Nathan Tomasello gets in on a double leg against Daton Fix at the U23 World Team Trials (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com)Ohio State begins the 2017-18 season with high expectations. The Buckeyes, though, were expected to be without at least one of their All-Americans during the first semester.
Top-ranked Nathan Tomasello, a three-time All-American and 2015 NCAA champion, suffered a knee injury at the U23 World Team Trials on Oct. 8 in Rochester, Minn. Ohio State coach Tom Ryan initially expected Tomasello to return in January, but now it appears it could be sooner.
"We had some tests done on it and we thought it was going to be longer than it is," Ryan said Wednesday on a podcast called On the Mat. "We got some really good news recently that Nate will probably be back before we thought he would at full strength."
Ryan didn't target a specific return date for Tomasello. He wants to make sure he's at full strength.
"Obviously, we will not rush this," said Ryan. "The good news is that there was a point in time when you didn't know if he was going to come back at full strength in January … but we're in a position now where he'll be at full strength likely in December."
Joey McKenna wrestling Minnesota's Tommy Thorn at the NCAAs (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Another All-American on Ohio State's roster, transfer Joey McKenna, also suffered an injury recently. McKenna, who won the U23 World Team Trials, was injured during the second match of a best-of-three wrestle-off against teammate Ke-Shawn Hayes.
According to Ryan, McKenna is healthy and back on the mat.
"He's still wrestling at the U23s and he's actually on the mat and progressing as though the injury didn't happen," said Ryan. "It was a sprained ankle and he's back and doing great."
Ryan also noted that McKenna will compete at 141 pounds for the Buckeyes, while Hayes will wrestle at 149 pounds.
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