The No. 9 UVA wrestling team dropped a 30-7 dual to No. 4 Ohio State Monday evening in front of 1,472 fans at John Paul Jones Arena. UVa (5-1) got wins at 165 and 174 pounds, respectively, from Nick Sulzer (R-Sr., Cleveland, Ohio) and Blaise Butler (R-Jr., Belvidere, Ill.“It’s been a long time since we felt like this,” Virginia head coach Steve Garland said. “We were humbled tonight by a great team, and when you get humbled, that’s when you’re ready to learn and to listen and to make changes. It’s a great learning opportunity. It hurts right now, but in the long run it’s going to be really good for our program.”
Ranked No. 2 nationally, Sulzer (5-0) dominated Justin Kresevic at 165 pounds, winning 23-8 in a four-point technical fall. Sulzer recorded 11 takedowns in the bout, but did not record back points, as he earned his 95th career victory and moved into an 11th-place tie with Derek Valenti (2008-13) in program history.
Butler, ranked 11th nationally, claimed a 4-2 win over No. 13 Mark Martin at 174 pounds. Butler took Martin down early in the first period, then built his riding time to 1:24. The wrestlers battled through two rather uneventful final periods, with Butler claiming the riding-time point for the 4-2 triumph.
Ohio State (4-1) captured the first five matches, including battles of ranked wrestlers at 133 and 141, to grab a commanding 19-0 lead. After eighth-ranked Johnni DiJulius held off a late charge from No. 10 George DiCamillo (R-So., Highland Heights, Ohio) for a 6-2 decision at 133, three-time reigning champion Logan Stieber pinned No. 12 Joe Spisak (R-Sr., Boiling Springs, Pa.) at 141.
The Buckeyes also won the final three duals of the night, including major decisions from No. 7 Kyle Snyder and No. 11 Nick Tavanello at 197 and heavyweight, respectively.
Virginia has the Thanksgiving weekend off before competing in one of the nation’s premier tournaments, the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational Dec. 5 and 6 in Las Vegas.
No. 4 Ohio State 30, No. 9 Virginia 7
125: No. 10 Nathan Tomasello (OSU) major dec. Will Mason (UVa), 18-8; OSU, 4-0
133: No. 8 Johnni DiJulius (OSU) dec. No. 10 George DiCamillo (UVa), 6-2; OSU, 7-0
141: No. 1 Logan Stieber (OSU) pinned No. 12 Joe Spisak (UVa), 1:46; OSU, 13-0
149: Randy Languis (OSU) dec. Chris Yankowich (UVa), 12-5; OSU, 16-0
157: No. 7 Josh Demas (OSU) dec. Andrew Atkinson (UVa), 8-3; OSU, 19-0
165: No. 2 Nick Sulzer (UVa) tech fall-4 Justin Kresevic (OSU), 23-8; OSU, 19-4
174: No. 11 Blaise Butler (UVa) dec. No. 13 Mark Martin (OSU), 4-2; OSU, 19-7
184: No. 7 Kenny Courts (OSU) dec. Billy Coggins (UVa), 7-4; OSU, 22-7
197: No. 7 Kyle Synder (OSU) major dec. Chance McClure (UVa), 20-6; OSU, 26-7
285: No. 11 Nick Tavanello (OSU) major dec. Collin Campbell (UVa), 13-4; OSU, 30-7
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