Ohio State Drops 22-9 Decision at No. 5 Iowa

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The fourth-ranked Ohio State wrestling team dropped a 22-9 decision at No. 5 Iowa Friday night in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Hunter Stieber, Cam Tessari and Peter Capone paced the Buckeyes (6-1; 0-1 Big Ten) with victories at 141 and 149 pounds and heavyweight, respectively. Iowa improves to 11-0 overall and 1-0 in the Big Ten.

 

The Scarlet and Gray will return to Big Ten Conference action at 3 p.m. ET Sunday when they face No. 15 Northwestern at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Ill.

 

Following his 6-4 win over No. 8 Mark Ballweg, Stieber remains undefeated and now is just one win away from his 20th victory of the season. Ranked second in the nation, Stieber trailed the undefeated Ballweg (10-0) early in the match, 2-0, but regained the lead in the second period after scoring a pair of takedowns and an escape. Despite Ballweg scoring an escape in the third period to cut Stieber’s lead to 5-4, the Buckeye sophomore from Monroeville, Ohio, held on for the win after also accruing riding time.

 

The Buckeyes earned back-to-back wins when Tessari edged Michael Kelly, 8-7. Leading Kelly, 6-2, after the first period, Tessari, a sophomore from Monroeville, Ohio, scored an escape in the second period to extend his lead to 7-2. However, a takedown by Kelly later in the period cut Tessari’s lead to three (7-4). Kelly scored his third, fourth and fifth-consecutive points to open the third period and tie the score. With the match appearing to head into overtime, Tessari recorded an escape in the final seconds for the win.     

 

Capone’s bout vs. No. 4 Bobby Telford did continue into overtime and thanks to a reversal in the first tiebreaker, Capone, ranked No. 13, beat Telford, 3-2. After a scoreless first period, Capone, a redshirt junior from Johnson City, N.Y., and Telford traded escapes in the second and third periods, respectively. With both wrestlers unable to score in overtime, the match went into a tiebreaker. Capone handed Telford, who entered the match 10-0, his first loss of the season.

 

Of the seven matches the Buckeyes lost, five bouts were dropped by four points or less. At 157 pounds, redshirt sophomore Josh Demas faced No. 1 Derek St. John and despite holding St. John to just one takedown and escape (St. John also compiled riding time), Demas only could muster a pair of escapes. Freshman Mark Martin and No. 19 Nick Moore hit the mats at 165 pounds and with the score even at 2-2 at the end of the second period, Moore was able to score an escape and add riding time for the victory. Redshirt junior and second ranked Nick Heflin dropped a heartbreaking 9-4 decision to No. 7 Mike Evans in the 174-pound bout. Heflin, a native of Massillon, Ohio, had a 4-2 lead at the end of the second period, but Evans rallied with back-to-back escapes in the third period to tie the score and send the match into overtime. In the sudden victory overtime, Moore scored a takedown and 3-point nearfall to earn his ninth win. Redshirt freshman Kenny Courts jumped out to an early 2-0 lead vs. No. 9 Ethen Lofthouse, but was unable to hold on as Lofthouse used a takedown and a Courts’ penalty for a 5-3 win. At 197 pounds, sophomore and ninth-ranked Andrew Campolattano fell, 3-2, to Nathan Burak. An escape in the third period by Burak broke a 2-2 tie and was enough for the victory.

Senior Nikko Triggas opened the match at 125 pounds vs. No. 1 Matt McDonough and dropped a 10-5 decision. Kyle Visconti received the start at 133 pounds in place of injured Logan Stieber vs. No. 2 Tony Ramos and lost 30-14.    

 

No. 4 Ohio State 9 at No. 5 Iowa 22

Jan. 4, 2013

Carver-Hawkeye Arena

Iowa City, Iowa

 

125 - No. 1 Matt McDonough (Iowa) dec. No. 12 Nikko Triggas, 10-5

133 -No. 2 Tony Ramos (Iowa) tech. fall Kyle Visconti, 30-14

141- No. 2 Hunter Stieber dec. No. 8 Mark Ballweg (Iowa), 6-4

149 - No. 14 Cam Tessari dec. Michael Kelly (Iowa), 8-7

157 - No. 1 Derek St. John (Iowa) dec. Josh Demas, 4-2

165 - No. 19 Nick Moore (Iowa) dec. Mark Martin, 4-2

174 - No. 7 Mike Evans (Iowa) dec. No. 2 Nick Heflin, 9-4sv

184 - No. 9 Ethen Lofthouse (Iowa) dec. No. 16 Kenny Courts, 5-3

197 - Nathan Burak (Iowa) dec. No. 9 Andrew Campolattano, 3-2

HWT - No. 13 Peter Capone dec. No. 4 Bobby Telford (Iowa), 3-2tb