The fourth-ranked Buckeye wrestlers will participate in the 2017 NWCA Dual Championship series on Sunday when they travel to Ithaca, New York to take on the No. 8 Cornell Big Red. The dual is one of eight scheduled to take place between eight Big Ten schools and eight of the best non-Big Ten teams to determine the best dual meet team in the country.
Let's take a look at what to expect when the Buckeyes take on a tough Ivy League opponent.
 |
| CORNELL BIG RED |
|
12-2 overall (5-0 conference) ROSTER | SCHEDULE |
|
|
|
1:00 PM – SUNDAY, FEB 19. BARTELS HALL ITHACA, NEW YORK |
|
Match streaming available at |
| CORNELLBIGRED.COM |
The No. 8 Cornell Big Red
Head Coach: Rob Koll
Koll is in his 23rd season at the helm of the Big Red, and he has built the program into a formidable wrestling machine despite being held to Ivy League academic standards. Cornell has won 14 consecutive Ivy League championships and has sent nine wrestlers to the NCAA tournament on six separate occasions. Koll has coached 14 NCAA champions, including Kyle Dake, who is just one of four wrestlers to win four individual NCAA titles (and Dake is the only one to win all four at different weight classes each year). Though the Cornell has yet to win an NCAA title under Koll, they are a mainstay at the top of the NCAA team scoreboard year in and year out. As a wrestler himself, Koll was an NCAA champion for North Carolina and was the winningest wrestler in ACC history. Koll then won gold medals at two World Cups and was an alternate for the 1992 US Olympic team.
Koll is aided by former NCAA champion Damion Hahn (Minnesota), Mike Grey (Cornell), and Donnie Vinson (Binghamton).
Ohioans on Cornell
Noah Baughman (Fr, 125)
Baughman was a two-time state champion for Wadsworth High School, capturing Division I state titles as a sophomore and a senior. Baughman placed third as a junior.
Jonathan Furnas (So, 133)
Furnas was a three-time state placer for Olentangy Liberty, capturing a Division I state title as a senior at 132. Furnas was high school teammates with current Buckeye Jake Ryan.
Notable Big Red Wrestlers
No. 1 Gabe Dean (Sr, 184)
Dean’s achievement list would be a mile long, but by the time you’d finished reading it, he would have likely added more accolades to the list. Dean is a two-time NCAA champion, finishing third as a freshman with a loss to Ed Ruth in the semifinals. Dean’s career record currently sits at 146-6, with a record of 59-1 in his last two seasons. While Dean was a dominant wrestler early in his career, he has increased his desire for bonus points as a senior, winning all but one of his matches as a senior by bonus points in a serious push for the Hodge Trophy. Dean currently sits at No. 3 in the NCAA’s Most Dominant List, averaging 5.43 team points per match.
No. 10 Dylan Palacio (Sr, 165)
Palacio has had a truncated career for the Big Red, battling injury for much of the last two seasons. As a junior, he got hot at the right time, winning five straight in the consolation bracket to finish fourth at the NCAA tournament for his first All-American finish. Palacio has only wrestled in four matches this season, compiling a 3-1 record.
No. 3 Brian Realbuto (Sr, 174)
Realbuto is a two-time All-American finishing as high as second as a sophomore to IMar of Illinois before being injured early at last year’s tournament and going 0-2. Realbuto is 18-1 on the season, with his lone loss coming as a one-point decision to No. 2 Zahid Valencia of Arizona State. Realbuto doesn’t have many notable wins on the season, but he did pin No. 4 Ryan Preisch (Lehigh) and has a major decision over No. 13 Casey Kent (Penn).
| #4 Ohio State | WT | #8 Cornell |
|---|---|---|
| #16 Jose Rodriguez | 125 | Noah Baughman |
| #1 Nathan Tomasello | 133 | Mark Grey |
| #12 Luke Pletcher | 141 | Will Koll |
| #5 Micah Jordan | 149 | Jonathan Furnas |
| Anthony DeCarlo | 157 | Dylan Palacio or Taylor Simaz |
| Cody Burcher | 165 | Brandon Womack |
| #1 Bo Jordan | 174 | #3 Brian Realbuto |
| #7 Myles Martin | 184 | #1 Gabe Dean |
| #4 Kollin Moore | 197 | Ben Honis |
| Josh Fox | HWT | Craig Scott |
Key Matchups
184 — No. 7 Myles Martin (23-5) vs No. 1 Gabe Dean (25-0)
Dean dismantled Martin earlier this season at the NWCA All-Star Classic in Cleveland, winning 13-4 over the Buckeye sophomore. While Dean has been consistently scary all season, Martin is rounding into form late in the season and is wrestling incredibly well of late while putting the finishing touches on his excellent offensive attacks. I expect Dean to win the rematch, but by far less now that Myles has had time to rethink his approach to the two-time NCAA champ.
174 — No. 1 Bo Jordan (11-0) vs No. 3 Brian Realbuto (18-1)
A healthy Bo Jordan is always fun to watch, unless you’re cheering for his opponent. Bo’s schedule of late has been ridiculous and he’s not exactly easing himself back into the lineup after being nagged by injury for much of the season. Realbuto is tough, but Bo showed some serious confidence in getting to the legs of his opponents against Minnesota and Nebraska, so we’ll see if he’s really back to normal. Both of these guys should be high finishers at the NCAA tournament next month, so this one could be a preview of things to come.
125 — No. 16 Jose Rodriguez (12-7) vs Noah Baughman (21-12)
If the Buckeyes are going to finish as high as they’d like at the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments, they’re going to need points from Rodriguez. After a serious slump early in 2017 that some attributed to a weight-cutting issue, Rodriguez seems to have turned the corner and is wrestling better late in matches. This one between two Ohio natives could be a nice confidence-builder for Jose as Baughman is no slouch at 125. Rodriguez defeated Baughman at the CKLV Invitational by major decision.
Match Outlook
Koll has absolutely fostered a sense of family with the Cornell program as his son William starts at 141 for the Big Red, but the team also has four sets of brothers on the current roster for the Big Red. That doesn’t have anything to do with the match outcome, but it is an interesting fact that separates Cornell from most of the programs around the country.
While this match is largely an exhibition since it is out of conference and the Buckeyes are not competing for a national title, I would be quite surprised to see all of the regular starters in the lineup (excluding Snyder as he is still acclimating himself from wrestling at the World Cup in Iran). This dual would be a good measuring stick for Bo Jordan to see how he’s feeling before the Big Ten tournament next month. If the Buckeyes are wrestling with the full lineup of starters, I think they win this one going away, but Snyder is out of the lineup and there is some question about who is the starter at 157 for the Buckeyes, so this one may be closer than expected.
Myles Martin will face a huge test as Gabe Dean is pursuing a third NCAA title, so hopefully Martin has made the necessary adjustments to close the gap with Dean since they met in November.
