Ohio State’s Sammy Sasso was awarded his second Big Ten title this weekend in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Credit: Katie Good | Asst. Photo Editor
On a familiar stage, redshirt senior Sammy Sasso got back to the Big Ten Championship match at the 149-pound class.
Sasso earned his second Big Ten Championship Sunday after a win over Minnesota redshirt senior Michael Blockhus.
The Buckeyes finished fourth overall after multiple third-place finishes in the Big Ten Championships. Ohio State will send seven Buckeyes to the 2023 NCAA Championships, which begin March 16.
Freshman 133-pounder Jesse Mendez, redshirt junior 141-pounder Dylan D’Emilio, Sasso, redshirt junior 165-pounder Carson Kharchla, redshirt senior 174-pounder Ethan Smith, redshirt senior 184-pounder Kaleb Romero and redshirt senior heavyweight Tate Orndorff will head to the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to take part in next week’s national tournament.
Penn State stormed the mat to claim the 2023 Big Ten Championship, winning the school’s seventh conference title.
Saturday
Ohio State advanced five to the semifinal round of the Big Ten Championships after the morning session at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Mendez, Sasso and Romero all won their quarterfinal bouts after receiving first-round byes. Kharchla and Smith advanced after winning twice Saturday morning.
No. 5 Kharchla helped Ohio State stay firmly in the top four on the first day after his 20-5 win by technical fall against No. 12 Rutgers redshirt sophomore Robert Kanniard in the 165-pound weight class.
Kharchla got on the board first with a takedown and added two more in addition to a four-point near fall to lead 10-2 after the first period. Another takedown and four-point near fall made it 16-4 after five minutes, allowing Kharchla a clear path to victory.
Kharchla then upset No. 4 Penn State redshirt freshman Alex Facundo 3-1 after a takedown and an escape. With the win over Facundo, Kharchla advanced to the semifinals and gave the Buckeyes some much needed points.
Sunday
No. 1 Sasso showed what could come in Tulsa, winning his second Big Ten Championship in the 149-pound weight class. The victory did not come easy for Sasso as No. 6 Blockhus took the match to overtime.
Blockhus struck first with an early first-period takedown and Sasso escaped and scored a late takedown to lead 3-2 after the first three minutes. Blockhus escaped and had a takedown in the second, and with a Sasso escape to end the second, Blockhus was ahead 5-4, tied after three.
The match went to sudden victory when Sasso scored the winning takedown and won 7-5.
Romero battled for a title Sunday but fell short in the 184-pound bout to Penn State senior Aaron Brooks. The No. 2-seeded Romero looked to upset No. 1 Brooks but lost by a major decision 12-2 after Brooks got three takedowns with another point added for ride time.
The Buckeyes left Ann Arbor earning third-place finishes from Kharchla, Smith and D’Emilio. Orndorff claimed fourth and Mendez finished sixth.
