Buckeyes Wrestlers Set for NCAA Championships – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/15/2000 12:00:00 AM | General, Wrestling
March 15, 2000
Columbus, Ohio-The Ohio State wrestling team will travel to St. Louis Mo. to compete in the NCAA Championships March 16-18. Five Buckeyes qualified to compete in the tournament by placing seventh or higher at the Big Ten Championships. Kore Sharpley (125), Brian Roskovich (149), Peter Rogers (165), Donovan True (184) and Nick Preston (197) will represent Ohio State at St. Louis.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Thursday March 16
11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Session I
6:30 to 11 p.m. Session II
Friday March 17
11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Session III
6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Session IV
Saturday March 18
11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Session V
6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Session VI
OHIO STATE LINEUP
The following is a tentative list of the wrestlers who will compete for Ohio State at the NCAA Championships:
# Denotes Intermat Ranking.
Wt. Name 125 Kore Sharpley 149 Brian Roskovich #17 165 Peter Rogers #13 184 Donovan True 197 Nick Preston #7
1999-2000 Duals Record: 9-9, 2-6.
LAST YEAR AT NCAA’S
Four Buckeyes competed in the NCAA Tournament last year. Robert Sessley Jr. placed eighth at 133-pounds. Jeff Bucher (149), Peter Rogers (165) and Nick Preston (184) did not place.
BUCKEYES AT BIG TENS
The Ohio State wrestling team finished the Big Ten wrestling championships in seventh place with a total team score of 49.5 points. Iowa won the tournament with 140.5 points. Seven Buckeyes placed in the top eight in their weight classes. The top seven wrestlers from each weight advance to the National Tournament March, 16-18 at St. Louis. MO. The Buckeyes qualified five wrestlers for the NCAA Tournament.
YEAR IN REVIEW
The Buckeyes finished the 2000 season with two Big Ten wins, which is a better finish than last season. Coming off a tough 1998-99 season where the Buckeyes finished 1-6-1 in the Big Ten, it didn’t look good for Ohio State when team captain and All-American Robert Sessley Jr. went down with a torn anterior cruciate ligament and Bo James was also done for the season after suffering multiple concussions.
The road didn’t get any easier for the Buckeyes in 2000. Injuries plagued Ohio State, causing them to forfeit weight classes and costing them matches. The Buckeyes started the Big Ten season losing to Minnesota, Illinois, Northwestern and Wisconsin before upsetting Purdue and Indiana on the road. Both the Boilermakers and the Hoosiers were ranked in the Top 25 in the nation when the Buckeyes defeated them. The Buckeyes lost a close match to Penn State and finished the season with a loss to Michigan.
The Buckeyes team record was not overly impressive but the middle of the lineup was the strength of the 2000 squad. The Buckeyes won 157, 165, 174 and 197-pound matches consistently.
BUCKEYES IN THE RANKINGS
Three Ohio State wrestlers finished the regular season in the latest Top 20 rankings by Intermat. The wrestlers ranked as of March 8 are:
Wt. Name Rank 149 Brian Roskovich 18 165 Peter Rogers 13 184 Nick Preston 7
THREE BUCKEYES WITH 20+ WINS
Three wrestlers posted more than 20 wins this season.
Nick Preston led the team with 29 wins, Brian Roskovich and Joel Walker each recorded 26 wins.
CENTURY CLUB
Senior Brian Roskovich surpassed the 100-mark in back points this season. He finished the regular season 131.
PRESTON PACES BUCKEYES
At the end of the regular season, sophomore Nick Preston eclipsed several personal bests from last season. He had 29 wins overall, eight more than 1998-99, 16 dual meet wins, nine more dual meet wins than last season and 78 team points, 39 more than last season. His 81 takedowns total four more than last season’s mark of 77. He tied his personal bests in major decisions (4) and technical falls (1). And was one pin away from the three he had last season. Preston is ranked No. 7 at 197-pounds in Intermat’s March 8 poll. Preston finished the Big Ten Tournament in second place at 197-pounds.
TRUE COLORS
Donovan True is going out in style. His senior year has proved to be his best. His 10th win of the season came at the Las Vegas Open and set a new single season personal record for wins for True. He currently has 20 wins. True leads the Buckeyes in falls with 13. He finished fifth at 184-pounds at the Big Ten Tournament.
SHINING SENIOR
Brian Roskovich a senior from Bridgeport, Ohio, had 26 wins this season, his old season high was 22. His 15 dual wins eclipsed his old mark of 11 and 72 team points is also a new personal best. Roskovich is ranked No. 18 in Intermat’s March 8 poll. His 10 major decisions is also a personal best. His previous season high was six. Roskovich finished seventh at 149-pounds at the Big Ten Tournament.
ROGER THAT
Senior Peter Rogers made an impact in the lineup after returning from bruised ribs earlier this season. In three-consecutive matches he did not given up a point to his opponents. At Purdue he won, 4-0, he pinned his opponent at Indiana and he won, 6-0, against Penn State. He won his match against Michigan, 8-7. Overall, Rogers is 16-1 and 8-0 in dual meets. Until the Big Ten Tournament he was undefeated in Big Ten action, 5-0. Rogers is ranked No. 13 at 165-pounds by Intermat’s March 8 poll. At the tournament he finished third at 165-pounds.
LOOKING SHARP
Junior Kore Sharpley wrestled in the 125 and 133-pound weight classes for the Buckeyes this season. Due to a depleted 133 squad, Sharpley was forced to wrestle up a class when several Big Ten matches came down to the wire. Sharpley was 1-1 at 133-pounds. At 125-pounds he was 3-3 in Big Ten action. His four Big Ten wins put him in third place for conference wins. He finished the Big Ten Tournamnent sixth at 125-pounds.
