Ohio State traveled to University Park, Pennsylvania, and looked to upset Penn State in front of a sold-out Rec Hall.
As the Buckeyes learned, upsets are hard to accomplish on the road against the No. 1 team in America. When that team has won back-to-back NCAA Championships – and 10 national titles since 2011 – it becomes even harder.
Ohio State won two of 10 matches in the dual, a 12-10 decision for Nic Bouzakis at 141 pounds and a pin for Ryder Rogotzke at 184 pounds. The other Buckeye wrestlers combined to lose five decisions, two major decisions and one technical fall.
Here's a recap of the 10 matches:
125
While Brendan McCrone has held down the 125-pound division for the Buckeyes this season, Ohio State head coach Tom Ryan selected Vincent Kilkeary to wrestle No. 3 Braeden Davis at the start of the dual.
Following a scoreless first period for the freshmen, Kilkeary recorded an escape to start the second. A Davis takedown and Kilkeary escape made it 3-2 as the wrestlers entered the third frame, where Davis held onto his lead despite several well-executed shots from Kilkeary. One of those shots appeared to result in a takedown, but it went unawarded in regulation and after a video review. Without those three points, Kilkeary lost a 4-3 decision to Davis.
133
Bouzakis, the No. 12 wrestler at 133 pounds, put Ohio State on the board with a 12-10 decision over No. 5 Aaron Nagao.
Bouzakis collected three takedowns in the first period and built a 9-2 lead after one. Over the next four-and-a-half minutes, he fended off multiple attacks from Nagao – some successful, some unsuccessful – as the Penn State star cut into Bouzakis' lead. In the final 20 seconds, Nagao secured a takedown that made it 11-10, but Bouzakis maintained his composure and let the clock run out. He secured an RTP and a two-point win.
https://t.co/yjTwMugfok pic.twitter.com/M4j6gnOa0O
— Ohio State Wrestling (@wrestlingbucks) February 3, 2024
141
In a battle between two All-Americans, No. 3 Jesse Mendez suffered a narrow 4-1 defeat to No. 2 Beau Bartlett in sudden victory.
Outside of escapes at the start of the second and third periods, neither Mendez nor Bartlett scored in regulation. Soon after the wrestlers entered sudden victory, Bartlett collected a takedown that ended the match. Ryan challenged the call, believing the referee had a quick count. After a brief review, the referees confirmed their call on the mat, and Bartlett walked off the mat with a 4-1 decision.
149
At 149 pounds, Ohio State looked to have an advantage over Penn State, as No. 9 Dylan D'Emilio faced No. 12 Tyler Kasak. However, D'Emilio never found his offense in the match, and he suffered a 7-2 loss as a result.
While the match was scoreless after one period, D'Emilio fell behind in the second as Kasak secured two back points. From there, D'Emilio was unable to fend off Kasak's relentless attacks, and the redshirt senior allowed a takedown and another set of back points that put the match out of reach. Kasak collected the 7-2 decision and three more team points for the Nittany Lions.
157
Isaac Wilcox, the No. 29 wrestler at 157 pounds, performed well despite the considerable difference in rank between him and Levi Haines, the No. 1 wrestler in the class. Still, Wilcox's efforts fell short in an 11-3 loss to the Penn State standout.
Haines' best defense was a good offense in the match, as his 11 points came from three takedowns, an escape and an RTP. Meanwhile, Wilcox's points came from escapes in the first, second and third frames.
Penn State entered intermission with a 13-3 lead.
165
After the break, No. 20 Bryce Hepner lost a 10-4 decision to No. 7 Mitchell Mesenbrink. The match was decided in the first period, as Mesenbrink secured two takedowns and entered the second with a 6-2 lead. In the final frames, Mesenbrink added a pair of reversals and drained the clock, eventually placing three points on the board for the Nittany Lions.
174
Sixty. That's the number of consecutive wins No. 1 Carter Starocci has collected for Penn State. Starocci made it 61 with a 4-2 decision over No. 13 Rocco Welsh. A true freshman, Welsh held his own with the three-time NCAA champion and All-American. Welsh made Starocci work all seven minutes to win and held the Nittany Lion wrestler to one takedown in the match. A Starocci escape gave him the insurance to beat Welsh, who used two escapes to keep the bout close.
184
Rogotzke shocked all in attendance at Rec Hall when he pinned No. 5 Bernie Truax. Down 6-2 after one period, Truax added another takedown at the start of the second and took a 9-3 lead. Following an escape, Rogotzke used an underhook to throw Truax to his back. He then stuck the Penn State wrestler to the mat and added six points to Ohio State's team total.
Unranked true freshman Rogotzke sticks No. 5 Truax https://t.co/YeIyE1jZsW pic.twitter.com/EqLCPWKDnu
— Ohio State Wrestling (@wrestlingbucks) February 3, 2024
197
At 197 pounds, No. 24 Luke Geog did his best to keep pace with No. 1 Aaron Brooks. However, Brooks did what Brooks does, as the three-time NCAA champion and four-time All-American put on a takedown clinic in a 22-6 tech fall.
Brooks led 14-4 after five minutes. For almost the entire match, Brooks let Geog out of his hold after each takedown in an attempt to pile on the points. The strategy proved effective, as Brooks ended the match one minute into the third period with his seventh takedown.
HWT
In the final match between the teams, No. 12 Nick Feldman – the Big Ten and NCAA Wrestler of the Week for his performance in last week's win over Michigan – was unable to capture another top-five win on Friday. Greg Kerkvliet, the No. 1 wrestler at 285 pounds, was in complete control of the match, and the three-time All-American defeated Feldman 12-0 in a bout that went the distance.
Penn State defeated Ohio State, 28-9.
Up Next
Ohio State will travel to Piscataway, New Jersey, for a Big Ten dual with No. 14 Rutgers. The Buckeyes and Scarlet Knights will battle at 1 p.m. on Sunday at Jersey Mike's Arena. The dual will be streamed on B1G+.
