Ohio State's Bo Jordan is ranked No. 3 at 174 pounds (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Following No. 4 Iowa's win over No. 5 Oklahoma State, coach Tom Brands said that his team was "trying to get to the next category, and that means Penn State and Ohio State." The Hawkeye's will get that chance against No. 2 Ohio State on Sunday at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio. The dual could feature up to 17 ranked wrestlers. The following is a weight-by-weight preview of the dual meet. The lineups are a prediction of each team's best squad.
125: No. 6 Spencer Lee (Iowa) vs. No. 1 Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State)
Last weekend against Oklahoma State, Lee picked up his biggest win of the season. He got out to an early lead against No. 7 Nick Piccininni with a first-period takedown and tilt. Lee then held on for a decision victory. So far this season, Lee has also picked up victories over No. 19 Travis Piotrowski (Illinois) and No. 11 Sean Russell (Edinboro).
Tomasello spent the first semester on the shelf after suffering an injury in the finals of the U23 World Team Trials. Since coming back, he has picked up a pair of technical falls. In his first match back, he defeated Brandon Cray (Maryland). Tomasello then dominated returning NCAA finalist No. 4 Ethan Lizak (Minnesota) last weekend.
Even though Lee got his hand raised against Piccininni, he appeared to fade severely down the stretch. Tomasello always wrestles with a high pace. He showed in his last match that he can go for the finish when he senses his opponent is gassing. If Lee's issues were due to a weight cutting issue, he has the talent to pull off the upset. However, the smart money remains on the Buckeye.
Prediction: Tomasello (Ohio State) dec. Lee (Iowa)
133: Paul Glynn (Iowa) vs. No. 2 Luke Pletcher (Ohio State)
Iowa sent out Phil Laux against No. 3 Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State). His goal was to keep it close, but he ended up giving up the same takedown on multiple occasions and lost via major decision. Laux is not even listed as a possible starter in the Iowa match notes. Glynn should get the nod since he is coming off a fall over Matt Santos (Michigan State).
Pletcher is undefeated this season, and he has passed every test placed in front of him including No. 13 Ali Naser (Arizona State), No. 10 Josh Terao (American), No. 9 Montorie Bridges (Wyoming) and No. 5 Stevan Micic (Michigan). The only knock against him has been his lack of bonus. In his 19 victories so far this season, he has only picked up bonus points twice.
This will likely be a close yet one-sided match. Pletcher might not be able to run up the points, but he will do enough to win and keep momentum for Ohio State.
Prediction: Pletcher (Ohio State) dec. Glynn (Iowa)
141: Carter Happel/Vince Turk (Iowa) vs. No. 11 Joey McKenna (Ohio State)
Iowa went back to Vince Turk against Oklahoma State. He kept it close against No. 5 Dean Heil but ultimately dropped the decision. Neither wrestler has grabbed hold of the starting spot with both losing seemingly winnable matches when given the opportunity.
Last weekend, McKenna lost for the first time this season. He gave up two four-point turns against No. 10 Tommy Thorn (Minnesota) and lost 13-3. Prior to that loss McKenna had won all six of his matches with his best result being a technical fall overly former ranked Ryan Diehl (Maryland).
McKenna has always been a conservative offensive wrestler. Against guys who can put up points this can get him into trouble. However, Happel and Turk have not shown that ability so far this season. Iowa is probably hoping that their guy can keep this to a decision, and he might be able to do just that.
Prediction: McKenna (Ohio State) dec. Happel (Iowa)
149: No. 2 Brandon Sorensen (Iowa) vs. No. 6 Ke-Shawn Hayes (Ohio State)
Sorensen came out of his shell last weekend and gave his team five points with a technical fall over No. 15 Boo Lewallen (Oklahoma State). It was his third tech this season, which matches his season total from last year. Sorensen holds an undefeated record and has defeated No. 13 Eleazar Deluca (Rutgers), No. 8 Jason Tsirtsis (Arizona State) and No. 3 Justin Oliver (Central Michigan).
Hayes has looked solid this season after missing most of last year with an injury. Two weekends ago, he dropped his second match of the season against Rutgers. Hayes had a lead against Deluca, but he allowed multiple throws, which let the Scarlet Knight wrestler comeback to win the match 12-6. Hayes bounced back last weekend with a major decision over Ben Brancale (Minnesota). He has also defeated No. 20 Michael Sprague (American), No. 10 Colton McCrystal (Nebraska), No. 9 Matt Kolodzik (Princeton) and No. 7 Max Thomsen (Northern Iowa).
Sorensen should be a favorite over anyone outside of No. 1 Zain Retherford (Penn State) this season. If he continues to show the motor he did against Oklahoma State, he might put up bonus in this bout. It is more likely that he regresses to the mean and take this one via one-sided decision.
Prediction: Sorensen (Iowa) dec. Hayes (Ohio State)
157: No. 2 Michael Kemerer (Iowa) vs. No. 6 Micah Jordan (Ohio State)
Kemerer seems to have grown into the 157-pound weight class. At times last season, he appeared to be undersized, and he still ended up finishing third at the NCAA tournament. This season, Kemerer has gone 15-0 with an 80 percent finish rate. He holds victories over No. 7 Josh Shields (Arizona State), No. 16 BJ Clagon (Rider) and No. 9 Clayton Ream (North Dakota State).
Jordan moved up in weight for his third straight season. So far this season, he has gone 17-2. His two losses came against Shields, which he later avenged, and No. 5 Alec Pantaleo (Michigan). Jordan has defeated No. 19 Jake Short (Minnesota) and No. 20 Mike D'Angelo (Princeton).Kemerer has established himself as a clear No. 2 at this weight class. He has opened up his scoring from the top position, and it has helped increase his bonus rate. Jordan is a solid fundamental wrestler, but he will struggle to keep pace with Kemerer.
Prediction: Kemerer (Iowa) dec. Jordan (Ohio State)
165: No. 8 Alex Marinelli (Iowa) vs. No. 13 Te'Shan Campbell (Ohio State)
Against Oklahoma State, Marinelli picked up the biggest win of his budding college career. He took home a 5-2 decision over No. 9 Chandler Rogers. The win improved his season record to 8-0. He has also twice defeated No. 12 Richie Lewis (Rutgers).
Campbell has dropped back-to-back matches against Lewis and No. 10 Nick Wanzek (Minnesota). He has gone 13-4 this season with ranked wins coming over No. 17 Andrew Fogarty (North Dakota State), No. 15 Anthony Valencia (Arizona State) and No. 11 Isaiah White (Nebraska).
165 in the Big Ten is an extremely deep weight class. Marinelli has passed every test so far, but the schedule only gets tougher from here. Campbell has the ability to score from distance. Marinelli will need to close the distance and tie up. If he can do that, he should be able to control the pace and take a decision.
Prediction: Marinelli (Iowa) dec. Campbell (Ohio State)
174: Joey Gunther (Iowa) vs. No. 3 Bo Jordan (Ohio State)
Gunther has gone 11-3 since surprisingly locking up the 174-pound starting job in preseason. Despite the record, he is still looking for a signature win. His last match was his first against a ranked opponent this season and he dropped a 3-1 decision against No. 14 Jacobe Smith (Oklahoma State).
Outside of a pair of losses against No. 1 Zahid Valencia (Arizona State), Jordan has been undefeated on the season. Since falling against Valencia in the finals of the Cliff Keen Invitational, the Ohio State wrestler has won four straight matches including two major decisions and a fall.
Jordan should be a clear favorite in this match. He should be able to get to his attacks and score consistently on the feet against Gunther. It will be interesting to see if the Iowa wrestler can keep it close and avoid bonus points.
Prediction: Jordan (Ohio State) maj. dec. Gunther (Iowa)
184: No. 20 Mitch Bowman/Patrick Downey (Iowa) vs. No. 2 Myles Martin (Ohio State)
With the start of the graduate school semester, it seems as if the former Iowa State All-American is ready to finally join the Iowa lineup. However, nothing has been confirmed at this point, and Downey is not listed in the Iowa match notes. Against Oklahoma State, Bowman picked up his biggest win of the season when he knocked off Keegan Moore. With the win, Bowman finds himself in the InterMat rankings for the first time.
Martin has gotten off to a very strong start in his junior season. He has won all 19 of his matches and picked up bonus points in 89 percent of those wins. Martin has already defeated No. 15 Bryce Carr (Chattanooga), No. 7 Taylor Venz (Nebraska) and No. 5 Domenic Abounader (Michigan).
Bowman has been competitive this season, but Martin is on another level. If Iowa sends him out, he might struggle to not give up bonus. Downey would be another story. He clearly has the talent, plus his skill set is is heavily focused on upper body throws. That would give him an advantage against Martin who also likes to throw.
Prediction: Martin (Ohio State) maj. dec. Bowman (Iowa)
197: No. 5 Cash Wilcke (Iowa) vs. No. 1 Kollin Moore (Ohio State)
Wilcke has transformed himself from a fringe NCAA qualifier to someone who has a legitimate shot to become an All-American this year. He is coming off his first loss of the season against No. 3 Preston Weigel (Oklahoma State). Prior to that loss, Wilcke had won 13-straight matches including wins over No. 18 Patrick Brucki (Princeton) and No. 8 Frank Mattiace (Penn).
Last season, Moore was clearly the third best wrestler at 197 behind Brett Pfarr (Minnesota) and J'den Cox (Missouri). This year, they are both gone, and Moore has been dominant. He has gone undefeated through 15 matches and picked up bonus in 60 percent of those matches. Moore holds victories over No. 15 Scottie Boykin (Chattanooga), No. 2 Jared Haught (Virginia Tech) and Brucki.
These two wrestled twice last season and Moore won both meetings. However, Wilcke did close the gap a bit. Moore won via 19-7 major decision in the dual meet match, but he only won 10-5 at the Big Ten Championships. With that being said, Moore should be the favorite to win this one.
Prediction: Moore (Ohio State) dec. Wilcke (Iowa)
285: No. 3 Sam Stoll (Iowa) vs. No. 1 Kyle Snyder (Ohio State)
After Stoll's last two seasons ended with injuries, Iowa fans were cautiously optimistic about the junior's chances this year. So far things are looking good. He has won all 13 of his matches and defeated the likes of No. 4 Tanner Hall (Arizona State) and No. 10 Derek White (Oklahoma State).
The world and Olympic champion is back for his final season of college wrestling. As expected, Snyder has won all four of his matches so far this season. In those matches, he has picked up three falls and a technical fall.
Snyder will be the favorite in every match he wrestles this season. He will likely be able to land multiple takedowns against Stoll. The only real question is if he will be able to land enough to run the score up to a technical fall.
Prediction: Snyder (Ohio State) maj. dec. Stoll (Iowa)
Dual Meet Prediction: Ohio State 24, Iowa 9
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now