The Ohio State wrestling team will open its season on Friday in a match against Virginia Tech. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Photo Editor
The No. 4 Ohio State wrestling team is set to kick off the 2022-23 season at the Covelli Center Friday versus No. 10 Virginia Tech.
The Buckeyes waste no time facing high-level competition as they welcome the Hokies to Columbus. The two programs previously met last season with Ohio State earning a narrow 17-13 team victory on the road.
The wrestlers got their first taste of outside competition last weekend at the Michigan State Open tournament, and Buckeye fans are hopeful it was a sign of things to come this season.
The team found success at the tournament, with eight of 11 participants earning first place in their respective weight class divisions. Freshman Jesse Mendez continued to impress his teammates by winning the 133-pound final with a late takedown of Illinois redshirt sophomore and returning All-American Lucas Byrd.
Despite his lack of collegiate experience, Mendez said he’s confident his early success isn’t going away anytime soon.
“Throughout the years of the work I’ve put in, I feel like I’m one of the best 133-pounders in the country.” Mendez said. “I feel like a lot of people doubt me, but they can keep doubting me.”
The Buckeyes once again face high expectations as a team this season, but this time around, the coaching staff feels an added level of experience can take this team to greater heights.
“The excitement of our freshman class sometimes overshadows the leadership we have up top,” associate head coach J Jaggers said. “When you have that kind of leadership, the others feed off it.”
Redshirt senior Kaleb Romero, who will start in the 184-pound slot this season, believes the leaders of this team “know what it takes” to reach the podium in March.
“We’ve all been All-Americans, we’ve all been on the big stage,” Romero said. “It’s about understanding the grind of the season.”
Alongside fellow redshirt seniors Gavin Hoffman, Tate Orndorff and Ethan Smith, the camaraderie and friendship built among this group is what allows them to get the best out of one another, Romero said.
“We’re all super good friends and training partners,” Romero said. “We beat up on each other all the time. It’s all love.”
Ohio State finished the 2021-22 season placing No. 13 as a team at the NCAA championships, marking the first time it placed outside the top 10 since 2011. Despite this, four Buckeyes still earned All-American honors, including redshirt senior Sammy Sasso.
Sasso steps into a leadership role in his senior season, coming off a second- and fifth-place finish at the 2021 and 2022 NCAA Tournaments. After being “anxious” to get back on the mat, the former Big Ten champion earned first place in the 149-pound division at the Michigan State Open, and he said he believes his best wrestling is “just starting to shine through.”
“I didn’t wrestle to the best of my ability at the end of last season,” Sasso said. “The mindset going in [last weekend] was just to live free and wrestle as hard as I can for seven minutes.”
Doors open at 6 p.m. to see the Buckeyes begin their quest for a national championship. A shuttle will be available for students to take to the match, departing from the RPAC at 6 and 6:30 p.m.
