Buckeyes Open 2018-19 Season
11/1/2018 1:09:50 PM | General, Wrestling
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The 99th season of Ohio State University Wrestling begins this weekend (Nov. 2-3). An All-Star appetizer will be served Friday night (9 p.m. ET) when Joey McKenna competes in the 2018 NWCA All-Star Classic in Denver, Colo., before a main course in the form of a team dual versus the U.S. Naval Academy in Owings Mills, Md., less than 24 hours later at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday.
COVERAGE LINKS
NWCA All-Star Classic | Friday, Nov. 2 | 8:30 p.m. ET
Live Video (TrackWrestling)
Dual vs. Navy | Saturday, Nov. 3 | 7 p.m. ET
Live Video (FloWrestling)
Bout Updates
MCKENNA FACES OKLAHOMA STATE’S KAID BROCK
Joey McKenna represents the 22nd Buckeye to compete in the NWCA All-Star Classic since 1970.
The senior from Towaco, N.J., has compiled a 79-8 record and placed third at the NCAA Championships twice (2016, 2018). He enters his final collegiate campaign after being crowned a U.S. Open champion this summer.
Brock owns a 59-9 career mark and is known as a ‘giant killer’ with 10 victories over All-Americans the past three years. This season marks his first at 141 pounds, however, after previously competing at 133.
HISTORY WITH THE MIDSHIPMEN
The last dual between Ohio State and Navy occurred over two decades ago on Jan. 14, 1996. The Buckeyes were victorious, 27-6, in that one after a similar result three years earlier (1996; W, 28-6). Navy was triumphant in the series’ first clash, however, a 34-0 Buckeye blanking back in 1943. Saturday marks the fourth meeting all-time.
MARTN, MOORE READY FOR U23 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Myles Martin (86 kg) and Kollin Moore (97 kg) represent 20 percent of Team USA’s roster for the U23 World Championships which will be contested Nov. 12-18 in Bucharest, Romania. In preparation for the international competition, Moore will miss the Navy dual held at Martin’s alma mater (McDonogh School) while both Buckeyes will be out of the lineup for matches at Cal Baptist (Nov. 16) and Arizona State (Nov. 18).
PRESEASON RANKINGS
Ohio State is slotted No. 2 unanimously in the preseason national rankings and seven Buckeye wrestlers are ranked Top-15 in their respective weight classes by FloWrestling:
133 lbs | No. 3 Luke Pletcher
141 lbs | No. 2 Joey McKenna
149 lbs | No. 2 Micah Jordan
157 lbs | No. 6 Ke-Shawn Hayes
174 lbs | No. 13 Te’Shan Campbell
184 lbs | No. 1 Myles Martin
197 lbs | No. 3 Kollin Moore
MEDIA DARLINGS
No collegiate wrestling program in the country will be featured on a national stage more often than Ohio State during the 2018-19 season as the Buckeyes have been tabbed for an NCAA-best five nationally-broadcast duals. The Big Ten Network will air four Buckeye matches while No. 2 Ohio State’s top-10 non-conference tilt with No. 9 North Carolina State (Jan. 6; 6 p.m. ET) rolls out live on ESPN2.
BTN is set to showcase conference clashes vs. Wisconsin (Dec. 9; 4 p.m.), vs. Michigan (Jan. 25; 7 p.m.), at Illinois (Feb. 1; 9 p.m.) and vs. Penn State (Feb. 8; 8:30 p.m.). The rivalry scuffle against the Wolverines will go down at Value City Arena inside the Schottenstein Center.
MICHIGAN STATE OPEN
In addition to the competition discussed above, a large contingent of unattached Buckeyes are entered into the Michigan State Open on Saturday (Nov. 3). TrackWrestling will provide video ($) and live results (free).
