The Official Newsletter of Ohio State WRESTLING 2012-13 Schedule Date Opponent/Tournament Time Location November Saturday, Nov. 3 at Eastern Michigan Open All Day NTS Sunday, Nov. 4 at Buffalo Invitational All Day 1st/6 (148 points) Saturday, Nov. 10 at Michigan State Open All Day NTS Thursday, Nov. 15 at Davidson 7 p.m. W, 40-3 Friday, Nov. 16 at Virginia Tech 7 p.m. W, 23-10 Saturday, Nov. 17 at Ashland Open All Day NTS Sunday, Nov. 18 vs. Pittsburgh 2 p.m. W, 26-13 Friday, Nov. 30 at CKLV Invitational All Day 1st/32 (124.5 points) December Saturday, Dec. 1 at PSU Open All Day NTS Friday, Dec. 14 vs. Kent State 7 p.m. Columbus, Ohio Saturday, Dec. 15 at Cleveland State Open All Day Cleveland, Ohio Sunday, Dec. 16 at MSG Duals New York, N.Y. vs. Maryland 10:30 a.m. vs. Hofstra 12:30 p.m. January Friday, Jan. 4 at Iowa 7 p.m. Iowa City, Iowa Saturday, Jan. 5 at Storm Open All Day Painesville, Ohio Sunday, Jan. 6 at Northwestern 2 p.m. Evanston, Ill. Friday, Jan. 11 vs. Minnesota 7 p.m. Columbus, Ohio Friday, Jan. 18 at Indiana 7 p.m. Bloomington, Ind. Saturday, Jan. 19 at Simonson Open All Day Ashland, Ohio Sunday, Jan. 20 vs. Wisconsin 2 p.m. Columbus, Ohio February Friday, Feb. 1 vs. Illinois (Oak Harbor HS) 7 p.m. Oak Harbor, Ohio Friday, Feb. 8 at Michigan 7 p.m. Ann Arbor, Mich. Saturday, Feb. 9 at Edinboro Open All Day Edinboro, Pa. Sunday, Feb. 10 vs. Penn State 2 p.m. Columbus, Ohio Sunday, Feb. 17 at NWCA National Duals TBD TBD Sunday, Feb. 24 at NWCA National Duals TBD TBD March Saturday, March 9 Big Ten Championships All Day Champaign, Ill. Sunday, March 10 Big Ten Championships All Day Champaign, Ill. Thursday, March 21 NCAA Championships All Day Des Moines, Iowa Friday, March 22 NCAA Championships All Day Des Moines, Iowa Saturday, March 23 NCAA Championships All Day Des Moines, Iowa *Events in Black Italicized are redshirt/gray team events COACH RYAN S CORNER If the frost on the windows of our car doesn t yell wrestling is here, then the thousands of Facebook posts and forum chatter does. The excitement of college wrestling is everywhere young men, training hours upon hours for the opportunity to stand out among their peers. The margin of error is so small and we are constantly reminded about the importance of all the details, all the little things and all the consistency that is required to attain what so many want. December 2012 The Buckeyes continue to build on the success of last year with some very special young prospects. Last year s team fi nished fi fth at the NCAA championships with seven freshmen. This year we fi eld one senior, two juniors, fi ve sophomores and two freshmen. There are a host of great redshirts and back-ups that would be difference makers on so many other programs. Instead, they chose to be Buckeyes, knowing that to reach their full potential they must throw themselves into the toughest environment possible. At 184, freshman Kenny Courts, a high school phenom, is being challenged by senior team captain, CJ Magrum. Hunter Stieber is being challenged by Ian Paddock, the nation s top prospect a few years ago. Up and down the line-up there is competition. This competition is real and we are better for it, although at the time we may not truly recognize it. We are young and talented, but talent isn t enough. The door of the wrestling room bears a sign that reminds our team members of all the things it takes to be great that do NOT require talent. The sport at the college level is drastically different than on the high school level. The fi eld is narrowed from nearly 1 million wrestlers at 10,000 high schools to about 3,000. Every match must be approached with a focus and diligence that demands a singular focus. We are off to a great start. We are 3-0 in duals and won the prestigious Cliff Keen Invitational without the nation s No. 2-ranked 174 pounder and returning All-American Nick Heflin. We are optimistic about this team, yet have no time to rest. We have to get better. Thanks to all those who care about this sport and program. We wish you all a happy and healthy holiday season and look forward to seeing you scream and yell in the bleachers as we prepare for the Kent State dual and MSG duals. Go Bucks! Coach Ryan ohiostateuniversitywrestling @wrestlingbucks @wrestlingbucks
PAIR OF OHIO NATIVES SIGN WITH THE BUCKEYES The Ohio State Wrestling Buckeyes nabbed two Ohio superstars during the early signing period Nov. 14-21. Nathan Tomasello of Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy and Bo Jordan of St. Paris Graham are the No. 1 ranked wrestlers in the country in their respective weight classes and are looking to capture their fourth Ohio High School state championships this season. Tomasello will compete at 120 pounds his senior year and projects to be a 125 pounder for the Buckeyes. Along with his illustrious state championships, Tomasello also has won back-to-back Junior National Championships in freestyle. Jordan enters his senior year as not only the nation s No. 1 ranked wrestler in his weight class, but the No. 1 recruit pound-for-pound. Competing at 160 pounds in his senior campaign, Jordan looks to build on his 133-1 career record en route to his fourth state title. Jordan is projected to be a 157 or 165-pounder for the Buckeyes. No. 8 Nikko Triggas vs. Pittsburgh s Godwin Nyama (Nov. 18 in St. John Arena) NO. 4 OHIO STATE AT CKLV INVITATIONAL Behind a pair of championship performances by Logan and Hunter Stieber, No. 5 Ohio State won the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Wrestling Invitational Dec. 1 at the Las Vegas Convention Center for the second consecutive year. The Buckeyes collected 124.5 points and boasted six Top 4 finishes. At the event s conclusion, Logan Stieber was named the CKLV Invitational s Most Outstanding Wrestler. Missouri, who remained on Ohio State s heels throughout the competition, fi nished one point behind the Buckeyes with 123.5 points, while Cornell rounded out the Top 3 with 104.5 points. Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational Nov. 30-Dec. 1 Las Vegas Convention Center Team Scores (Top 10) Place Team Points 1. Ohio State 124.5 2. Missouri 123.5 3. Cornell 104.5 4. Oregon State 98.5 5. Nebraska 89.5 6. Boise State 76.0 7. Virginia 64.5 8. Northern Iowa 62.5 9. Wyoming 58.0 10. Navy 56.0 USA TODAY/NWCA/AWN DIVISION I COACHES POLL Rank Team Pts. Record 1 Penn State (8) 398 3-0 2 Oklahoma State (1) 390 4-0 3 Minnesota 378 8-1 4 Ohio State (1) 372 3-0 5 Iowa 360 7-0 6 Illinois 348 3-0 7 Missouri 342 4-0 8 Cornell 332 4-0 9 Central Michigan 311 5-2 10 Northwestern 292 3-1 11 Oregon State 285 2-2 12 Virginia Tech 282 4-2 13 Michigan 278 6-1 14 Nebraska 275 5-2 15 Pittsburgh 270 2-2 16 Oklahoma 267 4-3 17 Wyoming 246 2-2 18 Maryland 235 5-2 19 Virginia 221 6-2 20 Edinboro 195 1-1 21 Purdue 194 7-2 22 Penn 171 2-1 23 Wisconsin 141 4-2 24 Lehigh 139 3-3 25 Old Dominion 104 2-2 Dropped out: Bloomsburg Receiving Votes: Bloomsburg 100, Rutgers 55, Kent State 19 Penn State Open Results Top 5 Finishes Penn State Open (Dec. 1) Wrestler Place Weight Johnni DiJulius* Fourth 133 *wrestled unattached Mark Martin vs. Pittsburgh s Tyler Wilps (Nov. 18 in St. John Arena)
SPECIAL THANKS TO OVERTIME CLUB SUPPORTERS There is simply no place like Ohio State. We are so fortunate to have so many friends who truly care about the development of character through the sport of wrestling. Our mission continues to be to Build Life Champions. The Overtime Donor Club continues to support the needs of the program thanks to the generous contributions of our alumni, friends and family. Recently an anonymous donor made a $30,000 gift to support the continued missions of the program. This program is very grateful for this gift. THANK YOU DR. THOMAS RYAN The Buckeyes would like to give a big thanks to Dr. Thomas Ryan for being our honorary coach for the match against Pittsburgh Nov. 18. Your generosity and continuous support is greatly appreciated by all! Thank you! We would also like to thank several other friends who have recently become Overtime Donors. Matt Ambrose, father of former Buckeye wrestler Ross Ambrose, along with former Buckeye and Big Ten Medal of Honor winner Mike DiSabato recently joined the OT club. Our annual goal for the overtime club is to have 100 members and raise $100,000. Thanks to the many loyal friends, we continue to provide our student-athletes with the opportunity to excel at the highest level. Logan s Banner Presentation Sunday Nov. 18, Ohio State recognized Logan Stieber and his 2012 NCAA title by revealing his banner in St. John Arena. Buckeye fans, be sure to make an appearance at our next home match to see Logan s National Championship banner! Olympic Champion - 2012 Judo Olympic Gold Medalist Kayla Harrison visited head coach Tom Ryan and NCAA champion Logan Stieber before the Michigan game Nov. 24. UPCOMING NEWSLETTER Recap of Kent State, Grapple at the Garden, Iowa, Northwestern and Minnesota Duals Recap of Simonson Open Updated Rankings Preview of Wisconsin and Illinois matches
MEET THE BUCKEYES Nick Roberts is a redshirt freshman from Listie, Pa. While wrestling for North Star High School, Roberts won three state championships, was ranked No. 1 in the country and placed fi fth at Junior Worlds. He chose to become an Ohio State wrestler because the Buckeyes have the best lightweight partners and the best coach, Lou Roselli. During his fi rst year as a redshirt, Roberts hopes to become as good and tough as he can in hopes of winning an NCAA title and then make the World or Olympic team. The most difficult challenge he has faced so far is learning to battle hard every second in college wrestling. What keeps Roberts motivated throughout the season is his coaches pushing him and telling him he is getting better each and every day, as well as winning. Nick Tavanello is a freshman from Wadsworth, Ohio. While wrestling for Wadsworth High School, Tavanello won three state championships and graduated with a career record of 179 wins, 11 losses and 109 pins. Tavanello currently is a business major and chose to become a Buckeye because he did not see himself wrestling for another school. This year he sees himself competing and winning opens, pushing the starters and working to earn a position in the starting lineup as a heavyweight for the 2013-14 season. His biggest goal as a Buckeye is to win a national title. His proudest moment so far this season is winning the Michigan State and Ashland Opens. What keeps Nick motivated is knowing he still has a lot to learn in the coming years as an Ohio State wrestler. Meet Brooke Cavallo Brooke Cavallo is a second-year honors student at The Ohio State University. Brooke currently is studying Public Affairs and Strategic Communications, as well as a specialization in Non-Profit Management. She joined the Ohio State Wrestling Team as a manager during the 2011-12 season. Upon returning for the 2012-2013 season, Brooke became the Director of the Monthly E-Newsletter. She would like to thank everyone for the continual support of the Ohio State wrestling team! 2013 Team Banquet The 2013 Team Banquet is Sunday, April 28 in the Cartoon Room at the Ohio Union. Takedown Fan Club members and season ticket holders will receive an exclusive invitation to the banquet. Live Stream of Kent State Match Buckeye Vision subscriptions can be purchased by logging on to Ohio- StateBuckeyes.com. Please note, fans Buckeye Vision subscription information also can be used to log on to the Big Ten Digital Network (BTDN) for Ohio State content only. A large number of matches streamed also will be televised on delay via Student U. http://go.osu.edu/wr_buckeyevision 2013 Wrestling Summer Camps The dates have been set for the 2013 Ohio State wrestling summer camps. Ten camps during the months of June and July are available. Click on the link for more information. http://go.osu.edu/wr_2013camps 2012-13 Ohio State Buckeyes
A LOOK AHEAD - OPPONENTS PROBABLE LINEUPS Dec. 14, 2012 at St. John Arena Columbus, Ohio Buckeye Vision Streaming Kent State (0-0) 125 Stevie Mitcheff 133 Kyle Bauer 141 Andy Candiello 149 Nick Carr 157 Mallie Shuster 165 Caleb Marsh 174 Sam Wheeler 184 No. 16 Casey Newburg 197 No. 1 Dustin Kilgore 285 Keith Witt Dec. 16, 2012 Grapple at the Garden at Madison Square Garden New York, N.Y. No. 21 Maryland (4-1) 125 No. 14 Shane Gentry 133 No. 14 Geoffrey Alexander 141 Frank Goodwin 149 Lou Mascola 157 Brady Massaro 165 Josh Snook 174 No. 6 Josh Asper 184 No. 10 Jimmy Sheptock 197 No. 16 Christian Boley 285 Carl Buchholz No. 27 Hofstra (0-8) 125 No. 20 Steve Bonanno 133 Jamie Franco 141 No. 13 Luke Vaith 149 No. 6 Justin Accordino 157 Jay Lysne 165 Nick Terdick 174 Jermaine John 184 Taras Luzhnyy 197 Tim Murphy 285 Paul Snyder Jan. 4, 2013 at Iowa Iowa City, Iowa No. 4 Iowa (6-0) 125 No. 1 Matt McDonough 133 No. 2 Tony Ramos 141 No. 11 Mark Ballweg 149 Michael Kelly 157 No. 1 Derek St. John 165 No. 19 Nick Moore 174 No. 7 Mike Evans 184 No. 7 Ethen Lofthouse 197 Nathan Burek 285 No. 5 Bobby Telford Jan. 6, 2013 at Northwestern Evanston, Ill. No. 14 Northwestern (3-0) 125 No. 18 Dom Malone 133 No. 16 Levi Mele 141 Jameson Oster or Colin Shober 149 Dylan Marriott 157 No. 2 Jason Welch 165 No. 10 Pierce Harger 174 No. 9 Lee Munster 184 Marcus Shrewsbury 197 Alex Polizzi 285 No. 9 Mike McMullan Regional Training Center Results Reece Humphrey, a member of the Ohio Regional Training Center, is a 2011 U.S. National Champion and World Team Member. Humphrey recently finished second at the NYAC tournament that was held Nov. 9-11 in New York City. PARKING INFORMATION AT ST. JOHN ARENA Please Note: Parking north and south of French Field House and St. John Arena is FREE PARKING. Anywhere else will be paid parking, including the stadium lots, which has been our traditional overflow parking for wrestling. Fans, please be sure to arrive early to all matches to park in the best spot possible and to avoid all fees. We appreciate your support and cooperation. WRESTLING CONTACT INFORMATION Head Coach: Tom Ryan (ryan.998@osu.edu/614-292-4184) Associate Head Coach: Lou Rosselli (rosselli.2@osu.edu) Assistant Coach: J Jaggers (jaggers.5@osu.edu) Volunteer Assistant Coach: Ross Thatcher (thatcherr@buckeyes.ath.ohio-state.edu) Strength & Conditioning: Alex Picazo (picazo.1@osu.edu) Reece Humphrey s Results NYAC Tournament, Nov. 9-11 Rd. 1: beat Kamaal Abdushska of Parview (6-0, 70) Rd. 2: beat J. Mancini of Canada (4-0, 2-0) Rd. 3: beat E. Aliyev of the Brooklyn Wrestling Club (Fall in 32 seconds) Rd. 4: lost to Jimmy Kennedy of the NYAC (3-1, 1-0) Upcoming events Ivan Yarigin: Jan. 27th Besides the World Championships, this is one of the toughest tournaments in the world. The Ivan Yarigin tournament will feature multiple world medalists, including participants from Russia who are considered some the best competitors. There will be a training camp sponsored by USA Wrestling that will start Jan. 11th and run through the competition. Dave Schultz Tournament: Feb. 1st in Colorado Springs The Dave Schultz tournament is a domestic event that will feature several highly-ranked senior athletes at each weight class. It usually has a few international competitors at each weight class as well. ***Save the date We encourage all of our dedicated supporters to attend these two events. The U.S. Open is the first leg of the World Team Trials and really sets the stage for the World Team championships in June. The World Team Trials is where the U.S. finalists wrestle in a best of 3 matches to attempt to qualify for the World Championships. The U.S. Open is April 18-21 and the World Team Championships is June 20-22.
BUCKEYE TAKEDOWN FAN CLUB Hunt for Alumni! The Buckeye TakeDown Fan Club is looking for former Ohio State wrestlers to help us grow the program. We need your help in fi nding all of the wrestling alumni of The Ohio State University. The Buckeye TakeDown Club is looking to reunite all of our past wrestlers with the Ohio State wrestling program. We need your help and support in doing this. If you are a former Ohio State wrestler or know of one please contact Nickolai Timbs via email at: timbs.2@osu.edu. Buckeye TakeDown Fan Club on Facebook! The Buckeye TakeDown Fan Club just recently went live on Facebook with its own fan club site. The site was made to keep you up to date on all of the socials and events of the Buckeye TakeDown Fan Club, while allowing the members chance to stay in contact with one another. If you are not already a member of the Buckeye TakeDown Fan Club on Facebook, then please join us at http://www.facebook.com/thebuckeyetakedownfanclub. Members, friends and fans of the program are welcome to post anytime. We look forward to hearing from you soon. Go Bucks! Opening Home Event and Social The home opener for the Buckeyes vs. Pittsburgh Nov. 18 was a huge success and a blast. The Buckeyes dominated with style and easy showing why they are the best team in the land. The victory over the Panthers was not the only reason the event was a blast. The fans really made the atmosphere of the event exciting and fun. The Buckeye TakeDown Club would like to thank all of these fans for coming out and supporting the Ohio State wrestling program and for supporting the Buckeye TakeDown Club. Our fan base for The Buckeye TakeDown Club doubled at our fi rst home meet and has been growing since. We still need your help in achieving our goal of 500 members this season. Please continue to invite friends, family and coworkers to join us at all of our events. Nickolai Timbs, a former Ohio State wrestler, came on board in October as the Executive Director of The Buckeye TakeDown Fan Club after completing a two- year coaching stint at the University of Dubuque. While at the University of Dubuque, Nickolai helped coach the wrestling program to an 11th-place finish at the Division III NCAA championships. Excelling in the classroom, the Dubuque wrestling team was sixth in the nation academically. Nickolai competed for the Buckeyes from 2006-2008 and was a two-time Academic All- Big Ten honoree. During his time at Dubuque, Nickolai earned his master s degree in Business Administration. (Left) No. 7 Cam Tessari vs. Donnie Tasser of Pittsburgh (Nov. 18 in St. John Arena) (Right) No. 16 Josh Demas vs. Pitt s Troy Reaghard (Nov. 18 in St. John Arena) SEE YOU AT ST. JOHN GROUP TICKETS Group Tickets are available to all Ohio State Wrestling home matches at St. John Arena! Ticket minimums may apply for certain group experiences. Order early for the best seating and the opportunity to participate in group experiences! Enjoy the benefits of: - Reserved Seating in the lower bowl of St. John Arena close to the action (pending availability)! - A personal Account Representative to help you plan and promote your event - Discounted tickets - Group experiences (pending availability) listed below with ticket minimums for eligibility 10 Tickets or more Group name PA & Scoreboard recognition (certain age groups may not be eligible because of NCAA Compliance rules) 25 Tickets or more Special Buckeye Gift Everyone in the group will receive an exclusive NCAA Championship poster, not available to the general public 50 Tickets or more Post Match Photo - Bring your group onto the mats, the real home of Ohio State Wrestling for a Group Photo Op! 100 Tickets or more Post Match Interview with Ohio State Coaches or Student- Athletes PLEASE NOTE: Group Tickets are ONLY available through Kathleen Dean (614-292-0043) in advance. In order to plan staff and facility needs, the Post-Match Photo Op and Interview Session require advance notice in order to participate. The deadlines by which to have your order place and qualify for these experiences are as follows: Kent State 12/14/12 book by 5 p.m. 12/10/12 Minnesota 1/11/13 book by 5 p.m. 1/7/13 Wisconsin 1/20/13 book by 5 p.m. 1/14/13 Penn State 2/10/13 book by 5 p.m. 2/4/13 You may still order group tickets after these deadlines, but we will not be able to offer the photo or interview experiences to your group because of timing restraints. For more information please visit our website: http://go.osu.edu/wr_grouptickets
2013 BIG TEN & NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS Thank you to all our fans who came out to support the Ohio State wrestling team in their post season tournaments last season. We are already looking forward to next season. NCAA tickets will be going on sale in about a month and click http://go.osu.edu/wr_postseasontixs to learn about purchasing them. Big Ten Championships The Big Ten championships will not confl ict with the Ohio High School State wrestling tournament in 2013. The conference championships will take place in Champaign, Ill., March 9-10 and we hope to have a stronger crowd than ever before. Our Ohio State Fan Group has reserved a block of hotel rooms close to the arena. Call to reserve your room today Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham 101 Trade Centre Drive Champaign, IL 61820 Phone - 217-531-9098 Call and ask for Ohio State Wrestling Block Reserve by Feb. 8th NCAA Championships The 2013 NCAA Championships will be held in Des Moines, Iowa, March 21-23 at Wells Fargo Arena. The majority of downtown hotels have already been booked, but our Ohio State Fan Group has reserved a block of hotel rooms right outside the city. It is a quick drive to the arena and there should be plenty of parking. We know most of our fans would prefer to be downtown, but please consider booking with all the other Ohio State Fans. Call to reserve your room today Drury I&S West Des Moines 5505 Mills Civic Parkway West Des Moines, IA 50266 Call 1-800-325-0720 and refer to the group # 2145916. To book online, log on to http://www.druryhotels.com/reservations. aspx?groupno=2145916 2012 Big Ten Championships - 133-pound champion Logan Stieber (West Lafayette, Ind., at Purdue University)