Despite tough losses to familiar opponents in the NCAA Semifinals, both Nathan Tomasello and Bo Jordan rebounded to finish in third place in their respective weight classes on Saturday afternoon at Madison Square Garden.
Tomasello met familiar foe Conor Youtsey of Michigan in the consolation semifinals, dispatching the Wolverine with a 10-1 major decision to advance to the third-place match. He took a commanding lead early with a takedown and four near-fall points to close the first period with a 6-0 lead. In the third period, Tomasello added an escape, a takedown, and over three minutes of riding time to earn himself and the team bonus points.
In the 125-pound third-place match, Tomasello defeated David Terao of American University, 5-3. Terao was a game opponent, putting Tomasello in some uncomfortable positions throughout the match with his background in judo. Despite Terao's athleticism, Tomasello was able to secure the victory highlighted by an early takedown and third place to draw his season to a close. Just a redshirt sophomore, Tomasello ends the season as a two-time All-American, with a 27-1 record and a B1G title this year.
After his fourth loss to his cousin, Isaac, Bo Jordan bounced back in a big way and defeated two wrestlers for the second time this season for a third-place finish at 165.
Bo defeated David McFadden of Virginia Tech for the second time this weekend, taking the match by a score of 8-2. The two met in the second round on Thursday and Bo won that match, 8-3. Jordan and McFadden had a close match through two periods, but an escape to start the third and a takedown allowed Jordan to gain separation.
In the third-place match, Bo edged Daniel Lewis of Missouri, 9-7. The two were knotted at 6-6 entering the third period, when Jordan had a nice takedown and rideout to edge the Tiger wrestler. The third-place finish is Bo's second in as many seasons and he ends his sophomore year with a 22-3 record. Jordan is 43-5 after two seasons with a pair of Big Ten finals appearances.
Tomasello and Jordan were the only Buckeyes to wrestle on Saturday morning, as the rest had either been eliminated from the competition or had advanced to tonight's championship match.
Speaking of the championship matches, they are as follows:
| 125 | #4 Thomas Gilman (Iowa) | vs | #3 Nico Megaludis (Penn State) |
| 133 | #1 Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) | vs | #2 Cory Clark (Iowa) |
| 141 | #1 Dean Heil (Oklahoma State) | vs | #14 Bryce Meredith (Wyoming) |
| 149 | #1 Zain Retherford (Penn State) | vs | #2 Brandon Sorensen (Iowa) |
| 157 | #1 Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) | vs | #3 Jason Nolf (Penn State) |
| 165 | #1 Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State) | vs | #2 Isaac Jordan (Wisconsin) |
| 174 | #1 Bo Nickal (Penn State) | vs | #11 Myles Martin (Ohio State) |
| 184 | #1 Gabe Dean (Cornell) | vs | #7 TJ Dudley (Nebraska) |
| 197 | #1 Morgan McIntosh (Penn State) | vs | #2 J'Den Cox (Missouri) |
| HWT | #1 Nick Gwiazdowski (NC State) | vs | #2 Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) |
The finals will air live on ESPN tonight beginning at 8 p.m.
Check back with Eleven Warriors for results following this evening's action.
