Ohio State wrestling head coach Tom Ryan raises his fist after sophomore Gavin Hoffmann won his match during the Ohio State-Rutgers matchup on Jan. 24. Ohio State won 19-14. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
After a sluggish performance against Rutgers, Ohio State wrestling has room to improve in its weekend matchups with Michigan State and Maryland.
The No. 11 Buckeyes (2-1) will host No. 23 Michigan State (1-1) at the Covelli Center Friday before hitting the road to compete against Maryland (0-5) Sunday.
Ohio State head coach Tom Ryan said he wants his wrestlers to be more competitive, focused and intense than they have been this season, and it needs to start this weekend.
“We all know what a deep rooted, competitive will looks like,” Ryan said. “We want everyone to come off the mat this weekend looking like someone that loves what they’re doing and is competing at a higher level than we’ve seen to this point.”
The Buckeyes will rely on redshirt junior Malik Heinselman, redshirt sophomore Sammy Sasso and redshirt junior Kaleb Romero to set the tone in the two dual meets, Ryan said.
“Those are probably the three guys that stand out, and it’s no surprise that they’re all having success,” Ryan said. “There’s a style of wrestling that you have to develop and those three right now are wrestling like that.”
Heinselman, the No. 12 wrestler at 125 pounds, has defeated three opponents he lost to a year ago. His revenge tour continues this weekend against No. 10 Michigan State redshirt junior Rayvon Foley and either Maryland freshman Dainon Kappes or redshirt freshman Zach Spence.
Sasso, the No. 1 wrestler at 149 pounds, is 3-0 this season with two decisions and a pin. He will look to continue his strong start in his matchups with Michigan State redshirt freshman Peyton Omania and either Maryland redshirt junior Hunter Baxter or redshirt freshman Michael North.
Romero has been a leader for Ohio State this season, Ryan said. The coaching staff has taken notice of his competitiveness and gives him credit for the way he attacks his opponents.
“He wrestles from start to finish and his objective is to score as many points as he can,” Ryan said.
At 174 pounds, No. 3 Romero has been impressive in all three of his starts. He looks to remain unbeaten against No. 14 Michigan State redshirt senior Drew Hughes before taking on either Maryland freshman Dominic Solis or redshirt junior Philip Spadafora.
Another Buckeye looking to carry his success forward is Ohio State No. 8 heavyweight redshirt junior Tate Orndorff. He claimed his first career victory as a Buckeye after transferring from Utah Valley University against Rutgers.
“It definitely felt like a great win, being able to win as a Buckeye,” Orndorff said. “I’m excited to keep it rolling.”
Orndorff said his losses to Illinois and Wisconsin were hard to swallow, but he knew his teammates would support him and push him in practice, which helped him get his first win.
“That’s the exact reason why I’m here at Ohio State,” Orndorff said. “I need people to push me, I need coaches, I need athletes that are here that are gonna push me, that are better than me and that can beat me up.”
This weekend, Orndorff will square off with Michigan State redshirt junior Brad Wilton and either Maryland redshirt freshman Connor Bowes or freshman Garrett Kappes.
Ohio State trails Michigan State 30-40-1 in the all-time series, but the Buckeyes have had no problems dealing with the Spartans in recent years. Ohio State has won 14 of the last 15 matches dating back to 2002.
Michigan State’s last competition was a 28-6 loss to No. 14 Minnesota on Jan. 16. The Spartans Sunday dual meet with No. 3 Penn State was canceled because the Nittany Lions were dealing with COVID-19-related issues.
Ohio State has outscored Maryland 185-30 in five all-time matchups and leads the series 5-0.
In the last two seasons, the Buckeyes have only dropped two individual matches to the Terrapins.
The Buckeyes will host the Spartans Friday at 4 p.m. and can be seen on BTN Plus.
Ohio State will then travel to College Park, Maryland, to face the Terrapins Sunday at 2 p.m. and can be seen on the Big Ten Network.
