Big Ten dual season is finally upon the Buckeye wrestlers as they take their mat show on the road to Wadsworth High School to welcome the Northwestern Wildcats. In recent years, Ohio State has held a “home match” at or near the high school of one of the senior leaders on the team and this year is no different. Buckeye heavyweight Nick Tavanello will be recognized at the match, though an injury sustained in practice ended his career earlier this season. Tavanello was a key member of the Wadsworth state championship team that upended the St. Edward dynasty in 2010.
The dual meet will signal the beginning of Ohio State’s grueling Big Ten schedule and is slated to take place on Sunday at noon at Wadsworth High School
Let’s take a look at what to expect when the Northwestern Wildcats take on the Buckeyes.
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5-1, 0-0 Big Ten ROSTER | SCHEDULE |
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12:00 PM – SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18 Wadsworth High School Wadsworth, Ohio |
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NUSports.com |
Northwestern Wildcats (5-1)
Head Coach: Matt Storniolo
Storniolo was officially named the Northwestern head coach after holding the post of interim coach throughout the 2015-16 season after Drew Pariano unceremoniously left (and no real reason has surfaced surrounding his dismissal). Storniolo led the Wildcats to a paltry 2-13 record in his first season, going 0-9 in the Big Ten with a battered and broken lineup. The Northwestern team has already made great strides under Storniolo, coming into the match with Ohio State with a 5-1 record to date. As a wrestler, Storniolo was an NCAA qualifier for Penn State as a freshman before transferring to Oklahoma, where he was a two-time All-American. Storniolo is joined by an outstanding coaching staff, featuring NCAA champions Andrew Howe (Wisconsin/Oklahoma) and Cody Brewer (Oklahoma), as well as Conor Beebe (Central Michigan).
Ohioans on the Northwestern Roster
Conan Jennings (RS So, HWT)
Jennings was a Division I state runner-up for Centerville in 2014, including a second round upset of current Boise State recruit Kevin Vough. Jennings is currently 6-4 on the young season.
Notable Wildcat Wrestlers
No. 16 Mitch Sliga (RS Jr, 184)
Sliga was a big-time recruit out of Indiana in the Class of 2013, ultimately landing at Northwestern with freestyle teammate Jason Tsirtsis. Sliga showed a great skill for pinning opponents in high school, but that trait has greatly decreased against college opponents. Sliga is 9-1 with his only notable opponent, Penn State’s Bo Nickal, giving him his only loss.
Bryce Brill
Brill was a big-time recruit in the Class of 2015, opening lots of eyes when he opted to wrestle for Northwestern. Brill was a perfect 10-0 in his career over the course of three partial seasons, but his career was cut short due to nagging injuries. Though Brill would have been the most successful Northwestern wrestler this season, he will continue to help the team as an undergraduate assistant on Storniolo’s staff.
Jason Tsirtsis
Tsirtsis is notable as a Wildcat wrestler in that he won an NCAA title as a freshman and finished as an All-American before a tumultuous junior season where Tsirtsis lost significantly on and off the mat. For his senior season, Jason transferred to Arizona State to wrestle for Zeke Jones.
| No. 4 Ohio State | WT | Northwestern |
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| No. 10 Jose Rodriguez | 125 | Anthony Rubinetti |
| No. 3 Nathan Tomasello | 133 | Jason Ipsarides |
| Luke Pletcher | 141 | Alec McKenna |
| No. 5 Micah Jordan | 149 | Shayne Oster |
| Jake Ryan | 157 | Anthony Petrone |
| Cody Burcher | 165 | Ben Sullivan |
| No. 1 Bo Jordan | 174 | Johnny Sebastian |
| No. 5 Myles Martin | 184 | No. 16 Mitch Sliga |
| No. 6 Kollin Moore | 197 | Jacob Berkowitz |
| Josh Fox | HWT | Conan Jennings |
Key Matchups
141- Luke Pletcher vs Alec McKenna
Pletcher isn’t ranked yet at 141, but it’s only a matter of time if his match against Missouri is a sign of things to come. McKenna shouldn’t pose much of a threat to Pletcher, but this is a key match in that Pletcher is relatively unknown to most Buckeye fans.
184- No. 5 Myles Martin vs No. 16 Mitch Sliga
The match at 184 is the only match featuring a pair of ranked wrestlers, but Martin will have the distinct advantage. Myles has been quite impressive up a weight from last season, and Sliga won’t pose the same challenges that Gabe Dean or Zack Zavatsky did.
197- No. 6 Kollin Moore vs Jacob Berkowitz
Moore is quickly becoming must-see-tv as far as upper weights are concerned. While many upper weight wrestlers are content to win 2-1 or 3-1, Moore is a breath of fresh air and is constantly looking for a takedown. He very nearly upset two-time NCAA champ and Olympic bronze medalist J’Den Cox in their dual meet, so the Kollin won’t be sneaking up on anyone in the near future.
Match Outlook
This match should play out the way that most Ohio State-Northwestern football or basketball games do with Ohio State getting an early lead and cruising to a victory. Northwestern has an opportunity to turn the corner with an excellent coaching staff, but the cupboard is quite bare for the Wildcats this season. Coach Storniolo has a nice recruiting class coming into Evanston next season, but the current lineup will take it’s lumps once the Big Ten competition begins.
Even with the possibility of a number of backups stepping into the lineup, Ohio State should be favored in all ten matches and coast to a lopsided victory.
The match will stream live on Ohio State Wrestling’s Facebook page beginning at noon, with a recap to follow.
