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Fourth-ranked Iowa falls to No. 2 Ohio State, 22-12
K.J. Pilcher
Jan. 21, 2018 7:23 pm, Updated: Jan. 21, 2018 7:59 pm
Iowa's Spencer Lee notched a signature victory and second straight over a ranked foe.
Teammate Alex Marinelli returned to his home state to win in the same venue he claimed four state prep titles.
It wasn't enough to help the fourth-ranked Hawkeyes over No. 2 Ohio State. The Buckeyes won six of 10 bouts, sweeping the final four weights for a 22-12 Big Ten Conference dual win in front of 15,117 fans at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio.
The Hawkeyes suffered their first loss, dropping to 9-1 overall and 4-1 in the conference. Ohio State is 10-0 and 5-0.
Lee opened the dual against three-time All-American and former NCAA champ Nathan Tomasello. The freshman 125-pounder, who came out of redshirt Jan. 5, improved to 3-0, using a pair of escapes and 1:53 of riding time to beat top-ranked Tomasello, 3-2.
Lee rode Tomasello the entire second period and held on to win despite giving up a takedown in the third. He said it was likely his first win without scoring a takedown, but now his attention turns to Saturday's home dual against Michigan.
'Move forward,' Lee said. 'It's over. It doesn't matter now. Just have to focus on getting better and scoring points.
'It's not even scoring points. It's just wrestling the whole match.'
Lee played the role of spoiler as the Buckeyes celebrated senior night. He wasn't concerned with the extracurricular activities that surrounded the dual.
'I don't care about that,' Lee said. 'All that matters is the guy in front of you and you have to focus on wrestling in every position.'
Marinelli also topped a ranked opponent, giving Iowa a 12-7 lead with four matches left. The redshirt freshman from Miamisburg, Ohio, and former St. Paris Graham prep dropped No. 13 Te'Shan Campbell, 4-1, at 165.
'It was pretty cool,' Marinelli said about returning to his home state. 'I had a lot of friends and family that came. I told (Iowa Coach Tom Brands) I was 16-0 in The Shot and let's keep the record going.'
Marinelli scored takedowns in the first and third periods, but was ridden the entire second period. He moved to 9-0, but wants to be more dominant.
'I want to see the guy breaking mentally (and) physically,' Marinelli said. 'I want to see pins. The crowd wants to see pins. Iowa fans want to see me dominate. That's the goal in my wrestling.'
Marinelli's win gave Iowa three straight, following Brandon Sorensen's 4-2 decision over No. 6 Ke-Shawn Hayes at 149 and 157-pounder Michael Kemerer's 8-4 victory over No. 6 Micah Jordan.
The Buckeyes scored 15 straight points, getting a technical fall from World and Olympic champion Kyle Snyder at heavyweight. He posted a 24-9 technical fall over Steven Holloway. Third-ranked Sam Stoll did not wrestle for Iowa.
'Sam Stoll has a lot of wrestling left in front of him this year,' Brands said. 'We want to make sure we're doing the right thing every week.'
AT COLUMBUS, OHIO
Ohio state 22, Iowa 12
125 — Spencer Lee (I) dec. Nathan Tomasello, 3-2; 133 — Luke Pletcher (OSU) dec. Paul Glynn, 8-2; 141 — Joey McKenna (OSU) major dec. Carter Happel, 13-2; 149 — Brandon Sorensen (I) dec. Ke-Shawn Hayes, 4-2; 157 — Michael Kemerer (I) dec. Micah Jordan, 8-4; 165 — Alex Marinelli (I) dec. Te'shan Campbell, 4-1; 174 — Bo Jordan (OSU) dec. Kaleb Young, 10-5; 184 — Myles Martin (OSU) major dec. Mitch Bowman, 17-8; 197 — Kollin Moore (OSU) dec. Cash Wilcke, 6-3; Hwt. — Kyle Snyder (OSU) tech. fall Steven Holloway, 24-9.
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