Jan. 11, 2015
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Seventh-ranked Ohio State won six of 10 matches, including momentum-swinging wins at 184 and 197 pounds, to knock off third-ranked and defending national champion Penn State on Sunday in front of 6,109 fans at St. John Arena. With the win, Ohio State’s first over Penn State since 2010, the Buckeyes improve to 5-3 and 1-1 in the Big Ten. Penn State is 6-1, 2-1.
Holding a precarious 16-12 lead following a pin at 174 pounds by fourth-ranked Matt Brown of Penn State, redshirt junior Kenny Courts picked up a key 4-2 decision over Matt McCutcheon at 184 pounds to give Ohio State a 19-12 advantage. Courts’ victory came on the strength of an escape to start the third period, a takedown with 1:40 left and over two of riding time.
In the next match, 197 pounds, true freshman Kyle Snyder picked up one of his most impressive wins of the season, knocking off fourth-ranked Morgan McIntosh, a reigning All-American, 6-1. Snyder, now 15-2 on the season, went ahead 1-0 early in the second period on an escape and then scored a takedown with 45 seconds left in the period for a 3-0 lead. Snyder notched one more takedown in the third period and also racked up over two minutes of riding time for the final 6-1 decision.
Sunday’s match started at 125 pounds and Nathan Tomasello made sure the Buckeyes fans had plenty to cheer about. He jumped out to a 7-1 lead at the end of the first period with two takedowns and a three-point near fall. Tomasello continued to apply pressure to Jordan Conaway in the second period, scoring an escape and a takedown for a 10-1 lead heading into the third period. Tomasello’s final point came on riding time, and the major decision gave Ohio State a 4-0 lead.
Johnni DiJulius lost a hard-fought 5-4 decision to Jimmy Gulibon at 133 pounds, but redshirt senior Logan Stieber pinned Kade Moss in 2:51 at 141 pounds to give Ohio State a 10-3 lead. Stieber is now 13-0 on the year with five falls. Not to be outdone, Logan’s brother, Hunter, picked up his first win of the year, a 7-2 decision over 17th-ranked Jake Beitz. H. Stieber scored an early first-period takedown and then another with just 19 seconds left in the first for a 4-1 lead. Beitz escaped in the second to make the score 4-2, but Stieber finished the period with a takedown at the buzzer for a 6-2 advantage.
At 157 pounds, Josh Demas suffered his first loss of the season, a 3-1 sudden victory decision for eighth-ranked Dylan Alton. After a 10 minute intermission, Bo Jordan got Ohio State back on the winning track with a 10-6 decision over Garett Hammond. Jordan, 7-0 on the season and 30-0 in his career, took a 4-1 lead after the first period on the strength of two takedowns. In the second period, Hammond tied the score at 4-4, but Jordan responded with a takedown at the 25 second mark. In the third, Jordan escaped for a 8-5 lead and then with 30 seconds left scored the match’s final takedown for a 10-6 advantage.
Sunday’s win over Penn State marks the highest-ranked opponent Ohio State has knocked off since a 21-9 victory over second-ranked Iowa on Jan. 20, 2012.
The Buckeyes return to action on Friday, Jan. 16 when they head to East Lansing, Mich. for a dual match against the Spartans. Next Sunday, Ohio State will be in Ann Arbor, Mich. to take on 15th-ranked Michigan.
Ohio State Wrestling
No. 7 Ohio State 22, No. 3 Penn State 15
Columbus, Ohio | Attendance: 6,109
Records: Ohio State (5-3, 1-1) | Penn State (6-1, 2-1)
125: #7 Nathan Tomasello (OSU) maj. dec. #8 Jordan Conaway (PSU) 11-2 | OSU 4, PSU 0
133: #10 Jimmy Gulibon (PSU) dec. #4 Johnni DiJulius (OSU) 5-4 | OSU 4, PSU 3
141: #1 Logan Stieber (OSU) pinned Kade Moss (PSU) WBF (2:51) | OSU 10, PSU 3
149: #6 Hunter Stieber (OSU) dec. #17 Zack Beitz (PSU) 7-2 | OSU 13, PSU 3
157: #8 Dylan Alton (PSU) dec. #5 Josh Demas (OSU) 3-1 (sv) | OSU 13, PSU 6
165: #6 Bo Jordan (OSU) dec. Garett Hammond (PSU) 10-6 | OSU 16, PSU 6
174: #4 Matt Brown (PSU) pinned Dominic Prezzia (OSU) WBF (4:27) | OSU 16, PSU 12
184: #11 Kenny Courts (OSU) dec. #16 Matt McCutcheon (PSU) 4-2 | OSU 19, PSU 12
197: #7 Kyle Snyder (OSU) dec. #4 Morgan McIntosh (PSU) 6-1 | OSU 22, PSU 12
285: #6 Jimmy Lawson (PSU) dec. #10 Nick Tavanello (OSU) 3-1 | OSU 22, PSU 15
Postmatch Quotes
Head coach Tom Ryan
On the win:
“It felt good to get a team win. We’ve been working hard and to come so close and finally getting one felt good.”
“We also lost three late. We lost heavyweight, and [Josh] Demas, same thing. And then Johnni [DiJulius] lost late, so there’s still plenty of room for improvement for this team, but it’s certainly good to get this one.”
On his team moving forward:
“The only thing that ultimately matters, right is what happens at the end of the year. So this team has done a really good job, our leaders have done a really good job, of focusing on that. In the sport of wrestling, that weekend [NCAA Championships] is the weekend when you want to come out on top. Everything else is learning and preparation for that time.”
Redshirt senior Logan Stieber
On the win:
“People, the fans, they really take for granted how hard it is to win a wrestling match. It’s really hard. So you see my brother [Hunter Stieber], he’s had three matches and he lost his first two. He’s a two-time All-American, he’s really good you know, but it’s hard, it’s hard work to win a wrestling match, so we saw that today and I think we wrestled really well.”
Freshman Kyle Snyder
On beating a top-five opponent:
“It felt really good. I felt before the season started that I was ready and able to compete with the best guys at this weight class and even after the two losses to Burak and Gadsen, I still felt the same way.”
On his mindset in clinching the dual match win:
“It’s pretty much the same whether we were going to win the dual no matter what. I wanted to win the match because I like winning. Of course it helps the team if I win, but the sole purpose behind me going out there and wrestling is because I want to get my hand raised at the end of the match.”
