Ohio State’s Myles Martin wrestles Mitch Bowman in the dual-meet against Iowa on Jan. 21 in the Schottenstein Center. Credit: Jack Westerheide | Managing Editor for Design
Ohio State senior Myles Martin and redshirt junior Kollin Moore are undefeated this season, and during this run, the pair has created a special bond.
Martin, the No. 1 wrestler in the country at 184 pounds, and Moore, the No. 2 wrestler in the country at 197 pounds, said when they spar each other in practice, it gets intense.
But off the mat, Moore and Martin have become friends, a friendship that has lasted since they both started their college careers in 2015.
“Kollin is my boy. I love him, and I think our relationship has grown a lot since freshman year,” Martin said. “Since last year, or the year before, us being close to weight, being practice partners, sparring every day, making practice fun — that’s why I love going with Kollin.”
Martin and Moore said it’s all in good nature, but competitive words are often exchanged between the athletes about upcoming spars.
“We make it fun. We make it a game. If we’re going live, we will talk a little crap to each other just to kind of amp it up,” Martin said. “We try to kill each other, but it’s in a fun way.”
Moore said having Martin as a practice partner really benefits him when preparing for upcoming matches.
“When I wrestle [Martin], it kind of brings out some of my speed, with the little I have,” Moore said. “That translates to the mat, so the quicker I get wrestling him, the quicker I feel against other 197-pounders.”
Both had similar experiences choosing Ohio State despite Moore hailing from Burbank, Ohio, and Martin coming from Penns Grove, New Jersey. They said they picked Ohio State because of the coaches and the wrestlers before them.
Moore said it also had to do with the atmosphere. He said his love of Ohio State came long before he ever became a wrestler for the university.
“The people that were here were good at wrestling and were also really good people,” Moore said. “All the coaches seemed like they really cared, and I’ve been a huge Ohio State fan my whole life, so it was a dream come true.”
Moore said he and Martin were together constantly during their freshman season, and the pair still hangs out all the time outside the ring.
But inside the ring, Martin said Moore has made an impact on his own wrestling career as a mentor he can emulate.
“[Moore] showing me the ropes and being my friend and just doing the normal things with consistent time together has made us real close,” Martin said.
Both Martin and Moore have the same goal: win a national championship as an individual and as a team.
Martin said that being undefeated for the entire season would be great, but he has more in mind.
“I don’t really care too much about going undefeated or anything like that. My main goal is just to win nationals,” Martin said. “I’ll lose a match, learn from it, and hopefully it will help me to win nationals. Right now, I’m not really worried about losing or nationals. I’m just worried about one match at a time.”
Moore and Martin have been important to each other in preparing to meet that goal by sparring against each other in practice, where Moore has seen Martin’s strengths in action.
“[His] strength is definitely his quickness and really explosive,” Moore said. “[Martin] kind of almost lulls you to sleep a little bit from staying out of the tie-ups, but next thing you know, you blink, and he has your ankle above your head.”
Moore also helps Martin with his weaknesses, saying that if he can get to the senior’s head, he usually comes out on top.
As Moore’s sparring partner, Martin does the same thing, helping his teammate to overcome what he struggles with.
“When I’m sparring with Kollin, one of his weaknesses is a lot of times is when he tries to engage in a hand-fight, I feel him over pursue sometimes, and that is usually when I can catch an ankle,” Martin said. “[Moore] is really good on bottom; he has a really nice short sit that I literally can’t stop.”
This is something both Martin and Moore strive to do: make each other better by giving their all facing each other. Through this, both wrestlers have developed a relationship on and off the mat.
