Tag: Mark Hall

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

Ohio State Wrestling solid in tight loss to Penn State

The Ohio State Buckeyes fell 20-16 to Penn State on Saturday night, winning five out of the ten matches against the Nittany Lions.

The Ohio State Buckeyes fell 20-16 to Penn State on Saturday night, winning five out of the ten matches against the Nittany Lions. Penn State got the win by earning five bonus points to Ohio State’s one, and because Nick Lee upset Luke Pletcher at 141 pounds.

Still, there were plenty of positives for Ohio State, especially at the beginning and end of the dual match.

The match started at 125 pounds, where Malik Heinselman pulled out a much-needed win over Brandon Meredith. Heinselman won the Greyhound Open against some lower-tier opponents last week, and that confidence seems to have bled in to this match. Jordan Decatur couldn’t get a win over No. 4 Roman Bravo-Young, though, but he looked solid in the match.

Then came the biggest match of the Day. No. 1 vs No. 2 at 141 pounds. Pletcher looked strong and in control early, but something seemed to go wrong halfway through the match. Either Pletcher tweaked something or he ran out of gas, but Lee took control from midway through the second period, and he held on for the win.

Sammy Sasso kept his No. 1 seed by winning in Sudden Victory, and Quinn Kinner picked up a much-needed win over Brady Berge with a late takedown. Kinner started the season at 133 pounds, and he finally is at his best at 157. Kinner also won the Greyhound Open last week, and that seemed to have spurred him on as well.

The next two weight classes had No. 1s and National Champions for Penn State. Ethan Smith was impressive early against Vincenzo Joseph, but Joseph took control in the second period and won by Major Decision. Then Mark Hall earned a quick pin over Kaleb Romero at 174 pounds.

Rocky Jordan couldn’t keep up with Top 10 opponent Aaron Brooks, and then Kollin Moore won by Major Decision in his match. The final match of the night saw Gary Traub pick up a huge win over Seth Nevills, also with a late takedown.

In the dual match, the Buckeyes couldn’t quite get the win. And Pletcher’s loss certainly hurt. But other than that, the Buckeyes saw plenty of positives. Heinselman and Traub seem at their best as we approach the Big Ten Tournament, and Kinner finally seems like Ohio State’s answer at 157 pounds.

The Buckeyes are improving when it matters most. We’ll see just how ready they are to be competitive nationally at the Big Ten Tournament in three weeks.