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
Ohio State redshirt senior Kollin Moore and senior Luke Pletcher finished strong in their last home dual.
No. 6 Ohio State (10-3, 6-2 Big Ten) toppled No. 23 Northwestern (4-6, 2-5 Big Ten) 28-10 on Sunday at the Covelli Center.
“It was cool to finish it out. It’s a little different in the new arena, but it was cool to see all the people there that got me here,” Moore said.
Moore, the nation’s No. 1 wrestler at 197 pounds, secured a senior night win over Northwestern redshirt freshman Lucas Davison, the No. 13 197 pounder.
Moore’s takedowns proved to be the deciding factor in the 14-9 win for the Buckeyes.
“This will be a good one where I can watch myself,” Moore said, “You always have an image in your head of what you thought you were doing and then you watch yourself on film, it’s really eye opening.”
Pletcher, the No. 1 wrestler at 141 pounds, scored a 13-4 major decision over Northwestern redshirt senior Alec McKenna.
Pletcher and McKenna engaged in some heavy hand fighting during the match.
“He got me one good time and then his head hit me in the nose, I just kinda had enough of it and figured I’d swing one at him to see how he took it,” Pletcher said.
Moore and Pletcher both saluted and thanked the crowd for their support following their victories.
“Out there, you don’t really think about it [as your last home match] as much,” Pletcher said. “But before the match and after the match it was kind of a weird feeling. It’s hard not to think about it.”
Ohio State head coach Tom Ryan said Moore and Pletcher, the two team captains, set a precedent for the wrestlers that follow them.
“Two guys. Great leaders here, great examples here,” Ryan said. “They’re trustworthy people. The younger guys look at them and watch what they do.”
Ohio State redshirt junior Fritz Schierl, who wrestles at 174 pounds, got the nod to start against Northwestern freshman Ankhaa Enkhmandakh. Schierl was on the offensive throughout, scoring multiple takedowns and near fall points. In the third period, Shierl put Enkhmandakh in a cradle and eventually secured a pin to give Ohio State its first team points of the match.
“I thought Fritz did a nice job. Fritz, I have a ton a respect for him, I trust him, and I trust him because every day in practice he works really hard,” Ryan said.
After jumping from No. 24 to No. 13 in the rankings at 184 pounds, Ohio State redshirt freshman Rocky Jordan added another match to the win column against Northwestern redshirt freshman Jack Jessen. Jordan controlled the match with multiple takedowns and secured a riding time bonus to give the Buckeyes a 10-2 major decision win.
Ohio State redshirt freshman Sammy Sasso, the No. 1 wrestler at 149 pounds, scraped out a 9-3 win against Northwestern redshirt junior Eric Yang.
Ohio State redshirt junior Gary Traub, the No. 23 wrestler in the nation at heavyweight and freshman Jordan Decatur, who wrestles at 133 pounds, both secured major decisions for the Buckeyes.
Ohio State avenged its 19-14 loss against then-No. 6 Nebraska with the win against the Wildcats.
Ohio State will hit the road for its final dual of the season against No. 2 Penn State at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
