Wrestling Preview: Tom Ryan's Team Looks To Meet High Expectations

The 2015-16 season was pretty decent for the Buckeye wrestling team, but if you are a bit of an optimist, you may have reason to speculate that the upcoming season could be even more impressive. While the 2015-16 Buckeyes finished 3rd at the NCAA tournament with two NCAA champions and two more All-Americans, the expectations could be even higher for the 2016-17 team.

Let’s take a look at why the bar is set so high for the Buckeyes this time around.

Returning Starters

125/133 Nathan Tomasello (RS Jr)

Tomasello brings a career record of 60-5 into his junior season including a national title as a freshman and a single loss as a sophomore (in the NCAA semifinals). If Tomasello does indeed move up to 133, he will immediately plant himself into title contention in his new weight class, joining the likes of Iowa’s Cory Clark and Zane Richards of Illinois.

149 Micah Jordan (RS So)

The younger Jordan started his freshman campaign by winning all but one match during the regular season. A 3rd place finisher at the Big Ten tournament, Micah dropped consecutive matches at the NCAA tournament a year ago and finished just one match away from an All-American finish. He will wrestle at 149, where he will face Penn State’s wrecking machine Zain Retherford a number of times throughout the season.

157 Jake Ryan (RS So)

Jake Ryan won’t be the first wrestler mentioned when discussing the Buckeye wrestling team, but he is among the most consistent with a workman-like approach to the sport. Ryan placed 6th at 157 in the Big Ten tournament and very nearly upset No. 6 seed Joe Smith at the NCAA tournament before being eliminated.

165 Cody Burcher (RS So)

Burcher had the unenviable task of replacing All-American Hunter Stieber in last year’s lineup at 149 and finished the season with 8th place at the Big Ten tournament. Burcher again is taking on a tough task, starting at 165 in the absence of Isaiah White, who isn’t even on Ohio State’s roster. Burcher has a talent for slowing matches down and keeping them close, and his cradle can flip the match into his favor at any point.

174 Bo Jordan (RS Jr)

In his two years in the starting lineup, Bo has amassed a record of 42-5, with losses in the Big Ten finals and NCAA semifinals in each season. Bo has losses to three-time NCAA champion Alex Dieringer and his cousin Isaac Jordan of Wisconsin (four losses), but Dieringer has graduated and Isaac will once again compete at 165. Bo’s aggressive style is reminiscent of an alligator; he waits for his moment to strike before using brute strength to drag his prey under water and doesn’t make much noise otherwise. With the huge amount of wrestlers changing weights, 174 looks to be wide open and Bo stands as one of the early favorites to top the podium in March.

184 Myles Martin (So)

Myles came out of redshirt in the middle of last season, and made the coaching staff look wise in this decision as he upset Penn State’s Bo Nickal and became an NCAA champion as a true freshman. Martin faces another stiff test as he moves up a weight to 184, which has been owned by Gabe Dean (Cornell), who is looking to win his third NCAA championship.

HWT Kyle Snyder (Jr)

Snyder is good. Really good. Did you know he won an Olympic gold medal this summer? He sure did.

HWT Nick Tavanello (RS Sr)

Tav has been in the starting lineup since he stepped on campus as a freshman, and graciously stepped aside last season to allow Snyder the opportunity to win his first NCAA title. Tavanello will likely fill in for Snyder when he is competing in international tournaments throughout the season.

Key Losses

Johnni DiJulius

JDJ was a mainstay in the Buckeye lineup, winning over 100 matches in his time in the varsity lineup. DiJulius qualified for four NCAA tournaments, but never cracked the top 8 to earn an All-American finish. DiJulius’ fireman’s carry was a thing of beauty, which he will undoubtedly pass on as he recently joined the Kent State coaching staff.

Hunter Stieber

The younger Stieber was a two-time NCAA All-American, advancing to the national semifinals in each of his first two seasons before injuries hampered his junior and senior seasons. Hunter’s gutsy effort at the Big Ten tournament helped the Buckeyes to earn a share of the Big Ten title in his junior season. Hunter capped off his career with a record of 86-17.

Kenny Courts

A highly-regarded recruit out of high school, Courts showed flashes of brilliance in his time at Ohio State, ultimately helping the team to win an NCAA title by finishing 5th at 184 in 2015. Despite his All-American finish as a junior, Courts’ career was marred by wild inconsistency as he lost a number of winnable matches in shocking fashion.

Mark Martin

Martin started for the Buckeyes for four years, moving up to 197 as a senior, but was unable to secure a trip to the NCAA tournament at the higher weight. Martin ended his Buckeye career with a record of 66-33.

Key Additions

Luke Pletcher   

Pletcher was a four-time Pennsylvania state finalist, winning three individual titles and racking up a record of 166-5. He’ll likely redshirt this season, but will benefit from working with Tomasello on a daily basis and should hold the fort at 125 or 133 next year.

Elijah Cleary

Cleary is a stand-out from Florida, with two state titles to his credit. Though Florida is not exactly a hotbed for star wrestlers, Cleary locked horns with the nation’s best and placed three times at the NWCA Nationals, including a 2nd place finish as a senior. Cleary has been mentioned as a potential starter at 165 this season after Isaiah White hit a snag and is currently enrolled at Notre Dame College.

Storylines to Watch

Big Ten Arms Race

Iowa has bona fide title contenders in three lower weights and some All-American potential in the upper weights, but four of their starters are seniors. It’s now or never for Iowa, though they’ll have to compete with a Penn State team that has a roster that could win conference dual meets with their backups. The Nittany Lions will only start one senior and one junior, but they’ll be among the favorites to hoist another NCAA title in March. The Buckeyes will tangle with the Hawkeyes and Nittany Lions on consecutive weekends as the season draws to a close, and both duals will give Tom Ryan an idea of what his team is capable of at the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments.

Weight Gains or Growing Pains

Half of the starting lineup will be moving up in weight this season, causing much concern among fans about how the Buckeyes will do in their new weights. Nathan Tomasello, Micah Jordan, Bo Jordan, and Myles Martin are each moving up a weight class, while Cody Burcher is bumping up two weights from 149 to 165. While I’d selfishly like to see Tomasello earn some revenge against Gilman of Iowa and Bo finally defeat Isaac Jordan, it will be interesting to see how they fit into their new weight classes against established contenders.

Can Anyone Challenge Snyder?

Nope. Michigan’s Adam Coon is redshirting this season due to injury, leaving Wisconsin’s Connor Medbery as the lone minor threat to Snyder’s Big Ten crown. Elsewhere in the country, Virginia Tech’s Ty Walz made Snyder work in the NCAA semifinals, but the two won’t meet until the NCAA tournament. 

Schedule

Below are some of the dates to circle on your calendar. 

The Buckeyes will kick off the season on Saturday with a pair of events. Myles Martin will represent the Buckeyes in the NWCA All-Star Classic against two-time NCAA Champion Gabe Dean of Cornell at 184. The Buckeyes will also send many of the younger wrestlers to the Eastern Michigan Open on Saturday. 

The full line-up will be in action starting on November 19 when the team travels to Kent to take on both Cleveland State and Kent State in a tri-meet.