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The first day of the NCAA Wrestling Championships was a mixture of success, disappointments, and controversy for the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Buckeyes put four wrestlers in the quarterfinals––an impressive number for most programs, but not where the Buckeyes usually expect to be. And Ohio State definitely left some points on the table throughout the day.
Ohio State's first quarterfinalist is Nic Bouzakis at 133 lbs. Bouzakis got off to a fast start early, earning a quick pin over Kai Orine of N.C. State in the first round. The second round was a tougher battle, but Bouzakis was never really in danger, winning by 9-4 decision over Sean Spidle of Central Michigan. He will face Drake Ayala of Iowa in the next round. The two of never officially met before, and it should be a good match. Ayala has certainly had the better season, but he is not much more talented than Bouzakis, and it could go either way.
The second Buckeye quarterfinalist is Ohio State's only expected national champion threat this year: Jesse Mendez at 141 lbs. Mendez is the defending national champion, and has earned bonus points in both of his wins this year, including a Round 2 win over Sergio Lemley of Michigan. He will next face Vance VomBaur of Minnesota. Mendez should be favored in that match, though the Buckeye did barely win (in 2OT ride-outs) when they faced back in February. If Mendez wins that, his likely semifinal opponent is Beau Bartlett of Penn State, a rematch of last year's NCAA final.
Dylan D'Emilio at 149 lbs was an all-American in 2023, and looks strong to repeat that this year. He's been helped by a friendly bracket, with upsets taking out favorites in front of him. He will face No. 12 seed Ethan Stiles of Oregon State in the quarterfinal, in what should be a very even match.
Ohio State's last quarterfinalist is the No. 23 seed at 197 lbs, Seth Shumate. Shumate reached the second round with a surprise upset pin of Isaiah Salazar, and he used a similar move to build a big lead in his second round match. He will once again be a heavy underdog, as he faces No. 2 seed Stephen Buchanan of Iowa. The pair have met twice this year, with Buchanan dominating both matches. The Hawkeye won 18-1 back in January, and 8-0 two weeks ago at the Big Ten Championships.
Ohio State sent ten wrestlers to the NCAA Championships, but three are already going home. Paddy Gallagher (165 lbs) and Ryder Rogotzke (184 lbs) were each underdogs in both of their matches on Thursday, and they each lost both. They're out of the event with zero team points. As is Carson Kharchla. Kharchla started the season 11-0, but didn't quite seem himself at the Big Ten Tournament. He came into the NCAAs as the No. 9 seed at 174 lbs, but he lost his opening match and his consolation match, and will go home empty-handed.
Three other Buckeyes are alive in the consolation brackets. Brendan McCrone (125 lbs) wrestled well in both his matches, barely dropping his opener but winning his first consolation match. He definitely can do damage in the consolation bracket.
Brandon Cannon came in as the No. 5 seed at 157 lbs, but he lost a controversial second-round match that bizarrely included Ohio State challenging a call to add what coach Tom Ryan expected to be additional back points, but instead the call was reversed against the Buckeye and all back points were removed. He's young and a replacement for the recently-retired Sammy Sasso, so inexperience might play a role here. But he definitely has the talent to go far in the consolation bracket.
Heavyweight Nick Feldman is also in the consolation bracket after losing his second-round match to Ben Kueter of Iowa.
At the end of two sessions, the Buckeyes sit tied for fourth place overall with 18 points. There are still plenty of opportunities for this team to earn lots of points, but the teams 4th-10th are tightly-packed right now. Penn State has already almost effectively locked up the team National Championship, but the spots behind them are wide open. Just a few years ago, Ohio State was consistently Penn State's only real competition. The Buckeyes aren't quite at that level this year, but there's still room for an impressive showing. We'll find out Friday and Saturday how things shake out.
This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Four Ohio State wrestlers reach quarterfinals at NCAA Championships
Continue reading...
Four Buckeye Quarterfinalists
Ohio State's first quarterfinalist is Nic Bouzakis at 133 lbs. Bouzakis got off to a fast start early, earning a quick pin over Kai Orine of N.C. State in the first round. The second round was a tougher battle, but Bouzakis was never really in danger, winning by 9-4 decision over Sean Spidle of Central Michigan. He will face Drake Ayala of Iowa in the next round. The two of never officially met before, and it should be a good match. Ayala has certainly had the better season, but he is not much more talented than Bouzakis, and it could go either way.
The second Buckeye quarterfinalist is Ohio State's only expected national champion threat this year: Jesse Mendez at 141 lbs. Mendez is the defending national champion, and has earned bonus points in both of his wins this year, including a Round 2 win over Sergio Lemley of Michigan. He will next face Vance VomBaur of Minnesota. Mendez should be favored in that match, though the Buckeye did barely win (in 2OT ride-outs) when they faced back in February. If Mendez wins that, his likely semifinal opponent is Beau Bartlett of Penn State, a rematch of last year's NCAA final.
Dylan D'Emilio at 149 lbs was an all-American in 2023, and looks strong to repeat that this year. He's been helped by a friendly bracket, with upsets taking out favorites in front of him. He will face No. 12 seed Ethan Stiles of Oregon State in the quarterfinal, in what should be a very even match.
Ohio State's last quarterfinalist is the No. 23 seed at 197 lbs, Seth Shumate. Shumate reached the second round with a surprise upset pin of Isaiah Salazar, and he used a similar move to build a big lead in his second round match. He will once again be a heavy underdog, as he faces No. 2 seed Stephen Buchanan of Iowa. The pair have met twice this year, with Buchanan dominating both matches. The Hawkeye won 18-1 back in January, and 8-0 two weeks ago at the Big Ten Championships.
Other Buckeyes in Action
Ohio State sent ten wrestlers to the NCAA Championships, but three are already going home. Paddy Gallagher (165 lbs) and Ryder Rogotzke (184 lbs) were each underdogs in both of their matches on Thursday, and they each lost both. They're out of the event with zero team points. As is Carson Kharchla. Kharchla started the season 11-0, but didn't quite seem himself at the Big Ten Tournament. He came into the NCAAs as the No. 9 seed at 174 lbs, but he lost his opening match and his consolation match, and will go home empty-handed.
Three other Buckeyes are alive in the consolation brackets. Brendan McCrone (125 lbs) wrestled well in both his matches, barely dropping his opener but winning his first consolation match. He definitely can do damage in the consolation bracket.
Brandon Cannon came in as the No. 5 seed at 157 lbs, but he lost a controversial second-round match that bizarrely included Ohio State challenging a call to add what coach Tom Ryan expected to be additional back points, but instead the call was reversed against the Buckeye and all back points were removed. He's young and a replacement for the recently-retired Sammy Sasso, so inexperience might play a role here. But he definitely has the talent to go far in the consolation bracket.
Heavyweight Nick Feldman is also in the consolation bracket after losing his second-round match to Ben Kueter of Iowa.
At the end of two sessions, the Buckeyes sit tied for fourth place overall with 18 points. There are still plenty of opportunities for this team to earn lots of points, but the teams 4th-10th are tightly-packed right now. Penn State has already almost effectively locked up the team National Championship, but the spots behind them are wide open. Just a few years ago, Ohio State was consistently Penn State's only real competition. The Buckeyes aren't quite at that level this year, but there's still room for an impressive showing. We'll find out Friday and Saturday how things shake out.
This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Four Ohio State wrestlers reach quarterfinals at NCAA Championships
Continue reading...
