Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Ohio State
Metzler Completes 2-0 Weekend; NU Falls at No. 4 OSU, 37-6
2/7/2010 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Feb. 7, 2010
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Wildcat senior Eric Metzler (133) and junior Aaron Jones (184) each posted decision victories but fourth-ranked Ohio State was too much for Northwestern, winning 37-6 Sunday in Columbus. Metzler's 3-1 win over Ian Paddock lifted him to 3-2 in Big Ten dual matches this season.
Northwestern moves to 5-10-1 on the year and 0-5 in the Big Ten with the loss, while the Buckeyes improved to 16-1 overall, 5-0 in conference.
OSU's Paddock came into Sunday's match with a stellar 19-6 record, but the veteran Metzler wrestled a smart match in keeping things scoreless through five minutes of action. Starting at a neutral position in the third, Metzler got in for a takedown and used over two minutes of riding time he accumulated in the second period to notch the 3-1 win.
Jones won his first Big Ten dual match of the year with an 8-2 decision against TC Pendleton at 184 pounds. Pendleton got on the board first with a takedown, but Jones turned things around with an escape and takedown in the second period to go ahead 4-2. With Pendleton beginning the third in bottom position, Jones collected a three near-fall points to take command of the match en route to the victory.
Earlier in the day, Ohio State got off to a quick start with a pin by Nikko Triggas at 125 pounds with nine seconds remaining in the first period against NU's Levi Mele.
Following Metzler's win and an NU forfeit at 141, the 149-pound match pitted NU's 13th-ranked Andrew Nadhir against OSU's fourth-ranked Lance Palmer. Nadhir was looking for a repeat of his upset of Palmer at last year's Big Ten Championships, but Palmer caught Nadhir off guard on Sunday and notched a fall late in the first period to win another six points for the Buckeyes.
Kevin Bialka battled valiantly against OSU's Tony Jameson but ultimately lost a 10-2 major decision. It proved to be the first of three consecutive Ohio State major decisions as Robert Kellogg and Brian Roddy, Jr.--coming off a big win Friday at Penn State--each lost to top-15-ranked competitors.
At 197, John Schoen lost a heartbreaking 3-1 decision in sudden victory against OSU freshman CJ Magrum. In a tight defensive match, the only scoring through regulation was an escape for each wrestler, but Magrum got in on Schoen for a takedown in the overtime period to secure the win.
Northwestern's difficult stretch of matches does not get any easier when the Wildcats travel to Iowa City to meet the top-ranked and undefeated Hawkeyes at 7 p.m. Friday.
No. 4 Ohio State 37, Northwestern 6
125: #20 Nikko Triggas (OSU) FALL Levi Mele (NU), 2:51 (OSU 6, NU 0)
133: Eric Metzler (NU) dec. Ian Paddock (OSU), 3-1 (OSU 6, NU 3)
141: Ohio State win by forfeit (OSU 12, NU 3)
149: #2 Lance Palmer (OSU) FALL Andrew Nadhir (NU), 2:20 (OSU 18, NU 3)
157: Tony Jameson (OSU) Maj. Dec. Kevin Bialka (NU), 10-2 (OSU 22, NU 3)
165: #6 Colt Sponseller (OSU) Maj. Dec. Robert Kellogg (NU), 11-1 (OSU 26, NU 3)
174: #12 Dave Rella (OSU) Maj. Dec. Brian Roddy, Jr. (NU), 17-5 (OSU 30, NU 3)
184: Aaron Jones (NU) dec. TC Pendleton (OSU), 8-2 (OSU 30, NU 6)
197: CJ Magrum (OSU) dec. John Schoen (NU), 3-1 (OSU 33, NU 6)
285: Corey Morrison (OSU) Maj. Dec. Marcus Shrewsbury (NU), 12-3 (OSU 37, NU 6)
Players Mentioned
