Ohio State sophomore Gavin Hoffman sizes up his opponent during the Ohio State-Rutgers match on Jan. 24. Ohio State won 19-14. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
After facing an all-Big Ten schedule in the regular season, Ohio State wrestling will travel to University Park, Pennsylvania, this weekend hoping to claim its third conference championship in five years.
The No. 12 Buckeyes (5-4) finished seventh in the Big Ten, a conference that features an NCAA-best nine ranked teams. Eight of the nine opponents Ohio State faced this season ranked in the top 25.
Ohio State head coach Tom Ryan said the Big Ten is where elite wrestlers come to compete, and on the conference’s biggest stage, each student-athlete has the opportunity to shine.
“The end of the year is always a special time, and the ones that step up are the ones that are remembered,” Ryan said.
Ten Buckeyes will be poised to make a run for individual titles, with redshirt sophomore Sammy Sasso, junior Malik Heinselman and redshirt junior Ethan Smith leading the pack.
Sasso, a native of Nazareth, Pennsylvania, is returning to his home state, looking to claim his first individual conference title and lead his team to a Big Ten Championship.
“I’m confident in myself and confident in this team,” Sasso said. “We are thankful for the opportunity to go out and compete at this level.”
Sasso finished second in last year’s tournament after losing a 2-1 decision to Pat Lugo of Iowa — an opponent he had defeated earlier that season — in the championship round.
“Things didn’t go my way last year,” Sasso said. “This year, I get a redo, and I’m going to make the most of it.”
Sasso earned the No. 1 seed at 149 pounds after finishing an undefeated regular season with a team-high nine victories and three pins and has positioned himself as a favorite to return to and win the championship bout.
Heinselman, the No. 3 seed at 125 pounds, finished seventh at the Big Ten Championships last year. This season, he was dominant as an individual wrestler, winning seven of his eight regular-season matches.
“I think Malik has stepped up this year,” Ryan said. “We’ve seen a Malik that is able to complete matches, whereas last year in the waning seconds of the match, he lost too many times.”
For an Ohio State team that has struggled with late-match execution and winning close matches, Heinselman has been a bright spot. Of his seven regular-season wins, five have come by decision.
Heinselman’s remaining victories came by a major decision and a pin. He is third on the team in point differential at plus-22 behind Sasso and Smith, respectively.
Smith, the No. 3 seed at 165 pounds, enters the conference championship on an eight-match winning streak. He will look to continue his recent success this weekend and improve upon a fourth-place finish in last year’s tournament.
“Ethan Smith has been on fire all year,” Ryan said. “He lost the first match of the year, and part of that wasn’t necessarily his fault. He wasn’t allowed in the room for six weeks leading up to that, so he’s been fantastic.”
Smith’s opening-match defeat was a 6-5 decision to No. 2 seed Illinois redshirt sophomore Danny Braunagel. After the loss, Smith started his winning streak that included three major decisions, one technical fall and a pin.
Ryan said thousands travel to watch the Big Ten Championships in a typical year, but the conference will allow only two patrons per wrestler due to the pandemic.
Because of the event’s limited capacity, the Big Ten Network will televise both days of the conference championships for the first time this year.
“We’re excited about the coverage,” Ryan said. “We’re excited about the growth of the sport and looking forward to competing this weekend.”
The Big Ten Network, Fox Sports App, and BTN Plus will provide live, linear coverage of the tournament’s four sessions from the Bryce Jordan Center beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday. The tournament will continue at 7:30 p.m. with the semifinals and wrestlebacks.
On Sunday, the consolation semifinals and seventh-place matches will begin at noon. The championship and third-place matches will take place in the evening.
