The accolades keep coming for Joey McKenna, Ohio State's 141-pound title contender. After the Big Ten named the junior its Wrestler of the Week Tuesday for his win over No. 2 Kevin Jack in Sunday's dual at North Carolina State, the NCAA followed suit Friday, giving McKenna his first national Wrestler of the Week honor.
Buckeye Joey McKenna is your NCAA Wrestler of the Week! pic.twitter.com/uIZTIjLTSI
— NCAA Wrestling (@ncaawrestling) February 22, 2018
It's hard to understate the importance of Sunday's win for McKenna's post-season aspirations. A respected wrestler with Pac-12 championship credentials prior to his transfer from Stanford, McKenna slid down the rankings after his second loss to Minnesota's Tommy Thorn in as many seasons.
A dearth of ranked contenders in his regular schedule meant that McKenna got not only his toughest test of the season Sunday in Raleigh, but also his best opportunity to impress ahead of seeding for the Big Ten tournament. It is highly likely that he will be the No. 1 seed in East Lansing when action commences March 3.
McKenna received 53% of votes via an NCAA Twitter poll this week, besting N.C. State wrestler Michael Macchiavelo, who upset Ohio State's then-No. 1 Kollin Moore at 197 pounds. It's possible that Kyle Snyder's massive online following may have helped McKenna's campaign in the poll, of course, but there's little doubt that McKenna earned the victory and all the accolades coming his way.
Joey Mckenna ALL DAY! https://t.co/Wc6xi9g2OW
— Kyle Snyder (@Snyder_man45) February 22, 2018
McKenna is the second Buckeye to earn NCAA Wrestler of the Week honors. Nathan Tomasello was recognized Jan. 18 for his win over then-No. 4 Ethan Lizak of Minnesota in just Tomasello's second match returning from an early-season knee injury.
