Ohio State then-redshirt freshman Sammy Sasso, the No. 2 wrestler at 149 pounds, grapples for position in a meet against Maryland Jan. 31. Ohio State won 43-3. Credit: Lantern File Photo
Ohio State wrestling returns to the mat for the first time this season when they head to Champaign, Illinois to compete against the host Illini and Wisconsin Sunday in a tri-meet.
The No. 7 Buckeyes will begin an all-Big Ten schedule with two ranked opponents in No. 24 Illinois (1-0) and No. 21 Wisconsin.
The Buckeyes have a lot to prove in their first competition after the departure of three-time All-American Kollin Moore and two-time All-American Luke Pletcher, both of whom earned the No. 1 seed in their weight class for the 2020 NCAA Championships.
“Through my 15 years here we have lost some just really special guys to graduation,” Ohio State head coach Tom Ryan said. “You don’t get them forever, so they leave, and losing Moore and Pletcher were huge losses for us.”
Ohio State may have lost two of the program’s top competitors from a season ago, but the Buckeyes return some familiar faces who will begin their season Sunday.
One of those familiar faces is redshirt sophomore Sammy Sasso.
In 2019-2020, Sasso went 24-3 and earned the No. 3 seed in the NCAA Championships. He also was named a National Wrestling Coaches Association All-American and the 2020 Intermat Freshman of the Year.
Sasso isn’t focused on the past, but rather on what is in front of him, he said.
“When I’m being Sammy Sasso, and wrestling my best, good things are gonna happen,” Sasso said. “I’m just making sure I’m on top of my game.”
Wrestling at 149 pounds, Sasso opens the year with a No. 1 ranking in the weight class — the team’s only top-ranked wrestler at the start of the season.
Sasso’s first matchup will be with a top-10 opponent in Illinois’ Mike Carr who is ranked No. 7.
Also returning for the Buckeyes are 2020 NWCA All-Americans and redshirt juniors Kaleb Romero and Ethan Smith. Romero finished last season 19-7 at 174 pounds, while Smith finished 19-13 at 165 pounds.
Joining the Ohio State roster a year after finishing 16-0 in tournament matches unattached from the program is 165 pound redshirt freshman Carson Kharchla.
Kharchla, Romero, Sasso and Smith are seen as leaders of the program on the mats, in the classroom, and out in public, Ryan said.
“Those four guys are some of our great leaders,” Ryan said. “They’re gentlemen, and then they’re assassins, those are the guys we are looking for. Be a gentleman in public and be an assassin after you shake hands [on the mat].”
Ten wrestlers will compete for the Buckeyes against Illinois and Wisconsin. According to FloWrestling, seven of the 10 Ohio State starters hold top 25 rankings with four appearing in the top-10.
“This weekend will be the first test,” Ryan said. “Obviously, both these teams are tough, so I’m looking forward to seeing these guys compete.”
In their first Big Ten dual meet of the season, Illinois won nine of 10 matches to defeat Indiana 39-3. The win was the Illini’s largest margin of victory in program history in Bloomington.
Ohio State has an all-time record of 36-33 against Illinois and the Buckeyes have won six consecutive meetings with the Illini, including eight of the last nine.
Like Ohio State, Wisconsin will also begin their season Sunday. The Badgers lead the all-time series 29-23-1, but the Buckeyes have won four of the last five meetings.
In 2019-2020, the Buckeyes faced both opponents back-to-back in a Friday-Sunday competition weekend. Ohio State defeated Wisconsin 24-13 on the road before returning home to beat Illinois 28-6.
The duals are set to begin Sunday at noon and can be seen on BTN Plus.
