Nathan Tomasello and the Jordans notched the only wins for the Buckeyes as the Wolverines spoiled Hunter Stieber’s return the lineup.
The teams took turns holding the lead until the last four matches, which were all won by the visiting Wolverines.
Ohio State took an early 3-0 lead as Nathan Tomasello took a 4-2 decision over No. 19 Conor Youtsey. Tomasello took lots of shots, but Youtsey frustrated the top-ranked Buckeye throughout and kept the score close. Tomasello scored a takedown and an escape and earned a penalty point after Youtsey shoved him into the scorer’s table. The decision victory gave the Buckeyes a 3-0 lead.
Johnni DiJulius continued his trend of struggling in matches where he fails to score the first takedown and dropped a 4-1 decision to Rossi Bruno. Bruno scored within seconds of the opening whistle and controlled JDJ for the duration of the first period. DiJulius was unable to get anything going on the feet and lost in what could be considered a minor upset. After two matches, the team score was tied at 3-3.
Micah Jordan put the Buckeyes back on top with a 7-3 decision over a game George Fisher. The younger Jordan scored a pair of takedowns late in the period, but Fisher successfully warded off Jordan’s attacks throughout the duration of the match. Jordan’s victory put the Buckeyes ahead 6-3 heading into 149.
Hunter Stieber’s return to the Buckeye lineup was not a triumphant one as he fell to No. 8 Alec Pantaleo 5-3. Stieber returned from Tommy John surgery on both elbows in the fall, but Pantaleo is an outstanding opponent. Stieber was unable to finish numerous double leg attempts and he falls to 0-1 on the season.
| OSU Wrestler | Michigan Wrestler | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 125: #1 Nathan Tomasello | #19 Conor Youtsey | Tomasello Decision 4-2 (OSU leads 3-0) |
| 133: #8 Johni DiJulius | #16 Rossi Bruno | Bruno Decision 4-1 (Match tied 3-3) |
| 141: #6 Micah Jordan | George Fisher | Jordan Decision 7-3 (OSU leads 6-3) |
| 149: Hunter Stieber | #8 Alec Pantaleo | Pantaleo Decision 5-3 (Match tied 6-6) |
| 157: Justin Kresevic | #5 Brian Murphy | Murphy Decision 5-3 (UM leads 9-6) |
| 165: #2 Bo Jordan | Garrett Sutton | Jordan Tech Fall 19-4 (OSU leads 11-9) |
| 174: #15 Myles Martin | #19 Davonte Mahomes | Mahomes Decision 3-1 OT (UM leads 12-11) |
| 184: #12 Kenny Courts | #10 Domenic Abounader | Abounader Decision 5-0 (UM leads 15-11) |
| 197: Mark Martin | #6 Max Huntley | Huntley Decision 7-3 (UM leads 18-11) |
| Heavyweight: Nick Tavanello | #4 Adam Coon | Coon Decision 4-1 (UM Wins 21-11) |
Jake Ryan suffered a huge loss to defending NCAA champ Isaiah Martinez in his last match, so he was given the night off rather than facing No. 5 Brian Murphy of Michigan. Justin Kresevic had the pleasure of facing Murphy, who stymied all of Kresevic’s attacks en route to a 5-3 decision for the Wolverine. Kresevic was the aggressor throughout, but he was unable to pass Murphy’s head and hands defense to score. The Wolverines took a 9-6 lead into the break.
Bo Jordan started slowly, but turned up the heat as the match progressed and ended up with a tech fall over Garrett Sutton. No. 2 ranked Jordan took Sutton down at will in the last two periods and rolled to a 19-4 tech fall to give the Buckeyes what would be their final lead of the evening.
Myles Martin’s home debut was spoiled by a Davonte Mahomes takedown in overtime, which gave the visitors the lead. Martin was the aggressor throughout, but couldn’t finish any of his deep shot attempts. Mahomes’ lone offensive attack came in overtime, and he capitalized on the opportunity with a match-sealing takedown.
Despite his All-American finish last March, Kenny Courts remained wildly inconsistent and dropped yet another match to Michigan’s Domenic Abounader. Abounader continued to have Courts’ number, earning a 5-0 decision that wasn’t even as close as the score indicates. The Wolverine 184 lber controlled Courts throughout and seemed to take the air from his sails after the opening takedown.
Mark Martin continued to struggle at his new weight class against top competition as Michigan’s sixth-ranked Max Huntley rolled to a 7-3 victory. With the win at 197, Michigan sealed the match with an 18-11 lead with only one match remaining.
At heavyweight, Adam Coon put a stamp on the Michigan victory with a 4-1 decision over Nick Tavanello. Tavanello showed nice takedown defense against the agile Coon, but was unable to get anything going offensively. The seventh Wolverine victory put a cap on the scoring at 21-11.
The loss drops Ohio State to 5-2 overall with a Big Ten record of 2-1.
The Buckeyes will lick their wounds until January 17, when they play host to the Nebraska Cornhuskers in a match on BTN Plus.
