2020 NCAA Wrestling Championships

Big Ten Wrestling Tournament: Gary Traub at Heavyweight

What does Ohio State’s heavyweight wrestler Gary Traub have to do to qualify for the NCAA Championships?

“Gas Tank” Gary Traub has been a revelation for the Ohio State wrestling team this season. Ohio State’s No. 1 overall recruit Greg Kerkvliet transferred out of the program, and potential top wrestler Chase Singletary missed almost the entire season with injury.

In stepped Gary Traub, whose string of wins with late takedowns earned him a place in Ohio State wrestling lore that far outstripped his actual accomplishments on the mat. But as the legend grew, as did Traub’s confidence and results. He’s still an undersized heavyweight, and he won’t be challenging for a national title, but he is one of the better heavyweights in the Big Ten and, with the right draw in the NCAAs, is definitely a potential All-American.

Big Ten Wrestling Championships: Heavyweight

Basic Info:

Buckeye Wrestler: Gary Traub
Seed:No. 6
Place needed to qualify: 7th

Traub is the final wrestler for the Buckeyes, and the seventh (out of ten) who doesn’t need to pull off any upsets to qualify for the NCAA Championships. What does his draw look like? And what number Buckeye will Traub be if he does qualify?

Paths to the NCAAs

In the opening round, Traub faces Michigan State’s Christian Rebottaro, who Traub beat 3-2 at the Michigan State Open to begin the season. If Traub wins that match, he will have to face Iowa’s Tony Cassioppi (unless Maryland’s Parker Robinson pulls off an unthinkable upset). Traub lost a 9-3 match against Cassioppi in January that wasn’t particularly competitive.

If Traub loses that second match, he will face the winner from the loser’s bracket in the consolation rounds. Nebraska’s David Jensen and Wisconsin’s Trent Hillger have both easily defeated Traub this year, and he wouldn’t want to face either of them in the consolation round. However, the odds of them being upset by Jake Kleimola or Jack Heyob are very low, so Traub should move through the consolation round. After that, Traub will have to win one more match to clinch seventh place–either in the next round in the consolation bracket, or the seventh-place match.

If Traub loses his opener, he will face Robinson in the first wrestleback match. After that, he will face the loser of the Jensen-Hillger match (unless one of them gets upset, which is unlikely). Traub would have to win that match to keep his NCAA hopes alive, and then win another–either in the next consolation round, or the seventh-place match.

Other Buckeyes in this series:

125 pounds: Malik Heinselman
133 pounds: Jordan Decatur
157 pounds: Elijah Cleary
165 pounds: Ethan Smith
174 pounds: Kaleb Romero
184 pounds: Rocky Jordan

Big Ten Wrestling Tournament: Rocky Jordan at 184 pounds

What does Ohio State’s 184 pound wrestler Rocky Jordan have to do to qualify for the NCAA Championships?

Rocky Jordan did not begin the year as Ohio State’s starter at 184 pounds, but he sure finished there. 184 looked like a potential weak spot for the Buckeyes, but now it’s probably their strongest weight class after the three-headed monster of Luke Pletcher, Sammy Sasso, and Kollin Moore. Gavin Hoffman and Zach Steiner both took some duals at this weight, but Jordan improved throughout the first half of the season and has been the starter since January.

Big Ten Wrestling Championships: 184 pounds

Basic Info:

Buckeye Wrestler: Rocky Jordan
Seed:No. 6
Place needed to qualify: 10th

By NCAA qualification, this is the Big Ten’s strongest weight class. The conference will put ten wrestlers in the NCAA Championships, and it would be shocking if Jordan wasn’t one of them.

Paths to the NCAAs

Jordan will face Purdue’s Max Lyon in the opening round. If Jordan wins, it will be very difficult not to imagine him qualifying for the NCAAs. A win, and he will likely face Abe Assad of Iowa in the second round. (Assad will face No. 14 seed Kyle Jasenski of Maryland in the first round.) A Jordan win over Assad clinches a top four spot. A loss to Assad would put Jordan in the consolation bracket.

If Jordan wins his first match but loses the second, he will get two shots at qualifying. He will face the winner from the losers of the Billy Janzer vs Jack Jessen and Taylor Venz vs Jake Hinz matches. The only possible matchup there Romero should fear is Venz, who Jordan beat in a very close match last month. Even if Jordan loses in that match, he will get to face one of the other second-round losers in the consolation bracket for an NCAA spot.

Looking at the bracket, there’s only one real way that Jordan could be left out of the bracket (barring anything like injury). If he loses in the first round and somehow Assad is also upset by Jasenski, then Jordan could end up with an 0-2 record and miss out on the NCAAs. But that’s not happening. Among the safest of safe Buckeyes, Jordan is right up there with Pletcher, Sasso, and Moore.

Other Buckeyes in this series:

125 pounds: Malik Heinselman
133 pounds: Jordan Decatur
157 pounds: Elijah Cleary
165 pounds: Ethan Smith
174 pounds: Kaleb Romero
Heavyweight: Gary Traub

Big Ten Wrestling Tournament: Kaleb Romero at 174 pounds

What does Ohio State’s 174 pound wrestler Kaleb Romero have to do to qualify for the NCAA Championships?

Kaleb Romero did not start the season as an expected top wrestler, but he very quickly showed himself as one. He won his first eight matches on the season, including the title at the Michigan State Open. His close to the season was not great, but it’s not as bad as it would seem. A tight loss to Mikey Labriola is respectable, and there’s no shame in getting pinned by Mark Hall.

Big Ten Wrestling Championships: 174 pounds

Basic Info:

Buckeye Wrestler: Kaleb Romero
Seed:No. 6
Place needed to qualify: 9th

Romero is the fourth Buckeye to only need to wrestle to his seed to qualify for the NCAA Championships. Nine qualifying positions means that even with some early losses, there’s a chance to wrestle back and get to the ninth spot. Still, don’t expect Romero to need that. He should be able to qualify, and all he really needs to do to get there is win his first match.

Paths to the NCAAs

First up for Romero is Wisconsin’s Jared Krattiger. Romero defeated Krattiger 7-3 in the Ohio State vs Wisconsin dual back in January. If Romero wins that match, he will face Purdue’s Dylan Lydy in the second round. Win that match, and he clinches a spot in the NCAAs.

There is a quirk in this year’s Big Ten Championships. Indiana is not sending a wrestler at 174 pounds. So if Romero does lose in the first round, he gets a bye into the second round of the consolation bracket. In that match, he would face the winner of the losers from the opposite side of the draw. That means it would be one of No. 4 Devin Skatzka, No 5. Labriola, No. 12 Philip Spadafora, and No. 13 Max Maylor. Romero is 1-1 each vs Skatzka and Labriola this year, and 1-0 vs Spadafora. If Romero wins his first match but loses the second, he will face the loser of the second-round matchup of that foursome.

Because of the draw and no entry for Indiana, Romero is guaranteed a spot in the ninth-place bracket. Even if he loses his first two matches, he will be put into a bracket with the other three wrestlers who lose in the “second” consolation round. Win two matches in that bracket, and Romero will qualify for the NCAAs even with an 0-2 start.

Other Buckeyes in this series:

125 pounds: Malik Heinselman
133 pounds: Jordan Decatur
157 pounds: Elijah Cleary
165 pounds: Ethan Smith
184 pounds: Rocky Jordan
Heavyweight: Gary Traub

Big Ten Wrestling Tournament: Ethan Smith at 165 pounds

What does Ohio State’s 165 pound wrestler Ethan Smith have to do to qualify for the NCAA Championships?

Ethan Smith is one of the more enigmatic Ohio State wrestlers this year. Smith is a Top 15 wrestler with a 15-11 record. He has faced numerous top wrestlers and has come close far too often, but rarely pulled off the upsets. Still, Smith is talented, a leader in the locker room, and he can beat anyone on any given day. Just because he hasn’t sprung many of the big wins yet doesn’t mean he can’t.

Big Ten Wrestling Championships: 165 pounds

Basic Info:

Buckeye Wrestler: Ethan Smith
Seed:No. 5
Place needed to qualify: 8th

Smith is the first Buckeye wrestler in this series (which excluded Luke Pletcher and Sammy Sasso, since they’re basically already qualified) that has a seed at the Big Ten Championships which is better than what he needs to qualify for the NCAAs. Malik Heinselman, Jordan Decatur, and Elijah Cleary will all have to pull off at least one upset to qualify. All Smith has to do to earn a berth is wrestle to his seed.

Paths to the NCAAs

Smith needs to win two matches to guarantee himself a spot in the NCAA Championships. It doesn’t matter if those two come in the main bracket or the “wrestleback” consolation bracket. He just needs two wins.

In the opening round, Smith will face Michigan’s Tyler Meisinger. The pair have never met before, though Meisinger is ranked far lower than Smith. If Smith wins that match, he will almost certainly face Nebraska’s Isaiah White. Smith and White have met twice this season, with both matches coming to the final seconds. White won both, though. (White’s first-round opponent is Purdue’s Nate Limmex.) If Smith loses to White, then he will need to defeat the winner of the consolation match from the other side of the bracket–the losers of No. 3 Evan Wick vs No. 14 Diego Lemley and No. 6 Shayne Oster vs No. 11 Brett Donner.

If Smith loses his first match, he will first have to face the loser of White vs Limmex. To qualify for the NCAA Championships, Smith would have to win that match and then defeat the loser of the second-round match involving the Wick-Lemley and Oster-Donner winners. Smith is 2-1 on the season against Oster and 1-0 against Donner. If he is forced to face Wick in the consolation bracket (not an ideal situation at all), Smith did wrestle well in a close loss against the Wisconsin Badger in January.

Other Buckeyes in this series:

125 pounds: Malik Heinselman
133 pounds: Jordan Decatur
157 pounds: Elijah Cleary
174 pounds: Kaleb Romero
184 pounds: Rocky Jordan
Heavyweight: Gary Traub

Big Ten Wrestling Tournament: Elijah Cleary at 157 pounds

What does Ohio State’s 157 pound wrestler Elijah Cleary have to do to qualify for the NCAA Championships?

Elijah Clearly will be wrestling for the Ohio State Buckeyes at the Big Ten Wrestling Championships. With the way the season ended, it looked like Quinn Kinner would be the starter at this weight class, but Cleary beat Kinner in a wrestle-off for the postseason spot.

Well, if Cleary wants to qualify for the NCAA Championships, he certainly has his work cut out for him. Cleary has improved as the season has gone on, and all of his matches have been very close this season (except for an 11-2 loss to Northwestern’s Ryan Deakin), but it will still be a tall order for the junior to find his way to the NCAAs in Minneapolis. Let’s look at his path and what he needs.

Big Ten Wrestling Championships: 157 pounds

Basic Info:

Buckeye Wrestler: Elijah Cleary
Seed:No. 11
Place needed to qualify: 6th

This is the Big Ten’s weakest weight class, with only six wrestlers.

Paths to the NCAAs

Winner’s Bracket

The simplest way to guarantee a spot in the top six is to reach the semifinals. That means winning your first two matches. Unfortunately, like Jordan Decatur at 133 pounds, winning the first two matches doesn’t seem like the best bet for the Buckeye.

Cleary will open his tournament against Michigan State’s Jacob Tucker. Tucker is a much higher-ranked wrestler, but Cleary should have a chance to make a match of it. If the Buckeye wins that match, he will face the winner of No. 3 seed Kendall Coleman of Purdue vs No. 14 seed Fernie Silva of Indiana. It’s not impossible for Cleary to beat Tucker or Coleman (or Silva), and if he can keep his matches close, anything can happen late. Still, it’s not the easiest of paths.

Consolation Bracket

If Cleary beats Tucker but loses in the second round, he will then have to win two straight matches to qualify for the NCAA Championships. The first will be against the winner of the consolation match from the other side of the bracket. That match features the losers of Ryan Thomas vs Garrett Model and Will Lewan vs Bo Pipher. If Cleary can win that, he would then need to win one more match–most likely against the winner of the first-round match between Eric Barone and Michael VanBrill. Cleary lost to Van Brill earlier this year, though he did beat Thomas in a match last year.

What if Cleary loses his first match? Then he would need to face the loser of Silva-Coleman in his first “wrestleback” match. If he wins that, he would face the loser of the second-round match from the Thomas-Model-Lewan-Pipher group. Winning that match would mean Cleary needs one more win to guarantee sixth place, and that match would likely be either Peyton Robb or Jahi Jones.

Other Buckeyes in this series:

125 pounds: Malik Heinselman
133 pounds: Jordan Decatur
165 pounds: Ethan Smith
174 pounds: Kaleb Romero
184 pounds: Rocky Jordan
Heavyweight: Gary Traub

Big Ten Wrestling Tournament: Jordan Decatur at 133 pounds

What does Ohio State’s 133 pound wrestler Jordan Decatur have to do to qualify for the NCAA Championships?

Jordan Decatur started his college wrestling season off with a bang, burning his redshirt to fight then-No. 15 Josh Kramer of Arizona State. Decatur sprang the huge upset, and the Buckeyes looked like they had their answer at the 133 pound weight class.

Fast forward two months, and Decatur has gone 2-7 in Big Ten dual matches. Meanwhile, the win over Kramer doesn’t look as meaningful now, as the Sun Devil also lost his next seven matches.

Decatur is seeded 14th out of 14 wrestlers at the Big Ten Championships. Since the Big Ten only receives seven bids to the NCAA Championships at 133 pounds, Decatur will likely need to do the most work of any Buckeye to make it in.

Big Ten Wrestling Championships: 133 pounds

Basic Info:

Buckeye Wrestler: Jordan Decatur
Seed:No. 14
Place needed to qualify: 7th

133 pounds is the Big Ten’s second-weakest weight class, which is bad news for the lower-ranked wrestlers trying to get through to pick up a bid. Decatur will have to wrestle well above what he’s shown in Big Ten competition so far this year if he wants to earn a bid to the NCAA Championships.

Paths to the NCAAs

Winner’s Bracket

The simplest way to guarantee a seventh-place finish would be to reach the semifinals. All that means is winning your first two matches. Unfortunately for Decatur, that seems like a very unlikely path.

Decatur’s first-round opponent is No. 3 seed Austin DeSanto. The Buckeye faced DeSanto earlier in the season, and DeSanto won by a 15-point Tech Fall victory. If Decatur can turn that around and spring the upset, he should feel very confident about his second round match against Minnesota’s Boo Dryden or Nebraska’s Ridge Lovett. Decatur has never faced Dryden and lost a nail-biter against Lovett in January, but if he can beat DeSanto, he can take on either one of those.

Consolation Bracket

Assuming Decatur can’t take out DeSanto, what’s his path to seventh place? Well, it’s not a great one. He would face the Dryden-Lovett loser in his first Consolation Bracket match. If he wins that match, he will face the loser of the second-round match involving either Travis Piotrowski of Illinois, Sebastian Rivera of Northwestern, Travis Ford-Melton of Purdue, or King Sandoval of Maryland. Of those four, Decatur has only faced Piotrowski and Sandoval, and he lost to both of them. If Decatur can win that match, he will have to win one more match (against potentially anyone) in the next consolation round, or in the seventh-place match if he loses the next consolation round.

Decatur is in one of the tougher brackets, and he was the weakest of the Buckeyes in Big Ten play this season. It’s not impossible for him to earn a place in the NCAAs–he definitely has the talent for it–but it would involve him wrestling better than we’ve seen so far from him this season. And, well, no one should really be confident in a path to the NCAA Championships that involves beating either Rivera or Piotrowski.

Other Buckeyes in this series:

125 pounds: Malik Heinselman
157 pounds: Elijah Cleary
165 pounds: Ethan Smith
174 pounds: Kaleb Romero
184 pounds: Rocky Jordan
Heavyweight: Gary Traub

Big Ten Wrestling Tournament: Malik Heinselman at 125 pounds

What does Ohio State’s 125 pound wrestler Malik Heinselman have to do to qualify for the NCAA Championships?

Last season, freshman Malik Heinselman found a way to fight through talented competition at the Big Ten Wrestling Championships and earn the final bid to the NCAA Championships. If he wants to repeat that feat, though, it will be a lot tougher this year.

Big Ten Wrestling Championships: 125 pounds

Basic Info:

Buckeye Wrestler: Malik Heinselman
Seed:No. 11
Place needed to qualify: 8th

That’s right. The Big Ten will have eight wrestlers in the NCAA Championships at 125 pounds. Last year that number was nine, but the conference is a drop weaker at that weight class in 2020. That means one fewer spot, which means it’s a tiny bit tougher for Heinselman to reach the NCAAs.

Paths to the NCAAs

Winner’s Bracket

The simplest path for Heinselman to guarantee himself a spot in the NCAA Championships would be to win his first two matches at the Big Ten Championships. As the No. 11 seed, Heinselman will face No. 6 seed Michael DeAugustino in the opening round. The two have faced off once in their career, a match that Heinselman won last year. However, DeAugustino has been much better in 2020 than he was in 2019, and unfortunately Heinselman has not quite been as good this year as last year.

If Heinselman wins that match, he will face either No. 3 seed Patrick McKee of Minnesota or No. 14 seed Brandon Meredith of Penn State. Heinselman is 1-1 vs McKee in his career, but the win also came last season, while he lost a 5-1 decision to McKee back in January. Heinselman is 1-0 against Meredith in his career, winning a 5-3 decision at last month’s dual match against Penn State.

Consolation Bracket

What’s Heinselman’s path if he can’t win his first two matches? Well, there are two possibilities.

First, let’s start with what happens if Heinselman upsets DeAugustino, but he then falls to McKee. In that case, he would most likely face Michigan State’s Logan Griffin or Maryland’s Brandon Cray in his first consolation match. Heinselman has never faced Griffin and is 1-0 against Cray (last month), and a win in that match would lock Heinselman into the top eight and NCAA qualifying position. (If, however, Griffin and/or Cray pulls off a first-round upset, Heinselman could meet either No. 5 seed Jack Medley of Michigan or No. 4 seed Justin Cardini of Illinois. Heinselman is actually 4-0 in his career against Medley and 1-1 against Cardini, though the win over Cardini came last year.) All in all, Heinselman should be confident in his shot to reach the NCAAs if he can upset DeAugustino.

But what if Heinselman can’t? If he falls to DeAugustino in his opening match, the path is much tougher. Heinselman would immediately fall to the consolation bracket, where he would face the loser of the McKee-Meredith match. If he wins that match, the sophomore would then have to face the loser of the second-round match involving the Cardini-Cray and Griffin-Medley group. Based on history, Heinselman should have a real shot if Medley is the opponent there, but it’s not a very comfortable path towards qualification. Then again, Heinselman got through tougher last year, so there’s some definite hope if he finds his 2019 form again. And, all in all, he’s avoiding some of his even tougher potential matchups.