Jan. 24, 2014

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ohio State Wrestling Contact:

Danielle Warner (warner.238@osu.edu)

 

No. 11 Ohio State Drops 28-12 Decision to No. 10 Nebraska

Johnni DiJulius, Logan Stieber, Nick Heflin earn wins for Buckeyes; Ohio State returns to action vs. Michigan Jan. 31 

 

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The 11th-ranked Ohio State wrestling team lost, 28-12, to No. 10 Nebraska Friday night at St. John Arena. The Buckeyes fall to 7-3 overall and 2-3 in the Big Ten Conference, while the Cornhuskers improve to 9-1 overall and 3-1 in the league. In the match Friday night, Buckeyes Johnni DiJulius, Logan Stieber and Nick Heflin earned wins at 133, 141 and 197 pounds respectively.

 

DiJulius secured points for the Buckeyes first with his 2-1 decision vs. Shawn Nagel. Up next, Stieber earned his 14th bonus point victory of the season after pinning Colton McCrystal in 2:19. Heflin was the last Buckeye to score with his dramatic 3-1 sudden victory over Caleb Colb.

 

Ohio State returns to action when it hosts No. 12 Michigan at 7 p.m. Jan. 31. The match between the Buckeyes and Wolverines will be streamed live on Buckeye Vision.

 

With the Buckeyes quickly falling behind 6-0 on a Nebraska fall (4:56) in the 125-pound bout between redshirt-freshman Nick Roberts, who is ranked No. 16, and No. 9 Tim Lambert, DiJulius cut the Cornhusker lead in half. Ranked fifth in the nation, DiJulius, a redshirt-sophomore traded escapes with Nagel in the second and third periods, but the Buckeye’s 1:32 of riding time proved to be the difference maker in his 2-1 win.

 

Ohio State took 9-6 lead thanks to Stieber’s (R-Jr., Monroeville, Ohio) pin which culminated from a takedown and 3-point nearfall in the first period. Improving to 14-1 overall and 4-1 in the Big Ten, all of No. 3 Stieber’s victories in 2013-14 have come via bonus points.  

   

Perhaps the most dramatic Buckeye win of the night came at 197 pounds. Similar to DiJulius and Nagel’s match, Heflin, a senior polled eighth in the country, and No. 20 Caleb Kolb exchanged escapes in the second and third periods, but with neither wrestler accruing riding time, the bout was forced into sudden victory. Soon within the one-minute period, Heflin scored the match-winning takedown.

 

After Ohio State took a slim 9-6 lead, Nebraska answered with five consecutive wins, including a close bout at 149 pounds between No. 18 and senior Ian Paddock and No. 5 Jake Sueflohn. With both wrestlers knotted up at four heading into the third period, Sueflohn took the lead on a reversal, 2-point nearfall and eventually the win after compiling 2:59 of riding time.

 

At 157 pounds, redshirt-junior Randy Languis lost a 16-4 major decision to No. 1 James Green and junior Joe Grandominico fell to Austin Wilson, 6-0, in the 165-pound match.

Ohio State dropped two more matches at 174 and 184 pounds before Heflin’s victory at 197 pounds. Sophomore and No. 14 Mark Martin lost, 6-2, to No. 4 Robert Kokesh and No. 8 and redshirt-sophomore Kenny Courts was pinned in 2:29 by No. 11 TJ Dudley. In the heavyweight match-up, redshirt-freshman Nick Tavanello suffered a 10-4 setback to Collin Jensen.

 

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