Ohio State clinched first-ever NCAA team championship

ST. LOUIS, Mo. — Kenny Courts was not the most heralded of the Ohio State Buckeyes, but the junior from Harrisburg, Pa., can lay claim to being the wrestler to clinch his school’s first-ever team NCAA Divisionn I team championship Saturday afternoon at the All-American session in the Scottrade Center

Courts’ 4-3 win over North Dakota State’s Hayden Zillmer for a fifth-place finish at 184 pounds actually clinched a tie for the Buckeyes but the title was theirs once Iowa’s Nathan Burak could only settle for a decision in the seventh place match at 197 pounds.

Heading into Saturday’s All-American session, the Hawkeyes trailed OSU by a 13.5 point margin but was able to cut it to 4.5 once Thomas Gilman (125) and Brandon Sorensen (149) won consolation semifinals. But then the Hawkeyes dropped five straight wrestleback to virtually give the Buckeye the team championship.

NCAA DI Wrestling Session V Brackets   

The Buckeyes, who also saw 165-pound freshman Bo Jordan claim a third-place award, are now the 12^th different school to win a team championship after Penn State won the last four championships.

Ohio State, which now leads Iowa by a 94-84 margin in the team race, will sends three wrestlers to tonight’s finals, which begin at 7 p.m. CDT. That includes 141-pound Logan Stieber, who will be shooting to become just the fourth four-time winner when his final with Edinboro’s Mitchell Port will be the final one contested in this year’s tournament.

The Fighting Scots, who will also send David Habat to face Missouri’s Drake Houdashelt in the 149-pound final, are in third place and could pass the Hawkeyes if the two finalists score pins and Iowa’s lone finalist — 133-pound Cory Clark — loses his match.

Top 10 Teams entering the finals

Placement Match Highlights

125 pounds

Third Place

#1 Alan Waters (Missouri) dec. #6 Thomas Gilman (Iowa), 8-4

Trailing 4-3 entering the third period — after Gilman scored a pair of first-period takedowns — Waters finally scored a takedown with 1:48 left in the bout, a move that put the Hawkeye on his back and gave the Tiger a 7-4 lead. Waters added a 1:48 riding time advantage point.

Fifth Place

#2 Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) dec. US Conor Youtsey (Michigan), 9-3

After a scoreless first period, Garrett finally got on the board with a two-point tilt in the second period, then added two more takedowns in the third as well as a 1:22 riding time advantage.

Seventh Place

#7 Eddie Klimara (Oklahoma State) dec. #11 Jordan Conaway (Penn State), 5-4

The Cowboy scored the match-winning takedown with 10 seconds left after the Lion took a 4-2 lead on a second-period takedown.

133 pounds

Third Place

#9 A.J. Schopp (Edinboro) dec. #1 Chris Dardanes (Minnesota), 4-3

Down 3-1, the Scot scored a takedown with eight seconds left and then added a 1:13 riding time advantage to end his career on a seven-match winning streak. Dardanes scored his takedown with 1:36 left in the first.

Fifth Place

#7 James Gulibon (Penn State) dec. #10 Mason Beckman (Lehigh), 9-5

Trailing 4-3 with 23 seconds left, Gulibon took Beckman straight to his back or a four-point move and a 7-4 lead before earning another point for stalling and 1:15 riding time. The two wrestlers exchanged takedowns in the first period.

Seventh Place

#2 Ryan Taylor (Wisconsin) dec. #14 Rossi Bruno (Michigan), 7-3

The Badger scored four of his points in the first period with a pair of takedowns before adding one more in the second frame.

141 pounds

Third Place

#4 Devin Carter (Va. Tech) major dec. #14 Dean Heil (Oklahoma State), 17-8

The Hokie senior closed out a crazy first period when he scored a second takedown with one second left to take a 5-3 lead. He then added five more takedowns that also led to a 1:34 riding time advantage.

Fifth Place

US Kevin Jack (NC State) dec. #11 Chris Mecate (Old Dominion), 3-0

The true freshman won this bout without a takedown as he first escaped in the second period, then rode out Mecate the entire third period for a 1:44 riding time advantage and stalling call against the Monarch.

Seventh Place

#3 Lavion Mayes (Missouri) won by forfeit over #7 Anthony Ashnault (Rutgers)

149 pounds

Third Place

#2 Alex Tsirtsis (Northwestern) dec. #4 Brandon Sorensen (Iowa), 3-1 sv

The Wildcat scored the match’s only takedown with 26 seconds left in sudden victory after the pair swapped escapes in regulation.

Fifth Place

#15 B.J. Clagon (Rider) dec. #5 Chris Villalonga (Cornell), 6-3

The freshman scored takedowns in the second and third period and added a 1:26 riding time advantage.

Seventh Place

#8 Alex Richardson (Old Dominion) pinned US Dan Neff (Lock Haven), 2:38

After giving up an opening takedown to Neff, the Monarch stormed right back with a takedown with 1:30 left in the first, then put Neff in a cradle for the eventual fall.

157 pounds

Third Place

#4 James Green (Nebraska) dec. Nick Brascetta (Va. Tech), 3-2

The four-time All-American used a takedown midway through the first period to beat the Hokie and end his career on a positive note.

Fifth Place

#7 Ian Miller (Kent State) won by medical forfeit over Dylan Ness (Minn).

Seventh Place

#11 Brian Murphy (Michigan) won by medical forfeit over #12 Mitch Minotti (Lehigh)

165 pounds

Third Place

#5 Bo Jordan (Ohio State) pinned #9 Jackson Morse (Illinois), 1:00

The Buckeye freshman was leading 2-0 when he caught the Illini in a full spladle for the first-period fall.

Fifth Place

#4 Nick Sulzer (Virginia) major dec. Ethan Ramos (North Carolina), 12-4

The Cavalier scored four takedowns, the fourth coming with one second left in the second period and added a 1:18 riding time advantage to dominate his ACC rival.

Seventh Place

#3 Isaac Jordan (Wisconsin) dec. #10 Austin Wilson (Stanford), 3-2

The Badger scored the match’s only takedown with 35 seconds left in the bout.

174 pounds

Third Place

#1 Robert Kokesh (Nebraska) dec. #6 Logan Storley (Minnesota), 6-4 sv

Meeting in the consolation final for a third straight year, the top-ranked Husker scored the winning takedown on a double with 21 seconds left in sudden victory to beat his fellow native of South Dakota. Kokesh scored an earlier takedown with 37 seconds left in the second to lead 4-2 before the Gopher added two escapes.

Fifth Place

#12 Brian Crutchmer (Oklahoma State) dec. #3 Mike Evans (Iowa), 2-1 tb

The Cowboy, who escaped with 13 seconds left in the first half of the tiebreaker phase, controlled the Hawkeye for the entire 30 seconds once he was on top.

Seventh Place

#7 Zach Epperly (Va. Tech) dec. #US Kurtis Julson (North Dakota State), 3-2

The Hokie scored the match’s only takedown with 1:25 left in the bout.

184 pounds

Third Place

#13 Victor Avery (Edinboro) dec. #3 Blake Stauffer (Arizona State), 3-2

Trailing 1-0 after two periods, the Scot first escaped, then scored the bout’s only takedown with 1:36 left in the bout.

Fifth Place

US Kenny Courts (Ohio State) dec. #6 Hayden Zillmer, 4-3

The Buckeye scored his second takedown with 30 seconds left, which also guaranteed at least a tie for Ohio State in the team race. Courts also scored a takedown with 1:03 left in the second period.

Seventh Place

US Willie Miklus (Missouri) dec. #16 Tim Dudley (Nebraska), 6-5

The deciding point by the Tiger came on an escape with five seconds left, a point that was first challenged then denied by video. Miklus jumped out to a 4-2 lead by scoring a takedown in both the first and second periods, before the Husker tied the bout, 4-4, on a takedown with 55 seconds left.

197 pounds

Third Place

#2 Morgan McIntosh (Penn State) dec. #5 Scott Schiller (Minnesota), 12-7

The Nittany Lion scored two of his four takedowns in the final 41 seconds after Schiller fought back from a 6-1 deficit by scoring a reversal in the second and then an escape and takedown in the first minute of the third period.

Fifth Place

#1 J’den Cox dec. #10 Connor Hartmann, 4-2 tb

Moments after the Blue Devil escaped in the second half of the tiebreaker phase, the defending national champ scored the bout’s only takedown with one second left in that overtime period.

Seventh Place

#6 Nathan Burak (Iowa) dec. #8 Max Huntley (Michigan), 6-5

The Hawkeye rallied from a 2-0 deficit (when the Wolverine opened the match with a first-period takedown) by score two takedowns of his own; one in the first and one in the second.

Heavyweight

Third Place

#2 Mike McMullan (Northwestern) dec. #5 Conor Medbery (Wisconsin), 3-2

The Wildcat scored the winning takedown with 31 seconds left to claim his third consolation championship in his career.

Fifth Place

#3 Bobby Telford (Iowa) dec. #8 James Lawson (Penn State), 8-0

The Hawkeye ended his Iowa career with two takedowns and a two-point nearfall against the Nittany Lion.

Seventh Place

#10 Ty Walz (Va. Tech) dec. #9 Mike Kroells (Minnesota), 6-2

The Hokies ended his tournament with a pair of takedowns against the Gopher.