TOURNAMENT BREAKDOWN
Approximately 300-400 wrestlers from 35-40 programs will participate in the double-elimination tournament. The wrestlers will compete for the Top 8 placings with no team score kept.
Participating schools from last year included Big Ten programs Michigan State, Michigan, and Northwestern, as well as Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Ohio University, Kent State, Northern Illinois, Pittsburgh and Findlay.
Log on to msuspartans.com for complete results and tournament information.
MICHIGAN STATE OPEN 2004
As the top seed at 197 pounds, J.D. Bergman claimed the tournament title, while T.J. Enright scored his second-consecutive tournament crown at 133 en route to being named outstanding wrestler for the open. Overall, eight Buckeyes placed, including six freshmen.
As a true freshman, Keegan Mueller made his first appearance as a Buckeye and took fourth place at 157 pounds. Fellow freshman Jason Johnstone also made his OSU debut with an eighth-place finish at 149. Another freshman, J Jaggers, defaulted to sixth place because of injury. At 165, Zach Craiglow took fifth place after benefiting from a win via injury default in his final match.
COACHING CHANGES AND ADDITIONS
Head coach Russ Hellickson announced the addition of Jim Humphrey, a former Buckeye and Ross Thatcher to the OSU wrestling staff. Humphrey replaces four-time OSU All-American Tommy Rowlands as the volunteer assistant coach and will head the Ohio International Wrestling Club based in Columbus. Rowlands will move to Director of Program Operations and Thatcher is the Program Director for Recruiting and Conditioning.
"The changes in our staff give our team phenomenal depth," Hellickson, who is entering his 20th year at the helm of the Buckeyes, said.
Humphrey owns an extensive wrestling background that includes All-America honors and a 1972 Big Ten Championship at 134. A member of the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame, Humphrey is a five-time freestyle national champion, as well as the 1977 World Games silver medalist. Humphrey also holds an impressive head coaching resume that consists of leading the 1984 Canadian Olympic Team and the 1988 U.S. Olympic squad. In the collegiate ranks, Humphrey was the head coach at Indiana from 1984-1989. Both of Humphrey's sons, Jordin and Reece, are members of the 2005-06 Buckeye squad.
Thatcher, who will serve as Humphrey's assistant at the Ohio International Wrestling Club, was a Penn State letterwinner from 1997-2000 and served as an assistant coach at PSU from 2000-2003. While with the Nittany Lions, Thatcher was named team captain and garnered All-America honors.
Following his time at Penn State, Thatcher wrestled for the New York Athletic Club, where he was a two-time Sunkist International Open Champion, New York Athletic International Open Champion, Dave Schultz International Open Champion and North East Regional Outstanding Wrestler and Champion. A two-time Ohio state champion and a three-time Ohio state finalist at Bishop Ready High School in Columbus, Thatcher won bronze as a member of the 2001 U.S. Pan American team and was a member of the U.S. University World squad.
Rowlands, who is training as an Olympic hopeful for the 2008 games, graduated from Ohio State as the most decorated wrestler in the history of the program with four All-America accolades and two heavyweight national championships (2002 and 2004). During the summer, Rowlands won gold at the World University Games, becoming the fifth U.S. wrestling gold medalist in the history of the games. Earlier in 2005, Rowlands earned a silver medal at the Yarygin Memorial tournament in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, and followed his second-place performance with a bronze medal showing at the Cerro Pelado tournament in Cuba.
Mitch Clark and Ken Ramsey return as Buckeye assistants. Clark will enter is eighth year and Ramsey will serve his 12th.
PRESEASON RANKINGS
Buckeye wrestlers T.J. Enright, J Jaggers and Kirk Nail earned Top 20 preseason rankings in amateur wrestling publications W.I.N. Magazine, Intermat.com and WrestlingMall.com.
Enright, who jumped from the 133 to 141 weight class, is 16th in both the WrestlingMall.com and W.I.N. Magazine polls. Jaggers holds down the 19th spot at 149 in W.I.N. Magazine and Nail is 15th at heavyweight in W.I.N. Magazine and WrestlingMall.com. Nail is 19th in the Intermat.com standings and also cracked the Top 20 in the USA Today/National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) poll at No. 20.
2005-06 REDSHIRTS
All-American J.D. Bergman, Jason Johnstone and Keegan Mueller will redshirt the 2005-06 season.
Bergman qualified for the 2005 NCAA championships after placing second at 197 in the Big Ten championships. During his freshman campaign, the Oak Hills, Ohio, native earned All-America honors after placing third in nationals in 2004.
As a freshman last season, Johnstone placed eighth at the MSU Open in the 149 weight class to start the season. The Massillon, Ohio, native switched to 141 after an injury to classmate J Jaggers and preceded to knock off nationally-ranked wrestlers Rene Hernandez (No. 20), 9-5, at the Purdue dual and No. 14 Tyler Laudon of Wisconsin, 6-3.
Mueller wrestled all but one match at 157 in the 2004-05 regular season as a freshman. The Dallas, Texas, native assumed the 165 slot at the Big Ten championships after facing a ranked wrestler in five of the last seven dual meets last season.
STRENUOUS SCHEDULE
Nine of the Buckeyes' 14 dual meet opponents are ranked in the Top 25 of the USA Today/NWCA Preseason polls.
Michigan leads the way at No. 3, with No. 4 Illinois and No. 6 Minnesota rounding out the Top 10. Northwestern and Penn State are ranked back-to-back at No. 11 and No. 12, respectively.
Missouri, which opens Ohio State's dual meet schedule, is 14th. Big Ten opponents, Wisconsin and Indiana hold down the 15th and 16th spots, while Pittsburgh is 20th.
GOLDEN BOY
Buckeye director of program operations Tommy Rowlands recently captured the gold medal in the 120 kg (264.5 pounds) freestyle weight class at the Clansmen International in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, Nov. 5.
Rowlands also won gold at the 2005 World University Games August 14 in Izmir, Turkey. Rowlands, who competed in the 211.5-pound (96kg) freestyle weight class, claimed his fourth medal, including his first gold, for Team USA in four competitions since completing his OSU career in 2004.
"I knew it was going to be a lot of fun," Rowlands said after his win at the World games. "My whole goal was to take the crowd out of it right away. I scored that three-point move in the first 30 seconds of the first period and that was big."
FORMER BUCKEYE JOHN CLARK HIRED AT STANFORD
Former Ohio State wrestler John Clark accepted an assistant coaching position at Stanford University Aug. 26.
Clark, who lettered at Ohio State from 2001-2004, is a two-time All-American, becoming the ninth Buckeye to earn multiple All-America honors after placing sixth and fifth, respectively, at the 2003 and 2004 NCAA Championships. A 2004 team captain, Clark finished his OSU tenure fourth in career wins (134) and is third all-time in takedowns (486) and team points (432.0). Clark joins OSU's Tommy Rowlands and Adam DiSabato as the only Buckeye wrestlers to reach 400 career takedowns and 400 team points.
2005-06 OUTLOOK
Ohio State is embarking upon a daunting task of facing the challenges of the 2005-06 campaign as a young and inexperienced team. However, Russ Hellickson, who is entering his 20th season as OSU head coach, and the Buckeyes refuse to use youth as an excuse. Hellickson's team will try to become a Top 20 squad in the nation by the end of the season, as well as a Big Ten contender. For Ohio State, the challenge to improve from an 8-11 dual mark and a 1-7 conference record in 2004-05 will depend on the mindset of a group that is composed of 18 true and redshirt freshmen, nine sophomores, seven juniors and four seniors. A pair of sophomores in T.J. Enright and Kirk Nail is expected to lead this developing squad, as both qualified for the NCAA championships, along with junior J.D. Bergman, who will be redshirting this season.
"We are a team dominated by freshmen and sophomores," Hellickson said. "But that is no excuse. We have to be competitive because there is a lot of talent here. We may be a young team, but we can't act like it."
TIMING IS EVERYTHING
The Buckeyes will be forced to confront the reality they do not have much time to develop their skills and prove their talents on the mats. With a tough upcoming schedule, many will receive a fresh start at the collegiate ranks. However, Ohio State is prepared to bring its work ethic to a higher level, which can produce All-Americans by the end of the season, Hellickson said. The Buckeyes missed out on All-America accolades last year, but that is of little worry to Hellickson and Co. The 40-time producer of OSU All-Americans predicts Ohio State can garner multiple All-America candidates at the conclusion of the year, fulfilling an expectation that eluded the Buckeyes last season.
"With the challenge in front of them, there is no time for adjustment," Hellickson said. "They have to think like seasoned veterans and act like they have been at the top before."
There also will be greater expectations for the four seniors returning to the team. The senior class, comprised of Nathaniel Augustson, Brent Billet, Nathan Costello and Steve Sommer is presented with the same situation many of the underclassmen will work through; "they will have to do more than their experience would dictate they are capable of doing," Hellickson said.
Augustson was a mainstay at 174 and was voted "Most Dedicated" by his teammates last season, leading the team in reversals (18) and was third in takedowns (53) and team points (48). Billet will step up at 184 after serving in a reserve role last season. Costello (125) recorded his best statistics to date at the collegiate level in 2004-05, registering career highs in wins (8), takedowns (30) and team points (28.5). At 157, Sommer also competed for Ohio State in a reserve role last year, but he too is predicted to be a stronghold in the 2005-06 starting lineup.
Adam Huddle, Jordin Humphrey, Jermaine Jones, Alex Picazo and Steve Wolery make up a sound junior class. Huddle will return after spending majority of last season as a back-up. Humphrey who transferred to Ohio State and Jones, who did not compete for the Buckeyes last season, will battle teammate Costello for the start at 125. At 184, Picazo recorded career highs last season in wins (14), dual wins (6), takedowns (43) and team points (30.5). Wolery received the starting nod at 149 in 2004-05 as a walk-on.
UNDAUNTED UNDERCLASSMEN
Several sophomores, many redshirt freshmen from a year ago and numerous true freshmen will be thrust into action in 2005-06. In addition to qualifying for the NCAA championships, Enright, who will be jumping from 133 to 141, finished sixth at the Big Ten championships and was ranked in the Top 20 throughout the season, including a ranking as high as 11th. James King will compete for the starting role at 165 with Augustson and redshirt freshman Charlie Clark. Nail will be the go to guy at HWT after a successful 2004-05 campaign in which he finished eighth at the Big Ten championships before qualifying for the NCAA championships.
Corey Morrison will vie for the starting spot at 197 with fellow freshman James Aston, who competed for the 2005 football Buckeyes. Reece Humphrey, the younger brother of Jordin, is projected to handle the reigns at 133, while J Jaggers, Blake Maurer and Eric Wanner should receive a start at 149, 174 and 133, respectively.
"We have two good recruiting classes that will fortify what the seniors will bring to the table," Hellickson said.
A LOOK BACK: 2004-05 SEASON REVIEW
Ohio State featured a line up that consisted of up to seven freshmen in 2004-05. The Buckeyes started the dual season with a 1-3 record, but rolled to five-consecutive wins after the first of the year. OSU went 4-0 as host of the Buckeye Duals before hitting the road and knocking off then-No. 25 Pittsburgh, 20-17.
The Pittsburgh win would be the last, however, until the final dual of the season, when the Buckeyes topped Penn State, 21-17, in University Park, Pa. In the midst of the losing streak, the Buckeyes dropped tight decisions to Purdue, Wisconsin and Minnesota.
In tournament action, T.J. Enright became the first Buckeye freshman to win his first two events when he took first place at the Oklahoma Gold Classic and the Michigan State Open. All-American J.D. Bergman also performed well in tournament fields with a first-place finish at the MSU Open, a third-place stand at the Las Vegas Invitational and a second-place finish at Midlands. Bergman, who will be redshirting in 2005-06, closed the season with a runner-up performance at the Big Ten championships.
UP NEXT
Ohio State is back in action at the Las Vegas Invitational Dec. 2-3. The Buckeyes will compete at the Cashman Center before kicking off their dual meet schedule at Missouri at 2 p.m. Dec. 11 at the Hearnes Center in Columbia, Mo.
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