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Ohio State Wrestling (2015/2017/2018 B1G Champs, 2015 National Champs, 2019 National Runners-up)

No. 6 OHIO STATE BUCKEYES at No. 1 PENN STATE
2/2/24 6:30pm BTN


125-No. 24 Brendan McCrone (R-Fr) or Vinny Kilkeary (Fr.) vs No. 3 Braeden Davis (Fr.)
133-No. 12 Nic Bouzakis (R-Fr.) vs No. 5 Aaron Nagao (So.)
141-No. 3 Jesse Mendez (So.) vs No. 2 Beau Bartlett (Sr.)
149-No. 9 Dylan D'Emilio (R-Sr.) vs No. 12 Tyler Kasak Fr.)
157-Isaac Wilcox (Sr.) vs No. 1 Levi Haines (So.)
165-No. 20 Bryce Hepner (R-Jr.) vs No. 7 Mitchell Mesenbrink (R-Fr.)
174-No. 11 Rocco Welsh (Fr.) vs No. 1 Carter Starocci (Sr.)
184-Ryder Rogotzke (Fr.) or Seth Shumate (R-Fr.) vs No. 5 Bernie Truax (Gr.)
197-No. 22 Luke Geog (R-Fr.) vs No. 1 Aaron Brooks (Sr.)
285-No. 12 Nick Feldman (R-Fr.) vs No. 1 Greg Kerkvliet (Sr.)

(InterMat Rankings)
 
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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.

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.

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.
 
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I wonder how the lower weights work out next year? Seems like a log jam but with talent.
Is it safe to assume Kilkeary takes 125 over McCrone? Do Jesse and Nic move up to make room for both?
I think Kilkeary/McCrone is a tossup, neither is probably going to get on the podium but they can pull of some nice wins. Nobody is committed that is coming in next year that can wrestle 125, unless Davino can somehow get down there (he is at 132 now, so I doubt it). So it is what it is at 125. I could see Bouzakis up to 141 and Mendez at 149, with Davino or Gonzales at 133.

On the PSU dual, we were never going to win that one but we wrestled well. Kilkeary absolutely got robbed, he won that match and the refs made one of the worst calls I have ever seen...clear takedown with control for almost 8 seconds and probably should have got 2 back points. Same goes for Mendez, there was no takedown in SV, yet the refs called it and didn't overturn it. Other than that, nice win for Bouzakis and Rogotzke continues to be a big-move machine pinning the #5 wrestler in the country. On to the next one.
 
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I think Kilkeary/McCrone is a tossup, neither is probably going to get on the podium but they can pull of some nice wins. Nobody is committed that is coming in next year that can wrestle 125, unless Davino can somehow get down there (he is at 132 now, so I doubt it). So it is what it is at 125. I could see Bouzakis up to 141 and Mendez at 149, with Davino or Gonzales at 133.

On the PSU dual, we were never going to win that one but we wrestled well. Kilkeary absolutely got robbed, he won that match and the refs made one of the worst calls I have ever seen...clear takedown with control for almost 8 seconds and probably should have got 2 back points. Same goes for Mendez, there was no takedown in SV, yet the refs called it and didn't overturn it. Other than that, nice win for Bouzakis and Rogotzke continues to be a big-move machine pinning the #5 wrestler in the country. On to the next one.

Was Ryder a highly ranked kid coming in, at least was he expected to be this good early on? I know he was down I think 9-3 at the time of the pin, but he seems to always wrestle up when the lights are bright. He's fun to watch.
 
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OSU looked worse beating RU than they did getting score stomped by PSU. With that said McCrone, Wilcox, Rocco, Geog and Feldman had important wins. Bouzakis took a silly loss but it was to an OH guy and I'm not bothered by the Rogotzke loss.

OSU only has IU and MSU left and then it's off to the B1G Tourney.
Definitely not our best dual performance of the year, but I thought overall we were solid. Lack of bonus points was surprising in several matches, which imo made it feel a little lackluster. The really disappointing performances were Bouzakis and D'Emilio. D'Emilio looks totally lost right now and is in a sharp decline at the wrong time, hope he can turn it around quick. Rogotzke I was fine with too, with his style matches like that can happen. Team is progressing nicely overall and the young guys are getting hair on their chest and improving for sure.
 
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