On Friday night, the Buckeyes advanced three wrestlers -- two freshmen and a senior three-time NCAA champion -- to the NCAA finals, and lead the team race at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in St. Louis with 86.5 points. Iowa sits in second place, 13.5 points behind Ohio State.
In addition to their three finalists, the Buckeyes have two wrestlers competing for medals on Saturday. Iowa has one finalist, Cory Clark (133), and five other wrestlers competing in the placement matches.
Cornell (66.5), Edinboro (64.5) and Missouri (60) round out the top five teams after Friday's competition.
Ohio State redshirt freshman Nathan Tomasello defeated Missouri's Alan Waters to reach the NCAA finals at 125 pounds (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Tomasello and Snyder are two of four freshmen to reach the NCAA finals. Joining them in the finals are fellow freshmen Zeke Moisey of West Virginia (125) and Isaiah Martinez of Illinois (157). Moisey and Snyder are true freshmen, while Tomasello and Martinez are redshirt freshmen.
Six No. 1 seeds reached the finals: Stieber (141), Missouri's Drake Houdashelt (149), Martinez (157), Oklahoma State's Alex Dieringer (165), Cornell's Gabe Dean (184) and North Carolina State's Nick Gwiazdowski (285).
Stieber, Dieringer, and Gwiazdowski are returning NCAA champions.
Two wrestlers who won titles last year as freshmen, Jason Tsirtsis of Northwestern (149) and J'den Cox of Missouri (197), lost in the semifinals.
Team Standings (Top 10):
1. Ohio State 86.5
2. Iowa 73
3. Cornell 66.5
4. Edinboro 64.5
5. Missouri 60
6. Penn State 58
7. Oklahoma State 55.5
8. Michigan 51
9. Minnesota 49
9. Nebraska 49
Finals Matchups:
125: No. 4 Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State) vs. Zeke Moisey (West Virginia)
133: No. 3 Cory Clark (Iowa) vs. No. 13 Cody Brewer (Oklahoma)
141: No. 1 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) vs. No. 2 Mitchell Port (Edinboro)
149: No. 1 Drake Houdashelt (Missouri) vs. No. 3 David Habat (Edinboro)
157: No. 1 Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) vs. No. 2 Brian Realbuto (Cornell)
165: No. 1 Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 6 Taylor Walsh (Indiana)
174: No. 2 Matt Brown (Penn State) vs. No. 8 Tyler Wilps (Pittsburgh)
184: No. 1 Gabe Dean (Cornell) vs. No. 7 Nate Brown (Lehigh)
197: No. 3 Kyven Gadson (Iowa State) vs. No. 4 Kyle Snyder (Ohio State)
285: No. 1 Nick Gwiazdowski (North Carolina State) vs. No. 6 Adam Coon (Michigan)
Here is a weight class-by-weight class summary of the 20 semifinal matches that occurred on Friday night.
125
Freshman Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State) knocked off top-seeded Alan Waters (Missouri), 4-2. It marked Waters' first loss of the season. After a scoreless first period, Tomasello chose to start the second period in neutral. The two wrestlers then went another period without scoring. In the third period Waters chose down and picked up a quick escape to go up 1-0. Tomasello responded with a takedown with 1:25 remaining in the match to go up 2-1. Waters escaped to even the score at 2-2. Then, in the closing seconds, Tomasello scored a takedown to win 4-2.
Unseeded true freshman Zeke Moisey (West Virginia) continued his unlikely run through the championship bracket, pinning No. 6 Thomas Gilman (Iowa) in 52 seconds. Moisey wasted little time, scoring a takedown off a single leg in the first 15 seconds. Gilman escaped quickly, and the WVU freshman attacked again and put Gilman to his back and secured the pin.
133
Cody Brewer (Oklahoma) reached the finals as the No. 13 seed. The Big 12 champion rolled to a 15-3 victory over previously unbeaten Chris Dardanes (Minnesota). Dardanes came out of the gates quickly, hitting a double leg takedown to go up 2-0. Brewer then escaped and scored a takedown of his own to take a 3-2 lead. Dardanes evened the score with an escape. But it was all Brewer the rest of the way. The 13th-seeded Sooner used a five-point move to go up 8-3 ... and the carnage continued as Brewer picked up another takedown and earned three more nearfall points to put the match out of reach.
No. 3 Cory Clark (Iowa) topped No. 7 Jimmy Gulibon (Penn State), 7-5, avenging a loss from earlier this season. After a scoreless first period, Gulibon chose down and reversed Clark to go up 2-0. Clark escaped to cut the deficit to 2-1. With 30 second left in the period, Clark registered a takedown to go up 3-2. He then rode out Gulibon for the rest of the period. Clark picked up an escape early in the third period, and then countered a Gulibon attack and converted it to a takedown to go up 6-2. Gulibon escaped and scored a late takedown, but it was too little too late.
141
Three-time NCAA champion Logan Stieber (Ohio State) was dominant from start to finish, earning a 12-2 major decision over unseeded freshman Kevin Jack (North Carolina State). Stieber scored two takedowns in the first period to lead 4-1. In the second period he added another takedown and three-point point nearfall. In the third period the Buckeye senior scored an early reversal and rode out Jack the rest of the way.
No. 2 Mitchell Port (Edinboro) cruised to a 14-2 major decision victory over No. 11 Chris Mecate (Old Dominion). Late in the first period Port used a reversal and nearfall to go up 7-2. The Edinboro senior added to his lead in the second period, picking up an escape and takedown to go up 10-2. He added a third-period takedown.
149
Top-seeded Drake Houdashelt (Missouri) shut out Chris Villalonga (Cornell), 4-0. Houdashelt scored a first-period takedown and added an escape in the second period and a riding time point.
No. 3 David Habat (Edinboro) edged defending NCAA champion Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern), 3-2. One takedown is all the Fighting Scot needed.
157
No. 2 Brian Realbuto (Cornell) advanced to the finals by injury default over Dylan Ness (Minnesota). The two wrestlers went back-and-forth early, with Realbuto picking up a takedown and Ness a reversal. But midway through the period Ness suffered an injury and was unable to continue.
Top-seeded freshman Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) remained undefeated on the season and punched a ticket to the NCAA finals with a 3-2 victory over James Green (Nebraska). The match was scoreless after the opening period. In the second period, Martinez rode Green and accumulated over a minute in riding time before being reversed to go down 2-0. Martinez escaped and the second period ended 2-1. Martinez earned another escape early in the third period, keeping his minute-plus riding time intact. He then fought off Green's attacks to win 3-2 after the additional riding time point was added.
165
No. 1 Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State) had little trouble in a 6-1 semifinal victory over No. 5 Bo Jordan (Ohio State). Dieringer, an NCAA champion last year at 157 pounds, picked up takedowns in each of the first two periods to lead 4-1 after two periods. He added an escape in the third period and an additional riding time point for the five-point victory.
No. 6 Taylor Walsh (Indiana) blanked No. 15 Ethan Ramos (North Carolina), 5-0. Walsh earned a first-period takedown and a second-period reversal to pace him to the victory.
174
No. 2 Matt Brown (Penn State) edged longtime rival Mike Evans (Iowa), 1-0. After no scoring in the first period, Brown earned an escape early in the second period, and the period ended 1-0 in favor of the PSU senior. Evans chose to start the third period in the neutral position, but was unable to break through Brown's defense.
Tyler Wilps (Pitt), seeded No. 8, picked up a takedown in sudden victory to edge No. 12 Kyle Crutchmer (Oklahoma State), 3-1. He becomes Pitt's first NCAA finalist since 2008 when Keith Gavin reached the finals in the same weight class.
184
Nathaniel Brown (Lehigh) reached the finals as the No. 7 seed, blanking Kenny Courts (Ohio State), 4-0. The match went scoreless after the first period. In the second period Brown escaped, and then countered a Courts attack and scored a takedown to lead 3-0. He then rode out Courts in the third period.
Top-seeded Gabe Dean (Cornell) edged No. 13 Vic Avery (Edinboro), 3-2, in the second tiebreaker. The two wrestlers traded escapes in the second and third periods. After no scoring in the first sudden victory period, the two traded escapes in the first tiebreaker period. The two went scoreless in the second sudden victory period. Then, in the second tiebreaker, both escaped again, but Dean held the advantage in riding time, which proved to the difference in the match.
197
Kyle Snyder (Ohio State) edged defending champion J'den Cox (Missouri), 3-2. Snyder scored an early takedown, but a couple Cox escapes made the match 2-2 after two periods. Snyder earned an escape early in the third period and then held on for the one-point victory.
No. 3 Kyven Gadson (Iowa State) reached the finals by defeating Conner Hartmann (Duke), 4-1. Gadson secured a takedown in the first period, escape in the second period and then added a riding time point in the third period.
285
Returning NCAA champion Nick Gwiazdowski (North Carolina State) will be looking to make it two straight titles after winning 6-3 over Connor Medbery (Wisconsin) in the semifinals. Gwiz broke open a 2-2 match in the third period with an escape, takedown and riding time point to win by three.
No. 6 Adam Coon (Michigan) upended No. 2 Mike McMullen (Northwestern), 3-1, in sudden victory, avenging a 7-6 loss from the Big Tens. Coon came out on top of a wild scramble in sudden victory to advance to the finals.
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