No. 2 Ohio State is set to host No. 9 NC State in a wrestling dual at the Covelli Center on Friday at 7 p.m. The match will be streamed live on B1G+. This meeting marks the seventh time the two programs have faced each other, with Ohio State holding a 5-0-1 advantage in the series.
The Buckeyes come into the matchup undefeated at 7-0 this season. In their most recent outing, they defeated Bellarmine with a score of 41-3, securing bonus points in seven out of ten matches.
Earlier this season, Ohio State won the National Duals Invitational held November 15-16 by defeating Wyoming, No. 10 Minnesota, No. 2 Nebraska, and No. 3 Iowa to claim the event title and a $200,000 prize. The team performed strongly across multiple weight classes and lost only five matches over two days.
Notable individual performances from that tournament included Nic Bouzakis’s victories over ranked opponents Jore Volk (Minnesota) and Dean Peterson (Iowa), Ben Davino’s win against Drake Ayala (Iowa), Jesse Mendez’s string of wins over Vance VomBaur (Minnesota), Brock Hardy (Nebraska), and Nasir Bailey (Iowa), as well as Brandon Cannon’s major decision against top-ranked Antrell Taylor (Nebraska). Carson Kharchla also defeated Christopher Minto (Nebraska), Dylan Fishback bested Silas Allred (Nebraska), and Nick Feldman edged out AJ Ferrari (Nebraska).
Ohio State began its dual season with a decisive win against Chattanooga, taking nine matches—seven with bonus points—and finishing with a score of 42-4.
Jesse Mendez, who is both a three-time All-American and two-time defending national champion at 141 pounds for Ohio State, started his season by defeating Anthony Echemendia of Iowa State at the NWCA All-Star Championships.
The Buckeyes entered this campaign with twelve NCAA qualifiers on their roster who have made twenty-two combined appearances at NCAA championships.
Probable lineups for Friday’s dual feature several top-ten ranked wrestlers from both teams across multiple weight classes.