Eric Boggs
The Ohio State Buckeyes wrestling program delivered another strong showing at the Big Ten Wrestling Championships on Sunday, highlighted by championship performances from Ben Davino and Jesse Mendez. Their victories helped the Buckeyes stay firmly in contention with powerhouse Penn State Nittany Lions wrestling and ultimately secure second place in the team standings.
Davino captured the 133-pound title in one of the tournament’s most anticipated matchups, defeating Penn State’s Marcus Blaze in a dramatic tiebreaker bout. Blaze entered the match unbeaten during the regular season with a 19-0 record and had dominated dual competition with a 15-0 mark. Davino, however, matched him move for move in a battle between two rising stars in the conference. The Buckeye wrestler ultimately prevailed by riding time in the second tiebreaker period, knocking off the nation’s top-ranked 133-pound competitor in the process.
At 141 pounds, Mendez continued to build on an already remarkable résumé. The Buckeye star, a returning Big Ten champion from 2024 and a two-time national champion from 2024 and 2025, added another conference title with a convincing 7-2 decision over Brock Hardy of Nebraska Cornhuskers wrestling. Mendez controlled the match from start to finish, scoring both takedowns and dictating the pace throughout the bout. His performance mirrored the earlier meeting between the two wrestlers this season, when Mendez secured a major decision victory.
With another conference crown secured, Mendez now turns his focus to the upcoming NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. There, he will attempt to join Buckeye legends Logan Stieber and Kyle Snyder as Ohio State wrestlers to win three NCAA titles—an accomplishment that would further cement his place among the program’s all-time greats. Achieving that milestone could also strengthen his candidacy for the prestigious Dan Hodge Trophy, college wrestling’s equivalent of the Heisman Trophy awarded to the sport’s most outstanding competitor.
Ohio State nearly added another individual champion on Sunday as Ethan Stiles advanced to the 149-pound final. Stiles faced Penn State’s Shayne Van Ness in a tightly contested match that began with a scoreless first period. Early in the second period, however, Van Ness capitalized on a brief opening, catching Stiles out of position and securing a pin to claim the title.
Several other Buckeyes battled for podium finishes during the final session of the tournament, including Nic Bouzakis at 125 pounds, Brandon Cannon at 157 pounds, Carson Kharchla at 174 pounds, Luke Geog at 197 pounds and Nick Feldman at heavyweight. Bouzakis secured a bronze medal, while the others awaited their final placement matches at the time.
As a team, Penn State led the championships with a record-setting 184.5 points, but Ohio State firmly held second place with 148.5 points. Nebraska finished third with 116.5 points, followed by Iowa Hawkeyes wrestling with 87 and Michigan Wolverines wrestling with 86.5.
For Buckeye fans, the weekend served as another reminder of the program’s depth and championship pedigree. With multiple individual titles and several wrestlers finishing near the top of the podium, Ohio State now heads toward the NCAA Championships with significant momentum and the potential for more hardware on the national stage.
