Ohio State’s Micah Jordan wrestles Michael Kemerer in the dual-meet against Iowa on Jan. 21 in the Schottenstein Center. Credit: Jack Westerheide | Managing Editor for Design
It was a comfortable win for the Buckeyes on Sunday, as 19 wrestlers entered and nine walked away as champions in the Ohio Intercollegiate Open.
Sunday afternoon saw the Ohio State wrestling team, fresh off a dominant performance in its opener against Navy, put on another impressive display. 13 out of the 19 competitors for the Buckeyes reached the finals, and nine of those were able to end the day with gold around them.
In what became an Ohio State vs. Ohio State championship bout in four out of the possible 10 weight classes, the winners of the accolades included junior Luke Pletcher (133 lbs), redshirt senior Micah Jordan (149 lbs) and redshirt junior Ke-Shawn Hayes (157 lbs).
Freshman Quinn Kinner took a very cut-and-dry approach to the tournament, but was able to rattle off five straight decision victories to win him the gold in the 141-pound class.
Jordan dominated his first two opponents before he was matched up against his own teammate in the finals, freshman Sammy Sasso. Jordan was challenged in this one, but ultimately ended up being too experienced for Sasso to stop, picking up the 9-7 victory.
In another Ohio State title bout, Hayes took on redshirt sophomore Elijah Cleary in the 157-pound division. Hayes was able to claw away and escape with the 6-5 decision victory.
In the 165-pound weight class, redshirt freshman Kaleb Romero was pitted against Ohio State redshirt sophomore Fritz Schierl, which was a back-and-forth tilt before Romero snagged the win 8-6.
Gavin Hoffman became the second true freshman to seize a Gold Division Trophy, as he registered four more wins including a pin in the 184-pound class.
Redshirt sophomore Kevin Snyder kicked off his day by majoring his first couple of opponents and found himself finishing his run to the title with a 16-12 decision victory in the 197-pound class.
Lastly, at heavyweight, redshirt freshman Chase Singletary joined his teammate Hoffman as a two-time tournament champion, as he was able to get a takedown in a match that was otherwise a struggle, to seal the deal for the victory. Singletary is now 7-0 on the season.
The Buckeyes will look to keep the momentum rolling into their next dual, when they travel to Riverside, California to take on the California Baptist Lancers on Nov. 16th.
