WRESTLING PREVIEW: NO. 2 OHIO STATE VS. NO. 11 ARIZONA STATE
Seven Buckeyes won their weight class last weekend at the Princeton Open, with the starting lineup holding serve against preseason-type competition. On Sunday, however, they'll open the dual meet season hosting a half-dozen ranked opponents as a highly-ranked Arizona State squad invades St. John Arena.
Arizona State might not be one of the first teams you think of when you think of wrestling powerhouses, but don't sleep on the Sun Devils. Led by top-ranked Zahid Valencia, the Sun Devils opened their season on the road in Ann Arbor on Friday night, losing narrowly to the No. 4 Wolverines, 21-18.
The Sun Devils won four of 10 matches, but two of their wins came on forfeit or injury. Valencia earned a 4-2 decision over No. 4 Myles Amine at 174, and 157-pound Pac-12 champion Josh Shields notched a 4-3 decision over No. 7 Alec Pantaleo. Beyond that, it was all Maize and Blue, underscoring the strength of the Big Ten's wrestling programs.
BUCKEYE BREAKDOWN
Ohio State comes into the meet fresh off a solid performance at Princeton, fielding a bevy of ranked wrestlers with lofty goals and high expectations of themselves. Half of the lineup appears in FloWrestling's "pound-for-pound" Top 20 rankings: No. 1 Kyle Snyder, No. 7 Nathan Tomasello, No. 14 Bo Jordan, No. 16 Myles Martin and No. 20 Kollin Moore.
Sunday will mark the seventh dual between Ohio State and Arizona State since their first meeting in 1985. The Buckeyes own a 4-2 advantage in the all-time series, riding a four-match winning streak after dropping a pair of home contests to the Sun Devils in 1985 and 1990.
The dual will mark Kyle Snyder's return to collegiate action. The reigning Olympic and world champion, who sat out at Princeton, will open his season against No. 4 Tanner Hall. Over the past two years, Snyder's rarely been tested in NCAA competition, and with the type of international season he's had over the past six months, his performance should be a treat for the home crowd.
Circle the 174-pound bout on your program as perhaps the most exciting of the afternoon. No. 3 Bo Jordan will take on Valencia. The Sun Devil superstar not only earned a victory at Michigan, but upset reigning national champion Mark Hall of Penn State in the NWCA All-Star Classic on Nov. 9.
"I wanted to get the win bad because of last year," Valencia said, referencing his 4-3 loss to Hall in last year's NCAA semifinals. "I was out there knowing that I was prepared, that I did all the right things, so I was just making sure that I stayed focused on my technique and wrestled my match; go out there and let it fly."
Entire article:
https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio...review-no-2-ohio-state-vs-no-11-arizona-state