Wrestling
Weekend Recap and Big Ten Seeds Released
By Kevin Schlosser & Ross Thatcher

The Ohio State wrestling team had last weekend off but that does not mean that there was not a wrestling meet happening on campus or they were not hard at work. As the Buckeyes were preparing for the 2008 Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments at the Steelwood Facility; the Schottenstein Center was hosting the 2008 OHSAA State Wrestling Tournament.

The state wrestling tournament offered the Buckeyes a welcomed diversion from their training. With competition beginning on Thursday night there has been a lot of friends, family, and familiar faces in town for everyone within the program. At the same time the coaching staff was able to do some great networking and was able see the best talent that Ohio high school wrestling has to offer.

While the high school wrestling season has ended in Ohio, the Ohio State wrestling season is just starting to heat up. After a 19-4 regular season and strong showing in Las Vegas Invitational and the National Duals; the team is ready for their own postseason to begin. The Buckeyes will leave for Minnesota later this week for the 2008 Big Ten Tournament on March 8-9. The top seven placers in each weight class and two wild card entries will advance to the 2008 NCAA Tournament in St. Louis on March 18-20.

Ohio State and the 2008 Big Ten Tournament:

The Buckeyes received two number one seeds and for the 2008 Big Ten Tournament as seven of the ten starters were seeded. Receiving top seeds were Mike Pucillo at 184 pounds and J.D. Bergman at heavyweight. Five additional wrestlers were seeded in the double elimination tournament; Nikko Triggas (125); Reece Humphrey (133), J Jaggers (141), and Lance Palmer. (149)

Minnesota won the 2007 Big Ten Tournament followed by Wisconsin, Iowa, Penn State, and Indiana. The Golden Gophers continued their postseason dominance and won the 2007 NCAA Tournament as well. Last season Ohio State finished a disappointing ninth at the Big Ten Tournament but rebounded to finish tenth at the 2007 NCAA Tournament.

Iowa won the 2008 Big Ten Regular season title with an 8-0 record; while OSU finished 6-2 and in sole possession of second place. With seven seeded wrestlers the Buckeyes need those guys to do well and will need to pull off a few upsets along the way to be in a position to contend for a Big Ten title. This season four teams have seeded wrestlers in every weight class; Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois and Penn State. Ohio State is one of six schools with a top seed and tied at two with Michigan, Iowa, and Illinois.

2007-2008 Ohio State Big Ten Tournament Seeding:

[7] 125: Nikko Triggas (freshman; 16-13)

[7] 133: Reece Humphrey (sophomore*; 22-7)

[3] 141: J Jaggers (junior*; 21-5)

[5] 149: Lance Palmer (sophomore; 21-6)

[US] 157: Jason Johnstone (junior*; 13-15)

[4] 165: Colt Sponseller (freshman; 16-2)

[US] 174: Alex Picazo (senior*; 12-14)

[1] 184: Mike Pucillo (sophomore*; 25-1)

[US] 197: John Weakley (freshman; 6-19)

[1] 285: J.D. Bergman (senior*; 27-1)

* Already accepted/used a redshirt while at OSU; record current through 2/24/2008.

[US] = unseeded

Jason Johnstone on Preparing for the Post Season:

Ohio State junior Jason Johnstone is preparing for his third trip to the Big Ten Tournament as is looking to earn his first invitation to the NCAA Tournament. The Buckeyes will be counting on Johnstone to come through with some wins if the team hopes to compete for a Big Ten or NCAA title.

Johnstone will be the first to admit that he has not had his best showing at the end of the year yet.

"My last two trips to the Big Ten tournament were bad experiences for me. My freshman year I lost two matches that I felt that I could have won," said Jason Johnstone. "Last year I didn't wrestle well, and after preparing the whole season for that tournament and the NCAA tournament it left a sour taste in my mouth. I wasn't focused the way I should've been and after that learned that it doesn't matter what happened earlier in the year."

This season Johnstone has closed the gap against a number of elite wrestlers and is hoping for different results at the 2008 Big Ten Tournament.

"When we go into the Big 10 tournament everyone's record is back to 0-0," continued Johnstone. In preparation, "I'm trying to focus all of my energy only on wrestling knowing that I am one of ten people that can help us win the NCAA tournament."

A lot of guys cut a lot of weight and as the season goes on that really wears on them. Jason is the opposite and he will continue to get stronger as the season goes on," said OSU head coach Tom Ryan earlier this season. "Johnstone is gaining confidence and has really matured in the last year; but he is going to need to be wrestling his best at the end of the year to achieve his individual goals and to contribute to our team effort."

"I'm just trying to stay focused. Outside factors are always there and the more I try to zone them out until after March the better I'll compete at the Big 10 and NCAA tournament," concluded Johnstone. "For us to win I have to do my part and get to the NCAA tournament and help us score points."

Ohio State Wrestling & the 2008 OHSAA State Wrestling Tournament:

The Buckeyes had a lot of eyes inside of the Schottenstein Center this weekend for the 2008 OHSAA State Wrestling Tournament. For the wrestlers it was watching their former schools, coaches, and teammates compete while the coaches were busy watching a number of future Buckeyes and three verbally committed wrestlers in action.

The brightest star at the state wrestling tournament is also the biggest jewel of the 2008 Ohio State recruiting class; 145 pound state champ Tony Jameson. After winning state championships at 103, 119, and 135 pounds to start his career; Jameson became only the sixteenth Ohio wrestler to become a four time state champion. Wrestling for division I Austintown-Fitch, he is only the third wrestler to win all four of his titles in the big school division.

Jameson will be the third four time Ohio state champ on the Buckeyes roster next season joining Lance Palmer and J Jaggers. He is expected to redshirt next season and expects to compete for time in the varsity lineup in 2010 at 141 or 149 pounds. Joining Jameson on campus from Ohio next season will be Oak Harbor senior Cody Magrum and Columbus St. Francis DeSales senior John Hiles.

Magrum was the second future Buckeye to win a state championship last weekend. A four time state place winner, he placed seventh as a freshman at 160 before moving up to 171 and winning titles as a sophomore and junior. Magrum moved up to 189 pounds this season and won his third state championship. He is a possible redshirt candidate at Ohio State next year but could see time at 174, 184, or 197 pounds as early as next season depending on what direction the Buckeyes choose to go with their starting lineup.

Hiles became s three time state place winner at heavyweight for DeSales. After an opening round pin, he was upset in the second round 2-1 on a stalling point before coming back to win four consecutive matches in the consolations to place third. Hiles took second last year and third as a sophomore. He is expected to redshirt next season with the graduation of J.D. Bergman and return of Corey Morrison. A two time letterman at 197 and 285, Morrison is expected to accept a redshirt this year and compete as a junior next season at heavyweight.

Jameson, Magrum, and Hiles will also be joined on campus by Alabama senior Keaton Thompson. While not from a traditional wrestling state; Thompson won his four time state champion for Vestavia Hills High School. After winning a title at 140 pounds this season, he has won championships at 119, 125, and 135 pounds. As a senior his effort helped the Rebels win their twelfth Alabama state championship in the last twenty-four years.

Thompson is the only wrestler to have officially signed to wrestle for the Buckeyes. Jameson, Magrum, and Hiles remain verbal commitments and are expected to sign later this year. Irregardless of where they are coming from or what they have accomplished, each senior commitment hopes to make their mark at Ohio State and leave the university as an All American and an individual national champion on a Big Ten and NCAA championship team.

OSU Assistant Coach Tommy Rowlands Wins Weekend Gold:

Ohio State assistant coach Tommy Rowlands won a gold medal at the 2008 Pan American Championships last weekend. The competition was held at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Rowlands wrestled at 120kg/264.5 pounds and posted a 3-0 record in the tournament.

After pinning a world champion Alexis Rodriguez (Cuba) in the first round, Rowlands held the opposition scoreless the rest of the day winning 3-0 and 2-0 against Arjan Bhullar (Canada) in the semifinals and 2-0 and 4-0 over Antoine Jaoude (Brazil) in the finals to take the gold.

"That was a real big win for me. He's a seven-time World medalist. This doesn't put me on the Olympic Team, nor does it win me a gold medal. It's definitely a nice steppingstone for me and one that I am proud of," said Tommy Rowlands after the match.

"That was a huge, huge win for Tommy against one of the best wrestlers in the World," said U.S. coach Kevin Jackson. "Tommy had lost three straight matches to (Rodriguez) and hadn't even won a period against him. Tommy wrestled a perfect match technically and tactically. He went and scored with the match on the line. Tommy has taken the next step and moved to the next level. He knows he's good enough to be an Olympic gold medalist."
Tommy Rowlands won the 2007 U.S. National Championships and has been a US World Team member for the last year. He will be one of the favorites to repeat this year and stands a very good chance of representing the United States at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Rowlands has been on the OSU staff since graduation and currently is an assistant coach under Tom Ryan and the Director of Recruiting. As a competitor at Ohio State, he remains the only four time All American in program history and was a two time NCAA champion.
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