Ohio State redshirt junior Sammy Sasso with his hand raised after pinning Notre Dame College redshirt junior Justin Crawford in just 1:10 Nov. 23, 2021. Ohio State won 51-0. Credit: Casey Smith | Assistant LTV Sports Producer
The No. 5 Ohio State wrestling team is set to travel and compete in Lincoln, Nebraska, Saturday and Sunday at the Big Ten Wrestling Championships.
Coming off a decisive 9-3 regular season, the Buckeyes look to hone in their skills before the NCAA Wrestling Championships March 17-19.
“It’s a tremendous conference, and the competition is incredibly high. This team is excited, and this team is close, and we are very excited,” Ohio State head coach Tom Ryan said. “Training has been good, and we really honed in on positions and scouted a bit here and there.”
The Buckeyes enter the tournament with a pair of No. 1 seeds in redshirt junior 149-pounder Sammy Sasso and redshirt sophomore 165-pounder Carson Kharchla.
Sasso seeks to defend the Big Ten title he earned in the 2020-2021 season. This season Sasso amassed a regular season record of 19-1 and was undefeated in dual matches.
Sasso is accompanied in the top 3 by Wisconsin redshirt junior Austin Gomez and Nebraska sophomore Ridge Lovett. Lovett and Sasso squared off in the Big Ten finals last year, with Sasso coming out on top 5-2.
Sasso said his attention to detail picks up during the postseason.
“You have to lock in and make sure that you are doing things right. You also make sure that you are at your best and that you are ready to go when it’s time to compete,” Sasso said. “This is what you work for, what everyone works for. The season is fun, and the season is tough, but now we’re getting into the good stuff. It’s time to go let it fly and wrestle as hard as we can.”
Coming off of a season-ending ACL injury last season, Carson Kharchla caught fire early this year and has not let up. Finishing with a near-flawless 19-1 regular season record, Kharchla is looking to make an impact at the Big Ten Championships this weekend. With a potential rematch against Iowa redshirt senior Alex Marinelli, who Kharchla upset when he was ranked No. 1 in the nation Jan. 21, Kharchla looks to continue his dominance and take home a Big Ten title.
In the highly competitive 184-pound weight class led by Penn State’s junior Aaron Brooks, redshirt senior Kaleb Romero’s convincing season earned him the No. 3 spot. Romero finished the season 10-1.
After an impressive season in which he went 16-3, senior Malik Heinselman received the No. 4 seed at the 125 lb. weight class. Rounding out the Buckeyes who received top five seeds is redshirt senior Ethan Smith, who sits at No. 5 in the 174-pound weight class.
As the Buckeyes prepare to take center stage at the Big Ten Championships, Kharchla said all that’s left to do is to compete.
“Let’s go out there and have fun. We have nothing left to lose, and only things to gain such as titles and championships,” Kharchla said. “All the work and preparation is done, and now it’s just time to go and show what kind of wrestler you are and how bad you want it.”
The Big Ten Championship kicks off Saturday at 10 a.m. and Sunday at 11 a.m. Both days will be televised on Big Ten Network and streamed on BTN+.
