Ohio State Wrestling: 2005-06 Recap – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/24/2006 12:00:00 AM | General, Wrestling
March 24, 2006
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State wrestling team wrapped up its season after three Buckeyes competed at the 2006 NCAA Wrestling Championships March 16-18 at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City.
Kirk Nail earned his first All-America honor after finishing eighth at heavyweight in the championships. Teammates Reece Humphrey (133) and Blake Maurer (174) also participated in the meet.
Prior to last season the Buckeyes boasted an All-American on its squad for 15-consecutive seasons. After being shut out last year, Nail earned the accolade this season as a sophomore to give OSU head coach Russ Hellickson his 41st All-American and the program’s 57th overall.
HELLICKSON RETIRES AFTER 20 YEARS AT OSU
OSU head coach Russ Hellickson announced his retirement March 21, effective July 31.
Hellickson began his tenure at Ohio State in the 1986-87 season. He mentored 41 All-Americans, the most of any Ohio State wrestling coach, including a record five All-America honorees in 2004. The two-time Big Ten coach of the year (1991, `02) and 2002 NWCA National Coach of the Year coached five national champions to seven championships, including two-time NCAA champions Kevin Randleman in 1992 and 1993 and Tommy Rowlands in 2002 and 2004. He posted a record of 272-170-6 at the helm of the Buckeyes. Ohio State assistant coaches Ken Ramsey and Mitch Clark also will remain on staff until July 31. The current Buckeye staff members will operate the 2006 summer wrestling camps
HELLICKSON MOVES TO 41
Russ Hellickson coached 41 All-America recipients in his 20 seasons as head coach of OSU, the most by any Buckeye head coach. In 2004, Hellickson guided a program-best five Ohio State grapplers to All-America status in J.D. Bergman, John Clark, Blake Kaplan, Jeff Ratliff and Tommy Rowlands. During their 2004 run, the Buckeyes finished tied for third at the national championships, which is a program best. All-time, Ohio State has had 11 Top 10 finishes in the national meet.
ALL-AMERICANS
Former Buckeye Tommy Rowlands (2001-2004) is the only four-time All-American at Ohio State, while Adam DiSabato (1990, ’91, ’93), Kevin Randleman (1991, ’92, ’93) and Robert Sessley (1999, ’01, ’02) are three-time honorees. Two-time All-Americans include, Ed Potokar, Mark Marinelli, Ken Ramsey, Mike Schyck, Rex Holman, Eric Smith, Mitch Clark, Nick Preston and John Clark.
A LOOK BACK – NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
Kirk Nail, who qualified for his second NCAA championships at heavyweight, was the lone Buckeye remaining in contetion after the first day of the 2006 NCAA Wrestling Championships in Oklahoma City. Nail upset a pair of seeded wrestlers in 12th-seed Adam LoPiccolo (6-4sv) of American and fifth-seed Bode Ogunwole (4-3) of Harvard to advance to the quarterfinals. It was in the next round Nail suffered a 9-1 loss to fourth-seed Cain Valasquez of Arizona State. However, Nail rebounded with a 4-2 victory in the first tiebreaker over 11th-seed Spencer Nadolsky of North Carolina. Nail’s win over Nadolsky solidified him as an All-American, as he was guaranteed to finish in the Top 8 of the bracket. Nail then dropped his remaining two bouts, losing to eighth-seed Michael Faust of Virginia Tech, 3-1, and falling to seventh-seed Jake Hager of Oklahoma in 2:32.
Teammates Reece Humphrey and Blake Maurer bowed out of competition early as both suffered two defeats on the first day. As a true freshman, Humphrey was eliminated from competition at 133 pounds after dropping bouts in the first round and first wrestleback. Humphrey lost, 8-2, to Joshua Pniewski of Gardner-Webb before suffering a 7-3 defeat to Mark Budd of Buffalo.
Maurer began the meet with a 13-4 loss to seventh-seed Kenneth Cook of UC Davis. In the third meeting between Big Ten wrestlers Maurer and Gabriel Dretsch of Minnesota, it appeared Maurer secured a 2-1 victory against the 10th-seeded Dretsch to stay in contention for a third place finish at 174 pounds, but the match came under protest after Dretsch was called for a technical violation that gave Maurer his second match point. After review, Maurer and Dretsch repeated the third period and the score was revised to 1-0 in favor of the Golden Gopher. It was in the final period Dretsch took control, scoring five points to win by a final 6-1 tally.
HOW THEY QUALIFIED
Blake Maurer and Kirk Nail advanced to the NCAA championships by finishing in the Top 7 of their respective weight classes at the 2006 Big Ten Conference Wrestling Championships. Maurer was seventh at 174 pounds and Nail was sixth at heavyweight. Teammate Reece Humphrey, who was an eighth seed in the 133 weight class and was a second alternate to the national championships, qualified for the national meet after injuries to J Jaggers and the Big Ten first alternate.
Maurer won his seventh-place match up vs. Purdue’s Nick Corpe, 7-4. En route to his seventh-place bout, fifth-seed Maurer dropped Indiana’s Marc Bennett in 6:08, but suffered a 6-4 loss to No. 4 seed and Penn State’s James Yonushonis in the quarterfinals. After receiving a bye in the second wrestleback, Maurer lost to Minnesota’s Gabriel Dretsch, 8-6, who was a No. 8 seed.
Nail, who received a No. 6 seed, finished sixth after he was forced to medical forfeit his session three matches at heavyweight. Nail was set to face No. 8 seed Matt Weight of Illinois and Joel Edwards, a No. 4 seed from Penn State. In sessions one and two, Nail took advantage of a first round bye by defeating Northwestern’s and No. 3 seed Dustin Fox with the riding time edge in the first tiebreaker. However, Nail was forced to medical forfeit his second match of the day vs. second seed Greg Wagner of Michigan.
As a true freshman, Humphrey advanced to the quarterfinals after pinning Iowa’s Daniel Dennis in 6:51 on the first day of competition. However, Humphrey then was downed by No. 1 seed Mack Reiter of Minnesota in 1:30. Dropping down to the consolation brackets, Humphrey scored an 8-5 victory over Michigan State’s Jeff Wimberley, before losing to No. 5 seed Jake Strayer of Penn State, 7-3, and Indiana’s and No. 6 seed Andrae Hernandez, 8-1, the following day.
A HISTORY LESSON
Ohio State has nine national champions to its credit, including two-time champions Kevin Randleman (1992, ’93) and Tommy Rowlands (2002, ’04). The Buckeyes’ first champion was George Downes in 1940 at heavyweight followed by fellow heavyweight George Bollas in 1946. Dave Reinbolt and Jude Skove became Ohio State’s third and fourth national champions at 167 and 158 pounds, respectively, in 1966 and 1986. Five Buckeyes have earned national championships in the Russ Hellickson era. In addition to Randleman and Rowlands, Hellickson has coach national champions Mark Coleman (1988, 190 pounds), Rex Holman (1993, 190 pounds) and Mitch Clark (1998, 177 pounds).
SPORTSMANSHIP NOMINEE
Following the Big Ten championships, junior Alex Picazo was named a Big Ten Sportsmanship nominee. One wrestler from each Big Ten institution was selected by its head coach. The nominees must have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. The student-athletes must be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside the sports-competition setting. The nominees now are candidates for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. The conference office will honor one male and one female student-athlete from each institution at the end of the school year.
OSU TEAM LEADERS AT BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
Blake Maurer led the Buckeyes in takedowns and match points at the Big Ten championships. Maurer scored eight takedowns and 32 match points en route to qualifying for the NCAA meet. Maurer also was second in match points with seven, while Kirk Nail tied for first in team points (8).
Despite not competing in his final two matches, J Jaggers compiled the most escapes (4) for the Buckeyes and tied for first in team points (8).
2006 BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
DAY ONE:
Ohio State sat in 10th place with 39 points after two sessions of the 2006 Big Ten Conference Wrestling Championships in Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind. Buckeyes J Jaggers and Kirk Nail sought Top 3 finishes in their respective weight classes on day two after strong showings on the first day of competition. Minnesota led the field with 116.5 points, while Illinois (112.00) and Michigan (89.00) rounded out the Top 3.
Jaggers (149), a No. 4 seed, lost, 4-1, to No. 1 seed Dustin Schlatter of Minnesota in the semifinals. It was another tight match between Jaggers and Schlatter, as the two met earlier in the season at the Southern Scuffle Dec. 29. In their previous match up, Schlatter edged Jaggers, 1-0, in the finals. En route to his bout against Schlatter, Jaggers received a first-round bye before dropping Doug Withstandley of Purdue, 6-5, in the quarterfinals.
No. 6 seed Nail (HWT) took advantage of a first round bye by defeating Northwestern’s and No. 3 seed Dustin Fox with the riding time edge in the first tiebreaker. However, Nail was forced to medical default his match vs. No. 2 seed Greg Wagner of Michigan.
Four Buckeyes in Nathan Costello, Reece Humphrey, Steve Sommer and Blake Maurer advanced to the seventh-place match ups. After falling to Minnesota’s and No. 7 seed Travis Lang in 2:24 in the first round, Costello (125) scored a fall of his own by downing No. 8 seed Brad Pataky of Penn State in 1:53. Costello then went on to lose to No. 5 seed Lucas Magnani of Iowa, 5-1.
As a true freshman, Humphrey advanced to the quarterfinals in the 133 weight class as a No. 8 seed after pinning Iowa’s Daniel Dennis in 6:51. However, Humphrey then was downed by No. 1 seed Mack Reiter of Minnesota in 1:30. Dropping down to the consolation brackets, Humphrey scored an 8-5 victory over Michigan State’s Jeff Wimberley before losing to No. 5 seed Jake Strayer of Penn State, 7-3.
On his way to his seventh-place bout, fifth seed Maurer (174) dropped Indiana’s Marc Bennett in 6:08, but suffered a 6-4 loss to No. 4 seed and Penn State’s James Yonushonis. After receiving a bye in the second wrestleback, Maurer lost to Minnesota’s Gabriel Dretsch, 8-6, who was a No. 8 seed.
After a first-round bye, Sommer (157) dropped a 7-3 decision to No. 2 seed Craig Henning of Wisconsin, but answered with an 8-7 win over Northwestern’s Greg Hagel. However, Sommer then fell to No. 6 seed Steve Luke of Michigan in 3:35.
Buckeyes T.J. Enright, Nathaniel Augustson, Alex Picazo and James Aston were eliminated from competition in session II. Enright competed in the 141 weight division, while Augustson was in the 165 pound line-up. Picazo wrestled at 184 pounds and true freshman Aston saw action at 197 pounds.
DAY TWO:
OSU finished 11th with 40 points at the 2006 Big Ten Conference Wrestling Championships March 5 in Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind. With their Top 7 finishes in their respective weight classes, Buckeyes J Jaggers, Blake Maurer and Kirk Nail qualified for the 2006 NCAA Wrestling Championships in Oklahoma City. Minnesota won the conference event with 138 points, while Illinois (125) and Michigan (115) rounded out the Top 3.
No. 4 seed Jaggers became the first Buckeye NCAA qualifier at 149 pounds with a sixth place finish despite medical forfeiting his three matches of the day.
Maurer won his seventh-place match up vs. Purdue’s Nick Corpe, 7-4, at 174 pounds to advance to the national championships.
Nail, who received a No. 6 seed, finished sixth after he was forced to medical forfeit his session three matches at heavyweight.
Reece Humphrey and Steve Sommer, who wrestled at 133 and 157 pounds, respectively, lost their seventh-place match ups, but were named alternates to the national championships out of the eighth-place pool finishers. Humphrey lost to No. 6 seed Andrae Hernandez, 8-1, in the seventh-place bout and Sommer suffered a 5-1 loss to Nathan Galloway (No. 8) of Penn State in his final match.
Nathan Costello also saw action in the seventh-place bout at 125 pounds, but fell to No. 6 seed Michael Watts of Michigan in 2:04.
A LOOK BACK: 2005-06 SEASON
Ohio State encountered a tough schedule during the 2005-06 season, facing nine ranked teams, seven of which were in the Big Ten.
Following an appearance at the Michigan State Open Nov. 12-13, where J Jaggers was the 149-pound champion, the Buckeyes went on to compete at the Las Vegas Invitational Dec. 2-3 and finished 20th. The Buckeyes then dropped their first dual of the season, 25-13, against then-No. 13 Missouri. After a fifth-place standing in the Southern Scuffle, Ohio State’s dual schedule was in full swing. OSU opened its home slate with a 30-3 win over Pittsburgh, but lost two matches on the road vs. Kent State (25-13) and Cleveland State (25-18).
At the Virginia Duals, the Buckeyes went 2-2, defeating The Citadel, 38-10, and West Virginia, 17-15, but suffering defeats to then-No. 25 Penn (23-15) and North Carolina (28-13).
The Buckeyes’ Big Ten schedule opened at then-No. 15 Indiana, where OSU fell, 31-7. Taking a hiatus from conference action, OSU reeled off two wins against Virginia and Virginia Tech, 28-10 and 38-10, respectively.
Ohio State was unable to garner wins the rest of the season, as they dropped seven league contests against six Top 25 teams.
BUCKEYE CHAMPION
Earlier in the season, J Jaggers captured the 149-pound championship at the Michigan State Open Nov. 13.
Jaggers was the No. 2 seed in the event and went on to beat No. 1 seed Darren McKnight of Michigan State, 6-3, for his first MSU Open title.
DUALING IT OUT
J Jaggers and T.J. Enright made 18 consecutive dual meet starts at 141 and 149 pounds, respectively, during the regular season. Nathaniel Augustson also saw action in all 18 of the Buckeyes’ dual meets in 2005-06 at 165 and 174 pounds.
Alex Picazo competed in 17 of 18 matches at 184, while seeing action at 197 pounds in one meet.
THE MAN ON THE MATS
During the 2005-06 season, J Jaggers outperformed his opponents in nine statistical categories.
Jaggers tallied 12 more takedowns (38-26) and notched 11 more escapes (37-26) than his adversaries and also recorded two more reverses (13-11). In 2-point nearfalls, Jaggers had four compared to three compiled by his competitors and the Northfield, Ohio, native scored 12 3-point nearfalls while his opponents had zero. Jaggers earned 12 riding time points compared to three scored by his competitors. The match points ratio stood at 257-177 and technical falls recorded were 4-0. Finally, Jaggers had a 4-0 advantage on his adversaries in falls.
MR. RELIABLE
Before sitting out the Michigan dual, Blake Maurer won six of seven duals at 174 pounds dating back to the match up vs. Virginia Jan. 22.
Maurer’s lone loss during the stretch was against No. 2 Jake Herbert of Northwestern.
OH SO CLOSE
J Jaggers’ nine-match winning streak was one victory shy of J.D. Bergman’s longest OSU winning streak of 10 from last year. In 2004-05, Bergman reeled off 10 consecutive wins at 197 pounds between Dec. 5, 2004 and Dec. 29, 2005. His win streak began at the Las Vegas Invitational and ended at the Midlands tournament, where he placed second to No. 1 seed Jon Trenge of Lehigh.
Jaggers’ nine-match win streak:
Opponent (School) Decision
Matt Dragon (Penn) fall 4:06 (Va. Duals)
Chris Ramos (UNC) dec. 7-5 (Va. Duals)
Isaac Knable (Indiana) mdec. 12-2
Drew DiPasquale (Va.) dec. 8-5
(Va. Tech) forfeit
Tyler Safratowich (Minn.) dec. 7-6
Troy Tirapelle (Illinois) dec. 9-7
Marty Gould (N’western) dec. 6-0
Tyler Turner (Wisconsin) dec. 5-3
BUCKEYES IN THE RANKINGS
In the final USA Today/NWCA/InterMat rankings released March 8, J Jaggers is No. 11 at 149 pounds and Blake Maurer and Kirk Nail hold down the No. 18 spots at 174 and heavyweight, respectively. Reece Humphrey is 20th.
Jaggers and Maurer also are ranked in the fina March 7 W.I.N. polls. Jaggers is 10th and Maurer is 19th. In the final (Feb. 20) Amateur Wrestling News standings, Jaggers holds down the No. 9 spot and Maurer remains 14th. Alex Picazo owns the No. 20 spot and Nail rounds out OSU ranked wrestlers with a No. 15 ranking.
THE BEST MUST FACE THE BEST
During the 2005-06 dual season, Ohio State faced 20 wrestlers ranked in the Top 10 of the Amateur Wrestling News Polls, including five who are No. 1. At 125, Ohio State’s Nathan Costello encountered Joe Dubuque of Indiana Jan. 20. Steve Sommer matched-up against Alex Tirapelle of Illinois Jan. 29 at 157 pounds. Charlie Clark faced Ben Askren of Missouri at 174 pounds Dec. 11. At 184 pounds, Alex Picazo battled Eric Bradley of Penn State Feb. 17. Heavyweight Kirk Nail squared off against Cole Konrad of Minnesota Jan. 27.
FULL HOUSE
Ohio State recorded its second-highest wrestling attendance at St. John Arena against Minnesota Jan. 27, as 3,022 fans watched the Buckeyes and the No. 1 team in the nation.
IN THE WIN COLUMN
Russ Hellickson garnered his 270th OSU win at the Virginia Duals. Hellickson scored a 2-0 record on day one of the competition, beating The Citadel and West Virginia to earn wins 269 and 270.
BIG TEN LEDGER
Ohio State owns a 235-329-19 all-time Big Ten record. The Buckeyes have winning marks against Indiana (44-38-2), Northwestern (38-28) and Purdue (45-23-7).
2005-06 SENIOR CLASS
Seniors Nathaniel Augustson, Brent Billet, Nathan Costello and Steve Sommer concluded their Ohio State wrestling careers as the class of 2006.
A fifth-year senior who transferred to Ohio State in 2003-04, Augustson earned a spot in the starting line-up at 165 and 174 pounds in 2004-05. During that year, Augustson proved to be a valuable asset to the squad, leading the team in reversals and finishing third in takedowns and team points. Following his first full season with the Buckeyes, Augustson was voted Most Dedicated by his teammates. This season, Augustson was a constant force for the Buckeyes, competing in every regular-season tournament and open, as well as all 18 dual meets. Augustson is a native of Rio Rancho, N.M., and attended Rio Rancho High School.
Another fifth-year senior, Billet was a reserve at 184 pounds for the Buckeyes. While serving an integral role during OSU practices, Billet became a two-time “Buckeye Power Lifting Award” winner. Academically, Billet set an example of excellence in the classroom, becoming a two-time OSU Scholar-Athlete Award winner. Billet hails from Carlisle, Pa., and prepped at Cumberland Valley High School.
Costello saw immediate action for the Buckeyes at 125 pounds during his freshman season and continued to have a starting role in the OSU line-up during his remaining years. Last season, Costello recorded career highs in nearly all statistical categories. Although plagued by injuries in 2005-06, Costello was a familiar face on the varsity squad at the beginning of the season. Costello attended Maple Heights High School in Maple Heights, Ohio.
Sommer was a junior college transfer in 2003-04, before being catapulted into the Buckeye line-up two seasons later. This year, Sommer saw action in 16 of 18 duals in both the 165 and 174-pound weight classes and has accumulated wins in both divisions. Sommer is from West Carrollton, Ohio, and attended Dayton Carroll High School.
