When Ohio State came up more than 30 points short of its second NCAA title at last year's tournament in St. Louis, head coach Tom Ryan went to work upgrading his roster in the offseason. A big part of that upgrade project is already paying dividends, with Pitt transfer Te'Shan Campbell earning Big Ten Wrestler of the Week Honors in his first dual meet for the Buckeyes.
Campbell made the most out of his debut in St. John Arena, dominating a Top-10 opponent in Ohio State’s 31-12 victory over Arizona State. The Junior from Pittsburgh split the weekly honor with Michigan heavyweight Adam Coon, who upended ASU's fourth-ranked Tanner Hall, 5-2, in Ann Arbor; Hall was held out of an expected matchup against Ohio State heavyweight Kyle Snyder.
In his first home dual of the season, Campbell earned a 14-0 major decision over sixth-ranked Anthony Valencia, extending his record to 5-0, including his 4-0 performance en route to the Princeton Open championship. He went to work early in his match with Valencia Sunday, executing an immediate takedown accompanied with six near-fall points in the first period, and tacking on a four-point near-fall in the second.
"That was a dominant win," Ryan said after the match. "I've seen him struggle in practice day in and day out with hard work, and when it's applied, it's nice to see, and he applied it today."
Campbell is Ohio State's first Wrestler of the Week of the season. Nathan Tomasello was the last Buckeye to earn the weekly honor, Feb. 14, 2017.
