THE SHORT STORY
The Buckeyes got two dramatic title match victories at 133 and 174 pounds, respectively, and added wins at 197 and 285 pounds by Kollin Moore and Kyle Snyder to distance itself from second-place Penn State. Along the way, Nathan Tomasello became just the third three-time Big Ten champion with his 5-4 decision over Cory Clark and Bo Jordan scored an overtime takedown to defeat Mark Hall of the Nittany Lions.
In the team race, Ohio State finished ahead of top-ranked Penn State by 9.5 points, 139.5-130.0. Iowa was third with 112.5 points.
TOMASELLO MAKES HISTORY
The championship round started with Tomasello scoring a buzzer-beating escape against Cory Clark after Clark tied the match at 4-4 with a takedown on the edge of the mat. A redshirt junior, Tomasello previously two titles at 125 pounds before making the move to 133 lbs. this year. Trailing 1-0 entering the final period, the match was tied of a locked hands call against Clark and then Tomasello went ahead 2-1 with an escape. He scored a takedown with 34 seconds left, only to have Clark counter with a takedown of his own.
Bo Jordan with Ohio State coach Tom RyanAfter Penn State creeped to within two points in the team score following Zain Retherford's win over Micah Jordan in the 149 lb. final, B. Jordan finished on a takedown in sudden victory against second-seeded Mark Hall to secure a 6-4 victory. The title, Jordan's first, comes after two previous trips to the finals at 165 lbs. It also was an eight point swing in the team race, giving Ohio State much needed breathing room.
MOORE WINS BIG AT 197
Moore took the remaining drama out of the team race when he scored an impressive 15-11 win over top-seeded Brett Pfarr of Minnesota. Moore scored 11 first-period points, highlight by a takedown a four-point near fall, to give him all the distance he'd need on the scoreboard. Moore was also named the Big Ten's Freshman of the Year.
SNYDER FINISHES IT OFF
Snyder added yet another line to his resume in the 285 final, topping second-seeded and second-ranked Connor Medbery of Wisconsin 8-5 behind two first-period takedowns and another in the third. Snyder is now a three-time Big Ten finalist and two-time champion.
A HISTORITICAL CONTEXT
• Ohio State's team title is the fourth in school history and first outright championship since 1951.
• The Buckeyes put six wrestlers into the finals - a program record - and the four champions are the most in school history. Ohio State also set a record with 139.0 team points.
• Head coach Tom Ryan earned Big Ten Coach of the Year honors for the second time in the last three seasons.
• For the second time in the last four years, a pair of brothers wrestled for the Scarlet and Gray in the finals. In 2013, both Logan and Hunter Stieber did it; today, it was Micah and Bo Jordan.
NCAA AUTOMATIC QUALIFERS
Eight Buckeyes earned automatic bids to the NCAA Championships, which will be held March 16-18 in St. Louis, Mo. Earlier in the day, Jose Rodriguez punched his ticket with a pin of Purdue's Ben Thornton in the seventh place match at 125 lbs. True freshman Luke Pletcher also won a consolation semifinal match in the morning session and finished fourth at 141 lbs.
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