Luke Pletcher kicked off his senior season in high-style, upending the top-ranked wrestler in the country at 141-pounds, Dom Demas of Oklahoma. The Latrobe, Penn., native was named Big Ten Co-Wrestler of the Week after winning the Michigan State Open Saturday in East Lansing.
The Buckeye captain opened his campaign with a 5-0 record, including wins over a pair of ranked opponents, including the former No. 1. Purdue’s Kendall Coleman shares the honor after also winning an MSU Open title Saturday.
He took care of business versus Demas in the championship match with an escape on his turn in the referee’s position before riding Demas the complete 30 seconds in the tie-breaker rounds, securing the 2-1 win and the title. That win reshuffled the national standings at 141, with FloWrestling moving him from No. 3 to No. 1 in their rankings.
Three is a new # at 141 pounds this week and he wears Scarlet & Gray.
— Ohio State Wrestling (@wrestlingbucks) November 5, 2019
Eight Buckeyes in total are nationally-ranked heading into Week 2 of the 2019-20 season.#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/KYX0p6gtJd
Pletcher also posted a 15-5 major decision over the 12th-ranked 133-pounder in the country, Dylan Duncan of Illinois, in the semifinals. He earned bonus points in his first three bouts, including a pair of pins.
Ohio State hosts its home opener – its first dual in the new Covelli Center – Sunday, Nov. 10, at 7 p.m. versus Stanford.
