tOSU Wrestling Wins 1st National Championship in Program’s 94-Year History led by Logan Stieber’s 4th Straight Individual NCAA Title!

By Todd Jones

The Columbus Dispatch 

LoganStieberESPNGraphic

Logan Stieber becomes only 4th in NCAA history to win four straight individual NCAA Titles, leading Bucks to first team title in OSU history. (Photo by ESPN)

ST. LOUIS (Saturday, March 21, 2015) – Ohio State first fielded a wrestling team 94 years ago, but today is the first time the Buckeyes have ever won a team national championship.

Ohio State clinched the NCAA team title today after junior Kenny Courts won his fifth-place match in the 184-pound weight division of the consolation bracket at the Scottrade Center.

“It’s been a long time” OSU coach Tom Ryan said. “I’m so happy for all the coaches in the state, all the people in the state, the Buckeye nation everywhere. I’m just really proud of the way these guys fought this week.”

ST. LOUIS – The greatest day in the history of Ohio State wrestling ended with the university’s most successful wrestler ever capping his glorious career in the grand fashion he long craved.

Senior Logan Stieber etched his name into a permanent spot in his sport’s history by becoming just the fourth wrestler ever to win four NCAA championships.

Stieber, top-seeded in the 141-pound division, earned his individual immortality on the same day Ohio State won its first team national title in the 94-year history of the program.

A Scottrade Center crowd saw Stieber (29-0) defeat second-seeded senior Mitchell Port (36-2) of Edinboro by an 11-5 decision in the final match of the three-day national tournament.

Stieber’s 50th consecutive victory allowed him to join Kyle Dake (Cornell, 2010-13), Cael Sanderson (Iowa State, 1999-2002), and Pat Smith (Oklahoma State, 1990-92, ’94) as four-time NCAA champions.

Stieber had spoken about this goal since before he won four state titles at Monroeville (Ohio) High School. That ignited a legendary career later polished by his three prior NCAA championships – the first two at 133 pounds and last year’s at 141.

About 50 friends and family members – including parents, Jeff and Tina, and his brother and teammate Hunter – from Stieber’s hometown of Monroeville were in the stands last night to see him create pride for his three-stoplight town of 1,400 in rural Huron County.

Fans also saw two other Buckeyes — redshirt freshman Nathan Tomasello and true freshman Kyle Snyder — wrestle in title matches last night, but only one of them won.

Tomasello, the reigning Big Ten champion from Parma, Ohio, won the 125-pound championship with a 9-5 decision over unseeded Zeke Moisey (31-14) of West Virginia.

Tomasello (33-4) survived nearly being pinned in the with about 1:30 left when he held a 5-2 lead. The fourth-seed lost two points on the takedown, but scored one with an escape. He built the lead to 8-4 before giving up a late point.

“I’m thankful to everyone who supported me and I’m truly excited,” Tomasello said. “It’s been a dream of mine and a goal of mine for many years now. At this tournament I felt like I peaked at the right time and was wrestling my best.”

Snyder, fourth-seeded in the 197-pound class, was pinned by third-seeded Kyven Gadson of Iowa State at 4:24. The two were scoreless after one period before Gadson slammed down the freshman and scored a fall.

“It was a match I thought I could win and was planning on winning but it didn’t happen,” Snyder said. “I have to keep trying to get better and improve on this performance next year.

Gadson (30-1) is a redshirt senior, the reigning Big 12 champ, and a two-time all-America. Snyder, a Big Ten finalist from Woodbine, Md., finished his first OSU season 30-4.

@Todd_Jones

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St. LOUIS, Mo. – The 94-year wait is over. Ohio State, on the strength individual national titles by Logan Stieber and Nathan Tomasello, clinched its first-ever team title on Saturday. The Buckeyes (102 points) topped second-place Iowa by 18 points, third-place Edinboro (75.5 points) and fourth-place Missouri (73.5 points).

Stieber officially took his place in wrestling history with his 11-5 championship-round victory over second-seeded Mitchell Port of Edinboro in the final match of the night. He now joins Cael Sanderson (Iowa State, 1998-2002), Kyle Dake (Cornell, 2010-13) and Pat Smith (Oklahoma State, 1990-1992, 1994) in the elite group of wrestlers to win four NCAA titles. A native of Monroeville, Stieber finished his season 29-0, 119-3 in his career and also earned two major awards – the NCAA Most Dominate Wrestler and the NWCA Most Outstanding Wrestler. His championship match was consistent with most of his victories this season, as he jumped out to a quick lead in the first period thanks to two takedowns and was in control the rest of the way.

Tomasello took a 4-2 lead into the third period of his 125-pound final and quickly scored an escape to make the score 5-2, but Zeke Moisey got Tomasello briefly on his back, cutting the lead to 5-4. The redshirt freshman was able to get up and escape and then score another takedown for an 8-4. Tomasello earned the riding time bonus point, finishing his season as both a Big Ten and NCAA champion. He will also carry an 18-match winning streak into next year.

True freshman Kyle Snyder, seeded fifth at 197, was the first championship-round Buckeye to compete on Saturday night, facing third-seeded Kyven Gadson of Iowa State. The match started with a scoreless first period, and a Snyder escape to start the second gave him a 1-0 lead. He then attempt to come in for a takedown, but Gadson was able to get Snyder on his back and win by fall in 4:24. A native of Woodbine, Maryland, Snyder finishes his season 30-4 overall with a team-high 15 major decisions.

The Buckeyes, which held a 13.5 point lead headed into the session, won three of four matches Saturday morning. Bo Jordan started things off with a 6-2 decision over fourth-seeded Nicholas Sulzer of Virginia, getting key points after Iowa had pulled to within eight in the team race. In Ohio State’s next match, Courts dropped a hard-fought 6-2 decision to Blake Stauffer of Arizona State. That disappointment was short-lived, however, as Jordan came back and pinned Jackson Morse of Illinois in just 1:00 in the third-place match.

Courts, unseeded and a semifinalist at 184 pounds, clinched the team title for Ohio State when he got a third-period takedown to secure a 4-3 decision of Hayden Zilmer of North Dakota State. Courts went 4-2 at the NCAA Championships, including a first round upset of Zilmer and 7-5 sudden victory in the quarterfinals against Matthew McCutcheon of Penn State.

Wrestling began as a varsity sport at Ohio State in 1921. The program has three Big Ten team titles – 1923, 1951, 2015 – and now a national championship. With five All-Americans this year, the program’s total now improves to 87. It also marks the ninth straight year a Big Ten school has won the national championship.

Final Team Standings (Top 10 only)

1. Ohio State – 102.0

2. Iowa – 84.0

3. Edinboro – 75.5

4. Missouri – 73.5

5. Cornell – 71.5

6. Penn State – 67.5

7. Oklahoma State – 65.0

8. Minnesota – 59.5

9. Nebraska – 59.0

10. Virginia Tech – 56.0

Full Ohio State NCAA Championships Results 125 – Nathan Tomasello (33-4)National Champion Champ. Round 1 – Nathan Tomasello won by fall over Joe DeAngelo (NC State) 16-13 (Fall 2:25) Champ. Round 2 – Nathan Tomasello won by major decision over Ben Willeford (CSU) (MD 11-3) Quarterfinal – Nathan Tomasello won by tech fall over Kory Mines (Edinboro) (TF-5:25, 16-1) Semifinal – Nathan Tomasello won by decision over Alan Waters (Missouri) (Dec 4-2) 1st Place Match – Nathan Tomasello won by decision over Zeke Moisey (West Virginia) (Dec 9-5)

133 – Johnni DiJulius (30-8) Champ. Round 1 – Johnni DiJulius won by decision over Ian Nickell (CSU Bakersfield) (Dec 4-2) Champ. Round 2 – Cody Brewer (Oklahoma) won by major decision over Johnni DiJulius (MD 9-1) Cons. Round 2 – Johnni DiJulius won by major decision over Robert Deutsch (Rider) (MD 11-1) Cons. Round 3 – Eric Montoya (Nebraska) won by decision over Johnni DiJulius (Dec 7-4)

141 – Logan Stieber (29-0) – National Champion Champ. Round 1 – Logan Stieber won by tech fall over Jordan Laster (Princeton) (TF-3:33, 18-1) Champ. Round 2 – Logan Stieber won by fall over Mike Morales (West Virginia) (Fall 2:10) Quarterfinal – Logan Stieber won by tech fall over Anthony Abidin (Nebraska) (TF-5:31, 16-1) Semifinal – Logan Stieber won by major decision over Kevin Jack (North Carolina St.) (MD 12-2) 1st Place Match – Logan Stieber won by decision over Mitchell Port (Edinboro) (Dec 11-5)

149 – Hunter Stieber (3-6) Champ. Round 1 – Cody Ruggirello (Hofstra) won by decision over Hunter Stieber (Dec 9-7) Cons. Round 1 – Clayton Ream (North Dakota St.) won by injury default over Hunter Stieber (Inj. 3:39)

157 – Josh Demas (17-9) Champ. Round 1 – Josh Demas won by decision over Mike Kelly (Iowa) (Dec 7-3) Champ. Round 2 – Brian Murphy (Michigan) won by decision over Josh Demas (Dec 4-3) Cons. Round 2 – Cody Pack (South Dakota St.) won by decision over Josh Demas (Dec 8-3)

165 – Bo Jordan (22-2) – 3rd place | All-American Champ. Round 1 – Bo Jordan won by fall over Garrett Sutton (Michigan) (Fall 4:03) Champ. Round 2 – Bo Jordan won by decision over Dylan Palacio (Dec 7-2) Quarterfinal – Bo Jordan won by fall over Cooper Moore (Northern Iowa) (Fall 3:56) Semifinal – Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma St.) won by decision over Bo Jordan (Dec 6-1) Cons. Semi – Bo Jordan won by decision over Nicholas Sulzer (Virginia (Dec 6-2) 3rd Place Match – Bo Jordan won by fall over Jackson Morse (Illinois) (Fall 1:00)

174 – Mark Martin (19-12) Champ. Round 1 – Kurtis Julson (North Dakota St.) won in tie breaker – 2 over Mark Martin (TB-2 5-3) Cons. Round 1 – Mark Martin won by decision over Sean Mappes (Chattanooga) (Dec 6-3) Cons. Round 2 – Cody Walters (Ohio) won by decision over Mark Martin (Dec 10-4)

184 – Kenny Courts (26-11) – 5th Place | All-American Champ. Round 1 – Kenny Courts won in sudden victory – 1 over Hayden Zillmer (N. Dakota St.) (SV-1 6-4) Champ. Round 2 – Kenny Courts won by decision over Scott Patrick (Davidson) (Dec 12-8) Quarterfinal – Kenny Courts won in sudden victory – 1 over Matthew McCutcheon (Penn St.) (SV-1 7-5) Semifinal – Nathaniel Brown (Lehigh) won by decision over Kenny Courts (Dec 4-0) Cons. Semi – Blake Stauffer (Arizona St.) won by decision over Kenny Courts (Dec 6-2) 5th Place Match – Kenny Courts won by decision over Hayden Zillmer (North Dakota St.) (Dec 4-3)

197 – Kyle Snyder (30-4) – 2nd Place | All-American Champ. Round 1 – Kyle Snyder won by major decision over Braden Atwood (Purdue) (MD 12-4) Champ. Round 2 – Kyle Snyder won by major decision over Shane Woods (Wyoming) (MD 14-5) Quarterfinal – Kyle Snyder won by decision over Scott Schiller (Minnesota) (Dec 3-2) Semifinal – Kyle Snyder won by decision over J`Den Cox (Missouri) (Dec 3-2) 1st Place Match – Kyven Gadson (Iowa St.) won by fall over Kyle Snyder (Fall 4:24)

285 – Nick Tavanello (13-13) Champ. Round 1 – Ty Walz (Virginia Tech) won by decision over Nick Tavanello (Dec 5-3) Cons. Round 1 – Brooks Black (Illinois) won by decision over Nick Tavanello (Dec 6-5)

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