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Ohio State entered the Friday morning session at the NCAA Wrestling Championships with four quarterfinalists. Two advanced to the semifinals, while two fell into the consolation bracket.
Jesse Mendez, defending champion and No. 4 seed this year at 141 lbs, dominated Vance VomBaur of Minnesota in his quarterfinal. That sets up a blockbuster semifinal with Beau Bartlett of Penn State. This pair battled in the final of the National Championships last year, with Mendez coming out on top with a final-second takedown. They have met so far twice this year, in the dual meet and in the Big Ten third-place match, with Bartlett winning both in close battles. The winner will likely face Brock Hardy of Nebraska, who beat Mendez in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals before winning the Big Ten title himself.
The other Buckeye semifinalist will be Dylan D'Emilio at 149 lbs. D'Emilio is one of the toughest wrestlers out there, often bringing his best for the biggest matches. He is probably a bit lucky as upsets in front of him made his path to the semifinals easier than chalk would have been, but if he wants to reach the final he'll have to earn it. His semifinal opponent is No. 1 seed and defending champion Caleb Henson of Virginia Tech. Henson is undefeated on the season, but D'Emilio always gives everyone a challenge, even those favored.
At 133 lbs, Nic Bouzakis had a tough battle against No. 2 seed Drake Ayala of Iowa. Bouzakis varied his style and tried to use his limited advantages in the matchup, but it wasn't enough. Ayala is a serious title contender, and Bouzakis will fall to the consolations, where he should be favored in his next match and can guarantee himself All-American status.
At 197 lbs, Seth Shumate was overmatched against No. 2 seed Stephen Buchanan of Iowa. Shumate started strong and fast, almost earning a takedown (awarded at first then removed by video review) and then getting one late in the first period. He couldn't keep that level up for the final few minutes, and a 3-1 lead rapidly turned into an 18-3 Tech Fall loss. He falls to the consolations, where he will be a slight underdog in his next match.
Brendan McCrone (125 lbs) ended his tournament with a loss in the consolations, earning just 0.5 team points in his tournament. It's certainly disappointing for McCrone, who showed flashes of greatness this season but for some reason couldn't bring his best in the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments. He'll be back next year with extremely high potential and unclear expectations.
Brandon Cannon (157 lbs) won his first consolation match of the day with two late takedowns. He dominated his second consolation, though there was a scary moment late when he was almost flipped on his back. He will next face No. 7 seed Vinny Zerban of North Colorado, with the winner guaranteeing a top eight finish and All-American status. Heavyweight Nick Feldman will also face the No. 7 seed (Isaac Trumble of N.C. State) with All-American status on the line, after Feldman won two consolation matches. In Feldman's second match, he earned the Buckeyes some team bonus points with a pin of Maryland's Seth Nevills with three seconds left in the match.
As a team, the Buckeyes still have a chance at a top four finish and a podium spot, but it's looking like a tight path. The Buckeyes currently sit sixth, and they could potentially finish anwyhere from fourth to tenth or so. And while a top ten finish is nothing to scoff it, it's a far shout from the 2010s, when the Buckeyes were one of the top two teams basically every year. This team is still strong, but there's definitely been a big drop-off since the 2020 Championships were canceled due to COVID.
This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Two Ohio State Buckeyes Reach NCAA Wrestling Semifinals
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On to the Semifinals: Jesse Mendez and Dylan D'Emilio
Jesse Mendez, defending champion and No. 4 seed this year at 141 lbs, dominated Vance VomBaur of Minnesota in his quarterfinal. That sets up a blockbuster semifinal with Beau Bartlett of Penn State. This pair battled in the final of the National Championships last year, with Mendez coming out on top with a final-second takedown. They have met so far twice this year, in the dual meet and in the Big Ten third-place match, with Bartlett winning both in close battles. The winner will likely face Brock Hardy of Nebraska, who beat Mendez in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals before winning the Big Ten title himself.
The other Buckeye semifinalist will be Dylan D'Emilio at 149 lbs. D'Emilio is one of the toughest wrestlers out there, often bringing his best for the biggest matches. He is probably a bit lucky as upsets in front of him made his path to the semifinals easier than chalk would have been, but if he wants to reach the final he'll have to earn it. His semifinal opponent is No. 1 seed and defending champion Caleb Henson of Virginia Tech. Henson is undefeated on the season, but D'Emilio always gives everyone a challenge, even those favored.
Falling to Consolations
At 133 lbs, Nic Bouzakis had a tough battle against No. 2 seed Drake Ayala of Iowa. Bouzakis varied his style and tried to use his limited advantages in the matchup, but it wasn't enough. Ayala is a serious title contender, and Bouzakis will fall to the consolations, where he should be favored in his next match and can guarantee himself All-American status.
At 197 lbs, Seth Shumate was overmatched against No. 2 seed Stephen Buchanan of Iowa. Shumate started strong and fast, almost earning a takedown (awarded at first then removed by video review) and then getting one late in the first period. He couldn't keep that level up for the final few minutes, and a 3-1 lead rapidly turned into an 18-3 Tech Fall loss. He falls to the consolations, where he will be a slight underdog in his next match.
Other Buckeyes in Action
Brendan McCrone (125 lbs) ended his tournament with a loss in the consolations, earning just 0.5 team points in his tournament. It's certainly disappointing for McCrone, who showed flashes of greatness this season but for some reason couldn't bring his best in the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments. He'll be back next year with extremely high potential and unclear expectations.
Brandon Cannon (157 lbs) won his first consolation match of the day with two late takedowns. He dominated his second consolation, though there was a scary moment late when he was almost flipped on his back. He will next face No. 7 seed Vinny Zerban of North Colorado, with the winner guaranteeing a top eight finish and All-American status. Heavyweight Nick Feldman will also face the No. 7 seed (Isaac Trumble of N.C. State) with All-American status on the line, after Feldman won two consolation matches. In Feldman's second match, he earned the Buckeyes some team bonus points with a pin of Maryland's Seth Nevills with three seconds left in the match.
As a team, the Buckeyes still have a chance at a top four finish and a podium spot, but it's looking like a tight path. The Buckeyes currently sit sixth, and they could potentially finish anwyhere from fourth to tenth or so. And while a top ten finish is nothing to scoff it, it's a far shout from the 2010s, when the Buckeyes were one of the top two teams basically every year. This team is still strong, but there's definitely been a big drop-off since the 2020 Championships were canceled due to COVID.
This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Two Ohio State Buckeyes Reach NCAA Wrestling Semifinals
Continue reading...
