Ohio State's recruiting class this cycle is small, but where it is short on number, it is long on quality.
Anthony Echemendia, the reigning Junior National Champion in both the Freestyle and Greco-Roman disciplines, announced Wednesday that he has committed to wrestle at Ohio State.
God's plan I'm very happy to announce that I'm going to represent #Ohio #STATE #university. #go #Bucks @wrestlingbucks pic.twitter.com/1hILiOPvZ3
— Anthony Echemendia (@AnthonyEchemen1) November 13, 2019
The Cuban-born standout and Arizona high school state champ was originally committed to wrestle at Iowa State, but reopened his commitment this fall and took official visits to several top programs including Iowa and Arizona State.
"I am doing what everyone does, visiting the schools that are interested in me before making a decision," he said via Twitter. "I want to live this experience that is new to me because in Cuba there is a different system [and] there are a lot of opportunities in USA."
Ultimately his visit to Columbus, where he saw the football Buckeyes waylay the Wisconsin Badgers, was the one that made the cut.
I had a great official visit in Ohio State pic.twitter.com/Sue77IoGjx
— Anthony Echemendia (@AnthonyEchemen1) October 27, 2019
Echemendia's story is not that of your typical blue-chip recruit. Leaving his native Cuba in 2018 to train at the Olympic Training Center of Guatemala, as the future Buckeye detailed in a Twitter thread last summer, he made his way to Mexico and eventually to the Texas border where he claimed political asylum.
I arrived at the border of Paso Texas and turned in to ask for political asylum. I was in detention for 2 months and 20 days waiting for the process to be done in order to enter the United States. In October they gave me the news that they going to let me go. It was a very happy pic.twitter.com/JJYfVJ9vtm
— Anthony Echemendia (@AnthonyEchemen1) July 21, 2019
A season at Arizona's Sunnyside High School brought a state championship at 152 pounds, and his stock went through the roof during the freestyle season – particularly after he won both the Greco-Roman and Freestyle brackets at the Junior National Championships in Fargo, going a flawless 14-0 across both disciplines, outscoring his competition by a combined 139-10.
The same war with two different way. Freestyle and Greco Roman@FloWrestling @USAWrestling pic.twitter.com/6jAOmuKH5B
— Anthony Echemendia (@AnthonyEchemen1) July 27, 2019
Echemendia has wrestled 65kg internationally and wrestled 145 in Fargo, so he could potentially plug into a few different spots for the Buckeyes when he arrives on campus, which is coming in relatively short order. Ohio State head coach Tom Ryan said via Twitter that his newest recruit would enroll at Ohio State in January.
"Humble and hard working. Accustomed to discomfort and the hard way. We are excited to welcome Anthony from Cuba to Buckeye Nation!"
Given Sammy Sasso's early success at 149, it seems likely that either Sasso or Echemendia bumps up to 157 while the other holds the fort at 149.
