2006-07 Wrestling Outlook – Ohio State Buckeyes
9/21/2006 12:00:00 AM | General, Wrestling
Sept. 21, 2006
Gregg Henry
Editor, Bigelevenwrestling.net
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Entering his first season at Ohio State, head coach Tom Ryan expects everyone to be ready to compete and battle for a starting position in a new era of Buckeye wrestling. Ryan is looking to rebuild a program that has struggled in recent years, but the Buckeye staff welcomes back some excellent talent, either from redshirts or injury. The quality of incoming freshman and transfers that will dot the OSU roster also has generated some excitement.
125:
Projected Starter:
Returning after competing in minimal action last season is Jermaine Jones of West Chester, Pa. Jones only competed in four matches in 2005, splitting them in the Michigan State Open, but he did provide an early glimpse of his potential as a freshman in 2004, when he won 14 bouts on the year and placed fourth in the Oklahoma Gold Classic.
133:
Projected Starter:
Another spirited battle is in the cards at 133 pounds. The current favorite is the returning starter at 141 from last year in T.J. Enright (Galloway, Ohio). Twenty-first in the WrestlingReport.com rankings, Enright was 15-14 (2-6 in Big Ten duals) last season, but was unable to place in the Big Ten championships. Enright did have some impressive results last year, including a sixth-place finish in the Southern Scuffle, which included wins over nationally-ranked Kyle Larson of Oregon State and Manuel Rivera of Minnesota. Enright will look to regain a measure of success he enjoyed at 133 pounds in his first season, where he placed sixth at the Big Ten championships and qualified for the NCAA tournament, while compiling a 31-13 record on the season.
Depth:
Not willing to give up his 133 starting assignment just yet is Reece Humphrey (Indianapolis, Ind.). R. Humphrey, competing as a true freshman, slugged his way to a 26-16 record, placing eighth in the Big Ten championships and earned a wildcard bid to the NCAA championships after teammate Jeff Jaggers had to withdraw because of injury. During the season, R. Humprhey finished third in the Michigan State Open, went 4-2 in the Las Vegas Invitational, including a win over All-American Tyler McCormick of Missouri and placed fourth in the Southern Scuffle, which included a win over All-American Matt Keller of Chattanooga. Also looking to gain mat time is Eric Wanner (Lewis Center, Ohio).
141:
Projected Starter:
Shifting down a weight class is Jeff Jaggers (Northfield, Ohio), who is ranked eighth. Jaggers was putting together a tremendous freshman season until injury ended his campaign at the Big Ten championships. Jaggers was 26-7 (6-2 in Big Ten duals) on the year and tied for the team lead in victories. Jaggers began the season by capturing the title in the Michigan State Open and also finished second in the Southern Scuffle, losing in the finals, 1-0, to national champion, Dustin Schlatter of Minnesota. Jaggers arrived at Ohio State as a highly-regarded four-time state high school champion with a career record of 166-3. In his first season, Jaggers was well on his way to achieving his potential before the injury, but now that he is back at 100 percent and moving down a weight, he should be even more of a force this season and is expected to make a run at an All-American placing.
Depth:
Matt Fleming from Plain City, Ohio, is likely to assist here if required during the season. Fleming competed at this weight class last year.
149:
Projected Starter:
Back and ready to roll at 149 after a redshirt season is Jason Johnstone (Massillon, Ohio), who is No. 8. In his first season of varsity action in 2005, Johnstone went 13-20 as he spent part of the year at 149 before dropping to fill in at 141 for an injured Jaggers. Johnstone earned an eighth-place finish in the Michigan State Open at 149 pounds in his first official Buckeye action. Last year, Johnstone competed in the Kent State Open, where he won his first three bouts before having to default out of the tournament. Now that he is back at his initial weight, Johnstone is expected to have a strong season, but in order to maintain his starting position, it is likely he will have to fend off a challenge from a talented incoming freshman.
Depth:
Looking to make an impact is Lance Palmer of Lakewood, Ohio. Palmer comes to Ohio State as the nation’s top recruit after earning four Ohio state high school championships and recording a 150-6 mark in his tremendous high school career. Palmer also has a Senior Nationals title on his resume and was named an ASICS First Team All-American. This weight class should showcase a heated battle to gain the coveted starting position and should generate a great deal of excitement for Buckeye fans.
157:
Projected Starter:
Following Tom Ryan from Hofstra is Chris Vondruska of Bay Village, Ohio, who is ranked No. 14. Vondruska will attend graduate school in his final year of eligibility. Last year, Vondruska spent the season up a weight at 165 pounds to fill a need in the Hofstra lineup and did well, as he earned a CAA conference championship. On the year, Vondruska went 25-11 and won two bouts at the NCAA tournament. The transfer of Vondruska to Columbus fills a need in the Ohio State lineup and Ryan expects Vondruska has his sights set on improving his NCAA win total in 2007, although he will be stepping into one of the Big Ten’s toughest weight classes.
Depth:
After splitting time at 149/157 last year, Jordin Humphrey of Indianapolis, Ind., will stay at 157 pounds on a permanent basis this year and is likely to supply solid depth behind Vondruska. J. Humprhey is the older brother of fellow Buckeye Reece Humphrey and son of former Ohio State wrestler Jim Humphrey. In a reserve role, Humphrey was 6-5 on the season last, as he won four bouts in the Michigan State Open and two bouts in the Southern Scuffle.
165:
Projected Starter:
Another big-time prospect looking to make his mark early in his Buckeye career is Ryan Patrovich of Islip, N.Y. Patrovich arrives at Ohio State as a two-time New York high school state champion and a runner-up, in addition to a second-place finish to Penn State recruit, David Rella, at Senior Nationals. Patrovich will step into a conference weight class that looks to be relatively wide open after the top two slots and he is capable of earning a NCAA bid in his initial season. One additional note of interest is that Patrovich’s brother, Mike, who attends Hofstra, could also end up competing at 165 this season, if he receives his NCAA waiver allowing him a sixth year of competition.
Depth:
Prepping for additional mat time is Zach Craiglow of Lancaster, Ohio, who saw action in the Michigan State Open last season. In addition, Craiglow stepped up and filled in as needed at 174 and 184 pounds last year in Big Ten dual meets.
174:
Projected Starter:
A bright spot for the Buckeyes last year was the overall performance of Blake Maurer of Evansville, Ind. Ranked 15th, Maurer rang up a 17-12 overall record and earned his first trip to the NCAA tournament after placing seventh in the Big Ten championships. In his NCAA consolation bout with Gabe Dretsch of Minnesota, Maurer originally was ruled the victor, but the bout was protested and NCAA officials elected to re-wrestle the match with Maurer coming up short, ending his NCAA tournament at 0-2. Early in the year, Maurer had a nice run in the Las Vegas Invitational, where he was fifth. All in all, a typical freshman type of season; some nice wins, some tough losses, but anytime a freshman can make the NCAA tournament in his first year of eligibility, it bodes well for future success.
Depth:
Two grapplers will be battling it out behind Maurer in Dominic Mehling (Columbus, Ohio) and Wes Bergman, (Oak Harbor, Ohio) the brother of OSU 197-pounder J.D. Bergman. Mehling was 2-4 last year, competing in the Michigan State Open (including a 6-5 win over teammate Bergman) and Southern Scuffle, while Bergman was 0-2 on the year, seeing time only in the Michigan State Open.
184:
Projected Starter:
Yet another weight class that should feature a spirited battle to determine the starting position is at 184 pounds. The current leader is the returning starter Alex Picazo of Columbus, Ohio. Ranked 16th, Picazo is coming off a strong season where he collected 22 victories against 17 defeats, which included a third-place finish in the Michigan State Open and an eighth-place showing in the Southern Scuffle. Picazo did earn some impressive wins in Big Ten dual action, as he defeated nationally ranked foes, Mike Tamillow of Northwestern and Tyrel Todd of Michigan. Heading into his final year at Ohio State, Picazo is looking to gain his first trip to the NCAA championships and in order to do that, he will have to fend off the challenge of a talented incoming transfer.
Depth:
After spending last season redshirting at Hofstra, Mike Pucillo of Strongsville, Ohio, is back in the Buckeye state and poised to make some noise for OSU. Last year, Pucillo placed seventh in the East Stroudsburg Open and earned a title in the Cleveland State Open. Pucillo arrived at Hofstra as a Senior Nationals champion and an Ohio high school state champion, in addition to being a two-time runner-up.
197:
Projected Starter:
Returning from redshirt at 197 pounds is J.D. Bergman of Oak Harbor, Ohio, who is ranked No. 3. Before his redshirt season last year, Bergman already had compiled a stellar collegiate resume. Included in his accomplishments is a seven-match win streak that led to a third-place finish at the NCAA championships during his freshman season after being tripped up in first round action. Bergman completed the year with a 32-15 overall record and led the team with 12 wins via fall as a true freshman. As a sophomore, Bergman went 32-9 and finished second in the Big Ten championships, but was upset at the NCAA tournament and did not place. In the early part of his sophomore season, Bergman claimed a title in the Michigan State Open, a third-place finish in the Las Vegas Invitational and a runner-up placing at Midlands. This past May, Bergman finished fourth at the U.S. World Team Trials, which included a win over top-ranked Phil Davis of Penn State, who Bergman also defeated during his sophomore season. There is no doubt Bergman is a national title contender and will be a leader of this improving Ohio State squad.
Depth:
Handling the back-up duties behind Bergman will be a pair of incoming transfers in Jason Cook (Campbell) and Zach Weinrich (Roger Williams). Cook recorded a 22-15 overall record last year at Campbell, including a 13-6 mark in dual meets and 0-2 ledger at the CAA championships. Cook, who will have sophomore eligibility, is originally out of New Carlisle, Ohio, and had high school state finishes of fourth and sixth. Weinrich was the first freshman in the history of Roger Williams to claim a New England championship, as he won the title at 184 pounds in 2005. On the season, Weinrich was 34-10 and earned a trip to the Division III National championships where he went 1-2. Weinrich was named the New England Rookie of the Year and like Cook he will have sophomore eligibility.
HWT:
Projected Starter:
The second OSU returning All-American (eighth place) from last season is Kirk Nail, from Hilliard, Ohio. Ranked third, Nail finished the year with an 18-11 record and in a wide open weight class he got hot at the right time, putting together a strong NCAA tournament run to earn his first trip to the All-American podium. On the way to his All-American finish, Nail knocked off two seeded wrestlers in Adam LoPiccolo of American and Bode Ogunwole of Harvard. During the year, Nail placed fifth in the Southern Scuffle and qualified for the NCAA field by logging a sixth-place Big Ten championship finish after having to default out of the competition. Much like last year, the heavyweight class is wide open after the top spot and Nail will have a battle on his hands to make a second trip to the All-American stand in Detroit.
Depth:
Moving up from 197 pounds to provide depth is Corey Morrison of Shaker Heights, Ohio. Morrison stepped into the lineup as a true freshman and finished the year at 7-18 (2-10 in dual meets). Morrison also competed in the Michigan State Open, earning a sixth-place finish, in addition to competing in the Las Vegas Invitational and the Southern Scuffle. Also available to assist is Josh Bartholomew, (Columbus, Ohio) who went 4-6 last season.
Recap:
The Buckeyes are quite capable of making a major improvement, as the roster is stocked pretty well with talented grapplers. Having two No. 3 ranked wrestlers at 197 pounds and HWT is a great way to start the season, in addition to the return of big-time talent Jaggers from injury. The transfer of Vondruska will stabilize a weight class that had questions and the incoming freshmen will be ready to issue a major challenge right out of the gate. A question still remains at 125, but capable wrestlers are in the mix. This program is clearly on the road back to becoming a force again in the Big Ten conference.
