Ohio State sophomore Ryder Rogotzke falls to Minnesota Minnesota redshirt freshman Max McEnelly in a major decision during the match Friday. Credit: Liam Ahern | Lantern Photographer
In a top-10 matchup with a sold-out crowd and dozens of former Buckeye greats in attendance, No. 4 Ohio State couldn’t defend its home turf.
The Buckeyes (12-2, 4-2 Big Ten) kept it close but weren’t able to hold off No. 7 Minnesota (9-1, 5-1 Big Ten) as Ohio State suffered a 20-17 dual meet loss Friday night at Covelli Center.
The Buckeyes led late, but back-to-back losses at 157 and 165-pound weight classes proved too much to overcome as the Gophers sealed the victory in the final bout.
“We knew it was going to be a war; that’s a really tough team,” Ohio State head coach Tom Ryan said. “We knew there were a couple of matches where we were going to have to dig deep and fight, and we just didn’t have it.”
Starting at 197 pounds, Ohio State’s No. 18 Seth Shumate lost a dogfight in sudden victory to reigning Big Ten champion, Golden Gopher No. 9 Isaiah Salazar. Knotted at 1-1 in the extra period, Shumate surrendered a takedown with two seconds left, giving Minnesota an early 3-0 lead.
The Gophers extended their lead at 285 when 2021 Tokyo Olympic gold medalist and No. 1 Gable Steveson defeated Buckeyes’ No. 9 Nick Feldman in a 13-4 major decision to push Minnesota’s lead to 7-0.
Desperate for momentum, Ohio State turned to No. 18 Brendan McCrone at 125 pounds, who delivered a crucial 9-0 major decision upset over No. 9 Cooper Flynn. The win reignited the sold-out Covelli Center crowd and cut Minnesota’s lead to three.
“The crowd matters so much,” Ryan said. “You train hard because you know it’s a place [where] people care about what’s happening.”
Building off McCrone’s energy, Ohio State true freshman Ben Davino battled No. 18 Tyler Wells at 133 pounds. After a potential buzzer-beating takedown from Davino was waved off at the end of the second period, the match remained deadlocked at one heading into overtime.
Davino pulled through and scored a point in each of the two overtime periods to earn his third straight victory and tie the team score at seven.
In the 141-pound weight class, reigning Ohio State national champion No. 1 Jesse Mendez found himself in an unfamiliar position, trailing 5-4 to No. 8 Vance VomBaur entering the third period.
After an early escape to even the score, the match went to sudden victory, then into a second overtime after neither wrestler could secure a takedown. Mendez escaped early in the extra period and held on for a 6-5 decision, preserving his undefeated record and giving the Buckeyes a 10-7 lead at the break.
“I didn’t wrestle a great match; I’d be the first person to tell you that,” Mendez said. “I got some things to fix, and it’s a good thing I see it in February and not March.”
Ohio State kept its momentum rolling at 149, as No. 8 Dylan D’Emilio secured two first-period takedowns in an 11-3 major decision over Drew Roberts, extending the Buckeyes’ lead to 14-7.
However, Minnesota quickly responded.
At 157 , Gophers’ No. 8 Tommy Askey defeated Brandon Cannon in an 11-2 major decision, cutting their deficit to 14-11. Minnesota then took a 16-14 lead after No. 11 Andrew Sparks earned an 18-1 technical fall over Buckeye Brock Herman at 165. Herman, who wrestled in his first official dual meet following an injury to Ohio State’s Paddy Gallagher, struggled against the veteran Sparks.
“Those two weights were tough,” Ryan said. “Going into 57 and 65, if you just get beat, you win the dual, but we got majored then tech’d.”
Ryan said Gallagher remains “day-to-day.”
At 174, Ohio State All-American No. 5 Carson Kharchla kept his undefeated season intact with a decision victory over No. 22 Clayton Whiting, putting the Buckeyes back on top, 17-16, heading into the final bout.
Buckeyes’ No. 19 Ryder Rogotzke took the mat at 184 against undefeated freshman No. 4 Max McEnelly, needing a win to secure an Ohio State victory.
However, McEnelly struck early, scoring two first-period takedowns before Rogotzke gave up another takedown in the second period. McEnelly held on for a 15-5 major decision, sealing a 20-17 win for the Gophers. McEnelly taunted the Buckeye crowd as the match ended by throwing up an “O.”
Ohio State has little time to dwell on the loss though, as it will travel to Bloomington, Indiana to take on the No. 22 Hoosiers at Wilkinson Hall 2 p.m. Sunday.
“That’s one of the benefits of a double weekend—you get to right some wrongs,” Mendez said. “If you didn’t wrestle the way you wanted to, go do it on Sunday.”
