NCAA Division I wrestling notebook
By Roger Moore
NCAA.com
Penn State rolled through the regular season unbeaten in duals and took out Oklahoma State 27-13 to claim the NWCA National Duals Championship Series. The Nittany Lions also won regular season matchups with Ohio State, Iowa and Nebraska. But in the win over the Cowboys an injury might have derailed PSU’s run to a second straight NCAA team title.
Three days in St. Louis will answer that question, but, in the meantime, Ohio State took advantage by winning the Big Ten Championship last weekend in Bloomington, Indiana. The Buckeyes totaled four individual champions and edged PSU by 9 ½ points.
“We’re really hungry to get a national championship,” said OSU 133-pounder Nathan Tomasello, who was an NCAA champion at 125 pounds two seasons ago during the Buckeyes’ run to the team title. “Winning (the Big Tens) gives us a lot of confidence.”
Tomasello, unbeaten at 133 pounds, joins Kyle Snyder, also unbeaten at 285 pounds who won an Olympic gold medal in 2016 after claiming his first NCAA title in March. Bo Jordan, who was the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award winner for Ohio in 2013, knocked off PSU’s talented Mark Hall, who was the national winner of the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award in 2016, in the 174-pound finals, while freshman Kollin Moore bested Minnesota’s Brett Pfarr to win gold at 197 pounds. Sophomores Micah Jordan (149) and Myles Martin (184), the NCAA champion at 174 pounds in 2016, both finished second in Bloomington.
“We saw a grittiness, a hunger, and a passion,” Buckeye boss Tom Ryan said Sunday. “We won a lot of close matches, and that was the difference.”
Meanwhile, Penn State knows the major battle still lies ahead.
“You never count yourself out,” PSU head coach and Distinguished Member Cael Sanderson said after the tournament. “We had an uphill battle. The guys responded, gave us a chance to get back in and get a chance to win. I’m proud. Ohio State, they kicked butt. They deserve to win and they are the Big Ten champs.
“We’ve got to get ready for nationals.”
One of PSU’s three heavy hitters, Bo Nickal, suffered his first loss of the season in the Big Ten semifinals. Zain Retherford and Jason Nolf each remained perfect with dominating performances. Nittany Lion rookie 125-pounder Nick Suriano, who was the New Jersey and Northeast Region winner of the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award in 2016, wrestled a total of :01, injury defaulting out of the tournament; he will await is fate Wednesday night when the NCAA announces the at-large selections to fill out the field of 330 wrestlers for St. Louis.
Illinois junior 165-pounder Isaiah Martinez, who was the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award winner for California in 2013, joined Tomasello in winning a third conference title, beating talented Michigan rookie Logan Massa, who was the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award winner for Michigan and the Midwest Region in 2015, on Sunday. The other champions were Rutgers’ Anthony Ashnault, who was the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award winner for New Jersey in 2013, at 141 pounds and Iowa’s Sam Brooks, who beat OSU’s Martin for his second league crown.
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NCAA.com
Penn State rolled through the regular season unbeaten in duals and took out Oklahoma State 27-13 to claim the NWCA National Duals Championship Series. The Nittany Lions also won regular season matchups with Ohio State, Iowa and Nebraska. But in the win over the Cowboys an injury might have derailed PSU’s run to a second straight NCAA team title.
Three days in St. Louis will answer that question, but, in the meantime, Ohio State took advantage by winning the Big Ten Championship last weekend in Bloomington, Indiana. The Buckeyes totaled four individual champions and edged PSU by 9 ½ points.
“We’re really hungry to get a national championship,” said OSU 133-pounder Nathan Tomasello, who was an NCAA champion at 125 pounds two seasons ago during the Buckeyes’ run to the team title. “Winning (the Big Tens) gives us a lot of confidence.”
Tomasello, unbeaten at 133 pounds, joins Kyle Snyder, also unbeaten at 285 pounds who won an Olympic gold medal in 2016 after claiming his first NCAA title in March. Bo Jordan, who was the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award winner for Ohio in 2013, knocked off PSU’s talented Mark Hall, who was the national winner of the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award in 2016, in the 174-pound finals, while freshman Kollin Moore bested Minnesota’s Brett Pfarr to win gold at 197 pounds. Sophomores Micah Jordan (149) and Myles Martin (184), the NCAA champion at 174 pounds in 2016, both finished second in Bloomington.
“We saw a grittiness, a hunger, and a passion,” Buckeye boss Tom Ryan said Sunday. “We won a lot of close matches, and that was the difference.”
Meanwhile, Penn State knows the major battle still lies ahead.
“You never count yourself out,” PSU head coach and Distinguished Member Cael Sanderson said after the tournament. “We had an uphill battle. The guys responded, gave us a chance to get back in and get a chance to win. I’m proud. Ohio State, they kicked butt. They deserve to win and they are the Big Ten champs.
“We’ve got to get ready for nationals.”
One of PSU’s three heavy hitters, Bo Nickal, suffered his first loss of the season in the Big Ten semifinals. Zain Retherford and Jason Nolf each remained perfect with dominating performances. Nittany Lion rookie 125-pounder Nick Suriano, who was the New Jersey and Northeast Region winner of the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award in 2016, wrestled a total of :01, injury defaulting out of the tournament; he will await is fate Wednesday night when the NCAA announces the at-large selections to fill out the field of 330 wrestlers for St. Louis.
Illinois junior 165-pounder Isaiah Martinez, who was the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award winner for California in 2013, joined Tomasello in winning a third conference title, beating talented Michigan rookie Logan Massa, who was the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award winner for Michigan and the Midwest Region in 2015, on Sunday. The other champions were Rutgers’ Anthony Ashnault, who was the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award winner for New Jersey in 2013, at 141 pounds and Iowa’s Sam Brooks, who beat OSU’s Martin for his second league crown.
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