Wrestling: Sasso wins first Big Ten Title as Ohio State places ninth in the conference tournament

Ohio State redshirt sophomore Sammy Sasso takes down a Rutgers wrestler 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 claimed his first individual Big Ten title Sunday in a ninth-place finish for the Buckeyes.

Ohio State scored 69.5 points in the program’s lowest conference tournament finish since it placed eighth in the 2011 Big Ten Championships.

After losing to Pat Lugo of Iowa in last year’s championship match, Sasso returned to the title bout this season as the No. 1 seed at 149 pounds. This time, Sasso met No. 7 Nebraska sophomore Ridge Lovett.

Sasso allowed the match’s first points when Lovett secured a first-period takedown. Sasso responded with a takedown and added a reversal to take a 5-2 lead — a score that would hold for the remainder of the match.

With the victory, Sasso became the 56th individual Big Ten champion in Ohio State’s history.

Ohio State redshirt junior Ethan Smith, the No. 3 seed at 165 pounds, made his first appearance in a Big Ten title match. Smith faced off with two-time champion and No. 1 seed Iowa senior Alex Marinelli.

Both wrestlers fought hard and took shots until the last second, but a third-period release allowed Marinelli to edge out a 3-2 victory to claim his third individual title.

With his second-place finish at the Big Ten tournament, coupled with an impressive regular-season resumé, Smith firmly punched himself a ticket to the NCAA Championships.

Ohio State junior Malik Heinselman, the No. 6 seed at 125 pounds, placed fourth after dropping a 7-2 decision to Michigan State redshirt junior Rayvon Foley. Because of his performance, Heinselman qualified to compete in the national tournament.

Ohio State redshirt juniors Kaleb Romero and Tate Orndorff also earned their way to an NCAA Championship bid.

At 174 pounds, Romero notched a convincing 5-0 decision over Indiana sophomore Donnell Washington to secure fifth place. Orndorff fell short of Nebraska senior Christian Lance 3-2 to finish sixth in the heavyweight division.

Ohio State will head home before making its way to St. Louis, Missouri, for the NCAA Championships March 18.