Ohio State announced its Big Ten dual-meet schedule Wednesday, featuring four home meets in the inaugural season inside Covelli Arena. The team will wrestle five conference foes on the road, including national title contenders Penn State and Iowa.
Big Ten dual dates have been revealed!
— Ohio State Wrestling (@wrestlingbucks) September 4, 2019
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The nine-dual conference slate rounds out the team's 2019-2020 schedule; non-conference opponents were announced in mid-June. In addition to the league duals, Ohio State is also slated for home matches versus Arizona State, Cornell, Stanford and Virginia Tech, and will travel to face Pitt in mid-November.
With an eye toward showing off its new home, the Buckeyes will wrestle in Columbus the most dual meets since the 2013-2014 season.
In recent years the team has wrestled in St. John Arena or The Schott 4-6 times per season, with additional "home" duals contested in Ohio high schools or other venues around the state. This season the program is focused on showcasing what head coach Tom Ryan says is the best wrestling facility in the world.
Ohio State's full schedule presents a stiff slate for a relatively young roster. Four of the eight home duals will be contested against teams that finished in the Top 25 of the NWCA Coaches Poll last season, and all five Big Ten road opponents finished their dual-meet season ranked in the Poll.
| DATE | OPPONENT | LOCATION |
|---|---|---|
| SAT, NOV. 2 | MICHIGAN STATE OPEN | East Lansing, Mich. |
| SUN. NOV 10 | STANFORD | COVELLI CENTER (COLUMBUS, OHIO) |
| FRI. NOV 15 | at PITT | Pittsburgh, Penn. |
| NOV. 16 or 17 | VIRGINIA TECH | COVELLI CENTER (COLUMBUS, OHIO) |
| SUN. DEC. 1 | CORNELL | COVELLI CENTER (COLUMBUS, OHIO) |
| DEC. 6-7 | CLIFF KEEN LAS VEGAS INVITATIONAL | LAS VEGAS CONVENTION CENTER (LAS VEGAS) |
| JAN. 3-5 (TBD) | ARIZONA STATE | COVELLI CENTER (COLUMBUS, OHIO) |
| FRI. JAN. 10 | RUTGERS | COVELLI CENTER (COLUMBUS, OHIO) |
| FRI. JAN. 17 | at WISCONSIN | WISCONSIN FIELD HOUSE (MADISON, WIS.) |
| SUN. JAN. 19 | ILLINOIS | COVELLI CENTER (COLUMBUS, OHIO) |
| FRI. JAN. 24 | at IOWA | CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA (IOWA CITY) |
| SUN. JAN. 26 | at MINNESOTA | MATURI PAVILION (MINNEAPOLIS) |
| FRI. JAN. 31 | MARYLAND | COVELLI CENTER (COLUMBUS, OHIO) |
| SUN. FEB. 2 | at NEBRASKA | BOB DEVANEY SPORTS CENTER (LINCOLN, NEB.) |
| SUN. FEB. 9 | NORTHWESTERN | COVELLI CENTER (COLUMBUS, OHIO) |
| SAT. FEB. 15 | at PENN STATE | REC HALL (STATE COLLEGE, PENN.) |
| MAR. 7-8 | BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS | PISCATAWAY, N.J. |
| MAR. 19-21 | NCAA WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS | U.S. BANK STADIUM (MINNEAPOLIS) |
With the schedule locked and loaded, the countdown to wrestling season begins in earnest. The home opener versus Stanford is just 67 days away.
