Captain America versus The Incredible Hulk has nothing on Kyle Snyder versus Adam Coon. The pound-for-pound best wrestler on the planet has only lost one NCAA match in the past three seasons, and he got revenge for that loss Sunday.
In perhaps the most-anticipated rematch in a day full of Big Ten and NCAA final round rematches, Snyder squared off against the only foe to topple him in recent memory. Michigan's Adam Coon stymied Snyder less than a month ago when the Buckeyes faced the Wolverines in a dual meet in Ann Arbor.
Much was made about Snyder's rare loss, including the fact that Coon holds a 60-plus-pound weight advantage and at least a 6-inch advantage in height and reach. Snyder wrestles internationally at 97 kg, roughly 213 pounds, while Coon cuts from ~300 pounds to get to 285 for collegiate action.
"He's really big, and I knew I had to be smart," Snyder said after the hard-fought victory. "Coon is a really different challenge than I'm normally competing against, so when I get home I'll work with the coaches to figure out how to do it better."
The two will almost certainly face off again as the top-two seeds in the NCAA tournament in Cleveland in two weekends' time.
Snyder and Coon traded escape points through regulation action, as neither was able to complete a shot. In sudden victory, it was more of the same, as every shot attempt was well-defended.
After trading escape points again in the second and third overtimes, Coon had the criteria advantage with less than 10 seconds of riding time. Snyder did precisely what he needed to do, getting an ankle pick that gave him enough leverage to get Coon on one leg, and toppled the big man like a massive oak tree, keeping his toes in bounds to secure the takedown and the victory.
Ohio State won its third Big Ten title in four years, and qualified 10 wrestlers for the NCAA tournament in Cleveland, March 15-18.
