The Buckeyes will look to run the table next Friday when they travel to Iowa City to face the No. 1 team in the nation in the Iowa Hawkeyes. That match is slated for an 8 p.m. ET start in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes face No. 5 Minnesota at 7 p.m. ET Sunday.
Wrestling for the last time in front of family and friends in St. John Arena, seniors Corey Morrison, Lance Palmer, Mike Pucillo and Dave Rella all won their final matches in the historic venue. Reece Humphrey did not wrestle because of injury.
The afternoon began at 125 pounds and just like the previous three matches, junior Nikko Triggas pinned his opponent; this time Brenan Lyon was down in 2:25. The Buckeye from Moraga, Calif., now has 12 falls on the season for a career 34, good for fifth place in the program's record book.
After dropping matches at 133 and 141 pounds, the Scarlet and Gray faced a slim 7-6 deficit, but would win the remaining seven matches.
At 149 pounds, Palmer helped Ohio State regain the lead (12-7) when he pinned No. 12 David Cheza in 4:51. A team captain from Columbia Station, Ohio, Palmer is second (tie) on the team in falls with seven after back-to-back pins this weekend.
Sean Nemec scored his second-consecutive Big Ten win Sunday when he beat Anthony Jones, Jr., 6-0, at 157 pounds. Nemec, a sophomore from Garfield Heights, Ohio, continuously increased his advantage, taking a 2-0 lead after the first and building it to 3-0 following the second. Another takedown in the final two minutes, coupled with a 1:08 riding time gave him his second straight win and 13th overall this season.
Junior Colt Sponseller only gave up an escape in his 7-1 decision over Kyle Bounds at 165 pounds. Sponseller, a native of Glenmont, Ohio, used two takedowns, an escape and riding time to secure the victory. (Sponseller was awarded a point on a second called MSU warning).
For the second-straight dual match and third this season, Rella wrestled into extra time before winning. Up against Ian Hinton, the two grapplers traded escapes throughout regulation. It was in the one-minute sudden victory, Rella recorded the takedown for the 3-1 win. The native of Akron, Ohio, is 3-0 in dual matches this season in sudden victory.
Pucillo rebounded from a loss Friday and beat Curran Jacobs, 12-6, at 184 pounds. A native of Strongsville, Ohio, Pucillo built a 9-2 lead after the second period and finished the match with a final takedown and riding time of 3:30 for his 17th victory of the season.
C.J. Magrum held on for a 3-1 win over Tyler Dickenson at 197 pounds to give the Buckeyes a 27-7 advantage. Despite an escape by Dickenson in the third period to cut Magrum's lead to two points, the Buckeye from Oak Harbor, Ohio, halted any rally attempt from the Spartan.
Morrison wrapped up the afternoon and his collegiate career in Columbus with an 11-4 decision over Alan O'Donnell at heavyweight. A fifth-year graduate student, Morrison jumped out to a 4-1 lead after the first period. However, O'Donnell scored a reversal in the next period to cut Morrison's lead to 4-3. The Buckeye from Shaker Heights, Ohio, countered with an escape and takedown to go up 7-3. Choosing bottom in the final period, Morrison recorded another escape. He then scored a crucial takedown in an attempt at bonus points (Morrison also owned riding time), but O'Donnell managed an escape as time ticked off the clock.
Ian Paddock and Pat Harrington suffered setbacks at 133 and 141 pounds, respectively. Facing No. 4 and reigning NCAA champion Franklin Gomez, Paddock lost 14-2. Filling in for Humphrey, Harrington dropped a 7-2 decision to Dan Osterman.
Results:
125 No. 20 Nikko Triggas (OSU) pinned Brenan Lyon (MSU), 6:25
133 No. 4 Franklin Gomez (MSU) mdec. Ian Paddock (OSU), 14-2
141 Dan Osterman (MSU) dec. Pat Harrington (OSU), 7-2
149 No. 2 Lance Palmer (OSU) pinned No. 12 David Cheza (MSU), 4:51
157 Sean Nemec (OSU) dec. Anthony Jones, Jr. (MSU), 6-0
165 No. 6 Colt Sponseller (OSU) dec. Kyle Bounds (MSU), 7-1
174 No. 11 Dave Rella (OSU) dec. Ian Hinton (MSU), 3-1sv
184 No. 7 Mike Pucillo (OSU) dec. Curran Jacobs (MSU), 12-6
197 C.J. Magrum (OSU) dec. Tyler Dickenson (MSU), 3-1
285 Corey Morrison (OSU) dec. Alan O'Donnell (MSU), 11-4
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