The Buckeye wrestling program has another multiple-world-medal-winning competitor in its program, as junior Joey McKenna rebounded from a second-round loss to earn the bronze medal at 65kg, his second world medal in the past four years.
McKenna, an offseason transfer from Stanford, made his third world-championship appearance for Team USA, having won silver at the 2014 Junior World Championship. He went 4-1 on the weekend, dropping his second match of the day to the eventual gold medalist, Nachyn Sergeevitch Kuular of Russia.
The day started well for McKenna, as he opened competition in the 26-man bracket by posting an 11-0 tech fall over Poland's Patryk Krzysztof, earning the victory in just 32 seconds. Things went south when he ran into Kuular, the two-time Military World Champion, in the Round of 16.
Kuular's advancement pulled McKenna back into repechage, where he reeled off three consecutive victories to earn bronze.
| Round | Result |
|---|---|
| Qualification | Joey McKenna (United States) won by tech fall over Patryk Olenczyn (Poland), 11-0 |
| Round of 32 | Nachyn Kuular (Russia) won by tech fall over Joey McKenna (United States), 10-0 |
| Repechage 1 | Joey McKenna (United States) won by decision over Maxim Sacultan (Moldova), 9-6 |
| Repechage 2 | Joey McKenna (United States) won by decision over Tulga Tumur-ochir (Mongolia), 6-1 |
| Bronze Medal | Joey McKenna (United States) won by decision over Heorhi Kaliyeu (Belarus), 2-0 |
Cleveland native Ty Walz also won bronze at 97kg, while Richie Lewis of Rutgers won gold at 70kg. Two-time NCAA champion Isiah Martinez placed fifth at 74kg.
Ohio State head coach Tom Ryan has created an atmosphere where - as long as the Big Ten and NCAA titles are decided via post-season tournament - he will support his athletes international aspirations. Currently, Kyle Snyder, Kollin Moore and McKenna all have world medals in their trophy case, and Nathan Tomasello and Myles Martin each competed at the U23 World Team Trials alongside McKenna.
The coach was as excited as anyone for McKenna's success Sunday:
@Joey_McKenna comes back strong for U23 World Bronze. Way to go Joey and @USAWrestling !
— Thomas Ryan (@Buckeye158) November 26, 2017
McKenna will not compete alongside his Buckeye teammates at next weekend's Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, but is expected to return to the lineup at 141 pounds for the remainder of the dual-meet season.
