No. 2 Ohio State is set to compete in two wrestling duals on Sunday, December 21, at Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville. The Buckeyes (8-0) will face Little Rock (2-4) and No. 3 Iowa State (2-0) as part of the 2025 Journeymen Collegiate Duals.
Ohio State recently secured a win against No. 9 NC State with a score of 26-10 in Columbus. In that match, four out of six bouts featuring Top 20 opponents were won by Ohio State wrestlers. Carson Kharchla, ranked fifth nationally at 174 pounds, defeated third-ranked Matthew Singleton by an 8-4 margin, earning him Big Ten Wrestler of the Week honors.
Earlier this season, Ohio State won the National Duals Invitational held November 15-16 after four team-dual victories over Wyoming, No. 10 Minnesota, No. 2 Nebraska, and No. 3 Iowa. The Buckeyes finished with a perfect record in five weight classes and lost only five matches during the event.
Key performances included Nic Bouzakis’s wins at 125 pounds over Jore Volk and Dean Peterson; Ben Davino’s victory at 133 pounds against Drake Ayala; Jesse Mendez’s string of wins at 141 pounds; Brandon Cannon’s major decision over NCAA champion Antrell Taylor at 157 pounds; and Nick Feldman’s win over AJ Ferrari in the heavyweight class.
To start their dual season at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Ohio State recorded nine wins—seven with bonus points—and defeated their opponent by a score of 42-4.
Jesse Mendez began his campaign as a three-time All-American and two-time defending national champion by winning his match against Anthony Echemendia from Iowa State during the NWCA All-Star Championships.
Ohio State entered this season with twelve NCAA qualifiers who have made a combined twenty-two championship appearances.
The probable lineups for both duals include top-ranked athletes such as Nic Bouzakis (125), Ben Davino (133), Jesse Mendez (141), Ethan Stiles (149), Brandon Cannon (157), Paddy Gallagher (165), Carson Kharchla (174), Dylan Fishback (184), Luke Geog (197), and Nick Feldman (285). Opponents from Little Rock and Iowa State feature several nationally ranked wrestlers across multiple weight classes.