The Buckeye wrestlers, ranked No. 7 in the latest InterMat team dual index, are still licking their wounds after a tough loss on the road against Missouri last Saturday, but Friday night's match at Northwestern should help the Buckeyes move on.
Northwestern is unranked, undermanned, and likely outgunned when the Buckeyes come to town on Friday night. The match will take place on Friday night at 8 EST and will be streaming on BTN Plus ($).
Head Coach: Matt Storniolo
Storniolo was thrust into the head coaching position when Drew Pariano was unceremoniously ousted in late October, just days before the start of the season. Storniolo has been a part of the Northwestern staff since 2009 and has acted as an assistant coach until this season. Storniolo wrestled at both Penn State and Oklahoma, earning All-American honors on two occasions. Assisting Storniolo on Northwestern’s staff are Conor Beebee (Central Michigan) and NCAA runner-up Brandon Hatchett (Lehigh).
Ohioans on the Northwestern Roster:
133: Sammy Gross
Gross placed three times at the Ohio State Wrestling Tournament, earning two third place finishes and a championship for Beachwood High School. He amassed a 137-12 record in high school, but has yet to enter the starting lineup for the Wildcats.
HWT: Conan Jennings
Jennings was a runner-up at the state tournament for Centerville High School as a senior, losing a 3-2 decision. He is an accomplished Greco Roman wrestler and spent the last season working with my favorite non-Buckeye, four-time NCAA All-American Mike McMullan.
Notable Wrestlers
149: Jason Tsirtsis
Tsirtsis scored a pair of upsets at the 2014 NCAA tournament and won a 3-1 decision in overtime to win his first NCAA title as a champion at 149. His tournament run was not as fortunate last season and he lost in the semifinals before bouncing back for 3rd place. A redshirt junior, Tsirtsis is a two-time Big Ten champion and is the younger brother of Iowa All-American Alex Tsirtsis. Despite racking up a 71-5 record coming into this season, Tsirtsis has only wrestled one match in the current season, injuring himself in a losing effort. He has not competed since November 29th, and is unlikely to take the mat against the Buckeyes.
133: Dominick Malone
Malone has twice earned a berth to the NCAA tournament, going 1-2 each time. Malone is a four-year starter for the Wildcats, and has been the most consistent wrestler for Northwestern this season, boasting an 8-1 record with five pins.
141: Jameson Oster
Oster placed 7th at the Big Ten tournament a year ago and earned a trip to his first NCAA tournament. At the NCAA Championships, Oster won a major decision in the wrestlebacks, but was pinned twice and eliminated early on. He has 19 career pins in his 45 career victories.
Key Matches
| No. 6 Ohio State Buckeyes | Northwestern Wildcats | |
|---|---|---|
| 125 | Mike Manuche | Garrison White |
| 133 | No. 8 Johnni DiJulius | Dominick Malone |
| 141 | No. 9 Micah Jordan | Jameson Oster |
| 149 | Cody Burcher | No. 3 Jason Tsirtsis (if healthy) |
| 157 | No. 13 Jake Ryan | Bryce Brill (if healthy) |
| 165 | No. 2 Bo Jordan | Luke Norland |
| 174 | Dominic Prezzia/Myles Martin | Mitch Sliga |
| 184 | No. 11 Kenny Courts | Regis Durbin |
| 197 | Mark Martin | Jacob Berkowitz (if healthy) |
| HWT | No. 19 Nick Tavanello | Conan Jennings |
133: No. 8 Johnni DiJulius vs Dominick Malone
DiJulius has defeated Malone on several occasions earlier in his career. This dual should be no different. DiJulius could use a strong victory to wash the taste of his last match out of his mouth (DiJulius was winning against Synon of Missouri late in the match before being caught in a bodylock and pinned).
141: No. 9 Micah Jordan vs Jameson Oster
Like JDJ, Micah was winning late against his Missouri opponent, but yielded a late takedown and lost the match. Oster has NCAA tournament experience, but that shouldn’t do him any good against a vengeful Jordan.
165: No. 2 Bo Jordan vs Luke Norland
Jordan’s first shot at making 165 was successful against Missouri, though not as successful as anticipated. Daniel Lewis is a tough opponent and Bo’s 6-4 decision against him will not at all be reflected in what should be a dominating performance against Norland. Saying this is a key match is more to give Bo another chance to test himself in the cut to 165 than it is to be a closely-contested match. Bo will roll over Norland.
125: Mike Manuche vs Garrison White
Tomasello will not compete for the Buckeyes against Northwestern, but will instead travel to Las Vegas and attempt to earn a spot at the Olympic trials at the Senior Nationals. He’ll need to finish in the top seven at 57 kg to earn a spot at the Olympic team trials, which take place next April. Also competing in Las Vegas will be former Buckeye wrestlers Reece Humphrey and Logan Stieber.
184: No. 11 Kenny Courts vs Regis Durbin
To be blunt, Courts needs to score some bonus points for the Buckeyes to aid in pacifying his detractors. Even dominating Durbin will not entirely cause fans to forget Courts’ rocky road to date, but it’s a start.
Match Outlook
Northwestern’s program is a mess, to say the least. Their head coach was fired shortly before the season began without the reason of the firing being made public. The Wildcats have no depth to speak of, and it’s rumored that the university itself does not allow for the team to have more than a few backups. Northwestern is just 1-4 on the season, defeating only Franklin & Marshall while losing to Drexel, Princeton, Rider, and SIU-Edwardsville. The lack of depth on Northwestern’s roster has caused for them to forfeit weight classes due to injury in several instances. Tsirtsis is the lone bright spot on Northwestern’s team, and he is injured.
With the Buckeyes losing a heartbreaker against Missouri, they’re more than likely relieved to see Northwestern up next. The Buckeyes will take some time off for the holidays and resume Big Ten competition in January once they’ve dispatched the Wildcats.
