Ohio State has earned four top-three seeds in the upcoming Big Ten Championship this weekend. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Photo Editor
Conference championships are on the line this weekend, and the Buckeyes expect to wrestle their way to the top.
Ohio State has earned four top-three seeds in the upcoming Big Ten Championships, which begins Saturday at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Redshirt senior Sammy Sasso earned the No. 1 seed in the 149-pound weight class and will look to win his second Big Ten title, which he captured first in 2021 and finished second in both 2020 and 2022.
Freshman Jesse Mendez will compete in his first Big Ten Championships as the No. 2 seed in the 133-pound weight class. Redshirt senior Ethan Smith is the No. 3 seed in the 174-pound division, and he is competing in his fifth conference championships — he’s finished among the top six in each.
Redshirt senior 184-pounder Kaleb Romero makes his fourth appearance at the Big Ten Championships, earning the No. 2 seed in his class.
Romero said his and the Buckeyes’ preparation in practice put them in position for a positive payoff this weekend.
“We put in all the work,” Romero said. “We just go out and fight like we know how, and just compete every single second of the match, then a lot of good things are bound to happen.”
Ohio State has 56 individual Big Ten champions all time and five Big Ten team titles. The Buckeyes are not focused on the accolades as they try to focus on what is ahead.
“We don’t focus on the things we can’t control — we try to focus on the things that we can, and the No. 1 thing that we can control is our fight and effort,” Romero said. “We believe in our coaches, our training, and we just have to go out there and fight for seven minutes.”
Head coach Tom Ryan hopes to see all 10 Buckeyes qualify for the NCAA Tournament, as effort and skills have shown throughout the season.
“We’re looking for ungodly effort, and we’re looking for brilliant scale into positions that we’ve worked on for each and every athlete,” Ryan said. “All 10 guys should qualify. These guys have had a season that’s worthy of being a national champion. We’re going to get 10.”
The first round, quarterfinal, semifinal and wrestleback matches will take place Saturday. Sunday will include consolation semifinals and seventh-place matches, all leading up to the first-, third- and fifth-place matches highlighting the latest Big Ten Championships.
Ohio State will be in Ann Arbor Saturday and Sunday for conference championships, which will be available to watch on Big Ten Network and BTN+.
