As Ohio strolled into East Lansing, Michigan, it understood the tall task that was ahead. Going on the road and defeating a Big Ten program in wrestling is a rather large ask for any program, let alone one that has only begun to flex its muscles as a team. Although multiple Ohio wrestlers have defeated wrestlers from some of the larger programs, it is far from defeating the entire team. In its 30-11 loss on Saturday, Ohio showed some glimpses of how good it can be as a team in the upcoming conference duals.
125-pound class:
Ryan Meek’s freshman season did not begin to turn around in his match against Tristan Lujan. Lujan got Meek on the ground early and often, en route to an 8-3 decision over Meek. Heading into Mid-American Conference duals, Meek has yet to win in a dual, collecting his five victories on the season in bracket-style events.
133-pound class:
After winning in the last dual against Gardner-Webb, Mason Brugh was able to carry over the positive result into his match against Andy Hampton. Brugh picked up a 5-2 win in sudden victory, his first win in an overtime period this season. Brugh has now moved to 6-7 on the season and has a more positive outlook moving into MAC competition.
141-pound class:
Aidan Waszak only has a single win on the season and that did not change against Jordan Hamdan in a 12-4 major decision loss. The loss for Waszak not only put the Bobcats down 7-3, but it also put his personal record at 1-7 on the season. Against some more evenly-matched opponents in the MAC, Waszak can look for some better outcomes in the future.
149-pound class:
Derek Raike has continued to be one of the biggest surprises of the season for Ohio. The sophomore defeated Braden Stauffenberg, 11-3 to pick up the major decision victory and draw Ohio even.
157-pound class:
Although Peyten Kellar has been a dominant force in this class, Dan Segura has been able to give Kellar a night off if needed without seeing a massive dropoff. Against Chase Saldate, however, Segura was unable to do very much. Saldate pinned Segura in the first period to give Michigan State an advantage that it would not relinquish.
165-pound class:
In a match of two of the best wrestlers on each squad, Garrett Thompson faced Caleb Fish in the most highly-anticipated bout of the night. Unfortunately for Ohio, Thompson was unable to help stabilize the team like usual as Thompson lost to Fish 7-1. Thompson still has a bright season ahead as a ranked loss is far from catastrophic.
174-pound class:
Alongside Thompson, Sal Perrine has been one of the most reliable and steady wrestlers. Perrine was able to earn a major decision victory over Marty Larkin, 15-2. Perrine was nearly able to get a tech fall but settled for the major decision as he turned his focus to conference matches. While this was the final match that Ohio won against Michigan State, Perrine’s nice showing was enough to move to 12-8 on the year.
184-pound class:
Zayne Lehman, Ohio’s co-captain, has experienced a bit of a slow start to the season, albeit against some very good competition. Layne Malczewski, the No. 17 ranked wrestler in his class at the time of the match, represented Michigan State in this pivotal match. Lehman was unable to pull the upset, losing a major decision.
197-pound class:
Austin Starr sported a 12-4 record coming into the bout against Michigan State’s Kael Wisler. Wisler was the No. 32 ranked wrestler in his class at the time of the match, making it a very important match to both Ohio and Starr. Starr had no answers for Wisler, losing a major decision. However, Starr is still ranked as the No. 3 wrestler in the MAC, giving him strong odds at making the national tournament later in the season.
285-pound class:
Heavyweight matches can be very strange, Jordan Greer’s match against Josh Terrill was no different. Greer controlled the vast majority of the match, leading 4-1 before Terrill completely flipped the script, turning Greer on his back for a pin. Greer’s loss is not surprising from the standpoint of national rankings (Terrill was No. 32), but very rarely does a wrestler have such a strong grasp over a match before losing via fall. Nonetheless, Greer can take away a lot of positives from the offseason as he moves to MAC duals.
