Match Notes: Ohio State

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ON THE MAT
The fourth-ranked University of Iowa wrestling team faces No. 2 Ohio State on Sunday at Value City Arena at the Jerome Schottenstein Center on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. (CT).  

THE SERIES — OHIO STATE
Iowa leads the all-time series against Ohio State, 39-3. The schools split the first four meetings, 2-2, before Iowa rattled off 34 consecutive victories from 1967-2011. Ohio State ended the streak with a 21-9 win in 2012 at Columbus. 
    The Hawkeyes have since won the last three meetings, 22-9 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in 2013; 18-14 in 2015 at Ohio State, and 21-13 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in 2017. 
     Iowa is 18-2 all-time against the Buckeyes in Columbus. The Buckeyes earned wins in 1966 (14-11) and 2012 (21-9). Iowa won its last trip to Columbus, 18-14, in 2015.

NATIONALLY RANKED MATCHUPS
Sunday’s dual features five top-6 matchups and seven top-20 matchups. The Hawkeyes and Buckeyes have wrestlers ranked in the top 6 in at least one national poll at 125 (#6 Lee/#1 Tomasello), 149 (#2 Sorensen/#6 Hayes), 157 (#2 Kemerer/#6 M. Jordan), 197 (#5 Wilcke/#1 Moore), and 285 (#3 Stoll/#1 Snyder).
    The Buckeyes are ranked at every weight class. Iowa is ranked at seven weight classes. 

NICE TO MEET YOU
Nine of the dual’s 10 matchups feature wrestlers meeting their opponents for the first time. The lone exception in 197, where Cash Wilcke lost to Kollin Moore twice last season, first by 19-7 major decision, and then by 10-5 decision at the Big Ten Championships. 

CLOSE TO HOME
Redshirt freshman Alex Marinelli returns to his home state for the first time as a Hawkeye. Marinelli is from Miamisburg, Ohio, 80-plus miles west of Columbus, where he won four Ohio high school state titles for St. Paris Graham. He finished his prep season with a 200-4 career record. 
    Marinelli is 8-0 this season and ranked No. 8 by Intermat. He has three wins over ranked opponents and won the 165-pound title at the 2017 Midlands Championships. 
    Marinelli’s Hawkeye teammate, Justin Stickley, is also from St. Paris Graham High School. Stickley was a two-time state runner-up in Ohio and Iowa’s starting 125-pounder before Spencer Lee joined the lineup. 

UNDEFEATED WRESTLERS
Sunday’s dual features eight weight classes with at least one undefeated wrestler. Only 141 and 174 pounds are without an undefeated wrestler. The heavyweight matchup features two undefeated wresters. Iowa’s Sam Stoll is 12-0 and ranked No. 3 in the country, while Ohio State’s Kyle Snyder is 5-0 and ranked No. 1.
    Ohio State has five undefeated wrestlers. Iowa has four, including Brandon Sorensen (14-0), Michael Kemerer (15-0), Alex Marinelli (8-0), and Stoll (12-0). 
    In the history of Iowa wrestling, 15 wrestlers have finished the season with a perfect record (minimum 20 matches). Four of those wrestlers were able to perform the feat twice. They include Mark Ironside, Lincoln McIlravy, T.J. Williams and Jim Zalesky. Iowa coaches Tom Brands and Terry Brands are among the 15 wrestlers. Tom went 45-0 in 1990-91 and Terry went 35-0 in 1991-92.

SORENSEN’S HOT START
Senior Brandon Sorensen, ranked No. 2 at 149 pounds, has opened the season with 14 straight wins, including three technical falls, three major decisions, and four falls. 
    This is the third straight year Sorensen opened the season with at least 14 consecutive wins. He started the 2015-16 season with 25 straight wins, a career-best winning streak, and opened last year with 17 straight wins. 
    Sorensen is 28-1 all-time in Big Ten duals. He has 55 career dual starts. Sam Stoll ranks second on the team with 28 career dual starts. 
    
LEE AND MARINELLI IMPRESS IN DEBUTS
True freshman Spencer Lee and redshirt freshman Alex Marinelli have steadily climbed the national rankings since entering the Iowa lineup.
    Lee made his Hawkeye debut Jan. 5 against Michigan State and opened the dual with a fall in 46 seconds against Kayvon Foley at 125 pounds. He is 8-1 with four falls, three technical falls, and three wins over ranked opponents. He debuted in the rankings Jan. 9 at No. 9. He has since moved up to No. 6 (Intermat).
    Marinelli made his collegiate debut Dec. 8 at Rutgers. He has since gone 8-0 with two pins, three wins over ranked opponents, and winning the Midlands championship at 165 pounds. He entered the Intermat rankings Dec. 12 at No. 13. He has since climbed to No. 8. 

KEMERER CONTINUES PIN PARTY
Sophomore Michael Kemerer is 15-0 this season with seven pins. Kemerer had four pins all of last season in 36 matches. He has twice this season been named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week. 
    Five of his seven falls have come in the first period. Kemerer earned the Most Pins/Fastest Time award at the 2017 Midlands Championships. He pinned four opponents in a total of 9:54. 
    Kemerer is 15-0 for the second straight season. He opened his redshirt freshman year with 19 consecutive wins. 

BOWMAN CRACKS NATIONAL RANKINGS
Junior Mitch Bowman made his national rankings debut this week, coming in at No. 20 at 184 pounds in the Intermat rankings. Bowman is 10-3 overall and has scored bonus points in five wins. He has three wins over ranked opponents. 
    Bowman is 7-2 in duals, including 2-2 in Big Ten action. He entered the season with a 1-2 career dual record, 0-2 in the Big Ten. 

FINISH STRONG
The Hawkeye 197 and 285-pounders have a combined record of 25-1 with 14 wins by bonus points.
    Cash Wilcke, the sophomore 197-pounder, is ranked No. 5 and has two major decisions, one technical fall, and two falls. He is also 2-0 in overtime. Wilcke won 197-pound title at the Midlands Championships. 
    Stoll, a junior ranked No. 3 at 285, has won a career-best 12 straight matches to open the season. Stoll won the 285-pound title at the Midlands Championships, and has six falls among his 12 wins. 

NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION… WELCOME ALL CHALLENGERS
The Hawkeyes ring in the New Year with a January schedule that includes top-ranked Penn State, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 5 Oklahoma State, No. 8 Michigan, No. 13 Minnesota, and No. 20 Northwestern.
    The Hawkeyes defeated then No. 3 Oklahoma State on Jan. 14. They host Michigan, Minnesota, and Northwestern at home, in that particular order. 
    Iowa wrestles at Ohio State on Saturday and at Penn State on Feb. 10. All five duals are televised by BTN. 
    Carver-Hawkeye Arena single dual tickets are $15/$10 (adult/youth) for duals against Michigan, (Jan. 27), and Minnesota (Feb. 4). Northwestern tickets are $12/$8.