Big Ten Competition Starts Friday vs. No. 25 Illinois

No. 6 Ohio State vs. No. 25 Illinois
Date/Time: Friday, Jan. 12/7 p.m.
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Venue: Covelli Center
Watch: B1G+
Follow Along: X/@wrestlingbucks | OhioStateBuckeyes.com
Ohio State Tickets: OhioStateBuckeyes.com
Rosters: Ohio State | Illinois
Match Notes: Ohio State/Lineups | Illinois

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- No. 6 Ohio State (8-1, 0-0) opens Big Ten Conference action against No. 25 Illinois (3-3, 0-0) Friday at the Covelli Center. Match time is set for 7 p.m. with a live stream provided by B1G+.

Heavyweight Nick Feldman orchestrated a come-from-behind win in the final bout against No. 8 Cornell Jan. 5 to help the Buckeyes win 21-20 in a thrilling dual at the Covelli Center in Columbus. Down 20-18 in the team competition, Feldman trailed No. 19 Lewis Fernandes of Cornell 4-3 with under 30 second to go in the third period. In front of 4,300 fans, Feldman got the match-winning takedown for a 6-4 triumph by decision to secure the team win, the second-consecutive Top 10 victory and third of the season.
Bryce Hepner, a redshirt junior wrestling at 165, won the Bobby Kaufman Open in Edinboro, Pennsylvania, last Sunday with a record of 4-0. He recorded three pins and a win by major decision to secure the title. Freshman Vinny Kilkeary, wrestling unattached, took second at 125 with a 3-1 record.
Ohio State won a team title at the 2023 Collegiate Duals with three wins over No. 21 Northern Iowa (26-7), Lock Haven (28-9) and No. 2 NC State (21-20).
The Buckeyes won their opener 28-7 over the Panthers before a 28-9 win over Lock Haven. In the finale, Brendan McCrone (125), Nic Bouzakis (133) and Jesse Mendez (141) gave Ohio State an 18-0 lead over the Wolfpack with consecutive pins to start the dual. The Buckeyes, with a win by freshman Rocco Welsh (174), held on to defeat NC State 21-20 for the title.
Against the Wolfpack, McCrone upset No. 1 Jacob Camacho with a pin just 37 seconds into the first period. Bouzakis then needed just 51 seconds to pin No. 5 Kai Orine before Mendez put the Buckeyes up 18-0 with a pin against No. 4 Ryan Jack.
Against the Fighting Illini, Ohio State owns a record of 36-34 all-time. The teams last met in Champaign Jan. 17, 2021, an 18-15 win for the Illini. The Buckeyes have won eight of the last 10 meetings, including a 28-6 win in Columbus Jan. 19, 2020.
Mendez (141) helped the Buckeyes finish third at the 2023 Cliff Keen Invitational Dec. 1-2 by taking the title in his bracket with a 5-0 record. Bouzakis (133) and Carson Kharchla (174) finished third to contribute to Ohio State's 122.5 points.
Mendez was named the Big Ten Wrestler of the Week for his success in Las Vegas. The sophomore All-American has won the league award three times to date.

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