Around the Oval: Kyle Snyder Reigns Supreme

By Jimmy Longo on August 28, 2017 at 3:35 pm
Kyle Snyder
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School is back in session and that means Ohio State sports are back to dominating. Take a look at how the Buckeyes did the first week of the semester.

Wrestling world Championships

It was a tournament of polar opposites for Ohio State's two greatest wrestlers in program history at the World Championships in Paris, France. 

Competing at 61 kg, four-time NCAA champion and reigning world champ Logan Stieber started off the tournament with a tough draw to begin with. In order to defend his world championship, Stieber would have to go through the No.4 and No.1 ranked wrestlers in the world at 61kg according to the FloWrestling's international rankings -- Russia's Gadzhiumarad Radishov and Olympic champion Vladimer Khinchegashvili of Georgia. 

Stieber certainly didn't start off the day as he would have hoped, being tech-falled by Radishov 11-0.

Winning his loser's bracket match against Jozsef Molnar of Hungary (6-0), Stieber would face the second of two tough tasks he'd prospectively see along the way in Khinchegashvili. Alas, Stieber was tech-falled again and finished the day 1-2, eliminated by Khinchegashvili in a match that sent the winner to compete for a world bronze.

Snyder Summits

Heading into the tournament at 97kg, Kyle Snyder had an interesting proposal possibly waiting for him in the finals. If things worked out right, he'd face Adulrashid Sadulaev of Russia, considered prior to the tournament as the No.1 pound-for-pound wrestler in the world. Sadulaev hadn't lost a competitive bout since 2013 -- and alike Snyder, was reigning world champion and Olympic gold winner. That is, until the two clashed.

Snyder advanced pretty easily through his side of the bracket, tech-falling his way into the semi-finals. There, he avenged a World Cup of Wrestling loss against Alsenbek Alborov of Azerbaijan, controlling the match all the way to a 9-2 decision. Sadulaev did his part too, making the finals and setting up the most-anticipated wrestling match of the century.

The finals against Sadulaev may have been the most action between the United States and Russia since the end of World War II.

Between a bevy of takedowns, force outs and sheer will, Snyder got a takedown with 15 seconds left to pull ahead 6-5, running out the clock and winning the gold medal for himself and for country. The winner between Snyder and Sadulaev decided the total team race between the two countries as well.

With the win, Snyder becomes the undisputed No. 1 wrestler pound-for-pound in the world. Here's another reminder that Snyder wrestles against college kids in a couple months.

Men's Soccer

The men's soccer team split a pair of matchups in their opening weekend. Finishing as the runner-up in the 12th-annual Wolstein Classic at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, Ohio State beat Pittsburgh before falling to Florida International University.

The Buckeyes were deadlocked with Pittsburgh nearly the entire game, though the scarlet and gray came through in the nick of time. Back from an injury that saw him sidelined at the end of last season, senior forward Marcus McCrary took the ball down the right side of the field, skipped it across to St. John's transfer Michael Prosuk, who simply had to glance the ball into the net at 89:27 for the lead and the match. 

That shot was only one of six that the Buckeyes got on goal, though they connected when it mattered most. They also benefited from good play between the pipes from sophomore Parker Siegfried, who made five saves in what proved to be crucial moments.

Against Florida International Sunday night, the Buckeyes were at a disadvantage early in the game that set the tone for the entirety of the match. At 6:58, a rebound off a shot put in by Santiago Patino gave the Panthers their first goal and the early lead . 

Going scoreless for the rest of the half on both sides, FIU started the second half with another dagger, this time time scoring at 46:02 from Alessandro Campoy, giving the Panthers an insurance goal and effectively sealing the game.

12 minutes later Campoy would get another goal as well, assisted by Inigo Sagarduy, who assisted on all three FIU goals.

Hunter Robertson and Kevin Blackwood from OSU were named to the Wolstein Classic All-Tournament team. 

Women's soccer

After an overtime win Aug. 18 at Arizona State and a double overtime tie Aug. 21 at BYU, Ohio State women's soccer returned home Saturday afternoon, winning 3-0 over Buffalo and giving themselves a win as they start a six-game home-stand.

The Buckeyes got their scoring started early in the game, when at 9:38 redshirt senior Eleanor Gabriel finished in front of the box from eight yards out to give OSU the early lead. 

The goal was the first of her collegiate career but not her last of the day. Just after halftime, Gabriel struck again, this time from 20 yards out, past the diving goaltender and hooking the ball inside the left post.

OSU finished off their scoring less than two minutes later, when sophomore Alyssa Baumbick scored off a corner kick at the net (54:52), giving the Buckeyes all the scoring they would need.

Of note, the Buckeyes also outshot the Bulls 26-5 on Saturday night. They will host Western Michigan on Sept. 1 at 5 p.m.

Women's Volleyball: BYU Invitational

The women's volleyball team got off to a hot start to open the 2017-18 season, going 2-1 in the BYU Volleyball Tournament.

Their season-opening match came against the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley -- a straight set win that saw the Buckeyes outscore their opponent by 34 points in a contest that spanned just over an hour. The Friday morning game saw junior setter Taylor Hughes nearly reach a triple double for the Buckeyes, recording nine kills, eight digs and 33 assists.

The Buckeyes played later that night again, this time facing off against the Saint Louis University Billikens. Needing four sets instead of three, OSU volleyball still rolled. 

Freshman Laure Witte lead the way against Saint Louis with nine blocks.

The No. 21-ranked Buckeyes lead in the second set 23-21 before coughing up the lead, though they won the next two sets by a combined 20 points for the match win. 

BYU SPIKES DOWN BUCKS

Facing their first real test of the young season, Ohio State women's volleyball faltered in a Saturday night matchup against No.10 Brigham Young University.

Though they didn't come out on top, OSU swung first, winning the first set by a score of 25-19. Truth be told, the mark of great teams can be measured by how they respond to adversity. The Cougars did just that, winning the next three sets against the No. 21-ranked Buckeyes to take the match in four (19-25, 25-17, 25-18, 25-17).

Freshmen Hannah Gruensfelder and Lauren Witte were named to the all-tournament team for the Buckeyes. Gruensfelder averaged 4.73 digs a set for the weekend, while Witte had 1.27 blocks per set and attacked at a clip of .460.

Field hockey

Ohio State field hockey coach Jarred Martin came into Sunday's matchup at Lehigh sporting a record of 0-0 at the collegiate level. His team was able to get him started off on a high note, as they rolled to a 4-0 win and Martin a win-loss percentage of 1.000.

To say the least, OSU dominated throughout the game, outshooting the Mountain Hawks 27-1, making it easy for senior goaltender Liz Tamburro.

All four goals came from seniors as well, with scores coming from Natalie Faust, Sofia Haramis, Maddy Humphrey and Kelsey Nolan.  

BASEBALL

After a fine summer in the Cape Cod Baseball League, rising junior right-handed pitcher Ryan Feltner was named to the league all-star team.

Pitching solely as the closer of the Bourne Braves team that went 22-22, Feltner did not allow an earned run all summer over 15 and 1/3 innings as the team's closer. He was also named most outstanding relief pitcher of the Cape Cod League, the most highly-regarded collegiate summer baseball league in the country.

Feltner's stats raise an interesting question for coach Greg Beals and the Ohio State baseball team as fall practice starts soon. Normally a starting pitcher for the Buckeyes, Feltner's numbers in that role aren't great -- a 4.06 ERA in eleven starts in 20 appearances as a freshman and a 6.32 ERA in seven starts and ten appearances as a sophomore.

His numbers at the back end of a bullpen are much more appealing. Do the Buckeyes let Feltner develop for what his professional career could bring, or does Beals stick Feltner back in the rotation, risking further development in the role he's shown most promise in, in favor of having him for more innings on the mound regardless of precedent?

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