How to Watch: No. 7 Ohio State at the 2025 Big 10 Wrestling Championships

No. 7 Ohio State wrestling will head to the 2025 Big 10 Wrestling Championship on March 8. The Buckeyes finished the 2024-25 season 13-3 overall and 5-3 in the Big 10 conference. The Buckeyes finished the 2024-25 season with a record of 13-3 overall and 5-3 in the Big Ten Conference.

Heading into the weekend, two Buckeyes are seeded No. 2 in their respective weight classes: Jesse Mendez at 141 pounds and Carson Kharchla at 174 pounds. Mendez is the reigning champion at 141 pounds from both the 2024 Big Ten and 2024 NCAA Wrestling Championships.

Despite the early injuries and weight class shifts this season, head coach Tom Ryan believes his team is ready for whatever happens this weekend through mental and physical preparation.

Ryan believes that redshirt freshman Brandon Cannon (157) will surprise fans at the championship this weekend as he steps in for Sammy Sasso. Cannon has been competing in opens and tournaments this season, boasting a record of 24-2. Many fans may not be familiar with him yet, as he has not garnered as much attention as some of his teammates. Cannon won the tournament titles at the Cleveland State Open and Edinboro Open this season.

"Sasso is out, Cannon is in. We're onto the career of Cannon, and he'll represent us at 157 [pounds]."
Tom Ryan, Ohio head coach

Each team will compete for berths to the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships, which will be held at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia from March 20 to 22.

How to Watch: Ohio State at the Big 10 Championships

Who: Big 10 Wrestling
Schools: Penn State, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio State, Rutgers, Illinois, OPurdue, Indiana, Michigan, Maryland, Northwestern, Wisconsin, Michigan State

When: March 8-9
Where: Northwestern University - Welsh-Ryan Arena, Evanston, Illinois
Stream: Session I - Big Ten Network, Session II - B1G+ and Big Ten Network, Session III B1G+, Session IV - Big Ten Network

Brackets

The 2025 brackets will be added once they are released.

Schedule

Saturday, March 8
Session I: First Round, Quarterfinals, Wrestlebacks — 10:00 a.m. CT
Session II: Consolation Matches, Wrestlebacks — 5:00 p.m. CT
Session II: Semifinals — 7 p.m. CT

Sunday, March 9
Session III: Consolation Semifinals, 7th-Place Matches — 12:00 p.m. CT
Session IV: First, Third and Fifth Place Matches — 4:30 p.m. CT

Ohio State Big 10 Pre-Seed Rankings

2024 Big 10 Wrestling Championship Recap

Ohio State finished in fifth at last year's championship with 89 points. Penn State took first place with 170.5 points.

Jesse Mendez won his first Big Ten individual championship at 141 pounds in last year's championship. Mendez defeated then-No. 1 Beau Bartlett from Penn State. Mendez had a late takedown in the third period to win by a decision of 4-1. Mendez's win was the 58th Big Ten individual championship for the Buckeyes.

calm, cool, collected 🤫 #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/aABeQl9ldO
— Ohio State Wrestling (@wrestlingbucks) March 10, 2024

2024 Big 10 Wrestling Championship - Ohio State Weight Titles

😮‍💨😮‍💨 https://t.co/oNIzbPF76j pic.twitter.com/ccTgyEiy11
— Ohio State Wrestling (@wrestlingbucks) March 10, 2024

Sammy Sasso Retires

This season, Ohio State's wrestling team has seen growth from its wrestlers, especially with the notable comeback of graduate Sammy Sasso (165), who returned to the mat with the Buckeyes on November 14, 2024. Head coach Tom Ryan announced a week ago that Sasso would not participate in the post-season. He went on to say that Sasso had decided to retire from wrestling, as he felt he could not reach the level he aspired to for himself or the team.

He's been in practice every day helping everybody. He's pretty amazing. He leaves here a two-time Big 10 champion, four-time All-American, and two-time national finalist.
Tom Ryan, Ohio State head coach

Last Time Out, Ohio State

The Buckeyes lost to No. 1 Penn State, with a final score of 27-13, on February 14. The night began with an upset at 125 pounds, where Brendan McCrone pinned No. 7 Luke Lilledahl (PSU) in under four minutes after successfully securing a cradle. Following this upset, the Nittany Lions won the next three matches, taking the lead over the Buckeyes.

Before the break, Brandon Cannon (157) won by major decision over Joseph Sealey (PSU) with a score of 10-1. Cannon had over 1:30 of riding time and scored two of his points due to stall calls against Sealey. The Buckeyes did not win again until the heavyweight bout, where No. 9 Nick Feldman defeated Cole Mirasola (PSU) by a 10-3 decision. Mirasola's three points were solely scored from escapes.

Penn State Wrestling is the reigning champion of the 2024 Big 10 Wrestling Championship and has held the title for three consecutive seasons.