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    Ohio State overcomes tough Lehigh squad

    COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The coaches of the third-ranked Ohio State wrestling team (1-0) knew they would have their hands full against a talented Lehigh squad, which came into the match Friday in St. John Arena No. 16 in the nation. With that said, a fast start was crucial to the Buckeyes' success and that is exactly what they got when Nikko Triggas scored six team points on a pin en route to an Ohio State 22-12 victory to open up action in the Buckeyes' home opener.

    In all, Ohio State won six of 10 bouts, including a crucial major decision by Colt Sponseller at 165 pounds and back-to-back 4-3 decisions by No. 3 Mike Pucillo and Cody Magrum at 184 and 197 pounds, respectively. Also registering in the "win" column was No. 1 Reece Humphrey with a 7-1 victory, as well as No. 3 Lance Palmer, who also was a 7-1 winner.

    Triggas, a junior from Moraga, Calif., and John McDonald entered the third period knotted up at 5-all at 125 pounds. However, Triggas quickly took control in the final stanza, recording a takedown and 3-point nearfall before finally pinning McDonald 5:50 into the bout.

    True freshman Ian Paddock, a native of Warsaw, N.Y., suffered an 8-3 setback at 133 pounds. In his first collegiate dual match, Paddock trailed No. 12 Matt Fisk throughout the match.

    At 141 pounds, senior tri-captain Humphrey, who hails from Indianapolis, Ind., was the second Buckeye to put points on the board. Up, 2-0 after the first period and 4-1 following the second against 15th-ranked Seth Ciasulli, Humphrey's takedown and riding time of 1:38 in the final two minutes gave the Buckeyes a 9-3 lead.

    While also preparing to wrestle in the 44th Annual NWCA All-Star Classic Sunday, Palmer, a captain from Columbia Station, Ohio, made his case for participation in the prestigious tournament Friday after handing Brian Tanen a 7-1 loss at 149 pounds. With a slim 2-1 lead in the first period, Palmer scored a reversal, 2-point nearfall and compiled a riding time of 3:33 to finish off the Mountain Hawk. Palmer will take off for Cal State Fullerton Saturday for the All-Star Classic and will wrestle fifth-ranked Kyle Borshoff of American.

    With Ohio State owning a 12-6 lead, redshirt-freshman Tony Jameson, a native of Youngstown, Ohio, held a 9-3 advantage heading into the third period at 157 pounds. However, Sean Bilodeau was able to rally, recording a takedown, 2-point nearfall and reversal before registering a 3-point nearfall in the final seconds of the period to win 12-11.

    Up next at 165 pounds, Sponseller gave the Buckeyes a crucial four points as he defeated Brandon Hatchett, 19-7. For the match, the Buckeye from Glenmont, Ohio, amassed nine takedowns and a 2:48 riding time to lift the Buckeyes to a 16-6 lead.

    Senior Dave Rella lost a heartbreaker to Robert Hamlin on 11 seconds of riding time at 174 pounds. The bout was a closely contested match that exhausted all overtime opportunities.

    Coming off a loss in the final of the Oklahoma Gold Classic, 184-pounded Pucillo rebounded nicely against No. 12 David Craig with his 4-3 victory. The senior captain from Strongsville, Ohio, secured a late takedown in the third period for the win.

    After seeing frequent action in open tournaments last season as a redshirt-freshman, Magrum completed his first collegiate dual meet with a 4-3 win and most importantly a 22-9 Ohio State lead. Following a scoreless tie after the first, Magrum, who hails from Oak Harbor, Ohio, took a 3-0 lead into the third before locking in the victory at 197 pounds courtesy of a 1:18 riding time.

    Senior Corey Morrison nearly pulled off the rally and upset at heavyweight as he was going up against No. 5 Zach Rey. Trailing 5-2 after the second, Morrison, who is from Shaker Heights, Ohio, scored an early escape and took advantage of consecutive warning calls on Rey. Down just 5-4, Morrison quickly scored a takedown for the 6-5 lead. However, Morrison was called for a technical violation, which automatically gave Rey a point for the 6-6 tie. Rey also had compiled 1:02 of riding time that gave him the 7-6 win.

    Officially 1-0, the Buckeyes will continue action Sunday with the Buckeye Duals in St. John Arena. A total of 12 teams will get started at 10 a.m., with matches continuing through 4 p.m.

    Results:
    125 Nikko Triggas (OSU) pinned John McDonald (Lehigh), 5:50
    133 No. 12 Matt Fisk (Lehigh) dec. Ian Paddock (OSU), 8-3
    141 No. 1 Reece Humphrey (OSU) dec. No. 15 Seth Ciasulli (Lehigh), 7-1
    149 No. 3 Lance Palmer (OSU) dec. Brian Tanen (Lehigh), 7-1
    157 Sean Bilodeau (Lehigh) dec. Tony Jameson (OSU), 12-11
    165 No. 8 Colt Sponseller (OSU) mdec. Brandon Hatchett (Lehigh), 19-7
    174 Robert Hamlin (Lehigh) dec. No. 15 Dave Rella (OSU), 3-3 (Lehigh wins on 11 seconds of riding time)
    184 No. 3 Mike Pucillo (OSU) dec. No. 12 David Craig (Lehigh), 4-3
    197 Cody Magrum (OSU) dec. Joe Kennedy (Lehigh), 4-3
    285 No. 5 Zach Rey (Lehigh) dec. No. 16 Corey Morrison (OSU) , 7-6

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