Four Ohio State wrestlers advance to NCAA Championships quarterfinals
In a bit of a disappointing second session, only four Ohio State Buckeyes advanced to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Wrestling Championsips.
Ohio State started the NCAA Wrestling Championships with hopes of being the clear second place team in the tournament, with an outside shot of taking home the title if Penn State faltered. Well, Penn State hasn't faltered. But even if it had, it was a rough day all around for the Buckeyes.
They're still in the thick of the team race, and they definitely have a shot at second place, but the Buckeyes are nowhere near where they expected to be on Thursday morning. The second session started poorly for the Buckeyes, as Nic Bouzakis was upset by No. 14 seed Jacob Moran (Indiana).
Bouzakis came out on the wrong end of two early scrambles, and he just didn't look like himself on the mat. Maybe it's a health issue, or maybe he's struggling to keep weight down at 125 (he's a natural 133), but whatever the issue, he'll need to be healthy for the wrestlebacks or this could be a very disappointing tournament. If he is fully fit, though, he should be favored to at least reach the "Blood Round" and could still earn All-American status--or even go all the way to third place.
The day also ended poorly for the Buckeyes, as Nick Feldman lost at heavyweight to No. 21 seed Juan Mora (Oklahoma). Head coach Tom Ryan said on air in the morning session that Feldman isn't fully healthy, but he's still wrestling pretty well.