2021 NCAA runner-up Sammy Sasso (Photo/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com; Graphic/Anna-Lee Marie)
Welcome to a new recurring feature from InterMat as we lead into the 2021-22 collegiate season. We are about 50 days away from the start of the new season, so what better way to ring in the new year than to use that time to count down the top-50 current collegiate wrestlers. Each day a new wrestler will be released.
These rankings have been compiled by members of the InterMat staff and used a combination of collegiate achievements, with 2021 accomplishments carrying more weight than past years, along with win-loss records and notable wins. While we are counting down the top-50 wrestlers based primarily on collegiate accomplishments, it is impossible to totally ignore achievements in the international settings, so they did factor in slightly, too.
Before getting to the next wrestler on the list, look at the wrestlers previously profiled:
#50 - Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State)
#49 - Ben Darmstadt (Cornell)
#48 - Dakota Geer (Oklahoma State)
#47 - Kaleb Young (Iowa)
#46 - Rocky Elam (Missouri)
#45 - Chad Red Jr. (Nebraska)
#44 - Brandon Courtney (Arizona State)
#43 - Brock Mauller (Missouri)
#42 - Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State)
#41 - John Poznanski (Rutgers)
#40 - Brayton Lee (Minnesota)
#39 - Travis Wittlake (Oklahoma State)
#38 - Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa)
#37 - Tariq Wilson (NC State)
#36 - Jacob Warner (Iowa)
#35 - Jacori Teemer (Arizona State)
#34 - Tony Cassioppi (Iowa)
#33 - Vito Arujau (Cornell)
#32 - Patrick Glory (Princeton)
#31 - Max Dean (Penn State)
#30 - Keegan O'Toole (Missouri)
#29 - Mike Labriola (Nebraska)
#28 - Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh)
#27 - Austin DeSanto (Iowa)
#26 - Jake Wentzel (Pittsburgh)
#25 - Evan Wick (Cal Poly)
#24 - Alex Marinelli (Iowa)
#23 - Ryan Deakin (Northwestern)
#22 - Sebastian Rivera (Rutgers)
Next up is...
#21 Sammy Sasso (Ohio State)
Weight: 149 lbs
Year: Sophomore
Career Record: 40-4
Hometown: Nazareth, Pennsylvania
College Accomplishments: 2021 NCAA 2nd, 2021 Big Ten Champion, 2020 NWCA First-Team All-American
2021-22 Preseason Ranking: #2 at 149 lbs
Ohio State got a coup when they were able to pull Sammy Sasso across the Pennsylvania state border. Sasso was named the #4 overall recruit in the Class of 2018 after winning a pair of state titles.
With Micah Jordan finishing up at 149 lbs, the Buckeye staff had the luxury of redshirting Sasso in 2018-19. Sasso's first competition was the Freshman/Sophomore division at the Michigan State Open. He earned bonus points in three of the four contests. A week later, at the Ohio Intercollegiate Open, Sasso squared off with Jordan and pushed the veteran to the brink before falling, 9-7.
Sasso really shined at the Midlands, where he dropped a first-round bout to fellow redshirting freshman Jacori Teemer (Arizona State), but then won seven straight bouts to claim third. That span included wins over Alec Pantaleo (Michigan), Pat Lugo (Iowa), and Henry Pohlmeyer (South Dakota State).
The young Buckeye star finished the year with a title at the Edinboro Open, where he picked up a win over another stud freshman, Brayton Lee (Minnesota).
Lee and Sasso would renew acquaintances in the offseason as the two made the best-of-three finals at the Junior World Team Trials. Sasso jumped out to an early lead in match one, but was run down by Lee, who eventually won the spot.
Sasso's first official matches in a Scarlet and Gray singlet took place at the Michigan State Open, where he racked up bonus points in all five matches, even against proven competition like Kanen Storr (Michigan) and Nate Limmex (Purdue).
The first loss of Sasso's career took place in Ohio State's dual meet with Virginia Tech. Sasso was caught and pinned by the Hokies Brent Moore.
As luck would have it, Sasso met Moore again in his next outing at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. In Vegas, Sasso was victorious 7-1 and pinned Purdue's Griffin Parriott on his way to the finals. For the title, Sammy was shut down by Lee, 6-4.
Over a month later, Sasso had a Friday night showdown with the top-ranked 149 lber in the nation, Lugo. The freshman won a 2-1 defensive struggle over the Iowa All-American in a hostile Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Just two days later, Sasso got revenge on Lee with a 4-2 win. In the span of two days, Sasso had taken out two of the top contenders at his weight class and ascended to the number one ranking nationally.
The loss in Vegas to Lee proved to be Sasso's final loss of the regular season. He would cruise into the Big Ten Championships on a 10-match winning streak. At Rutgers, the scene of the B1G Tournament, Sasso won low-scoring affairs against Yahya Thomas (Northwestern) and Storr to make the finals. In the championship bout, Lugo got a measure of revenge with a 2-1 win.
A second-place finish at the Big Ten Championships netted Sasso the third seed at the 2020 national tournament. As we all know, the tournament was not conducted due to the spread of Covid. Sasso would have had to contend with #2 Austin O'Connor (North Carolina), #6 Matt Kolodzik (Princeton), #7 Lee, #10 Storr, and #11 Brock Zacherl (Clarion) on his half of the bracket. Because of his seed, Sasso was named an NWCA first-team All-American.
Sasso's sophomore year featured a perfect dual slate. The Buckeye went 9-0, with four of those wins coming over 2020 national qualifiers. Three wins came via fall.
The unblemished conference record led to the top seed at the Big Ten Championships, in his home state. Sasso used a workmanlike effort to hold off a hot Ridge Lovett (Nebraska) to capture his first conference crown in a 5-2 win.
A Big Ten title led to the number one seed at the 2021 NCAA Championships in St. Louis. Sasso survived scares in the Round of 16 (Kyle Parco - Fresno State) and the quarterfinals (Thomas), before meeting returning All-American Boo Lewallen (Oklahoma State) in the semis. This time, Sasso was able to open it up and pinned the Cowboy to claim his place in the national finals.
In the NCAA finals, Sasso had to contend with the second seed, O'Connor. The Tar Heel got a takedown in the third period to go up by a point. Sasso didn't give up and attacked until the final buzzer, nearly reeling in a takedown at the edge. Ultimately, he'd fall short by a point, 3-2.
Strengths: Fans tend to associate Sasso with his scrambling and cradle, which are indeed "a thing," but he's developed into much more than that. While Sasso is capable of putting up points in bunches and getting falls, he can also grit his way through ugly, defensive matches. Sasso has become very difficult to score on with his scrambling, rubber knee, and short counter offense.
2021-22 Outlook: Being a 2021 finalist, Sasso certainly has the ability to come home from Detroit with a national title. With O'Connor moving up to 157 lbs, he's the highest placing returner at the weight. Now, he'll have to deal with two-time national champion and world team member Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell), who should bump up from 141. A match between these two could prove to be one of the most anticipated bouts of the year.
2021 NCAA runner-up Sammy Sasso (Photo/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com)
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now