Penn State Retains Throne, a Big Ten Wrestling Recap

#5 Ohio State 23, #7 Michigan Wolverines 15

Atinat: That final score doesn’t look as lopsided as the dual was, as Michigan had falls from Mason Parris and Cam Amine (the latter of which is also deceiving, as that fall came in tiebreakers). Ohio State won the first four matches, with Malik Heinselman wrestling for the first time in a month in his win over Jack Medley and Sammy Sasso getting a tech fall to put Ohio State up 14-0. Will Lewan and Cam Amine would do their best to get Michigan back in it, cutting the lead to 14-9, but Ethan Smith, Kaleb Romero, and Gavin Hoffman would claim the next three for the Buckeyes to put the dual out of reach going to heavyweight. Mason Parris got a third-period fall over a backup, but it was too late for the Wolverines, who suffered their second Big Ten loss of the year. Ohio State, meanwhile, got their fourth and fifth conference wins and remain unbeaten in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes lost to Michigan 29-8 last year, and hadn’t beaten the Wolverines since 2018, so obviously this can be viewed as a major stepping stone for the Ohio State program. Up next, Penn State….

#1 Penn State 23, #2 Iowa Hawkeyes 14

Atinat: Okay, maybe it was because I really managed my expectations going in, but that didn’t suck as much as I thought it would. I thought Woods, Murin, Kennedy, and Brands wrestled well, I thought Lee, Siebrecht, Rhodes, and Warner wrestled as expected, and I was disappointed by Teske and Cassioppi. I was most impressed with Marco Vespa (the 125-pound backup), Levi Haines, and Greg Kerkvliet from the Nittany Lions. I have nothing more to say about this dual. I’d like to say get ‘em in March, but I’m not into kidding myself. Finish the season strong, get ten national qualifiers, see Spencer win his fourth, and maybe get a finals appearance from Woods, Murin, and/or Cassioppi. That’s what I want from this team.

Michigan State 37, #22 Maryland Terrapins 9

Atinat: Woof. After starting the season 8-2, Maryland has lost their last four duals by a combined score of 148-31. The Big Ten is brutal. This was supposed to be a winnable dual for Maryland, and instead they won just two matches and gave up two pins plus a forfeit. Braxton Brown got a win at 125, Jaron Smith got a pin at heavy, and that was it for the Grappling Turtles.

The Spartans, meanwhile, got just about all they could ask for. Jordan Hamdam and Ceasar Garza got minor upset wins over Kal Miller and Dom Solis, respectively; Caleb Fish outlasted John Martin Best; and they got five or six points from Rayvon Foley, Peyton Omania, Chase Saldate, Layne Malczewski, and Cam Caffey (via forfeit). They got their first Big Ten dual victory of the year, and with their loss to Ohio State later in the weekend, have an 8-5 overall record.

#15 Northwestern Wildcats 18, #18 Wisconsin Badgers 17

Kind of…: Austin Gomez suffered what is likely a season-ending knee injury. Only one other guy has beaten Yianni Diakomihalis in a college dual, and that was 2018. Life isn’t fair, there is no justice in the world, and if you want more of a recap, find a Northwestern wrestling fan.

#11 Minnesota Gophers 24, #17 Illinois Fighting Illini 9

HWAHSQB: Cue up the “It’s fucking embarrassing!!” gif. Minnesota is good. This should’ve been a really close match, but Illinois was outworked in nearly every match. Even Mikey Carr, who won 10-5 was gassed and didn’t go for more scoring in the third and Lucas Byrd didn’t really go for bonus points against an overmatched Gilva at 133 either. The only other win for Illinois was Zac Braunagel, ranked #10, against #27 Michial Foy in TBs.

In four different matches, Minnesota took a shot right off the opening whistle and got home to score each time. Kudos to the Minnesota team and staff for being ready to wrestle and, you know, giving a shit about this dual. They picked up a bunch of wins that will have seeding implications for B1Gs and NCAAs to show for it.

#15 Northwestern Wildcats 28, #24 Rutgers Scarlet Knights 6

Kind of…: Whatever. Austin Gomez got hurt. Yianni D. will likely join Spencer Lee as a four-time champ. Great. Whatever.

#7 Michigan Wolverines 44, #22 Maryland Terrapins 5

Kind of…: Do you really want a recap of a 44-5 dual? Sorry Maryland. I’m cheering for you. But not as much I was cheering for Austin Gomez. ^&*##*@(!!!

#5 Ohio State 36, Michigan State 3

Kind of…: Sammy Sasso, now likely to be B1G champ and a finalist at 149, registered a pin.

#10 Nebraska Cornhuskers 24, #18 Wisconsin Badgers 11

Kind of…: Braxton Amos and Eric Barnett both lost, so even if Austin Gomez had pinned Dayne Morton they still would’ve lost. Nothing really matters anyway.

#21 Indiana Hoosiers 17, Purdue Boilermakers 16

HWAHSQB: Whatever, no one is reading at this point. If you are, go down to the comments and write something snarky about iowa being owned by PSU.