Ohio State then-junior Tate Orndorff ties up his opponent during the Ohio State-Rutgers match on Jan. 24. Ohio State won 19-14. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
The Ohio State wrestling team entered Blacksburg, Virginia, and left with their second straight win, topping the Virginia Tech Hokies behind a Tate Orndorff victory in the final match of the dual meet.
No. 8 Ohio State (2-0) defeated No. 10 Virginia Tech (1-1) 17-14 Friday night, remaining undefeated in the early season. Entering the day’s final match leading 15-13, Ohio State redshirt senior No. 7 Orndorff secured a 3-2 decision against No. 14 redshirt senior Nathan Traxler in the heavyweight division.
The Spokane, Washington native, got on the board first with an escape before allowing an escape himself.
In the final period, Orndorff secured a takedown to win the match and the dual for the Buckeyes.
Head coach Tom Ryan said earlier in the week that the dual would be a battle of will and toughness.
“All ten matches are going to be close,” Ryan said. “All the matches will be huge for our guys, and we’re going to come out of the dual better wrestlers because of it.”
In a back and forth dual, the action started at the 125-pound division.
Ohio State No. 14 senior Malik Heinselman upset No. 12 redshirt sophomore Sam Latona. After being tied one apiece, Heinselman scored a takedown and would win a 5-2 decision.
The Castle Rock, Colorado, native said his most significant improvement this off-season was improving his stamina and finishes to his matches.
“Over the summer, I’ve gotten stronger, so I think I’ve had an increase in my stamina which will help me close out matches,” Heinselman said Nov. 3. “I’m always looking for a way to progress my wrestling, and new techniques will help in that.”
Junior Sammy Sasso continued his hot run. The No. 2 ranked 149-pounder continued his hot start to the season with an 11-7 decision over No. 9 junior Bryce Andonian of Virginia Tech.
The Nazareth, Pennsylvania, native took a 7-4 lead entering the third, earning the victory after a dominant performance against Andonian.
Through five matches, Ohio State led Virginia Tech 9-7.
No. 10 redshirt-sophomore Carson Kharchla extended the Buckeye lead at the 165-pound match, winning a 5-2 decision over Hokie’s redshirt sophomore Clayton Ulrey.
Another highly anticipated matchup was Ohio State No. 6 174-pounder Ethan Smith, taking on Virginia Tech’s No. 4 redshirt junior Mekhi Lewis. Tied 3-3 going into the final period, Lewis scored a takedown to defeat Smith 6-4.
No. 24 197-pounder Gavin Hoffman picked up a narrow 3-2 decision defeating Hokies redshirt junior Dakota Howard.
The Buckeyes now own a 14-3 series lead over the Hokies and are 8-1 in Blacksburg.
Ohio State returns to Columbus Tuesday to welcome Notre Dame College in their second home dual of the season. The meet will start at 7 p.m. and will be televised on Big Ten Network.
