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Less than two weeks after the Ohio State wrestling team’s dominant 24-11 victory against former No.1 Penn State, the scarlet and gray await the arrival of the blue and white yet again tonight, at 7 p.m. in St. John Arena.
The meeting that took place at the highly competitive NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, featured OSU winning seven of 10 bouts against the Nittany Lions. Nevertheless, after struggling in the 24-10 loss to No. 1 Iowa on Jan. 18, the squad recognizes the need for improvement.
“I think Iowa showed us a few areas we need to get better at,” coach Tom Ryan said. “Anytime you come off a loss where you see that you can make improvements in certain areas, it can be a blessing.”
Ryan cited conditioning and better efforts in the bottom position as areas in which the team has sought improvement heading into the PSU meet.
“Practice has gone very well for the meet against Penn State,” Ryan said. “Conditioning is something that each wrestler has the ability to control and we tried to stress that this week.”
“This week’s practices have been among the most difficult practices we’ve had all year,” sophomore Mike Pucillo said. “Ross Thatcher, our strength and conditioning coach, has really been putting us through a lot and is doing a great job.”
To defeat Penn State, several key wrestlers will have to repeat excellent performances from the Cliff Keen duals. Reece Humphrey, J.D. Bergman, Mike Pucillo and Lance Palmer all scored impressive victories last time and will play instrumental roles Friday night.
“I would say Penn State is going to want to go 5-5 (at Friday’s dual meet), which means they have to win two more matches than they won the last time,” Ryan said. “That’s not going to happen because our guys are ready and I think we are capable of picking up more bonus points (than) we did last time.”
Achieving perfectionIn a year in which the Buckeyes realistically believe they can win a National Championship, each grappler can say they’ve made positive contributions. However, only two scarlet-and-gray-donning warriors can claim the distinction as undefeated. One has no blemishes on his short college resume; the other is an All-American with an individual national title consuming his mind.
Both true freshman Colt Sponseller (11-0) and Mike Pucillo (15-0 in dual meets, 19-1 overall) have little to fret about these days. Sponseller, who missed the first four events of the year due to a wrist injury, impressed the coaching staff immediately with his talent and work ethic.
“We knew he was going to be special when we got him to be a Buckeye,” Ryan said. “He was a ferocious attacker in high school and to put it simply just does not stop competing.”
Everything about the Millersburg, Ohio, native speaks of an athlete that truly understands what it takes to be great. As a standout at West Holmes High School, Sponseller even earned honors as the National High School Senior Athlete of the Year.
“It’s all about putting what you do best out on the mat and just preparing yourself mentally and physically,” said Sponseller, a three-time Ohio High School Division II champion. “I try to wear a guy out to the point where his reactions are slow and then step up my game.”
Although Sponseller appears capable of making it to nationals, Pucillo already has appeared and placed at the mecca of college wrestling. Taking sixth place in 2007 as a freshman, Pucillo is counted on to provide leadership in addition to mat prowess.
“He’s a ferocious competitor whose absolute desire and hatred for losing drives him,” Ryan said of Pucillo. “I think he hates to lose more then he likes to win.”
“I go out expecting to win every match,” Pucillo added. “As an All-American there is always a target on your back so I just try to concentrate on each match at a time.”
Although currently holding the No. 3 ranking in the land, all the long days of toil are based on the ultimate goal of an individual National Championship. Count Ryan among those who feel Pucillo has the makings of a champion.
“I think he’s the best wrestler in the country at 184,” Ryan said. “There are several other coaches that feel that way about their athletes, but I really believe this guy can win the national tournament.”
It’s a Tom thingCommon interest, passion and hard work characterize the countless reasons former Iowa wrestling teammates Tom Ryan and Tom Brands have become such good friends. Just don’t ask the two rival coaches to exchange hugs and pleasantries during a Buckeyes-Hawkeyes wrestling dual in the future.
Utterly focused on the task at hand during the Jan. 18 dual meet, both men seemed to crack similar smiles when asked about each other.
“I think they do a great job,” Iowa coach Tom Brands said after the Iowa dual meet. “I don’t give opposing coaches a lot of credit because you’re trying to keep your edge, but they’re well coached.”
“Tom Brands is a man that influenced my life as much as any student-athlete,” Ryan said. A year apart from each other, with Brands graduating in 1992 and Ryan in 1993, the two men combined to earn All-American honors six times (four of which went to Brands). They were teammates on Iowa’s 1991 and 1992 National Championship teams. Brands, who also was a part of the Hawkeyes 1989 championship unit, earned further accolades after college by winning an Olympic freestyle gold medal at 136.5 pounds in the 1996 games in Atlanta.
The two became friends while in Iowa City where Ryan and Brands’ twin brother, Terry, roomed together for five years. The respect the two share extends out to a mutual respect for the programs that the two second-year coaches are building.
“We have to be ready to wrestle Ohio State and that is a testament to Tom Ryan (and his staff),” Brands said.
“Iowa is the gold standard for conditioning in the sport of wrestling,” Ryan said. “I look forward to battling with him over the next few years.”
Brian Rosen can be reached at [email protected].
