It has been said (probably by legendary goofball Yogi Berra) that you can’t win back to back NCAA wrestling championships without winning the first one first. Tom Ryan and the Buckeyes won the first NCAA wrestling title in the program’s history during what historians are now calling “The Year of the Buckeye” but the team will need to ward off some familiar foes if they hope to repeat.
Returning Starters
125 Nathan Tomasello
Tomasello was proof that good things come to those who wait. A blue-chip recruit out of high school, Tomasello redshirted during his first year on campus and then won a national championship as a redshirt freshman. Tomasello appeared to save his best wrestling for late in the season, rattling off 19 straight victories including two matches where he avenged earlier losses. Tomasello has already kicked off the season with a win over Zeke Moisey in the exhibition NWCA All-Star Classic.
133 Johnni DiJulius
JDJ has been a mainstay in the Buckeye lineup as a lightweight, qualifying for the NCAA tournament three times. While he has proven that he can hang with (and often defeat) some of the best wrestlers in the country, lack of consistency has often been the knock against JDJ. DiJulius will get one last crack at All-American status, but his work will be cut out for him in a very experienced weight class.133 Johnni DiJulius
149 Hunter Stieber
The younger Stieber has had an incredible career, but was seriously hampered by injury all last season and wrestled just 10 times all year. When he’s at full-strength, Stieber is an elite talent. When he is not at full-strength (see last season’s Big Ten tournament), Hunter is still a fantastic wrestler. Hunter has twice been an NCAA semifinalist. Perhaps now that’s he’s healthy, Hunter can take the next step and capture the NCAA title that has eluded him throughout his entire career.
165 Bo Jordan
Like Tomasello, Bo Jordan had fans eagerly anticipating his Buckeye debut throughout his redshirt season. Also like Tomasello, Jordan did not disappoint, losing just two matches all season en route to a 3rd place finish at the NCAA tournament. An impressive 61% of Bo’s victories earned team bonus points, but none helped the team more than his pin in the wrestleback finals (in just sixty seconds) to earn 3rd place at the NCAA tournament and all but guarantee a Buckeye team title. Bo could get the opportunity to avenge both of his losses as both NCAA champ Alex Dieringer and Big Ten champ Isaac Jordan will likely return to this weight class. The elder Jordan brother will begin the season at 174, but could drop to 165 if that will be more beneficial for the team.
174 Mark Martin
Martin has struggled with consistency throughout his career, but seemed to put it all together at the right time last year to place fifth in the toughest weight class in the Big Ten tournament. His knack for keeping matches close has been well-noted, allowing him to stay within striking distance late in nearly every match throughout his career. Martin has made the jump up to 197 lbs this season and could be in the running at the NCAA tournament.
184 Kenny Courts
Courts has been lauded by Coach Tom Ryan since his arrival in Columbus for having unreal potential. Kenny finally tapped into that potential on his way to the NCAA semifinals before earning his first ever All-American finish. A large number of familiar faces return at 184, but Courts is primed to lead the hunt for the Big Ten title.
Heavyweight Nick Tavanello
Tav was nearly an All-American two years ago, but was hampered by injuries last season. The top tier of the Big Ten heavyweights (excluding Coon and Medbery) graduated, so Tavanello could make a push for the podium if he is able to kick the injury bug.
Key Losses
141 Logan Stieber
I’ll just leave this here:
157 Josh Demas
Demas was a three-time NCAA qualifier and ended his career for the Buckeyes with a pair of 4th place finishes at the Big Ten tournament. His long arms allowed for some slick ankle picks, which I will really miss seeing now and then.
197 Kyle Snyder
Don’t panic! Snyder has said that he will return to wrestle for Ohio State. In the meantime, the Big Ten and NCAA runner-up (but WORLD CHAMPION, so he’s got that going for him, which is nice) will be honing his craft at the US Olympic Training Center to take a shot at the 2016 Olympics in Rio. After winning the WWC title, Snyder is in prime position to qualify for the US Olympic team and then do what most 20 year olds like to do and compete for an Olympic gold medal.
Key Additions
141/149 Ke-Shawn Hayes
Hayes will look to try and fill the enormous shoes left by Logan Stieber at 141 lbs. Hayes is a three-time state champion from Missouri, and won 31 of his 38 matches in a perfect senior season by pin or tech fall. Hayes was the 2013 Walsh Ironman champion (did not wrestle at the Ironman in 2014) and is an outstanding freestyler to boot. Intermat had him ranked at No. 3 in the country at 138 lbs, while Flowrestling had Hayes at No. 2. Hayes is likely to redshirt this season, but would slot in nicely at 141.
174/184 Myles Martin
Flowrestling’s No. 2 ranked 182 lb wrestler (No. 6 overall) in the country, Martin may try to emulate Kyle Snyder’s run last year as a true freshman by jumping right into the starting lineup. Martin hails from New Jersey, but attended McDonough School in Maryland, earning three Maryland state championships during a career that saw 171 victories (against only 15 losses). Martin won two Beast of the East titles, and has a great deal of freestyle accolades as well. Since most of the Big Ten’s mainstays at 174 lbs from the past several years have graduated, Martin may not be at a huge experience disadvantage in the conference should he earn the starting nod this season.
184/197 Kollin Moore
Intermat’s No. 6 ranked 182 lb wrestler in the country, Moore lost only a pair matches in his final two seasons, and both were in the state finals as a sophomore and junior. Moore completed a perfect 51-0 season as a senior, while not surrendering a single offensive point the entire year. Moore is a long, lanky wrestler and utilizes that length with some nice explosiveness to execute a variety of takedowns. Moore has been mentioned by the coaching staff as one that may be in the starting lineup at 197 lbs in Kyle Snyder’s absence.
125/133 Jose Rodriguez
A New Yorker initially, Rodriguez moved to wrestle at Massillon Perry as a sophomore and managed a pair of state titles in three finals appearances. Rodriguez beat UM recruit Austin Assad in each of his state championships, so he’ll have those bragging rights moving forward. Rodriguez was Intermat’s No. 9 ranked wrestler at 126 lbs, and will likely serve as Johnni DiJulius’ backup this year if the coaching staff opts to save his redshirt.
Other notable incoming freshmen include two-time state champion Troy Caldwell (Jonathan Alter HS) and Alex Sepeda of Marysville. Caldwell is an undersized heavyweight, but those who remember Tommy Rowlands, Kirk Nail, JD Bergman, and incumbent Nick Tavanello will know that undersized heavyweights have found success at Ohio State.
PROJECTED LINEUP
| 125 lbs | Nathan Tomasello |
| 133 lbs | Johnni DiJulius |
| 141 lbs | Micah Jordan |
| 149 lbs | Hunter Stieber (2nd semester)/ loser of 157 wrestle-off (1st semester) |
| 157 lbs | Jake Ryan or Cody Burcher |
| 165 lbs | Bo Jordan or Justin Kresevic |
| 174 lbs | Bo Jordan or Myles Martin |
| 184 lbs | Kenny Courts or Jack Rozema |
| 197 lbs | Mark Martin |
| HWT | Nick Tavanello |
Storylines to Watch
Fending Off The Hordes
The 2014-15 Buckeyes broke new ground by winning the program’s first NCAA team title and cleared the primo spot in the trophy case with the first Big Ten title in 64 years. The team will get a new view as lead dog in the pack, although it is going to have to enjoy the view without critical pieces from last year’s conquest. Penn State will be the strongest contender for the Big Ten title as NCAA runner-up Nico Megaludis and All-American Zain Retherford are returning from redshirt seasons to join an already tough team. Michigan is going to field their best team in years and Iowa and Minnesota are going to continue to be, well, Iowa and Minnesota. Nationally, Cornell, Oklahoma State, and Arizona State are going to all make a push for the team trophy in March.
Hunter’s Health
Hunter Stieber advanced to the semifinals in each of his first two NCAA tournaments, but was hampered by injury all last season. He showed another page in his playbook last season by placing 6th at the Big Ten tournament with one and then two horrifically injured elbows. The younger Stieber is able to beat anyone in the country when healthy, but the field at 149 is very crowded at the top. Since Hunter utilized a redshirt during the 2013-14 season, this is likely his last shot at winning the NCAA title that has eluded him.
Lineup Uncertainty
The Buckeyes are going to be incredibly stout at the light weights and quite experienced at 184 and 197. Aside from those, there will be a great deal of uncertainty. The returning starters are known entities and all of them have scored points at the NCAA tournaments to varying degrees. If the Buckeyes are to defend their Big Ten and NCAA titles, the unknowns will need to step up in a big way. Logan Stieber and Kyle Snyder each scored big points at both tournaments and their absence will be notable. Micah Jordan and Mark Martin will each score points throughout the year for the Buckeyes, but Stieber’s bonus points will be sorely missed. To hold off Oklahoma State, Iowa, Penn State, and others, the Buckeyes will need to see some other wrestlers step up in a big way.
