Buckeyes take lessons from Snyder’s surprising loss
Kyle Snyder lost. Of course, his coach and teammates were stunned.
Snyder arguably is the best wrestler in the world, an Olympic and two-time world champion. But the Ohio State senior did lose last Sunday, dropping a 3-1 decision to Michigan heavyweight Adam Coon in the Buckeyes’ 18-15 victory.
Yes, there were reasons. Snyder had to drop weight for his successful defense of his 213-pound title in the Yarygin Grand Prix title in Russia, so he was outweighed by the taller Coon by almost 60 pounds. And Coon is no slouch, coming in undefeated and ranked No. 2. Still, he’s Kyle Snyder. “What a lesson for every person on planet earth about readiness and humility,” Ohio State coach Tom Ryan said Wednesday as the No. 2 Buckeyes prepared for their final dual match of the season, at No. 6 North Carolina State on Sunday. “There’s no question that they were preparing more diligently for us than we were for them.”
Of Snyder, Ryan added, “His focus is on winning world championships and being the best wrestler in the world. We know being a heavyweight in college presents challenges for us.”
Ryan and Snyder’s teammates said he handled the defeat graciously.
“I was surprised by the way he acted,” Ohio State junior Myles Martin said. “He wasn’t super down on himself, like, ‘I win world titles and lose to a college kid.’ He wasn’t like that, which was really cool to see.”
For someone so accustomed to dominating college competition, Snyder may benefit from having tasted collegiate defeat for the first time in nearly three years.
“What’s beautiful about this is that when you’re a superhero, when you’re Snyder-man, you need a villain,” Ryan said. “As excited as Kyle is about wrestling and helping the team, the reality is (by losing) he felt something that he has got to make some adjustments on. We’re making adjustments in his training. I can already see someone who has worked incredibly hard. Now he’s laser focused.”
Snyder is now working out with 275-pound Turkish star Taha Akgul to become better prepared for much heavier competition.
“He’s Kyle Snyder,” Ohio State redshirt sophomore Kollin Moore said. “He’ll figure it out. It’s better to lose in a dual than at Big Tens or NCAAs. I think it was good for him to feel Coon. Now Kyle gets to go back to the drawing board, and I think that was good for him.”
Ryan said Snyder’s deep faith has kept him grounded.
“When God is your standard, what people are tweeting and texting doesn’t really get at you,” he said. “It’s hard on Kyle, but what a blessing for your team to see an Olympic champion lose a close match and (witness his) resolve. There are lessons in that. I would rather him not lose, but in the end if it helps him and the team, we’ll take that loss every day.”
Besides, Snyder and Coon may meet again at the Big Ten and NCAA championships.
“I believe in the end that man will get his guy,” Ryan said.