Get to Know a Buckeye: Johnni DiJulius – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/23/2015 12:00:00 AM | General, Wrestling
Nov. 23, 2015
COLUMBUS, Ohio – In the first installment of “Get to Know A Buckeye”, redshirt senior Johnni DiJulius talks about why he chose to come to Ohio State and what “Win the Third” means to him.
DiJulius is a three-time NCAA qualifier and currently has 103 career wins to his credit. Last season, he finished fourth in the Big Ten at 133 pounds with an overall record of 30-8 (12-4 in duals). Seeded fourth at the NCAA Championships, he was No. 6 in the final InterMat rankings of the regular season. So far in 2015-16, DiJulius, ranked No. 5 nationally, is 6-0 with a title at the Eastern Michigan Open to his credit. Last Friday, he earned a 16-0 tech fall over Arizona State’s Cord Coronado in which he racked up 12 first-period points (two takedowns, two four-point nearfalls).
In January, Ohio State will take on Michigan State is a dual at Wash Jesuit High School in Cleveland, DiJulius’ alma mater. While at Walsh Jesuit, DiJulius was a three-time Ohio high school state champion. Tomorrow, DiJulius and the rest of his Buckeye teammates will be in Cleveland for a 7 p.m. dual against Cleveland State at Woodling Gymnasium. The match can be seen live on ESPN3.
FULL DIJULIUS BIO
Ohio State Career Honors – Big Ten Wrestler of the Week (Dec. 9, 2013)
2015-16 Season – Unbeaten at 6-0 thus far … champion at the Eastern Michigan Open … 16-0 tech fall over ASU’s Cord Coronado … come-from-behind 8-7 victory against Virginia’s George DiCamillo, ranked No. 10.
2014-15 Season – Concluded the season with a 30-8 record … fourth at the Big Ten Championships at 133 lbs. … NCAA qualifier … eight major decisions, four technical falls and three falls on the season … tied for second on the team in wins … seeded fourth at the NCAA Championships, where he went 2-2 … ranked No. 6 in the final InterMat rankings of the regular season … third at the CKLV Invitational.
2013-14 Season – NCAA championships qualifier … sixth-place finisher at 2014 Big Ten Championships … Big Ten Wrestler of the Week (Dec. 9) … won 133-pound title at CKLV Invitational (Dec. 6-7); as No. 4 seed, defeated Nos. 5, 1 and 2 seeds en route to title …finished third at Clarion Open (Nov. 3) … lost first match in 16 bouts vs. Michigan’s Rossi Bruno (Jan. 31), a 2-1 loss in three tiebreakers … posted 3-1 record at NWCA National Duals (Feb. 16-17) … wrapped up regular season with 4:18 pin over Virginia Tech’s Dennis Gustafson (Feb. 23) … second on the team (tie) in dual wins with 13.
2012-13– Competed in six open tournaments during season en route to 21-6 overall record … collected four runner-up finishes at UB Invitational (133 pounds) (Nov. 4), Michigan State Open (133 pounds) (Nov. 11), Shorty Hitchcock Memorial Tournament (133 pounds) (Jan. 20) and Greyhound Open (133 pounds) (Feb. 2) … posted a third-place finish at Harris Open (133 pounds) (Nov. 17) and finished fourth at Penn State Open (133 pounds) (Dec. 1).
2011-12– NCAA championships qualifier … 19-15 overall; 9-7 in dual action; 4-3 in Big Ten … finished seventh at 2012 Big Ten Championships with a pair of decisions over Zach Zimmer, 9-4 (Indiana) and Austin Hieptas, 17-5 (Wisconsin) in the seventh-place match … recorded a team high (tie) 5 major decisions, 2 technical falls and 1 pin (fastest at a time of 3:41) … finished fourth at Eastern Michigan Open (Nov. 5) … posted 3-1 record at Wrestle for a Cure Duals in Harrisburg, Pa. (Nov. 12), recorded 3-2 mark and finished fourth en route to helping Ohio State capture Cliff Keen Las Vegas Collegiate Wrestling Invitational (Dec. 2) … earned first-career Big Ten win vs. Indiana’s Zach Zimmer, 10-3 (Dec. 18) … 9-5 decision over Grant Pizzo of Michigan (Feb. 3) helped lift Buckeyes to 24-10 win over Wolverines in regular-season home finale … compiled 2-1 record at NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals in Stillwater, Okla., (Feb. 12), including a pair of bonus point wins vs. Boise State’s Landon Hartley, 13-4, and Nebraska’s Shawn Nagel, 20-5.
Prior to Ohio State– Slated fifth-best wrestler at 130 pounds as three-time Ohio High School state champion … competed in 2010 Junior Duals Freestyle Tournament and helped Team Ohio to third-place finish with 7-1, 1-0 decision over Wisconsin’s Justin Mudlaff.
Personal– Son of John DiJulius … has two brothers, Bo and Cal.
