On Monday night, the Ohio State wrestling team scored a 26-13 victory over Edinboro in the NWCA National Championship Series, winning six of ten matches.
The match started at 125, with top-ranked Nathan Tomasello earning just his third pin this season over Sean Russell. The pin gave Tomasello his 36th consecutive victory, dating back to January of 2014. The Buckeyes took a 6-0 lead heading into the match at 133.
Mike Manuche earned the starting nod in place of Johnni DiJulius at 133, but fell to a tough Anthony Rivera. Rivera cruised to a 6-0 decision, putting the Fighting Scots on the board, though they still trailed the Buckeyes 6-3.
Micah Jordan earned his 20th win of the season, falling just short of a tech fall over Tyler Vath. Jordan started at a torrid pace, scoring four takedowns in the opening period to earn an insurmountable lead. The younger Jordan made a valiant effort, but was unable to secure the 15 point lead to earn a tech fall. Satisfied with a major decision, Micah gave the Buckeyes a 10-3 lead.
Cody Burcher returned to the starting lineup in place of Hunter Stieber at 149, but fell to a tough Pat Lugo at 149. Lugo earned a hard-fought 2-1 decision with a takedown as the match drew to a close. The decision pulled Edinboro to within four points of the Buckeyes.
At 157, Jake Ryan scored a decision over a tough Austin Matthews, though it came down to a video review. Matthews nearly scored a takedown, but video review showed that he was unable to score the necessary criteria before time expired. . Ryan’s win was his 15th of the season, and gave the Buckeyes a 13-6 advantage.
Bo Jordan pushed the Buckeye lead to 19-6 with his fifth pin of the season. Jordan needed just 34 seconds in the second period to pin Casey Fuller, who has been on the fringe of the rankings for the past few weeks. The pin was Bo’s 10th bonus point victory of the season out of his 14 wins to date.
Myles Martin rattled off his second straight major decision over Patrick Jennings at 174, giving the Buckeyes a 23-6 lead. Martin pushed the pace from the opening whistle, notching four takedowns in the match, giving him his fourth major decision of the season.
Kenny Courts earned the night off at 184, giving Dominic Prezzia a shot at returning All-American Vic Avery. Avery controlled the match from the beginning, earning a 19-7 major decision. Despite the Edinboro victory, the Buckeyes locked up the victory with a 13 point lead with just two matches remaining (with a pin earning six team points, Edinboro could only pull to within one if both wrestlers remaining pinned their Buckeye counterparts).
Mark Martin notched his second straight win since returning to the lineup, defeating familiar foe Vince Pickett 2-1. Martin scored a takedown early in the match and hung on for his 15th victory of the season.
A pair of Ohioans locked horns at heavyweight, with Edinboro’s Billy Miller (Perry High School) taking a 5-1 decision over Nick Tavanello (Wadsworth High School). The decision put a bow on the scoring, with the Buckeyes taking a 26-13 victory.
The Buckeye win briefly gave the Big Ten the lead in the NWCA National Championship Dual Series, but North Carolina State’s upset of Iowa knotted the series in the final dual meet.
The Buckeyes will take the week off before returning to action in Iowa City on March 5-6 at the Big Ten tournament.
Match Results:
- 125: No. 1 Nathan Tomasello (OSU) wins by fall over Sean Russell (EU), 4:00. OSU leads 6-0.
- 133: Anthony Rivera (EU) decision over Mike Manuche (OSU) 6-0. OSU leads 6-3.
- 141: No. 4 Micah Jordan (OSU) major decision over Tyler Vath (EU) 22-9. OSU leads 10-3.
- 149: No. 19 Pat Lugo (EU) decision over Cody Burcher (OSU) 2-1. OSU leads 10-6.
- 157: No. 10 Jake Ryan (OSU) decision over #16 Austin Matthews (EU) 4-3. OSU leads 13-6.
- 165: No. 3 Bo Jordan (OSU) wins by fall over Casey Fuller, 3:34. OSU leads 19-6.
- 174: No. 14 Myles Martin (OSU) major decision over Patrick Jennings (EU) 14-4. OSU leads 23-6.
- 184: No. 5 Vic Avery (EU) major decision over Dominic Prezzia (OSU) 19-7. OSU leads 23-10.
- 197: Mark Martin (OSU) decision over Vince Pickett (EU) 2-1. OSU leads 26-10.
- HWT: Billy Miller (EU) decision over Nick Tavanello (OSU) 5-1. OSU wins 26-13.
