Ohio State's wrestling program is surrounded by world-class freestyle talent, including world champion alumni Kyle Snyder and Logan Stieber. Two more Buckeyes added to their freestyle resumes Sunday, as Myles Martin and Kollin Moore earned spots on the U.S. Under-23 Men's Freestyle World Team.
Martin, at 86 kg, and Moore at 97 kg, won their best-of-three championship bouts at the World Team Trials in Akron Sunday, each with a pair of consecutive victories in the tournament's best-of-three finals.
Ohio State took nearly a dozen wrestlers up I-71 for the trials, and two of the team's de facto leaders this fall came away national champions who will represent Team USA at the U23 World Championships in Bucharest, Romania, Nov. 12-18.
It marks the second year in a row that a Buckeye made the U23 World Team: last year Joey McKenna won the bronze medal at the World Championships in Poland. McKenna faces training partner Logan Stieber for the Senior World Team spot at 65 kg at Final X in State College, Penn., June 16.
Presuming Kyle Snyder, the reigning World Champion at 97 kg, again earns his spot on the Senior World Team, Buckeyes will comprise 20 percent of both the U.S. Senior and U23 world teams.
U23 World Team Members
— Ohio State Wrestling (@wrestlingbucks) June 3, 2018
@SJanickiPhoto #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/Cshf0bglns
No. 1 seed Moore rolled through the field at 97 kg en route to the best-of-three finals, with three tech falls alongside an 11-8 decision in the quarterfinals. He faced Kyle Conel in the best-of-three; Buckeye fans will wince at the memory of Conel not only pinning Moore in the quarterfinals of the 2018 NCAA Tournament, but then earning a 5-3 decision over Moore in the third-place bout.
Moore returned the favor Sunday with a 12-2 tech fall in the first match of the finals, and a 13-3 tech in the second. Conel, who was unseeded at the NCAA tournament in Cleveland, entered the World Team Trial as the No. 2 seed. This time, however, it was Moore who left the tournament with the 2-0 record.
Myles Martin, at 86 kg, also came into Akron as the No. 1 seed and walked away a champion. In a crowded field, Martin went a flawless 40-0 in his first four matches, setting up a best-of-three final with Chandler Rogers, a redshirt senior at Oklahoma State.
Rogers put up a fight in the first bout, a match Martin won 13-9. But the Cowpoke hardly knew what hit him in the second, as Martin raced out to a 6-0 lead and scored the pin just 64 seconds into the match.
Thanks to so many who support our program. Two more Buckeyes will represent TEAM USA. @moore_of_kollin @MyMar184. PositiveInfinity
— Thomas Ryan (@Buckeye158) June 3, 2018
Ohio State finished the tournament with the second-highest point total of the weekend, just behind North Carolina State's Wolfpack Wrestling Club. In addition to Martin and Moore's successes, starters Luke Pletcher and Te'Shan Campbell, as well as backup Kevin Snyder, wrestled to 7th place in their respective brackets.
Fritz Schierl had an impressive run Saturday at the U23 Greco-Roman World Team Trials, where he finished as national runner-up. Schierl went 13-4 and 10-0 to get to the best-of-three finals, where he faced Jesse Porter in the best-of-three.
Schierl dropped the first bout of the finals on criteria after wrestling to a 6-6 draw. Porter was all business in the second match, however, picking up the tech fall in just 99 seconds.
Freestyle action at the U23 World Team Trials has begun, but here's a few great snapshots of Fritz Schierl in yesterday's Greco-Roman. Courtesy of our friend @SJanickiPhoto.#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/iSPXmxGKWq
— Ohio State Wrestling (@wrestlingbucks) June 2, 2018
With their victories Sunday, Martin and Moore will miss at least two dual meets this November due to their responsibilities with Team USA. Given the dates of the World Championships in Romania, the pair will necessarily miss duals at California Baptist and Arizona State scheduled for Nov. 16 and 18, respectively; they will likely also skip whichever open tournament the team opts to wrestle Nov. 10.
Ohio State head coach Tom Ryan has consistently said that as long as the NCAA Championship is based on the current tournament format, and not on the results of the dual-meet season, he'll support his men wrestling internationally, even if it might cost the team a dual victory.
With Martin and Moore stepping into key leadership roles on the team following the graduation of Snyder, Nathan Tomasello and Bo Jordan (now an assistant coach for the Buckeyes), the team that wrestles in Tempe this November will look even younger than it will the rest of the upcoming season.
