Wrestling Recap: Buckeyes Fall to Cornell 19-18 in NWCA Dual Championship Series

The No. 4 Buckeyes dropped a tight match on the road to No. 8 Cornell on Sunday as part of the 2017 NWCA Dual Championship Series by the score of 19-18. 

The Buckeyes were led by bonus point victories from Nathan Tomasello, Micah Jordan, and Kollin Moore while Luke Pletcher added a decision in the losing effort. Ohio State won four of the 10 matches, but the Big Red were able to win at heavyweight to earn the one-point victory. 

The match kicked off at 125 where No. 16 Jose Rodriguez dropped a 4-0 decision to fellow Ohioan, Noah Baughman. Rodriguez owned a victory over Baughman from earlier in the season but the Cornell freshman was able to avenge the loss to give his team a 3-0 lead. 

Tomasello made quick work of Cornell's Mark Grey with a 19-4 tech fall at the end of the second period. Tomasello improved to 16-0 on the season with his fourth tech fall of the year and gave the Buckeyes a 5-3 lead. 

No. 12 Pletcher defeated Will Koll at 141 by the score of 5-2 in a tough decision. With the victory, Pletcher improved to 24-5 in his true freshman season. The Buckeyes pushed the lead to 8-3 with the decision victory. 

Jordan was not a friendly foe to fellow Ohioan Jonathan Furnas, taking the Cornell sophomore down at will before pinning him early in the third period. The pin was Micah's sixth of the season and gave the Buckeyes a 14-3 lead after four matches. 

Former All-American Dylan Palacio has missed much of this season due to injury but he was able to have his way with Buckeye 157 Anthony DeCarlo, winning 19-8. Cornell drew to within seven halfway through the dual. 

Cody Burcher was unable to  get back to his winning ways, falling to Brandon Womack 4-2 at 165. Burcher's record now stands at 15-12 on the season after losing his third straight. 

Bo Jordan suffered his first loss of the season to No. 3 Brian Realbuto in a low-scoring affair at 174. Realbuto managed just a takedown and an escape but it was enough to defeat Jordan, 3-2. Realbuto's victory drew the Big Red to within one of the Buckeyes with three matches left in the dual. 

Myles Martin was blown out in the preseason All-Star Classic by top-ranked Gabe Dean, but Martin was able to make some necessary adjustments to stymie the two-time NCAA champion a little better. Dean was able to earn the 10-5 decision and give Cornell a 16-14 lead with just two matches left. 

No. 4 Moore regained the lead for the Buckeyes with his usual offensive output against Ben Honis with a 20-9 major decision. Moore suffered a tough loss to Minnesota's No. 2 Brett Pfarr recently, so he was able to get back to his winning ways against Honis in his last match heading into the postseason. Moore put the Buckeyes back in the lead 18-16 heading into the heavyweight bout. 

Josh Fox took the mat for the Buckeyes at heavyweight against Cornell's Jeramy Sweany since Kyle Snyder is returning to the United States from the World Cup in Iran but Fox was unable to hold onto the lead for the Buckeyes. Sweany scored a 4-0 decision, giving the Big Red a comeback victory in the last match. 

With the dual season wrapped up, the Buckeyes will take a break from the action to recuperate and prepare for the postseason. The Buckeyes finished the season with an 11-3 record in dual meets with losses to Iowa, Penn State, and Cornell. 

The Buckeyes will compete at the Big Ten Championships in Bloomington, Indiana on March 4-5 before the NCAA Championships in St. Louis in March 16-18.