Ohio State Fans Will Have A Lot To Watch At The US Open
Ohio State Fans Will Have A Lot To Watch At The US Open
An Ohio State fan's guide for who to watch at the US Open: both current wrestlers and recruits.
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With wrestlers across three age divisions and two styles, Ohio State fans will have plenty of wrestling to watch at the US Open. Starting Friday, April 29, Ohio State fans can get a good look at where some current wrestlers stack up on the senior ladder and how a couple of key guys from one of the best recruiting hauls we’ve seen recently will compete at the college level.
Ohio State Entrees
Seniors
61 kg - Jesse Mendez
70 kg - Sammy Sasso
125 kg - Tate Orndorff
55 kg (Greco) - Brady Koontz
61 kg (Greco) - Dylan Koontz
77 kg (Greco) - Fritz Schierl
130 kg (Greco) - Tate Orndorff
U20
57 kg - Andre Gonzales
79 kg - Rocco Welsh
125 kg - Nick Feldman
U17
55 kg - Vinny Kilkeary
Seniors
One of the more intriguing entries for all fans, not just Buckeye fans, is Jesse Mendez. Despite being a high school senior with U20 eligibility, the Ohio State commit is opting to wrestle in the senior division. The comparison has been made to Carter Young, who went on a tear at the 2021 World Team Trials beating Seth Gross, Tyler Graff, and Nahshon Garrett. What a lot of fans forget, however, is that Mendez beat Young two matches to none just a couple of months prior in the Junior World Team finals - a performance that earned him OW of the tournament. So, could Mendez go on a tear similar to what Young did in 2021? Absolutely.
This also isn’t the first time we’ve seen Mendez wrestle up in age division. After making the Junior World Team last spring, Mendez tossed his hat in the ring to make the U23 Team as well and was almost successful. Mendez made the finals with relative ease and took one match from Northwestern’s Chris Cannon, but was forced to injury default in the decisive third match.
Top names in the field at 61 kg: Seth Gross, Tyler Graff, Nico Megaludis, Daniel DeShazer, Wyatt Henson, Sean Fausz
Watch Jesse Mendez defeat Chris Cannon below.
Sammy Sasso has become the foundation of the Ohio State lineup for the past two seasons. A national finalist and 2X All-American, everyone is familiar with how versed Sasso is in folkstyle. I think it is often forgotten, however, Sasso is quite good at freestyle as well. Although he hasn’t competed in freestyle since the RTC Cup in 2020, Sasso won UWW Juniors in 2019 and was a Fargo champion in high school. His style doesn’t change much from folkstyle to freestyle, but he does have a tight leg lace if he can get to it. A lace he used to defeat Mitch McKee at the 2020 RTC Cup. With the field at 70 kg, Sasso is going to need to be on his A-game.
Top names in the field at 70 kg: Tyler Berger, Alec Pantaleo, Anthony Ashanault, Jordan Oliver, Jacori Teemer, Bryce Andonian, Austin Gomez, Will Lewan, Brock Mauller
Watch Sasso beat Mitch McKee at the RTC Cup below.
The big fella Tate Orndorff will be pulling double duty in Las Vegas. Despite being a D1 All-American, Orndorff has kept up with both his freestyle and Greco-Roman practices. In 2019 Orndorff made the finals of the Senior US Open and was the U23 World Team member in Greco-Roman.
Watch Tate Orndorff make the 2019 U23 Greco World Team below.
The Koontz twins and Fritz Schierl will be competing in the senior Greco-Roman competition as well. Brady and Dylan have a long history of being successful in Greco. In 2019 Brady won Senior World Team Trials and competed at Final X. Schierl made the 2021 World Team Trials finals at 77 kg, but lost to Jesse Porter in two matches.
U20
The Buckeyes have two commits and one current wrestler competing in the U20 age division. Andre Gonzales just completed his first year in Columbus. The Poway, California, native went 23-5 while competing unattached at 133 lbs. Gonzales registering at 57 kg (125.6 lbs), might be a sign that he intends to move down a weight class for next season. Malik Heinselman still has one year of eligibility remaining but has not publicly stated whether or not he intends to use it. A California state champion and Fargo champion, Gonzales was a big recruit coming out of high school.
Top names in the field at 57 kg: Richard Figueroa, Cooper Flynn, Troy Spratley, Robert Howard, Spencer Moore, Nico Provo
Nick Feldman is a key part of the massive class coming to Columbus next fall. The Malvern Prep standout hasn’t lost a match since the Escape the Rock finals in 2020. In that time he’s won Who’s Number One, Powerade, and Journeymen twice. His takedown heavy wrestling style transitions perfectly to freestyle. With the lack of both top-end talent and depth registered for this weight at this time, Feldman is a heavy favorite to win.
Top names in the field at 125 kg: Hayden Copass, Bennett Tabor, Nathan Taylor
Watch Nick Feldman dominate Harley Andrews at the PWC below.
One year younger, Rocco Welsh is the big fish recruit for Ohio State in the class of 2023. As the #4 recruit on the 2023 big board, it doesn’t much bigger than Welsh. With a year of high school left Welsh is already a PIAA and Ironman champion. In a deep bracket with some of the best high schoolers in the country, Welsh might be the favorite.
Top names in the field at 79 kg: Manny Rojas, Cael Valencia, Andrew Sparks, Matthew Singleton, James Rowley, Tate Naaktgeboren, Danny Wask
Watch Rocco Welsh beat Manny Rojas at Who’s Number One below.
U17
The lone Ohio State recruit looking to make a U17 World Team is Vinny Kilkeary. A 2X PA state champion, Kilkeary is currently ranked 27th on the 2023 Big Board. Known for his high attack rate and willingness to give up some points to get some points, Kilkeary is sure to have some exciting matches inside the South Point.
Top names in the field at 55 kg: Nate Jesuroga, Leo Deluca, Mason Gibson, Ben Davino, Kael Lauridsen, Aden Valencia, Jax Forrest
Watch Vinny Kilkeary win his 2nd PIAA state title below.
