The Ohio State wrestling team capped off Sunday with a couple of Big Ten Champions, and it was enough to seal third place in the best conference in college wrestling. Iowa ran away with first place by totaling 157.5 points, Nebraska took second with 132 points. Penn State was fourth, just behind the Buckeyes with a total of 107 team points.
But back to the Buckeye champs. One of the most exciting matches of the championship belonged to the finals at 141 pounds. Ohio State’s Luke Pletcher took on undefeated No. 1 seed Nick Lee of Penn State. It all came down to the last minute of the third period with both wrestlers tied 4-4. With opportunity winding down, Pletcher went for a leg shot and got what he needed, taking down Lee for a critical two points.
Lee was able to escape to pull to within 6-5, but Pletcher used great footwork and anticipation to steer clear of the last few desperate shots from the Penn State wrestler.
Kollin Moore had a bit of an easier time in his finals match at 197 lbs. He was the aggressor throughout against No. 8 seed Eric Schultz, winning with a business-like 4-1 score to take home the third Big Ten title of his career. Despite the low score, he was never really threatened.
Most of the OSU wrestlers are done yet either. Eight total wrestlers did enough to qualify for nationals that’ll take place in Minneapolis, Minnesota from March 19-21.
