Joe Smith (OKST) defeats Jake Ryan (OHST) in Round 1- Smith Wrestles Nolf in Quarterfinals
In the first round, a clash of coaches son’s lived up to the expectations fans eagerly waited to find out. Oklahoma State’s head coach John Smith’s son Joe, a True Freshman, battled back from an early deficit to defeat Ohio State’s head coaches son, Jake Ryan.
Ryan, jumped out to an 8-3 lead before Smith slowly climbed back into the match. Smith tied the bout at 9-9 just before the end of regulation. The bout ended up going into sudden victory. Within in the first minute of overtime, Joe Smith scored the winning takedown over Jake Ryan to win the bout 11-9.
Smith went on to win a decisive match over Bryce Steiert of Northern Iowa by a decision score of 6-2. Since Smith won his second match of the day, he moves on to the quarterfinals of the tournament. Smith, seeded No. 6, will battle Penn State’s Red-shirt freshman, Jason Nolf, the No. 3 seed in the tournament. These two outstanding freshman have met once during the season. Nolf finished with the upper-hand, winning 7-3.
Ryan’s 2016 NCAA DI Wrestling Championship tournament came to an early end after he lost his second match of the day in the first round of the wrestle backs. The Ohio State Buckeyes’ 157-pound wrestler Ryan fell in a close decision to Luke Smith of Central Michigan (31-9) by a score of 2-0.
Nolf and Smith are scheduled to battle in the second match of the 157-pound weight class. Winner will advance to the semi-finals. The quarterfinals start at 11 a.m. Friday, March 18, 2016, on all eight mats at the Madison Square Garden. Semi-finals take place Friday evening at 8 p.m. EST. at Madison Square Garden, Every match can be watched on ESPNU.
