NCAA Week 1 Review: OSU-UNC featured 149-pound finalists … at different weights

Photo: Ohio State’s Sammy Sasso (right) and North Carolina’s Austin O’Connor squared off in last year’s NCAA final at 149 pounds, with the Tar Heel prevailing for the national title. The two are wrestling at different weights this winter and each won bouts in the Buckeye dual victory over the Tar Heels this past weekend. (John Sachs photo)

By Mike Finn

The majority of the top college wrestling teams will officially open their 2021-22 season this weekend, but a few NCAA Div. I schools — Ohio State, North Carolina, Lehigh and Campbell — ranked in WIN’s preseason rankings — made some noise last weekend to start off a season that will end next March at the NCAA Division I Championships in Detroit, Mich.

WIN Magazine will begin its weekly Tournament Power Index rating of teams and individual rankings next Monday (Nov. 15) and its team dual rankings on Nov. 29 after all teams have started their season.

The dual meet between Ohio State (tied for 8^th in WIN’s Tournament Power Index) and North Carolina (25^th) saw the Buckeyes prevail 23-12, Nov. 7 in Columbus, Ohio, and the dual featured two wrestlers who appeared in last year’s 149-pound final. 2021 NCAA champ Austin O’Connor has moved up to 157 pounds, where he was ranked fifth in WIN’s preseason rankings, posted his second pin of this young season with a 3:44 fall against OSU’s Jashon Hubbard. Meanwhile, Sammy Sasso, who lost to O’Connor in last year’s NCAA final, is ranked No. 2 this preseason (behind Cornell’s two-time champ Yianni Diakomihalis) and opened this season with 4-3 victory over Zach Sherman, who earned All-American honors at 141 pounds last winter. Meanwhile, Ohio State redshirt freshman Carson Kharchla, ranked No. 7 at 165 pounds, opened his varsity career with a major decision over UNC’s Sonny Santiago.

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Meanwhile in Corvalis, Ore., Oregon State (ranked No. 40 in WIN’s preseason TPI) entertained No. 20 Lehigh and No. 30 Campbell in a triangular … and all three teams left the event 1-1. Lehigh defeated OSU, 24-12, but lost to Campbell, 22-11, while the Beavers of the Pac-12 defeated the Camels of the SoCon, 23-12. Among the wrestlers who went 2-0 on the weekend were Campbell’s Josh Heil (ranked 15^th at 149), Oregon State’s Grant Willits (14^th at 141) and Lehigh’s All-American heavyweight Jordan Wood (ranked No. 8).

Rutgers opened its season with three team victories, but the Scarlet Knights’ Sammy Alvarez (ranked No. 9 at 133) lost by fall to Binghamton senior Anthony Sobotker.

There were also several preseason tournaments, including at the Southeast Open in Salem, Va., where 2019 165-pound NCAA champ Mekhi Lewis of Virginia Tech (ranked third by WIN) won a championship at 174 pounds. Other Hokies to win titles were Korbin Myers (No. 5) at 133 and heavyweight Nathan Traxler (No. 15). Princeton also competed at the Southeast Open, including Quincey Monday (No. 9) winning a championship at 157 pounds.

Winning championships at the Michigan State Open were Oklahoma’s unranked Tony Madrigal, who upset Michigan State All-American Rayvon Foley at 133 pounds, and Cal Poly’s Evan Wick, the former All-American transfer from Wisconsin.

Updating WIN’s Preseason Top 30 Teams

The following breaks down how the Top 30 teams in WIN’s 2021-22 preseason rankings have performed … and what is scheduled this weekend … as the season officially opened on Nov. 1.