Minnesota) fall Eleazar Deluca (Rutgers), 4:21
157 pounds
1st: Alec Pantaleo (Michigan) dec. Micah Jordan (Ohio State), 3-1
3rd: Andrew Crone (Wisconsin) dec. Tyler Berger (Nebraska), 6-2
5th: Jason Nolf (Penn State), Michael Kemerer (Iowa), Double For.
7th: Jake Short (Minnesota) fall John Van Brill (Rutgers), 2:30
165 pounds
1st: Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) dec. Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State), 4-1
3rd: Richie Lewis (Rutgers) med. for. Evan Wick (Wisconsin)
5th: Logan Massa (Michigan) dec. Alex Marinelli (Iowa), 6-3
7th: Isaiah White (Nebraska) dec. Nick Wanzek (Minnesota), 5-1
174 pounds
1st: Mark Hall (Penn State) dec. Myles Amine (Michigan), 4-3
3rd: Bo Jordan (Ohio State) dec. Johnny Sebastian (Northwestern), 9-5
5th: Dylan Lydy (Purdue) dec. Joey Gunther (Iowa), 3-2
7th: Ryan Christensen (Wisconsin) dec. Devin Skatzka (Indiana), 10-7
184 pounds
1st: Bo Nickal (Penn State) dec. Myles Martin (Ohio State), 7-4
3rd: Dom Abounader (Michigan) dec. Taylor Venz (Nebraska), 7-3
5th: Emery Parker (Illinois) dec. Brandon Krone (Minnesota), 6-0
7th: Ricky Robertson (Wisconsin) dec. Mitch Bowman (Iowa), 9-4
197 pounds
1st: Kollin Moore (Ohio State) dec. Shakur Rasheed (Penn State), 8-4
3rd: Hunter Ritter (Wisconsin) inj. def. Kevin Beazley (Michigan), 3:22
5th: Christian Brunner (Purdue) med. for. Cash Wilcke (Iowa)
7th: Eric Schultz (Nebraska) dec. Zack Chakonis (Northwestern), 3-1 SV1
285 pounds
1st: Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) dec. Adam Coon (Michigan), 4-2 SV2
3rd: Nick Nevills (Penn State) dec. Sam Stoll (Iowa), 5-2
5th: Conan Jennings (Northwestern) dec. Youssif Hemida (Maryland), 3-2
7th: Shawn Streck (Purdue) dec. Rylee Streifel (Minnesota), 10-3
EAST LANSING, Mich. - A patented Kyle Snyder single leg takedown in overtime of the heavyweight final placed the proverbial feather in Ohio State's cap at the Big Ten Championships.
The Buckeyes hoisted the Big Ten team champion trophy for the second-straight year on the backs of four individual champions. Ohio State posted 164.5 team points to outrun top-ranked Penn State by 16.5 points.
"Knowing what a team is capable of and seeing it come together, the way we did this weekend, is pretty special. I'm proud of the effort across the board, every weight class." said Ohio State head coach Tom Ryan at day's end.
Buckeye champions bookended the final session of action at the Breslin Center as 125-pound champion Nathan Tomasello became the 15th man to win four individual Big Ten titles, while Olympic and World champion Snyder avenged his regular season loss to Michigan All-American Adam Coon to claim the 285-pound crown.
Tomasello, a past NCAA champion, fell behind returning NCAA finalist Ethan Lizak of Minnesota in the early stages of the contest. It was tighter than expected, but a four-takedown effort from the Buckeye senior got it done, 10-7.
"I'm grateful to get my fourth one, for the Big Ten, this conference is super tough. Every single year it's a loaded weight. It's been a blessing to win four now," Tomasello said.
The battle of big men Snyder and Coon lived up to its billing. The two men traded escapes in regulation and headed to overtime with neither coming close to offensive points. The story held true for the first sudden victory frame and ride-outs, each man gaining only an escape. In sudden victory two, Snyder dragged his feet to finish the match-clinching single leg going out of bounds and grab the 4-2 win.
"It's just making adjustments," Snyder said. "I'll probably never have to wrestle anyone like Coon after NCAA's…again in my career. It's just a challenge and you've got to try and figure it out. Next time I'll do it better."
All-American's Joey McKenna and Kollin Moore added to the Ohio State gold-medal haul by taking the top spots at 141 pounds and 197 pounds. McKenna was sharp as ever in a 13-0 near-technical fall win over Illinois sophomore Michael Carr. Moore scored four takedowns in an 8-4 decision over Penn State upstart Shakur Rasheed.
Tomasello wasn't the only wrestler to make four-times the history on Sunday. Illinois' powerful 165-pounder Isaiah Martinez completed stage one of his "return-to-form tour" by delivering defending NCAA champion Vincenzo Joseph a 4-1 defeat. The two had not met since last year's stunning NCAA final won by Joseph, who denied Martinez a third NCAA crown.
"It's only been 351 days since the last time we wrestled, but I'm not obsessed. It was more trying to know my value, know my worth and get the most out of myself when I'm out there. That's what it's about, not redemption, but returning to form," Martinez said.
Martinez became the 16th individual to win four Big Ten championships and is the first four-timer to be coached by a four-timer. Illinois head coach Jim Heffernan won his fourth Big Ten title in 1987 as an Iowa Hawkeye.
Two other contested finals were rematches of past NCAA finals, and both were won by Penn State standouts. Two-time NCAA champion and Hodge Trophy winner Zain Retherford took a gritty 2-0 win over three-time All-American Brandon Sorensen of Iowa at 149 pounds. Defending 184-pound NCAA champion Bo Nickal controlled fellow NCAA champion Myles Martin of Ohio State, 7-4.
The third and final Nittany Lion to pick up a Big Ten championship was returning 174-pound NCAA champion Mark Hall. He won a nip-and-tuck battle with All-American Myles Amine of Michigan, 4-3, to grab his first conference title.
The men from Ann Arbor head back with two individual championships, one at 133 pounds from Stevan Micic and the other at 157 pounds from Alec Pantaleo. Both Wolverines took down Buckeye rivals in their respective title fights, Micic 7-4 over Luke Pletcher and Pantaleo 3-1 over Micah Jordan. Michigan finished in third place overall as a team.
Complete brackets and match-by-match results from the Big Ten Championships can be found at Trackwrestling.com. Archived matches from the event can be found at Flowrestling.com and BTN2GO.com.
2018 BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
At East Lansing, Mich., March 3-4
Team Standings
1. Ohio State 164.5
2. Penn State 148
3. Michigan 118
4. Iowa 90.5
5. Nebraska 72.5
6. Wisconsin 67
7. Minnesota 66.5
8. Illinois 62.5
9. Purdue 59.5
10. Northwestern 55.5
11. Rutgers 42.5
12. Maryland 30.5
13. Indiana 10
14. Michigan State 9.5
Final Results
125 pounds
1st: Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State) dec. Ethan Lizak (Minnesota), 10-7
3rd: Spencer Lee (Iowa) tech. fall Luke Welch (Purdue), 16-0
5th: Sebastian Rivera (Northwestern) med. for. Nick Suriano (Rutgers)
7th: RayVon Foley (Michigan State) dec. Elijah Oliver (Indiana), 8-6
133 pounds
1st: Stevan Micic (Michigan) dec. Luke Pletcher (Ohio State), 7-4
3rd: Dylan Duncan (Illinois) dec. Mitch McKee (Minnesota), 8-3
5th: Jason Renteria (Nebraska) dec. Scott Delvecchio (Rutgers), 3-2
7th: Corey Keener (Penn State) maj. dec. Ben Thornton (Purdue), 11-3
141 pounds
1st: Joey McKenna (Ohio State) maj. dec. Michael Carr (Illinois), 13-0
3rd: Nick Lee (Penn State) maj. dec. Nate Limmex (Purdue), 15-5
5th: Vince Turk (Iowa) dec. Eli Stickley (Wisconsin), 4-1
7th: Chad Red (Nebraska) dec. Ryan Diehl (Maryland), 6-3
149 pounds
1st: Zain Retherford (Penn State) dec. Brandon Sorensen (Iowa), 2-0
3rd: Ke-Shawn Hayes (Ohio State) dec. Colton McCrystal (Nebraska), 7-5
5th: Alfred Bannister (Maryland) med. for. Ryan Deakin (Northwestern)
7th: Steve Bleise (Minnesota) fall Eleazar Deluca (Rutgers), 4:21
157 pounds
1st: Alec Pantaleo (Michigan) dec. Micah Jordan (Ohio State), 3-1
3rd: Andrew Crone (Wisconsin) dec. Tyler Berger (Nebraska), 6-2
5th: Jason Nolf (Penn State), Michael Kemerer (Iowa), Double For.
7th: Jake Short (Minnesota) fall John Van Brill (Rutgers), 2:30
165 pounds
1st: Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) dec. Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State), 4-1
3rd: Richie Lewis (Rutgers) med. for. Evan Wick (Wisconsin)
5th: Logan Massa (Michigan) dec. Alex Marinelli (Iowa), 6-3
7th: Isaiah White (Nebraska) dec. Nick Wanzek (Minnesota), 5-1
174 pounds
1st: Mark Hall (Penn State) dec. Myles Amine (Michigan), 4-3
3rd: Bo Jordan (Ohio State) dec. Johnny Sebastian (Northwestern), 9-5
5th: Dylan Lydy (Purdue) dec. Joey Gunther (Iowa), 3-2
7th: Ryan Christensen (Wisconsin) dec. Devin Skatzka (Indiana), 10-7
184 pounds
1st: Bo Nickal (Penn State) dec. Myles Martin (Ohio State), 7-4
3rd: Dom Abounader (Michigan) dec. Taylor Venz (Nebraska), 7-3
5th: Emery Parker (Illinois) dec. Brandon Krone (Minnesota), 6-0
7th: Ricky Robertson (Wisconsin) dec. Mitch Bowman (Iowa), 9-4
197 pounds
1st: Kollin Moore (Ohio State) dec. Shakur Rasheed (Penn State), 8-4
3rd: Hunter Ritter (Wisconsin) inj. def. Kevin Beazley (Michigan), 3:22
5th: Christian Brunner (Purdue) med. for. Cash Wilcke (Iowa)
7th: Eric Schultz (Nebraska) dec. Zack Chakonis (Northwestern), 3-1 SV1
285 pounds
1st: Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) dec. Adam Coon (Michigan), 4-2 SV2
3rd: Nick Nevills (Penn State) dec. Sam Stoll (Iowa), 5-2
5th: Conan Jennings (Northwestern) dec. Youssif Hemida (Maryland), 3-2
7th: Shawn Streck (Purdue) dec. Rylee Streifel (Minnesota), 10-3
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