Ohio State Wrestling Suffers Tight 20-18 Defeat to Wisconsin

Augustson and Bergman score falls to spark rally, but Buckeyes fall short

Columbus, Ohio – The Ohio State wrestling team (7-8, 0-4 Big Ten) played host to a home dual vs. Wisconsin (8-3-2, 1-3-1) at nearby Worthington-Kilbourne High School Friday. With both teams seeking its first win in league action, the Buckeyes and Badgers wrestled to a final deciding bout at HWT before Wisconsin emerged with a 20-18 victory.

With the Badgers holding a 16-3 lead through six matches, Ohio State 174 Nathaniel Augustson (Jr., Rio Rancho, N.M.) and 197 J.D. Bergman (So., Oak harbor, Ohio) each recorded falls to slice the UW advantage to 20-15 heading into the HWT match. Auguston wasted no time posting an upset over Wisconsin’s Kelly Flaherty, who came into the match ranked No. 17 in the country. Augustson scored a quick takedown in the first minute and wrestled Flaherty to his back, where he finished the Badger at the 1:39 mark.

Following a major decision loss by Ohio State’s Alex Picazo (So., Grandview, Ohio) at 184, Bergman tallied win No. 30 on the season with his team-best seventh fall of the year over Wisconsin’s Ryan Flaherty. Bergman, ranked No. 4 in the country, grabbed a 2-1 edge with a takedown in the second period and added a 3-point near fall for a 5-1 lead heading into the third period, where Bergman scored the fall at the 6:31 mark.

In need of a technical fall to tie the dual, OSU HWT Kirk Nail (Fr., Hilliard, Ohio) wrestled to a 5-1 advantage over UW’s Lee Kramer at the end of two periods with a pair of takedowns. Nail, ranked as high as 17th in the nation, came away with the win at 9-3, but Ohio State fell just two points shy of the tie. With the win, Nail has recorded victories in nine of his last 10 matches and improved to 3-1 in Big Ten action.

The dual started at 125, with Ohio State’s Nathan Costello (Jr., Maple Heights, Ohio) dropping an 8-3 decision to Wisconsin’s Collin Cudd for a 3-0 UW lead. The match at 133 featured a pair of ranked wrestlers in No. 17 T.J. Enright (Fr., Galloway, Ohio) of Ohio State and No. 7 Tom Clum, the 2004 Big Ten champion at 133 from Wisconsin. Clum opened a 2-1 lead with a first period takedown, while also accumulating 2:27 of riding time at the end of the first stanza. Clum, who was 17-3 coming into the match, moved ahead 7-2 with two more takedowns in the second period. In the third, Enright cut the Clum lead to 7-3 with an escape, but eventually fell by an 8-3 score with Clum’s advantage in riding time.

At 141, Ohio State freshman Jason Johnstone (Fr., Massillon, Ohio) built a 3-0 lead after two periods with an escape and a pair of stalling penalties on Wisconsin’s Tyler Laudon. In the third, Laudon closed the gap to 3-2 with a reversal, but Johnstone answered with an escape for a 4-2 lead. Johnstone finished off the win with a takedown with 16 seconds left on the clock. With the win, Ohio State pulled to within three points of Wisconsin at 6-3.

Wisconsin’s Craig Henning put the Badgers back ahead by six with a 6-0 decision at 149 over Buckeye junior Steve Wolery (Jr., Cincinnati, Ohio). For the second time in the match a ranked Wisconsin wrestler faced an Ohio State freshman in the 157-pound match, where Ohio State’s Keegan Mueller (Dallas, Texas) took on No. 11-ranked Tyler Turner of Wisconsin. Mueller was the first to score with a takedown midway through the first period. He extended his advantage to 4-1 with another takedown to close out the first period. Mueller held on to the lead at 6-5 at the end of the second with two escapes. He relinquished the lead just seconds into the third to a Turner reversal. Turner emerged with the win, adding a point for riding time for an 8-6 win and a 12-3 UW advantage.

Ohio State’s Zach Craiglow (Fr., Lancaster, Ohio) kicked off the second half of the dual at 165 vs. Wisconsin’s Chad Steldt. Craiglow fought off a near fall by Steldt in the second period, but eventually dropped a 13-5 major decision to put the Badgers ahead 16-3.

Note: Ohio State wrestled at Worthington-Kilbourne High School because of a scheduling conflict with the Ohio State men’s volleyball team at St. John Arena. Although the men’s volleyball team altered its season schedule, leaving St. John available for the Wisconsin-Ohio State wrestling dual Friday, Big Ten rules prohibit a change in venues after the league schedule has been announced.