Ohio State
Big Ten Championship **
Sasso Wins Big Ten Title, Buckeyes Fourth Overall
3/5/2023 7:30:07 PM | General, Wrestling
Final Brackets | Final Team Scores
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State’s Sammy Sasso earned his second Big Ten Championship Sunday with a win over Michael Blockhus of Minnesota in the title bout at 149-pounds. As a team, the Buckeyes finished fourth overall and Sasso was named to the 2023 All-Big Ten squad.
Sasso took Blockhus to overtime to win by decision, 7-5, in sudden victory. Sasso was making his fourth appearance in the championships match. He also won the weight class in 2021.
.@sammysasso is your at 149 lbs. @wrestlingbucks x #B1GWrestle pic.twitter.com/Rzp2980KiX
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) March 5, 2023
Senior Kaleb Romero also battled for a title Sunday but fell in the 184-pound title bout to Aaron Brooks of Penn State.
Ohio State earned third-place finishes from Carson Kharchla (165) and Ethan Smith (174). Dylan D’Emilio (141) and Tate Orndorff (HWT) claimed fourth.
Freshman Jesse Mendez (133) finished his first Big Ten Championship tournament in sixth place. He fell to Michigan’s Dylan Ragusin in the fifth-place match.
Ohio State will send nine Buckeyes to the 2023 NCAA Championships. Seven as a result of their individual performances at the 2023 Big Ten Championships and two more as at-large selections
Qualifiers Jesse Mendez (133), Dylan D’Emilio (141), Sammy Sasso (149), Carson Kharchla (165), Ethan Smith (174), Kaleb Romero (184) and Tate Orndorff (HWT) along with at-large selections Paddy Gallagher (157) and Gavin Hoffman (197) all head to the Bok Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, March 16-18 for the 2023 NCAA Championships.
Sunday Results
Consolation Semifinals
133 | (7) Chris Cannon (NW) def. (2) Jesse Mendez (OSU) | D, 4-2
Mendez got the takedown midway through the first for a 2-0 lead. Cannon escaped before the bout was stalled with a Cannon injury. After action resumed, Cannon evened the match at 2-all with a second-period escape. Cannon then scored the late escape in the third to win by decision, 4-2.
Fifth-Place Match- Mendez Finishes Sixth (Qualifies for the 2023 NCAA Championships)
133 | (5) Dylan Ragusin (MICH) def. (2) Jesse Mendez (OSU) | D, 5-3
Ragusin struck first with a takedown midway through the first period. Mendez countered with a reversal before a Ragusin escape made it 3-2 Michigan after three minutes. Mendez tied the match at 3-all with an escape in the second. Ragusin took the lead with a quick escape in the third and added a point for riding time to win by decision, 5-3.
Consolation Semifinals
141 | (9) Dylan D’Emilio (OSU) def. (4) Frankie Tal Shahar (NW) | D, 6-2
D’Emilio scored a takedown in the first minute of action to take a 2-1 lead after a Tal Shahar escape. D’Emilio added an escape point to start the second for a 3-1 advantage. Tal Shahar added an escape in the third to trail 3-2 before a D’Emilio takedown put the Buckeyes up 5-2. With a point for riding time, D’Emilio advanced to the third-place match with a 6-2 win by decision.
Third-Place Match – D’Emilio Finishes Fourth (Qualifies for the 2023 NCAA Championships)
141 | (2) Beau Bartlett (PSU) def. (9) Dylan D’Emilio (OSU) | D, 5-2
D’Emilio and Bartlett were scoreless after the first three minutes. D’Emilio escaped in the second to score the first point of the bout. Bartlett took a 3-1 lead in the third with an escape and takedown. D’Emilio added an escape but Bartlett added a takedown to win by decision 5-2 to take third in the championships at 141.
Championship Match – Sasso Finishes First (Qualifies for the 2023 NCAA Championships)
149 | (1) Sammy Sasso (OSU) def. (6) Michael Blockhus (MINN) | SV-1, 7-5
Blockhus struck first with an early first-period takedown. Sasso escaped and scored a late takedown to lead 3-2 after the first three minutes. Blockhus tied it with an escape in the second and took the lead with a takedown. Sasso escaped to head to the third down 5-4. A quick Sasso escape to start the third tied the bout 5-all. The match went to sudden victory where Sasso scored the winning takedown to win by decision, 7-5.
collecting hardware #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/pfSlBWNUC5
— Ohio State Wrestling (@wrestlingbucks) March 5, 2023
149: Sammy Sasso of @wrestlingbucks wins his second #B1GWrestle Championship title at 149 following a 7-5 win in sudden victory vs. Minnesota’s Michael Blockhus. pic.twitter.com/1keqj1F4xy
— Big Ten Wrestling (@B1GWrestling) March 5, 2023
157 | (9) Garrett Model (WIS) def. (12) Paddy Gallagher (OSU) | D, 3-2
Model scored a takedown followed by a Gallagher escape. Model went up 3-1 with an escape to start the second period. Gallagher escaped to start the third to make it 3-2 Wisconsin but Model held on to win 3-2 by decision.
157 | (12) Paddy Gallagher (OSU) def. (7) Michael Carr (ILL) | MFF
Consolation Semifinals
165 | (5) Carson Kharchla (OSU) def. (6) Maxx Mayfield (NW) | D, 10-4
Kharchla went out in front 2-0 with an early takedown. Mayfield escaped for a point before another Kharchla takedown made it 4-2 Buckeyes after the first. Kharchla added an escape point in the second along with another takedown for a 7-2 advantage with two minutes to go. Mayfield escaped for a point in the third but Kharchla recorded another takedown and with a point for riding time won 10-4 by decision.
Third-Place Match – Kharchla Finishes Third (Qualifies for the 2023 NCAA Championships)
165 | (5) Carson Kharchla (OSU) def. (2) Cameron Amine (MICH) | MFF
Consolation Semifinals
174 | (3) Ethan Smith (OSU) def. (5) Edmond Ruth (ILL) | D, 4-2
The aggressor early, Smith scored first with a takedown before building nearly two minutes of riding time before a Ruth escape made it 2-1 going into the second. Ruth added an escape point in the second to tie the bout at 2-all. With riding time secured, Smith went up 3-2 with an escape to open the third. Smith advanced to the third-place match with a 4-2 win by decision.
Third-Place Match – Smith Finishes Third (Qualifies for the 2023 NCAA Championships)
174 | (3) Ethan Smith (OSU) def. (4) Bailee O’Reilly (MINN) | D, 5-3
Smith took the lead with a late takedown in the first period and led 2-1 after three minutes. Reilly escaped early in the second to tie it at 2-all. Smith took the lead with an escape in the third. He added an escape for a 5-2 lead and held on on to win by decision, 5-3, to claim third at 174 pounds.
Championship Match – Smith Finishes Second (Qualifies for the 2023 NCAA Championships)
184 | (1) Aaron Brooks (PSU) def. (2) Kaleb Romero (OSU) | MD, 12-2
Brooks scored the first takedown followed by a Romero escape for a 2-1 lead after the first. Brooks escaped to start the second before adding a takedown for a 5-1 lead. Romero was called for stalling before an escape to make it 6-2 Penn State. Brooks was awarded another stalling point before a takedown. With riding time, Brooks won by major decision, 12-2.
Consolation Semifinals
HWT | (7) Tate Orndorff (OSU) def. (5) Trent Hillger (WIS) | D, 7-4
There was no score after the first three minutes. Hillger earned the first point of the bout with an escape to open the second. Orndorff countered with an escape in the third to tie it at 1-all. Orndorff then scored a takedown to take a 3-1 lead but Hillger tied it with a reversal with under 30 seconds to go. Orndorff then added a quick reversal and a takedown to win by decision, 7-4.
Third-Place Match – Orndorff Finishes Fourth (Qualifies for the 2023 NCAA Championships)
HWT | (3) Tony Cassioppi (IOWA) def. (7) Tate Orndorff (OSU) | MD, 10-1
Cassioppi scored a takedown in the first to lead 2-0 after three minutes. Cassioppi led 8-1 after two periods. Iowa added two points in the third to win by major decision, 10-1.
#GoBucks
