Ohio State (13-0, 2-0 Big Ten) stayed perfect on the season Friday night, rolling to a 29-9 win over No. 6 Minnesota (7-4, 1-2 Big Ten) at Maturi Pavilion in Minneapolis. The victory extended the Buckeyes’ dual-meet winning streak to 13.
The bottom half of the Buckeyes’ lineup once again proved to be one of the best in the nation. Ohio State won each of its first five matchups over Minnesota, jumping out to a 20-0 lead that the Golden Gophers could never recover from.
Redshirt sophomore Vinny Kilkeary set the tone early, opening the dual with a 4-1 upset sudden victory over No. 9 Jore Volk of Minnesota. After Volk escaped in the second period and Kilkeary recorded an escape early in the third, the match moved to sudden victory, tied 1-1. One minute into the extra period, the Buckeye wrestler secured a takedown to clinch the win.
In the 133-pound weight class, Ohio State’s No. 2 Ben Davino dispatched Chris Cannon by a fall in 2:54, before No. 1 Jesse Mendez defeated Minnesota’s No. 9 Vance Vombaur 21-5 at 141 to earn a technical fall and extend the Buckeyes’ lead to 14-0.
At 149, No. 4 Ethan Stiles picked up a win over No. 23 Drew Roberts, scoring the match’s first takedown early before controlling the action throughout to secure a 6-0 decision. Top-ranked 157-pounder Brandon Cannon followed with a 12-6 victory by decision over No. 21 Charlie Millard after pulling away in the third period to push Ohio State’s lead to 20-0. It marked the first time this season Cannon failed to secure a victory with extra points.
Minnesota got on the board for the first time at 165 pounds, as No. 11 Andrew Sparks edged No. 18 Paddy Gallagher by a 4-2 decision fueled by a takedown of the Buckeye graduate wrestler in the third period. Ohio State responded at 174, where No. 4 Carson Kharchla cruised to a 20-4 technical fall victory over No. 24 Ethan Riddle, extending the lead to 25-3.
At 184 and 197 pounds, the Golden Gophers earned back-to-back 4-1 sudden-victory wins as Minnesota’s No. 4 Max McEnelly defeated No. 5 Dylan Fishback and No. 30 Gavin Nelson defeated Seth Shumate, respectively.
Ohio State closed out the night at heavyweight with No. 3 Nick Feldman claiming an 11-2 major decision over No. 10 Koy Hopke to seal the Buckeyes’ 29-9 victory.
The win marked Ohio State’s second win over Minnesota this season as the Buckeyes defeated the Golden Gophers 29-6 on Nov. 15 as a part of the 2025 National Duals Invitational.
Ohio State now heads to Lincoln, Neb., where it will face sixth-ranked Nebraska at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET.
Image courtesy of Ohio State Athletics
