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Ohio State blows out Indiana, 38-15. Now, it's time to do the same to That Team Up North.
Nathan Tomasello affirmed his place atop the 125-pound weight class with a statement win over a top-five opponent in just his second match of the season. USA Wrestling and the Big Ten Conference each took note and named the senior their Wrestler of the Week.
USA Wrestling is the national governing body for Olympic and international wrestling. In addition to his NCAA successes, Tomasello is a respected competitor on the freestyle circuit, finishing in third place at the 2017 U.S. World Team Trials and the U.S. Open at 57 kg (125.5 lbs).
Internationally, he picked up a silver medal at the highly-competitive Alexander Medved International and earned gold at the Ion Corneanu International.
Tomasello shared the Big Ten spotlight with Penn State sophomore Vincenzo Joseph, the top-ranked 165-pound wrestler in the country. Joseph defeated No. 5 Logan Massa of Michigan by a 12-3 major decision on Friday night in Ann Arbor and pinned Michigan State's Austin Hiles in East Lansing in the first period Sunday night.
For Ohio State's former NCAA champion, the Minnesota dual represented a major milestone in his return from what could have been a season-ending injury at the U23 World Team Trials in Minnesota last October. He returned to action at Rutgers, but faced an unranked opponent; versus Minnesota at The Schottenstein Center, he faced the No. 4 wrestler in the weight class.
"It was great to be back home and give the home fans something to cheer about," Tomasello said of his bout with Lizak, an 18-3 tech fall. "It was a lot of fun."
Lizak is considered one of the best in the sport from the top position, but Tomasello showed no weakness in the match, repeatedly getting the younger opponent to the ground and turned for additional points.
"Attacking, shooting a lot and creating a lot of wrestling in seven minutes," Tomasello said of his strategy in the match, and in every match moving forward. He'll face another highly-ranked wrestler Sunday in No. 6 Spencer Lee of Iowa.
Tomasello joined Kollin Moore (Dec. 5) and Te'Shan Campbell (Nov. 14) as Buckeyes earning Wrestler of the Week honors this season.
