Wrestling
Buckeyes Move to Fourth in Third Session of NCAA Championships
By Kevin Schlosser

(ST. LOUIS, Mo.) Ohio State continued to impress at the 2008 NCAA Wrestling Championships moving from eight to fourth at the conclusion of the third session. The Buckeyes are two points from second place and already have three guaranteed All-Americans with the possibility to add two more with wins on Friday night.

OSU advanced four wrestlers to the championship quarterfinals and three won their match to keep their individual title hopes alive. J Jaggers, Mike Pucillo, and J.D. Bergman will each be wrestling in the first NCAA semifinal. With another win they are wrestling for first and with a loss they are guaranteed to place no lower than sixth.

Lance Palmer lost a heartbreaking decision in the championship round Friday morning to drop to the consolations while Reece Humphrey lost on Thursday and won both of his consolations to stay alive. It took the number one seed and top ranked wrestler in each weight class to send Palmer and Humphrey to the consolations. With a win in their next match, both wrestlers will be guaranteed to place no lower than eighth and could rise as high as third.

“We showed a lot of heart and continued to have guys step up. We want to establish a winning tradition and to do that you have to perform,” said OSU head coach Tom Ryan.

“As we continue to win and have success, the reality of what Ohio State can become will be imprinted on the minds of our opponents, our wrestlers, and the fans. Iowa wants to dominate the wrestling world and we are not O.K. with that.”

The Buckeyes got at least one win from all seven wrestlers that advanced to St. Louis. Each of their returning national qualifiers are still wrestling; while Nikko Triggas and Jason Johnstone saw their seasons end on Friday morning. Triggas won by fall on Thursday night and Johnstone got his first win in the consolations on Friday morning. Both wrestlers will return next season.

“There is a lot of wrestling left to be done but we have wrestled a very good tournament so far”, continued Ryan.

“We can definitely get higher in the team standings, but we need everyone to come up with at least one more win. Jaggers, Pucillo, and Bergman can reach the finals and win a title; Lance Palmer and Reece Humphrey can be All Americans. We came here to do a job and it is time to take care of business.”

The fourth session of the NCAA Tournament will begin at 7:00 on Friday night. The championship semifinals and two rounds of consolations will be contested and the session will be broadcast live on ESPNU. Known as the “round of the twelve,” eight wrestlers in each weight class will end their day knowing they will be an All-American. They will still have to wrestle on Saturday to determine their placement, but making it that far is an accomplishment in and of itself.

OSU Session Three Individual Results:

Championship Quarterfinals:

Ch.R3.439: 141: #6 J Jaggers (OSU) WBD 5-3 #3 Kellen Russell (Michigan)

Ch.R3.445: 149: #1 Brent Metcalf (Iowa) WBD 3-2 #9 Lance Palmer (OSU)

Ch.R3.480: 184: #2 Mike Pucillo (OSU) WBD 4-3 #7 Phil Keddy (Iowa)

Ch.R3.496: 285: #2 J.D. Bergman (OSU) WBMD 11-1 David Zabriskie (Iowa State)

Consolation Rounds Two-Three:
Co.R2.344: 125: #9 Rollie Peterkin (Penn) WBD 5-0 Nikko Triggas (OSU)

Co.R2.351: 133: Reece Humphrey (OSU) WBD 6-3 Kyle Hutter (ODU)

Co.R2.380: 157: Jason Johnstone (OSU) WBD 6-4 Jarrett Hostetter (Millersville)

Co.R3.351: 133: Reece Humphrey (OSU) WBD 6-3 Conner Beebe (CMU)

Co.R3.380: 157: Matt Mobley (Bloomsburg) WBD 7-4 Jason Johnstone (OSU)

OSU Wrestling Loves St. Louis.

The 2003-2004 Ohio State wrestling team had their highest finish ever at a NCAA Tournament when they tied for third as a team. Qualifying five wrestlers for the tournament held in St. Louis, the Buckeyes had five All Americans. Tommy Rowlands won his second national championship to lead the way as J.D. Bergman took third, John Clark and Blake Kaplan were third, and Jeff Ratliff placed eighth.

“This year reminds me a lot of 2004; the same scenario is happening again. We only had a few guys and we came together and had a lot of success,” said Blake Kaplan. “Four years they had four in the semifinals and I came to see them do better than we did.”

The 2008 OSU team has five wrestlers remaining in the competition. With the potential to put three in the finals and two more that could become All-Americans, the team has a shot to equal the 2004 team’s All-American total and could place higher.

“We are putting together a good tournament but we still have a lot of work to do,” commented Tommy Rowlands. “If they wrestle like they are capable of we should be in the top three.”

While the Buckeyes may not have enough firepower to reach number one, they have enough scorers to get to second. The goal at this point is to win each of their remaining matches. Ohio State would need some help and have to take care of their own business, but they have not yet been eliminated from the team title race.

Top Team Standings: Session Three:

1. Iowa (67 points; Championship: 5; Consolation 2)

2. Nebraska (47.5 pts; CH: 3; CO: 3)

2. Oklahoma State (47.5 pts; CH: 3; CO: 2)

4. Ohio State (45.5 pts; CH: 3; CO: 2)

5. Central Michigan (43 pts; CH: 2; CO: 4)

6. Penn State (42 pts; CH: 3; CO: 2)

7. Missouri (38.5 pts; CH: 2; CO: 3).

8. Cornell (34.5 pts; CH: 4; CO: 2)

8. Minnesota (34.5 pts; CH: 1; CO: 4)

10. Iowa State (33 pts; CH: 1; CO: 6)

10. Michigan (33 pts; CH: 2; CO: 3)

Ohio State Session Three Quotes:

J Jaggers: “My goal is to be a national champion but in order to do that you have to become an All-American first,” said Jaggers. “There is a weight lifted off your shoulders when you do, because you don’t want to come here and fail to place. With a win in the quarterfinals, I can wrestle and have fun. It is time to show people just how good I am really am.”

Mike Pucillo: “In the quarterfinals; he got an early takedown to take the lead and I knew I had to keep attacking. At the end I opened it up a little more, got the takedown, and the win,” stated Pucillo. “You have to go out there with the mentality that you are going to do your best and score a lot of points. That has been the plan all year and it doesn’t change here.”

J. D. Bergaman: “I expected to be in the semifinals, but the major helped. It is a lot easier going through the championship bracket then the consolations,” said J.D. Bergman. “We are close to where we should be, it makes it a lot more fun to come here and do well. ”

OSU Session Four Pairings*:

Co.R2.506: 133: Reece Humphrey (OSU) vs. #7 Mike Grey (Cornell)

Ch.R4.550: 141: #6 J Jaggers (OSU) vs. #2 Charles Griffin (Hofstra)

Co.R4.515: 149: #9 Lance Palmer (OSU) vs. Brandon Carter (CMU)

Ch.R4.570: 184: #2 Mike Pucillo (OSU) vs. #6 Ray Jordan (Missouri)

Ch.R4.578: 285: #2 J.D. Bergman (OSU) vs. #3 Ed Prendergast (Navy)

*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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