Strong showing in consolations helps OSU fi nish second
ST. LOUIS — The Buckeyes finished in second place in the NCAA wrestling championships team competition, well behind Penn State.
Ohio State’s chances to unseat the Nittany Lions faded on Friday, and by Saturday the Buckeyes were locked in a battle for second place with Iowa and Oklahoma State.
Ohio State clinched runner-up status with a strong performance in Saturday morning’s consolations. Nathan Tomasello at 133 pounds and Kollin Moore at 197 both finished third with two victories each.
Micah Jordan at 149 finished fourth and Myles Martin at 184 finished fifth.
Ohio State finished with 110 points. Penn State, which won its sixth team title in seven years — OSU won in 2015 — had 146.5 points and five champions. Oklahoma State finished third with 103 points.
“Every year we want to have a team that Buckeye Nation wakes up and thinks, 'We have a shot,' ” Ohio State coach Tom Ryan said. “This team confirms that way of thinking.”
Tomasello won a 5-2 decision over Michigan’s Stevan Micic in his final match. Tomasello underwent rotator-cuff surgery last summer and was undefeated and top-seeded entering the NCAAs. A loss to eventual champion Cory Clark in the semifinals Friday night ended his championship hopes.
“It’s all about heart,” Tomasello said. “No one wants to be here (in the consolations). Everyone wants to be wrestling in the finals on the big stage. But it’s about being tough and finishing the way you want to finish, with the highest place you can get.”
Moore, a redshirt freshman, got the Buckeyes’ only pin of the NCAAs when he needed only 33 seconds to subdue Jared Haught of Virginia Tech.
“I’m not a big pinner,” Moore said. “I’m not the biggest guy in the weight by any means, so it’s hard for me to get guys on their back. I’m grateful and happy to get one there.
“It was a good freshman year. I learned a lot. I still have a long ways to go. A lot of those (197-pound) guys are graduating, so I’m looking forward to next year, and hopefully I can be on top of the podium.”
About next year
The NCAA championships will be held at Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena next year, and the Buckeyes are already looking forward to it.
“Penn State is a great team and a lot of their points are back,” Ryan said. “We have all of our points back. ... We’re really looking forward to Cleveland. You’ve gotta win in Cleveland.”
Added Kyle Snyder after repeating as heavyweight champion, “No better place to bring one to Ohio State.”