2021 NCAA Runner-Up Sammy Sasso (Photo Courtesy of Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com)Each Monday, Big Ten correspondent Cody Goodwin recaps the biggest results from around the Big Ten Conference - except this week, we're doing it on Wednesday. Happy Thanksgiving.
Nebraska - Kicked off Week 3 with an impressive 27-6 win over North Carolina on Wednesday, then followed with two (technically three) champs and two more finalists at the Daktronics Open. Shouts out to Mikey Labs and Christian Lance for winning Daktronics titles; to Ridge Lovett for his insane edge defense in a big win over All-American Zach Sherman; and, most notably, Peyton Robb, who was two seconds away from knocking off a pair of NCAA champs in the span of five days. He beat Austin O'Connor, decisively, on Wednesday, 5-2, and led Iowa State's David Carr, 5-3, in the final seconds of the Daktronics finals. Carr scored late to force sudden-victory and again to win it, but Robb's message landed loud and clear: He's back at 157 and ready to chew bubblegum and kick butt - and he's already all out of bubblegum. (Also, Silas Allred? Pretty, pretty good.)
Ohio State - Beat a very good Virginia Tech squad on Friday night, 17-13, then crushed Notre Dame College, 51-0, on Wednesday. But let's talk about that Buckeyes-Hokies dual for a moment, because things happened. Malik Heinselman beat Sam Latona, 5-2. Mekhi Lewis followed his Southeast Open title run by taking out an always-tough Ethan Smith, 6-4. Sammy Sasso showed that he whips a lot of ass when people actually decide to wrestle him and yet he still got Andonian'd a couple of times but managed to beat Bryce, 11-7, in the match of the night. Yes, even better than Tate Orndorff's dual-sealing 3-2 win over Nathan Traxler at heavyweight. Things definitely happened, and they were awesome. Here's hoping more things happen in more duals this season.
Penn State - Took down Army, 32-7, last Thursday. Roman Bravo-Young added to his career highlight reel in his 26-11 technical fall over Dominic Carone at 133. In the second period, Carone had RBY's leg in the air, and RBY did like a weird MMA somersault roll, but Carone held onto the leg and nearly turned it into a double, so, of course, RBY somersaulted AGAIN to clear Carone's grip, then sprinted around for a takedown with three seconds left.
BUT WAIT. THERE'S MORE.
In the third period, RBY tried to inside-trip out of a standing front-head position, but it didn't work, so Carone tried a re-shot, but then RBY stuffed him with head-and-hand defense and then literally bunny-hopped over him for a takedown that secured the technical fall. Wrestling RBY has to be an insanely maddening experience, because one, his defense is an underrated part of his game that we probably don't talk about enough, and two, there's a chance you could end up on the wrong end of a viral moment and you know the NCAA Wrestling and Big Ten Wrestling social media accounts are going to cycle those bad boys over and over and over again for the next decade, at least.
That reminds me of my buddy Russ Coleman (shoutout Park Hill!), who once wrestled Joey Dance at the Super 32 one year, and Dance super-ducked him into the 14th dimension. FloWrestling airs that takedown every single October as a sort of hype clip to get people pumped for the Super 32 again. Russ has never lived that down. Dominic Carone will never live either of these sequences down. These are the rules.
(Oh yeah, Penn State rolled otherwise, taking 8-of-10 weights and scoring bonus in five, including each of the last four from 174-285. Those guys continue to be the hot knife, and their opponents continue to be the butter.)
Iowa - Thumped Princeton, 32-12, even with a lineup that didn't include a lot of the A-guys. Jesse Ybarra (125), Cobe Siebrecht (149), Nelson Brands (174), Myles Wilson (184) and Zach Glazier (197) all started, and everybody but Glazier ended up winning (Ybarra by forfeit; Siebrecht and Wilson by technical fall; Brands by major). The one big-time matchup of the evening went to Princeton (Quincy Monday over Kaleb Young, 9-5, at 157) and the most surprising result was not Pat Glory not making weight, but actually Jack Del Garbino rolling off his back and pinning Tony Cassioppi on the edge in the first period at heavyweight, stunning the sold-out-but-not-actually-sold-out Carver-Hawkeye Arena so much that some probably dropped their Carver Cones.
Michigan - Won twice this weekend, 34-3 over Columbia on Friday, then 31-3 over Buffalo on Sunday. The Wolverines won the last nine against Columbia, and the first nine against Buffalo - so, technically, 18-straight wins, if you're into that kind of thing. Will Lewan made his season debut at 157 and won twice, 12-2 over Columbia's Kyle Mosher and 4-3 over Buffalo's Ty Caines. Pat Nolan and Cole Mattin split duties at 141 (both won). Dylan Ragusin (133), Jelani Embree (184) and Pat Brucki (197) all scored double-digit points in each of their two matches over the weekend. The Michigan football team might need some of that same firepower this weekend, as well as your prayers.
Purdue - Hosted the Boilermaker Duals on Sunday and rolled to three victories, 42-0 over Brown, 28-15 over Duke, 28-10 over Northern Illinois. In total, Purdue won 24 of 30 matches. Five Purdue wrestlers went 3-0: Devin Schroder (125), Matt Ramos (133), Parker Filius (141), Kendall Coleman (157) and Thomas Penola (197). Penola also scored 19 takedowns across his three matches, is now 6-0 this season, and he's put up at least 20 points in three of those matches. The Boilermakers' shutout win over Brown was their first since 2014, and it was also their first time scoring 40 team points since 2012.
Minnesota - Lost to a salty Oklahoma State squad, 23-10, on Saturday night. The Cowboys led 10-6 at the break, then won four in a row from 165-197 - the biggest results: Dustin Plott's 5-1 win over Jared Krattiger at 174, Dakota Geer's 3-1 overtime win over Isaiah Salazar at 184 - to pull away. Trevor Mastrogiovanni also picked up an upset win, 9-4 over Patrick McKee, at 125, and Oklahoma State received bonus points from both Daton Fix (133) and AJ Ferrari (197). Perhaps the best news for Minnesota was that Brayton Lee looked great in a 15-9 win over Wyatt Sheets in a battle of All-Americans at 157, and Gable Steveson made his season debut and promptly blew through Luke Surber 20-7 behind nine takedowns.
Michigan State - Won the team title at Navy Classic with 129 team points, 3.5 ahead of second-place Ohio and seven ahead of the host school. RayVon Foley (125) and Peyton Omania (149) both took first and Layne Malczewski (184) and Cam Caffey (197) both took second. This was Omania's season debut, and he went 4-0 with two pins and a major. Foley outscored his three opponents 29-7. The Spartan football team could've used that kind of firepower this weekend.
Maryland - Fell to a stout Pitt team, 26-7, on Monday night, and again, the trend of close losses continues. The Terps won just two matches - Dom Solis scored an 11-2 major at 174, and Kyle Cochran won 4-0 at 184 - but in the eight they lost, four were by two points or fewer and, even more, three of those were in sudden victory. It's still early, but if Maryland can flip a few of those from time to time, I gotta think that might help their overall confidence and morale.
Illinois - Sent some dudes to the Lindenwood Open. Some of them won matches, some of them lost matches. Fun times were had by those who won, frustration (and perhaps *some* growth) was had by those who did not.
Indiana - Also sent some dudes to Lindenwood. Times were also had. (We are still keeping track of Donnell Washington's Hodge Trophy bid, by the way. Don't think we forgot.)
Rutgers - Sent six guys to the Navy Classic, and they did things. Also sent seven guys to the Shorty Hitchcock Memorial Open, and they did things, too. They didn't do the same things as Heinselman and Sasso and the gang in Columbus, but they did do things.
Wisconsin and Northwestern did not compete this weekend.
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