Wrestling
Buckeyes end first day in Eighth Place
By Kevin Schlosser

Ohio State got off to a good start in the first session and continued with a strong performance to end the day. While they got dropped from seventh to eight in the team standings, the Buckeyes advanced all seven wrestlers to the second day of the 2007 NCAA Tournament. Overall the team feels good about their performance and hopes to continue building momentum as the tournament progresses.

During the second session, OSU posted a 5-2 record and advanced all four of their returning All Americans to the championship quarterfinals. Lance Palmer and Mike Pucillo won major decisions and J Jaggers and J.D. Bergman won by decision. Both Reece Humphrey and Jason Johnstone lost close decisions to the number one seeded wrestler and dropped to the consolations. Nikko Triggas completed the team scoring for Ohio State with a win by pin in his first consolation match.

Competition resumes on Friday morning at 11:00 a.m. with the championship quarterfinals and two rounds of consolations. Winners of the quartfinals will become automatic All-Americans and are guaranteed to place no lower than sixth. The second session begins at 7:00 p.m. and includes two more rounds of consolations and the championship semifinals. Wrestlers in the consolations will have to win three matches on Friday if they want to be standing on the podium on Saturday.

"We definitely got off to a better start in the first session than we did at the Big Tens. It fires up the team when you have the momentum from the start. The intensity carried into the second round and our guys continued to wrestle well," stated OSU head coach Tom Ryan. "At this point we just need to find ways to win. Whether it is a one point, two points, a major or pin; a win is a win. It is about advancing, moving, on and staying in the tournament."

OSU Session Two Results:

Co.R1.195: 125: Nikko Triggas (OSU) WBF 3:24 Caleb Flores (UNI)

Ch.R2.200: 133: #1 Frank Gomez (MSU) RT; 5-5; TB3 Reece Humphrey (OSU)

Ch.R2.221: 141: #6 J Jaggers (OSU) WBD 7-2 Drew Headlee (Pitt)

Ch.R2.233: 149: #9 Lance Palmer (OSU) WBMD 14-6 Jake Patascil (Purdue)

Ch.R2.248: 157: Gregor Gillespie (Edinboro) WBD 6-0 Jason Johnstone (OSU)

Ch.R2.300: 184: #2 Mike Pucillo (OSU) WBMD 14-1 Ryan Goodman (NCST)

Ch.R2.332: 285: #2 J.D. Bergman (OSU) WBD 6-3 Joe Fendone (Edinboro)

Ohio State Day One Notes & Quotes:

True freshman Nikko Triggas lost his first match and came back with a win to stay alive in the tournament. "I came out very slow against Donahoe in the first round. He is an excellent wrestler and he executed on my mistakes. I wasn’t happy with the way I wrestled but he is a guy that can win this tournament," stated Triggas. "My second match I relaxed a lot more before it started. During the break I got away from wrestling and came back ready to go. I did a good job on my feet and in the second I was on top, put in the bar and finished it with the figure four to get the fall."

Redshirt Sophomore Reece Humphrey lost the heartbreaking match of the tournament for the Buckeyes in the second round against top seed Franklin Gomez. Trailing 3-0 in the third, Humphrey took Gomez down and put him on his back for a two point nearfall to take the lead. He gave up the escape with eight seconds left and went to over time. Wrestling even through three overtime rounds and six minutes, Humphrey lost on riding time criteria in a thirteen minute match. Despite the loss, he has to feel confident about his chances in the consolations.

"My goal today was to reach the quarterfinals, but I got there in an ugly way. In my first match, anxiety got to me. I threw up before I went out on the mat; I threw up during the match and threw up again after the match. I know I am in good shape I am in and my conditioning is where it needs to be so I was fortunate enough to come up with a win there and get that out of my system," said Jaggers. "I did a much better job in my second match. Headlee is a tough opponent; he has been on the stand before. During the match I never felt in danger and think I was in control of the entire time. As the tournament goes on I think I am going to continue to get stronger."

In the second round, sophomore Lance Palmer avenged a loss to Purdue junior Jake Patascil at the Big Ten Tournament to advance to the championship quarterfinals. Falling behind 4-0, Palmer scored fourteen of the last sixteen points to win a 14-6 major decision. Palmer will face top seeded Iowa sophomore Brent Metcalf in the championship quarterfinals on Friday.

Redshirt junior Jason Johnstone was the second Buckeye to wrestle a top seed in the second round. His opponent Gregor Gillespie was the 2007 national champion at 149 pounds. Johnstone wrestled well but lost a 6-0 decision and will have to fight his way through the consolation brackets to end the year on the podium.

"The quarterfinals is a big round for those of us there, we need to get as many All Americans as we can. For the guys in the consolations we need them to rack up some wins," commented Mike Pucillo. "This is the biggest tournament of the year and every point matters for the team. Everyone on the team wants to contribute and get the job does as a team and as individuals. While our friends and classmates are on spring break, we are wrestling for NCAA titles in St. Louis."

Fifth year senior J.D. Bergman is into uncharted territory on Friday. With the first two wins of his career in the championship bracket, Bergman advance to the championship quarterfinals for the first time.

Top Team Standings: Session Two:

1. Iowa (29.5 points; Championship: 7; Consolation 1)

2. Nebraska (26.5 pts; CH: 6; CO: 2)

3. Iowa State (25 pts; CH: 6; CO: 3)

4. Central Michigan (24 pts; CH: 4; CO: 5)

4. Minnesota (24 pts; CH: 5; CO: 3)

6. Missouri (23 pts; CH: 4; CO: 3).

6. Oklahoma State (23 pts; CH: 3; CO: 5)

8. Ohio State (22 pts; CH: 4; CO: 3)

9. Cornell (17.5 pts; CH: 4; CO: 2)

9. Penn State (17.5 pts; CH: 3; CO: 3)

Ohio State Day Two Preview:

If the Buckeyes want to improve on their finish at the 2007 NCAA Tournament, they will need a strong performance on Friday. Following a theme, it is important that Ohio State get off to a good start. Wins are all that matters whether they are in the consolations or the championship round. The more wrestlers they can advance to the semifinals, the better the position they will be in to make a major move on Friday night. If the team can keep all seven wrestlers alive through the end of the day, they will have an opportunity to make a major statement on Saturday.

OSU Session Three Pairings*:

Co.R2.344: 125: Nikko Triggas (OSU) vs. #9 Rollie Peterkin (Penn)

Co.R2.351: 133: Reece Humphrey (OSU) vs. Kyle Hutter (ODU)

Ch.R3.439: 141: #6 J Jaggers (OSU) vs. #3 Kellen Russell (Michigan)

Ch.R3.445: 149: #9 Lance Palmer (OSU) vs. #1 Brent Metcalf (Iowa)

Co.R2.380: 157: Jason Johnstone (OSU) vs. Jarrett Hostetter (Millersville)

Ch.R3.480: 184: #2 Mike Pucillo (OSU) vs. #7 Phil Keddy (Iowa)

Ch.R3.496: 285: #2 J.D. Bergman (OSU) vs. David Zabriskie (Iowa State)

*Co = Consolation; Ch= Championship

2008 NCAA Wrestling Tournament: Broadcast Schedule:

The ESPN network of channels will broadcast at least eleven hours of live wrestling the next two days. The first three broadcasts will air on ESPNU and the finals will be on ESPN.

Friday: March 21, 2008

ESPNU: 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Session Three (Live - Quarterfinals)

ESPNU: 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Session Four (Live- Semifinals)

Saturday: March 22, 2008

ESPNU: 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Session Five (Live – Consolation Finals)

ESPN: 8:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Session Six (Live – Championship Finals)

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