WRESTLING: NO. 2 OHIO STATE UNHORSES CAL BAPTIST LANCERS, 42-0
California Baptist University made the move to Division I competition this season, and the Lancers dominated their first dual meet, a 28-10 victory over Cal Poly. Ohio State's second-ranked wrestling squad, missing national title contenders Myles Martin and Kollin Moore, presented a much different challenge, however.
The Buckeyes won the meet handily, banking 10 straight matches en route to a 42-0 victory and improving to 2-0 on the season. Tom Ryan's squad was simply too talented for the Lancers, flexing their muscles in the first of a pair of dual meets in the scenic Southwest this weekend.
BUCKEYE BREAKDOWN
Even without Martin and Moore, both of whom are wrestling this weekend at the U23 World Freestyle Championships in Romania, Ohio State overpowered the Lancers from the outset.
Brakan Mead opened the dual with a solid decision at 125, racing out to a 7-1 lead over the first two periods, and finishing 8-4. That was the narrowest victory by the Buckeyes over a five-match span, as a quartet of Top-5 wrestlers poured on the points.
No. 5 Luke Pletcher, who made it his mission this season to open up his offense and put more points on the board, did just that in his match at 133 pounds. He looked well on his way to a tech fall with a series of takedowns and tilts in the first two periods, when midway through the second he forced Adam Velasquez's shoulders to the mat for the pin.
Joey McKenna, No. 2 in the country at 141, decided four-and-a-half minutes was simply too long to wrestle: he pinned his opponent in less than 90 seconds.
Micah Jordan, ranked No. 2 at 149, faced probably the toughest test of the night in Daxton Gordon, the reigning NCAA Division II Champion. Gordon put up a good fight, putting some points on the board, but ultimately didn't have enough horsepower to overcome Jordan's combination of brute strength and shifty quickness; Jordan took home a 13-6 decision.
At 157 pounds, Ke-Shawn Hayes put up one of the most impressive technical performances of the night, earning a 16-0 first-period tech fall with devastating work on top. Moving up to 157 this season after falling to Jordan in the team's wrestle-offs, Hayes appears to have put on quality weight and turned his opponent with ease, piling up the back points.
In the 165-pound match, Elijah Cleary, listed on the roster at 157, stepped in the lineup in place of Kaleb Romero, who opened the season as the presumed starter and wrestled as such versus Navy. Romero was listed as the probable starter for both duals this weekend as of Thursday afternoon, but Cleary took to the mat in Riverside.
The match was in essence a seven-minute stalemate, with each wrestler pocketing a single escape point. Riding time was the difference, as Cleary controlled his opponent long enough to earn the go-ahead point for the 2-1 decision.
Like Hayes at 157, Te'Shan Campbell was much too strong for his opponent at 174 pounds. Campbell, who moved up this season from 165, showed why he is considered one of the team's best on top, turning his man at will for near-fall after near-fall, finishing with an 18-0 tech fall.
Ethan Smith and Kevin Snyder each looked solid in relief for Martin and Moore, turning in strong offensive efforts and by and large defending well, too. Smith earned a 12-4 major decision and Snyder was a point off a major of his own, winning a 7-1 decision.
After starting Gary Traub versus Navy, Tom Ryan decided he saw enough from Chase Singletary at the Ohio Intercollegiate Open last weekend to give the redshirt freshman the start versus Cal Baptist. It proved to be a wise decision, as Singletary put forth a strong performance in his first start, earning a 10-0 major decision in the heavyweight match.
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