Ohio State redshirt senior Kollin Moore, the No. 1 wrestler at 197 pounds, gets his hand raised after a victory Jan. 31. The Buckeyes defeated Maryland 43-3 in a dual meet at the Covelli Center. Credit: Griffin Strom | Sports Editor
Before a sold-out home crowd at the Covelli Center, Ohio State wiped the mat with Maryland Friday night.
No. 3 Ohio State (9-2, 5-1 Big Ten), racked up four tech falls, two pins and two major decisions –– dropping just one decision in a 43-3 shellacking of Maryland (2-12, 0-6).
The Terrapins were in search of their first Big Ten win of the season to snap a five-meet losing streak, but found little success against the Buckeyes in Columbus.
“When you’re sitting behind the curtain, getting ready to run out and, you hear everybody screaming. It’s pretty surreal,” Ohio State redshirt freshman Quinn Kinner said.
Buckeye senior Luke Pletcher, the No. 1 141-pounder in the country, continued to prove why with a win against Terrapin redshirt sophomore Hunter Baxter. After posting multiple takedowns and near fall points, Pletcher pinned Baxter at the 1:57 marker.
“He’s untouchable right now. Man’s on a mission right now,” Kinner said.
Like Pletcher, Ohio State redshirt senior Kollin Moore, the No. 1 wrestler at 197 pounds, continued his success this season with a win over the Terrapin’s redshirt junior Niko Cappello.
Moore pinned Cappello at the 2:36 mark after scoring a few takedowns and near falls.
Ohio State redshirt freshman Sammy Sasso, who cracked the top five with a No. 2 ranking in the 149-pound weight class this week, scrapped against Maryland freshman Ryan Garlitz. Sasso’s offense came mostly from his multiple takedowns throughout the match which resulted in a 23-3 tech fall at 6:29 for the Buckeyes.
After the win on Friday, Sasso said he’s ready for Sunday’s dual meet against No. 6 Nebraska.
“I’m excited. It’s going to be a tough dual, but I have full faith in this team,” Sasso said.
Starting for the first time since the Virginia Tech meet in November, Kinner went head-to-head with the Maryland redshirt freshman Lucas Cordio at 157 pounds. Kinner had numerous near falls and end the match with a 16-1 tech fall at the 2:34 marker for the Buckeyes.
“[Kinner] put it on him. He just went out there and didn’t hesitate — didn’t wait,” Sasso said. “It’s good. He got his chance to go out and compete and he took advantage of it.”
After the match, Kinner showed his appreciation for late-NBA icon Kobe Bryant, flashing his hands in the form of the number 24.
“It was a two-four.” Kinner said, “I just feel like that’s a guy people looked up to — everybody should look up to for his work ethic. He went 100 percent in everything.”
Buckeye redshirt freshman Rocky Jordan, the No. 24 wrestler at 184 pounds, faced Maryland redshirt sophomore Kyle Jasenki. Jordan avenged his tough weekend losses with a 18-2 tech fall at the 4:55 mark.
Ohio State redshirt junior Gary Traub, the No. 23 ranked heavyweight in the country, bounced back into the win column against Terrapin redshirt freshman Parker Robinson. Traub came out victorious in the final match of the night with a 24-9 tech fall over Robinson.
Ohio State’s redshirt sophomore Ethan Smith — the No. 13 165-pounder — wrestled against Terrapin redshirt sophomore Kyle Cochran. Smith dominated the match with multiple takedowns to rack up a 20-7 major decision win for Ohio State.
“He’s lean, he’s fast, he knows how to wrestle. We’re real proud of Ethan,” associate head coach J Jaggers said.
After jumping a spot in the rankings, redshirt sophomore Kaleb Romero — No. 7 at 174 pounds — wrestled in the only ranked matchup of the night against Maryland No. 24 redshirt sophomore Philip Spadafora. Romero helped extend the Buckeyes’ lead with various takedowns leading to a 13-4 major decision win.
In the meet’s first match, Ohio State sophomore Malik Heinselman snapped out of his recent slump against redshirt junior Brandon Clay in the 125-pound weight class. A pair of takedowns and a reversal secured the 7-2 decision win for Heinselman.
The Buckeyes will hit the road to face No. 6 Nebraska in Lincoln at 1 p.m. Sunday.
