Several great recaps in the two dual threads. Bringing all of it together as we move forward, what are your thoughts compared to baseline?
OSU suffered losses at 3 weight classes. Going in, it seemed 165 was the weak spot. With 2 losses coming at 157, it all depends on how the lineup is shuffled.
My preference is for the lineup vs. Lehigh.
125: Uneven performance as the Lehigh match should not have been close. Good to see the domination in the second match. It does not seem like there is a path for OSU to outperform expectations if we don't see peak Mastro this year.
133: Nothing to see/worry about here...we all know what this boils down to.
141: Uneven performance as well with the most discouraging part being Young struggling to get off bottom. Miller controlled the match. Ultimately, Young will be O.K. Still, this is a disappointing start. Like Mastro, it feels like expectations yo-yo back and forth. Is he overrated? Underrated? Are expectations too high? Unfortunately a loss like this leaves a lot unresolved.
149: Solid start for Voinovich. Found himself against a former Ohio opponent, as well as an Oklahoman at Bucknell. The match against Bryant showed us everything Voinovich is about: grit, toughness, determination. One of the more exciting comeback wins in recent memory.
157: Seems like a pick-your-poison between this and 165 in terms of the weak spot in the lineup. No shame in Gfeller losing to #9 Humphreys in his first time out. Mechler's outcome was disappointing vs. Bucknell. Will be interesting to see how this evolves. Do you roll with Gfeller? Does Sheets ultimately end up here? With the new Redshirt Rules, it seems like they'll have the opportunity to tinker and we'll be able to see what they've got.
165: Solid day for Sheets. Does he own this spot moving forward? Was a little surprised we didn't see Harper get a match.
174: Similar to Mastro...sluggish performance followed up by a dominant performance. Likely nothing to see/worry about here.
184: Would be interesting to hear from everyone. For all of the concerns about Wittlake's size and ability to move up to this weight, it looks like he outperformed expectations. This feels like an exciting development. Additionally, with Haas not making the trip with the Varsity, it looks like he is unquestionably the guy moving forward.
197: One of the toughest draws to start the weekend and his career at this weight. Its always interesting with Surber as he seems to love to wrestle. Who knows what the ceiling is here. Obviously the higher the better.
285: Doucet gave a solid accounting of himself. No wild expectations here...will be interesting to see how this one progresses over the year.
In sum...
OSU suffered losses at 3 weight classes. Going in, it seemed 165 was the weak spot. With 2 losses coming at 157, it all depends on how the lineup is shuffled.
My preference is for the lineup vs. Lehigh.
125: Uneven performance as the Lehigh match should not have been close. Good to see the domination in the second match. It does not seem like there is a path for OSU to outperform expectations if we don't see peak Mastro this year.
133: Nothing to see/worry about here...we all know what this boils down to.
141: Uneven performance as well with the most discouraging part being Young struggling to get off bottom. Miller controlled the match. Ultimately, Young will be O.K. Still, this is a disappointing start. Like Mastro, it feels like expectations yo-yo back and forth. Is he overrated? Underrated? Are expectations too high? Unfortunately a loss like this leaves a lot unresolved.
149: Solid start for Voinovich. Found himself against a former Ohio opponent, as well as an Oklahoman at Bucknell. The match against Bryant showed us everything Voinovich is about: grit, toughness, determination. One of the more exciting comeback wins in recent memory.
157: Seems like a pick-your-poison between this and 165 in terms of the weak spot in the lineup. No shame in Gfeller losing to #9 Humphreys in his first time out. Mechler's outcome was disappointing vs. Bucknell. Will be interesting to see how this evolves. Do you roll with Gfeller? Does Sheets ultimately end up here? With the new Redshirt Rules, it seems like they'll have the opportunity to tinker and we'll be able to see what they've got.
165: Solid day for Sheets. Does he own this spot moving forward? Was a little surprised we didn't see Harper get a match.
174: Similar to Mastro...sluggish performance followed up by a dominant performance. Likely nothing to see/worry about here.
184: Would be interesting to hear from everyone. For all of the concerns about Wittlake's size and ability to move up to this weight, it looks like he outperformed expectations. This feels like an exciting development. Additionally, with Haas not making the trip with the Varsity, it looks like he is unquestionably the guy moving forward.
197: One of the toughest draws to start the weekend and his career at this weight. Its always interesting with Surber as he seems to love to wrestle. Who knows what the ceiling is here. Obviously the higher the better.
285: Doucet gave a solid accounting of himself. No wild expectations here...will be interesting to see how this one progresses over the year.
In sum...
- Need Mastro and Plott to cut down on the nail-biter performances against lesser opponents
- Bad loss for Young
- Questions remain around 157 & 165
- Feel good weekend around 149 & 184 (at minimum)
- 197 & 285 works in progress