Ohio State sophomore Sammy Sasso ties up his opponent during the Ohio State-Rutgers match on Jan. 24. Ohio State won 19-14. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
Ohio State redshirt sophomore Sammy Sasso reached for the foot of No. 2 North Carolina redshirt junior Austin O’Connor as time expired in the 149-pound title match.
Sasso and his coaches thought he made contact, which would have resulted in two points, but the officials never signaled their approval. Ohio State assistant coach J Jaggers tossed a red challenge brick onto the mat, asking the officials to review the call.
To Sasso’s dismay, the call on the mat was confirmed. He lost the match 3-2.
No takedown. No individual title.
The top-seeded Sasso fell just short of a championship; however, his season was not without accolades. The Pennsylvania native finished the season an All-American with a 16-1 record, a Big Ten title, and an NCAA Runner-up.
Although Sasso’s narrow defeat is the headline,other Ohio State wrestlers had a newsworthy impact for the Buckeyes in the NCAA Championships. Redshirt juniors Ethan Smith and Tate Orndorff finished as top wrestlers in their respective weight classes.
Ohio State redshirt junior Ethan Smith, the No. 7 seed at 165 pounds, earned his first All-American honor after a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Championships.
Smith won three-consecutive matches to advance to the semifinals, where he would drop a 4-2 decision to Pittsburgh redshirt senior Jake Wentzel. He was unable to bounce back in the consolation semis, losing a 7-4 decision to Oklahoma State redshirt sophomore Travis Wittlake.
With the losses, Smith ended up in a match for fifth place against Bucknell junior Zach Hartman. In a hard-fought bout, Smith won a 7-5 decision by takedown in sudden victory.
Ohio State redshirt junior Tate Orndorff, the No. 21 seed at 285 pounds, collected his second All-American honor after finishing eighth at the NCAA Championships. However, Orndorff’s path to earning the award was much different than Sasso and Smith’s.
After a loss in the second round, Orndorff won in three-straight consolation rounds before dropping a 3-1 decision to Wisconsin redshirt junior Trent Hillger. He would finish seventh after losing a 13-1 major decision to Penn State redshirt freshman Greg Kerkvliet.
Big Ten opponent Iowa claimed its 24th NCAA Championship title by scoring 125 points —19.5 points more than any other team in the competition.
Ohio State ended the tournament with 46.5 team points.
The Buckeyes season ended Saturday in St. Louis, but the team returns to Columbus, Ohio, with aspirations for improvement and growth in the offseason.
