Wrestling: Ohio State Downs Illinois, 22-17

Ohio State wrestling kicked off the new year with a hard-fought 22–17 win over No. 11 Illinois Sunday to start the new year in style. Both teams recorded a pair of tech falls, but the Buckeyes won two more matches than the Illini to earn the victory.

Thomas Haines earned a crack at the starting lineup and made the most of the chance, defeating NCAA qualifier Brooks Black 3-2 at heavyweight to start things off. After a slow (even for the bigs) first period, Haines scored an escape and nearly stuck Black, who was ranked No. 17 in the latest InterMat poll, after a scramble. The 3-2 decision gave the Buckeyes a 3-0 lead.

At 125, Francis Edelen showed heart early on, but No. 1 Nathan Tomasello pushed the Buckeye lead to eight points with a tech fall. Tomasello pushed the pace and scored takedowns at will, earning the 18-3 TF.

In a match between top-10 ranked wrestlers, Illinois finally got on the board as No. 9 Zane Richards outscored No. 8 Johnni DiJulius 8-3. Dijulius looked for several takedowns, but was unable to finish anything. The decision brought the team score to 8-3 in favor of the Buckeyes.

Micah Jordan fended off a scrappy Brock Ervin to win 6-3 at 141. Mick earned an early takedown, but gave up a 2nd period reversal to the Illini wrestler and the match stayed closer than it may have been. Jordan, who is shaking off a lower leg injury sustained before the Missouri match, gave the Buckeyes an 11-3 lead with the decision.

Hunter Steiber’s return to the lineup will likely happen next weekend against Michigan, so Matt Davis took the mat against Illinois’ Kyle Langenderfer. Langenderfer gave the home team the first of back-to-back tech falls with a 19-4 domination. The five point tech fall cut the Buckeye lead to 11-8.

Undefeated NCAA champion Isaiah Martinez showed why he is the man at 157 as he handed Jake Ryan his first loss with emphasis. Martinez scored takedowns at will and put Ryan on the defensive, earning a number of stalling points for IMar. Ryan was unable to get anything going and Martinez gave the Illini a 13-11 lead with his 24-8 victory.

Bo Jordan stayed undefeated for the season with a 6-3 decision over No. 8 Steven Rodrigues. Jordan scored early, but, like his brother, yielded a reversal to keep the match close. A riding time point and two takedowns gave Bo a 6-3 win. The decision gave the Buckeyes a 14-13 lead.

Freshman sensation Myles Martin stepped into the starting lineup for the first time this season and dominated Illinois’ backup Isaac Reinemann from the opening whistle. Martin scored more takedowns in seven minutes than some guys score in an entire weekend tournament and earned a 22-7 tech fall in his debut.

Jack Rozema filled in for Kenny Courts at 184 and was thoroughly handled by Illinois’ Jeff Koepke. Koepke scored takedowns ad nauseum on his way to a 15-6 major decision. The Buckeye lead was cut to 19-17 heading into the final bout.

With the dual on the line, Buckeye senior Mark Martin eked out a narrow 2-1 decision over Andre Lee. Martin suffered what looked to be an eye poke early in the match, but was then evaluated for a concussion by the training staff. Martin was eventually cleared and the two exchanged escapes. The deciding point was Martin earning a penalty point thanks to Lee locking hands. The Buckeyes took a 22-17 win from the Illini after winning six of ten matches.

With the win, the Buckeyes improve to 5-1 on the season and 2-0 in the Big Ten. Ohio State will be in action next Saturday against Michigan at St. John Arena.