Eric Boggs
Ohio State wrestling faced a tough challenge Saturday night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, falling to No. 2 Iowa 24-13 in a high-stakes Big Ten matchup. The fourth-ranked Buckeyes started strong but were unable to sustain momentum against a formidable Hawkeyes squad that clinched victory with wins in the final three bouts.
Ohio State opened the dual with back-to-back dominant performances. Freshman Ben Davino, making his Big Ten dual debut at 133 pounds, secured a technical fall over Iowa’s Keyan Hernandez with a decisive 20-4 victory. Junior Jesse Mendez followed at 141 pounds, delivering a 19-2 technical fall to extend Ohio State’s early lead to 10-3.
However, Iowa found its footing at 149 pounds. Kyle Parco, ranked second in the nation, defeated Ohio State’s Dylan D’Emilio by an 8-3 decision, cutting the Buckeyes’ lead to 10-6. The momentum shifted further at 157 pounds, where top-ranked Jacori Teemer of Iowa outlasted Sammy Sasso in a 10-5 decision to close the gap to 10-9.
The Hawkeyes surged ahead at 165 pounds, with No. 2 Michael Caliendo earning an 11-3 major decision over Ohio State’s Paddy Gallagher. The match was knotted at 13 after a key performance at 174 pounds by Carson Kharchla, who secured a 7-3 decision over Iowa’s Patrick Kennedy in a clash of top-10 wrestlers.
Despite the tied score, Iowa controlled the final three matches to secure the team victory. At 184 pounds, Gabe Arnold needed sudden victory to edge Ryder Rogotzke 4-1. Stephen Buchanan, the nation’s top-ranked wrestler at 197 pounds, dominated Ohio State’s Seth Shumate with an 18-1 technical fall, putting the dual out of reach. The evening concluded with Iowa’s Ben Kueter narrowly defeating Nick Feldman 5-4 in the heavyweight division.
Ohio State now looks ahead to another Big Ten showdown as they travel to Ann Arbor to take on No. 22 Michigan on Saturday. The Buckeyes will aim to regroup and build on their promising individual performances as they continue their conference slate.
