World Champion. Olympic Gold Medalist. Two-time Big Ten heavyweight champion. Two-time undefeated NCAA champion.
Buckeye redshirt junior Kyle Snyder added another accolade to his resume on Saturday night as he won his second-consecutive NCAA championship with a victory over Wisconsin's behemoth heavyweight Connor Medbery, 6-3, on Saturday night.
Snyder struck first with a takedown early in the match, but Medbery didn't make it easy. Snyder switched to a double leg while Medbery locked around Snyder's waist. The Buckeye earned the takedown by lifting the much larger Medbery.
Snyder earned a penalty point for Medbery fleeing the mat to avoid a Snyder takedown. Snyder added another takedown and an escape to his total, while Medbery earned a takedown of his own late in the match.
With the 6-3 decision, Snyder caps off a second-consecutive perfect season with an NCAA title.
“I’m just happy I could wrestle well and represent Ohio State well,” said Snyder. “I’m excited about the future of improvement, just becoming a better wrestler, but that was a pretty awesome environment. Very grateful that I could compete in front of all those people.”
Many wrestlers can only dream of the many things Snyder has accomplished but he will get another opportunity to add to his list next season as he will still have another year of eligibility left to wrestle for the Buckeyes.
Snyder will now take a backseat from competing and switch into a teammate role as fellow Buckeye Bo Jordan will wrestle for his first NCAA title later on this evening at 174.
| Round | Opponent | School | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| ROUND ONE | JAKE GUNNING | BUFFALO | W, 25–10 (Tech Fall) |
| ROUND of 16 | #16 GARRETT RYAN | COLUMBIA | W, 24–7 (Tech Fall) |
| QUARTERFINALS | #8 MICHAEL KROELLS | MINNESOTA | W, 13–7 |
| SEMIFINALS | #4 JAKE KASPER | DUKE | W, 19–6 (Major Decision) |
| CHAMPIONSHIP | #2 CONNOR MEDBERY | WISCONSIN | W, 6–3 |
