The Big Ten Wrestling Championships will take place this Saturday and Sunday in Iowa City, with 140 wrestlers competing for a total of 71 allocated berths in the NCAA Championships in two weeks.
The Big Ten leads all conferences with allocations, with the closest conference, the EIWA, earning 51 allocated spots. Allocations are earned in each weight class based upon wrestlers’ performances throughout the season and their RPI rankings at the end of the regular season.
Each conference champion in their respective weight class will earn a trip to the NCAA tournament. In addition to the automatic bids, each weight class has either four or five at-large bids that are awarded to wrestlers that did not meet the automatic qualifier criteria, but whose efforts throughout the season merit a trip to the tournament. Each of the ten weight classes at the NCAA tournament will feature 33 wrestlers.
Ohio State earned a co-championship last season for the first time in 64 years, and the Buckeyes have an outside chance to repeat atop the Big Ten.
The opening rounds will stream on Big Ten Plus (Subscription required) on Saturday and Sunday morning, while the championship round will air live on Big Ten Network on Sunday at 4 PM EST.
125 POUNDS
2015 Big Ten Champion: Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State)
Ranked Wrestlers: 6- #1 Tomasello (Ohio State), #2 Thomas Gilman (Iowa), #4 Nico Megaludis (Penn State), #10 Tim Lambert (Nebraska), #19 Elijah Oliver (Indiana), #20 Conor Youtsey (Michigan)
NCAA Allocations: 7
Buckeye at 125: #1 Nathan Tomasello (18-0 , 8-0 Big Ten)
Contenders at 125: This is a three-horse race with Tomasello, Gilman, and Megaludis the clear favorites. Iowa didn’t wrestle Ohio State or Penn State this season, so Gilman’s undefeated record does not include wins over Tomasello or Megaludis. Regardless, the Hawkeye junior is a tough customer who is content to be painted as the villain with his intense style. Megaludis is the elder statesman, but has never earned a Big Ten title. His only losses this season have come to Tomasello and Joey Dance (Virginia Tech), and he has shown an ability to score on counter attacks against anyone.
Buckeye Outlook at 125: Tomasello will be the #1 seed with Gilman and Megaludis together in the bottom half of the bracket as the two and three seeds. In all likelihood, Tomasello will meet the winner of Gilman and Megaludis in the championship match. He has won by bonus points over most of the wrestlers that he should see in his half of the bracket, so Tomasello is a safe bet to wrestle for a second conference title on Sunday afternoon.
133 POUNDS
2015 Big Ten Champion: Chris Dardanes (Minnesota)
Highest Returning Placer: Ryan Taylor (Wisconsin), 2nd place in 2015
Ranked Wrestlers: 9 - #2 Zane Richards (Illinois), #3 Cory Clark (Iowa), #5 Jordan Conaway (Penn State), #9 Johnni DiJulius (Ohio State), #10 Ryan Taylor (Wisconsin), #12 Geoff Alexander (Maryland), #13 Eric Montoya (Nebraska), #18 Rossi Bruno (Michigan), #19 Dom Malone (Northwestern)
NCAA Allocations: 9 (tied with 174 for most of any allocations for a single conference)
Buckeye at 133: #9 Johnni DiJulius (14-5 overall, 4-4 Big Ten)
Contenders at 133: Once again, wrestlers from Iowa and Penn State will factor into the title as Cory Clark and Jordan Conaway are likely semifinalists in the bottom half of the bracket. Clark was the NCAA runner-up a year ago, losing to Cody Brewer of Oklahoma. Clark took 3rd at last year’s Big Ten tournament, including wins over Alexander, Richards, and two close victories over DiJulius. Conaway is an experienced senior with an All-American finish to his credit.
Richards has dispatched his opponents this season with a workmanlike efficiency. He is not a flashy wrestler, but gets the job done and has a 21-0 record to show for his efforts. Richards has wins this season over Clark, DiJulius, Taylor, and Conaway, so he has to feel confident heading into the conference tournament as the prohibitive favorite.
Buckeye Outlook at 133: DiJulius has finished seventh, sixth, and fourth at the Big Ten tournament in his previous attempts. He has previously defeated Clark and Alexander, but has losses to Richards, Clark, and Conaway. DiJulius is a true wild card because he has proven his ability to hang with the top contenders, but often drops the ball in winnable matches. He is absolutely capable of high placement, and should earn one of the nine allocations to have a final chance at earning an All-American finish.
141 POUNDS
2015 Big Ten Champion: Logan Stieber (Ohio State)
Highest Returning Placer: Anthony Abidin (Nebraska), 4th place
Ranked Wrestlers: 4- #4 Micah Jordan (Ohio State), #5 Anthony Ashnault (Rutgers), #7 Tommy Thorn (Minnesota), #19 Anthony Abidin (Nebraska)
NCAA Allocations: 7
Buckeye at 141: #4 Micah Jordan (20-1 overall, 7-0 Big Ten)
Contenders at 141: Jordan, Ashnault, and Thorn have distanced themselves from the pack, but this is a wide-open weight class. Tommy is the last of the vaunted Thorn brothers, and has made a splash for Minnesota in his redshirt freshman season. He’s got a dominating win over Ashnault to his credit, but dropped a match to Abidin. Speaking of Abidin, he’s been inconsistent and lost by a surprising pin to Oster (Northwestern) in their dual meet. Ashnault is 25-3 on the season, only losing to Thorn in Big Ten competition and finished as an All-American last season at 141.
Jimmy Gulibon (Penn State) has an All-American finish to his credit, but has had quite the roller coaster of a season. He will be a candidate to place high, as will Danny Sabatello (Purdue) and Oster. Javier Gasca will likely be the highest finisher for Michigan State, though he will have his work cut out for him. Brody Grothus (Iowa) has been hampered by injury throughout his entire career, but has low placement capability.
Buckeye Outlook at 141: Jordan is the favorite, but has been nagged by a few minor injuries throughout the season. He is an aggressive wrestler in the neutral position and is likely to be in the opposite half of the bracket as Ashnault, Thorn, Abidin, and Gulibon. Those four will cannibalize themselves, while Micah has relatively smooth sailing to the championship bout. Thorn is quite the scrambler, so he could be Micah’s toughest opponent.
149 Pounds
2015 Big Ten Champion: Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern)
Ranked Wrestlers: 6- #1 Zain Retherford (Penn State), #2 Brandon Sorensen (Iowa), #3 Jake Sueflohn (Nebraska), #5 Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern), #6 Alec Pantaleo (Michigan), #16 Jake Short (Minnesota)
NCAA Allocations: 6
Buckeye at 149: Cody Burcher (10-7, 0-1 Big Ten)
Contenders at 149: Retherford is without a doubt the lead dog at 149. He’s got 23 wins by bonus points this season (pin, tech fall, or major decision) on his way to a 26-0 record. He pinned Pantaleo and has major decisions over Tsirtsis and Sueflohn. There has been no reason to suspect that Retherford (who gave Logan Stieber his last collegiate loss in Retherford’s true freshman season) won’t dominate his way to a Big Ten title. Everyone else will be competing for seeding at the NCAA tournament behind Zain. Sorensen also has an unblemished 23-0 record, though he has done it with much less flair than Retherford.
Sorensen was an All-American last season, losing to Tsirtsis in the 3rd place match. Tsirtsis was an NCAA champion as a true freshman, but has fallen on hard times this season, battling injury and personal tragedy. If he’s at full-strength, his defensive style can negate most offenses and give him an opportunity to win nearly any match. Sueflohn is a funky counter-wrestler who has long been the kryptonite of Buckeye wrestlers.
Buckeye Outlook at 149: The outlook depends entirely upon Hunter Stieber’s health. While reports have circulated that he blew out his knee against Wisconsin, I spoke with Tom Ryan, who did not confirm or deny the reports and stated Hunter is day by day. If Stieber’s career is over due to yet another devastating injury, Cody Burcher will serve as a sufficient replacement.
Burcher has a nasty cradle and has kept matches close against Pantaleo and Tsirtsis, though he doesn’t have any signature wins this season. Regardless of which Buckeye wrestles at 149, they’re going to need to wrestle a great tournament and hope for an upset or two elsewhere if they’re going to earn an outright trip to the NCAA tournament.
157 POUNDS
2015 Big Ten Champion: Isaiah Martinez (Illinois)
Ranked Wrestlers: 7- #1 Jason Nolf (Penn State), #2 Isaiah Martinez (Illinois), #10 Jake Ryan (Ohio State), #12 Richie Lewis (Rutgers), #13 Brian Murphy (Michigan), #18 Edwin Cooper (Iowa), #19 Tyler Berger (Nebraska)
NCAA Allocations: 7
Buckeye at 157: #10 Jake Ryan (15-2 overall, 4-2 Big Ten)
Contenders at 157: Sunday afternoon will feature a final between Jason Nolf and Isaiah Martinez. Mark it down. IMar went undefeated last season on his way to an NCAA title as a freshman, but his undefeated streak was snapped by Nolf, who was able to match IMar’s seemingly unmatched pace.
Nolf was handling Martinez in their dual match before pinning Martinez late in the match. For my money, IMar didn’t look 100% against Nolf, but Nolf has thoroughly dominated every opponent he’s faced all season. Of Nolf’s 27 victories (against 0 losses), just two of them have been by regular decision, and both are against legitimate All-American candidates (Brascetta of Virginia Tech and Joe Smith of Oklahoma State). On his end, Martinez has just three decision victories on his way to a 22-1 record. Both guys have dominated the Big Ten and there’s no reason to expect either will be derailed before the finals, barring something crazy.
Murphy should be in the upper tier of contenders with Lewis and Berger, possibly with Jake Ryan. Lou Mascola (Maryland) and Brandon Kingsley (Minnesota) will also vie for one of the allocated spots.
Buckeye Outlook at 157: Jake Ryan only has two losses, one apiece to both Nolf and IMar, but each of those losses was by at least 13 points. Ryan has a few really nice wins to his credit, notably his overtime victory over Tyler Berger and his last-second win against Edinboro’s Austin Matthews in the NWCA match. Ryan hasn’t met many of the second-tier Big Ten competition, so it’s hard to speculate where he’ll finish this weekend. He is certainly capable of placing and advancing to the NCAA tournament, but he’s going to have to pick up the offensive output.
165 POUNDS
2015 Big Ten Champion: Isaac Jordan (Wisconsin)
Ranked Wrestlers: 7 - #2 Isaac Jordan (Wisconsin), #3 Bo Jordan (Ohio State), #5 Steven Rodrigues (Illinois), #7 Anthony Perrotti (Rutgers), #8 Chad Welch (Purdue), #13 Austin Wilson (Nebraska), #16 Geno Morelli (Penn State)
NCAA Allocations: 6
Buckeye at 165: #3 Bo Jordan (14-1 overall, 7-1 Big Ten)
Contenders at 165: Isaac Jordan is 2-0 officially against his cousin, Bo. Each of the Jordans at 165 has worked his way through the rest of the Big Ten competition with no blemishes on his respective record (obviously excluding Bo’s loss to Isaac in February), so there’s little reason to expect they won’t meet again for a Big Ten title on the line on Sunday night. Steven Rodrigues (Illinois) is sneakily consistent and is tough to score on.
Perrotti is a bit of an unknown to me, mostly because Ohio State didn’t face Rutgers at any point this season. Chad Welch (Purdue) is always dangerous from the top position, and constantly looks for the pin. Geno Morelli has become the guy at 165 for Penn State, in part because Shakur Rasheed struggled to consistently make weight. Morelli stymied Bo Jordan in their dual meet, so Morelli has to be in the running to earn a trip to NYC.
Buckeye Outlook at 165: Barring upset, Bo should rematch Isaac for the second straight season in the championship bout at 165. When Bo dropped to 165, many thought that he had his eye on two-time NCAA champ Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State), but Bo’s toughest competition may be even closer to home. Bo is certainly one of the Buckeyes that you should keep an eye on because he’s a bonus-point machine.
174 POUNDS
2015 Big Ten Champion: Robert Kokesh (Nebraska)
Highest Returning Placer: Zac Brunson (Illinois), 6th place – Mark Martin (Ohio State) finished 5th, but is now at 197
Ranked Wrestlers: 7 - #1 Bo Nickal (Penn State), #6 Zac Brunson (Illinois), #10 Alex Meyer (Iowa), #11 Nate Jackson (Indiana), #13 Myles Martin (Ohio State), #16 Micah Barnes (Nebraska), #20 Nick Wanzek (Minnesota)
NCAA Allocations: 9
Buckeye at 174: #14 Myles Martin (24-5 overall, 5-3 Big Ten)
Outlook at 174: Nickal is another young Penn State wrestler with unreal potential. He’s a point-scorer who is willing to take a few risks to put his opponent in danger. The casual fan should really enjoy watching guys like Nickal and Nolf, as long as they aren’t wrestling your guy. His only loss is to Nate Jackson in a match where Nickal took a chance and Jackson caught him on his back early.
Nickal ma de a frantic effort at a come back, but fell short in the 3rd period. Jackson and Myles Martin have had a pair of exciting matches to this point in the season.Jackson is always within striking distance, even keeping matches he loses within reason.
Alex Meyer has only lost a pair of matches this season, but has had a favorable schedule this season and his only two losses have come to his only Top 10 opponents. Brunson has wins over Barnes and Jackson, but lost to Nickal and was upset by Wanzek. He should get a chance to avenge at least one of those losses this weekend. Michigan’s Davonte Mahomes wrestled well this season, but had his season ended with yet another knee injury. A healthy Mahomes would have been a high placer in the Big Ten tournament and a possible All-American.
Buckeye Outlook at 174: Much was made of Myles Martin entering the lineup in January and ending what looked to be a redshirt season. The idea is that Martin will score enough points at the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments to help the Buckeyes make another run at conference and national titles.
Martin has given Nickal a pair of close matches, but lost each. He has wins over Jackson and Micah Barnes, which should factor in and give him a favorable seed. Martin will likely meet Brunson in the quarterfinals and possibly Meyer in the semifinals, so he won’t have the luxury of an easy trip through the bracket. He could place in the top four and is quite likely to earn his first trip to the NCAA tournament.
184 POUNDS
2015 Big Ten Champion: Domenic Abounader (Michigan)
Ranked Wrestlers: 6 - #2 Domenic Abounader (Michigan), #7 Matt McCutcheon (Penn State), #11 TJ Dudley (Nebraska), #13 Sammy Brooks (Iowa), #17 Kenny Courts (Ohio State), #20 Nick Gravina (Rutgers)
NCAA Allocations: 7
Buckeye at 184: #17 Kenny Courts (15-7 overall, 5-3 Big Ten)
Contenders at 184: The field at 184 is fairly even behind Abounader, who is the class of the Big Ten at this weight. After a disappointing 1-2 performance at the NCAA tournament last year (including a 4-2 loss to Brooks), Abounader appears to have come into his own. His lone loss of the season is a one-sided defeat to defending NCAA champ Gabe Dean.
Abounader has two wins over #8 Zack Zavatsky (Virginia Tech) and Courts, and has gone undefeated against Big Ten competition (though he hasn’t faced Brooks, Dudley, or McCutcheon). Brooks dropped a match to Dudley by pin, though Dudley has had a few lapses this season, himself. McCutcheon has been hampered by a knee injury all season, but still has the skill to compete, and often defeat, the best in the conference.
Buckeye Outlook at 184: This will be the final Big Ten tournament for Kenny “The Enigma” Courts, who has finished 5th and 8th as a sophomore and junior. Following a dismal Big Ten tournament last season, Courts famously went on to finish 5th at the NCAA tournament, playing a huge role in the Buckeye national championship run.
If Courts yields the first takedown, we often see him shut down his offense, so his best bet is to be the aggressor early in the match if he’s going to advance in the postseason. If you’re wondering what to expect from Courts this weekend, Joey Bosa says it best.
197 POUNDS
2015 Big Ten Champion: Morgan McIntosh (Penn State)
Ranked Wrestlers at 197: 5 - #1 Morgan McIntosh (Penn State), #3 Brett Pfarr (Minnesota), #4 Nathan Burak (Iowa), #7 Max Huntley (Michigan), #11 Aaron Studebaker (Nebraska)
NCAA Allocations: 6
Buckeye at 197: Mark Martin (16-5 overall, 3-1 Big Ten)
Contenders at 197: McIntosh, Pfarr, and Burak are the clear favorites, but Morgan McIntosh should find himself in his 3rd consecutive Big Ten final. The Nittany Lion senior has 22 wins by bonus points to this point in his perfect 26-0 season. He’s firing on all cylinders to end his career, with two pins and two tech falls in the last month. Pfarr dropped a 3-2 match against McIntosh early in the season, making that his only Big Ten defeat of the season.
Burak has been rock solid in his senior season, only losing to Pfarr by a single point in his only defeat. Max Huntley is as tough as they come and he just finds ways to keep himself in tight matches. Studebaker fell a match short of finishing as an All-American at last year’s NCAA tournament, so he’s got the capability of making a deep run this March.
Buckeye Outlook at 197: Mark Martin has been in the starting lineup since his true freshman season in Columbus and has taken on all challengers at 165, 174, and finally, 197. Martin has performed admirably this season, up two weights from last year while battling injury.
Martin Is unlikely to ever find himself in a 15-13 shootout, rather, he keeps scores low and scores effectively off of counter attacks. He stands a decent chance to earn one of the six allotted trips to the NCAA tournament, but would likely have to defeat the likes of Hayden Hrymack of Rutgers and Jacob Cooper of Michigan State to do so.
HEAVYWEIGHT
2015 Big Ten Champion: Mike McMullan (Northwestern)
Highest Returning Placer: Adam Coon (Michigan), 3rd place
Ranked Wrestlers: 7 - #2 Kyle Snyder (Ohio State), #4 Adam Coon (Michigan), #7 Sam Stoll (Iowa), #10 Michael Kroells (Minnesota), #12 Billy Smith (Rutgers), #17 Nick Nevills (Penn State), #20 Collin Jensen (Nebraska)
NCAA Allocations: 7
Buckeye at Heavyweight: #2 Kyle Snyder (3-0 overall, 3-0 Big Ten)
Contenders at HWT: This bracket looks to be a two-man battle between two of the best athletes in the heavyweight division in the country. Coon and Snyder are likely to meet in the finals, barring any upsets. Coon is one of the best Greco Roman wrestlers in the country, but also has leg attacks not frequently seen by the big boys. Iowa’s Sam Stoll recently injured his knee, putting his qualification in jeopardy.
Michael Kroells is consistent and has a notable win over Illinois’ Brooks Black. Of note at heavyweight is Penn State’s Nick Nevills, who lost much of the season due to a knee injury. Nevills’ placement may play a huge role in the team race as the Nittany Lions look to regain their place atop the conference.
Buckeye Outlook at HWT: Snyder is a wrecking ball at heavyweight. He is unmatched in the neutral position, but his mat wrestling at heavyweight is still relatively untested. Snyder has two tech falls and a major decision in just three collegiate matches on the season, outscoring the competition 70-29 in those matches. Snyder is going to be a finalist and his potential match against Coon could be one of the best matches of the season.
Team Outlook
Penn State is the prohibitive favorite with legitimate champion possibilities at every weight but 165 and heavyweight. Iowa is weak in the middle, but their lower weights are dynamite and their upper weights are above average. Illinois is solid from top to bottom, but have few title contenders outside of IMar and Zane Richards. Michigan’s title hopes took a real hit with Davonte Mahomes going down with a knee injury. The Buckeyes will need significant help if they’re going to repeat as champions. Penn State is going to score a lot of top-end points, but they are an inexperienced team and could be prone to an upset or two.
As much as I’d like to be a Buckeye homer and predict them to repeat as Big Ten champions, it is going to be a real long shot. Tomasello, Micah Jordan, Bo Jordan, and Kyle Snyder are all in the running for a championship, but they’re going to need some help from the rest of the team. For what it’s worth, the four I mentioned all could make serious bids for NCAA titles in a deeper field, so it will be interesting to see how it plays out for the remainder of the month.
Check back to Eleven Warriors for a recap of the action and a look at the automatic qualifiers to the NCAA tournament next week.
