zFollowing the Big Ten Championships last weekend, the conference announced its postseason awards and several Ohio State wrestlers received Big Ten honors, while Buckeyes head coach Tom Ryan was named Big Ten Coach of the Year.
Ohio State senior wrestler Jesse Mendez at 141 pounds earned Big Ten Wrestler of The Year honors, while 133-pounder Ben Davino was named the Big Ten Freshman of The Year. Both Mendez and Davino were also selected to the First-Team All-Big Ten and 149-pounder Ethan Stiles received Second-Team All-Big Ten recognition in his first season with the Buckeyes.
Ryan led Ohio State to an 18-1 dual record this season and a second place finish in the Big Ten Championships with 148.5 points. For the fifth time in Ryan’s career all 10 of Ohio State’s starters qualified for the 2026 NCAA Championships. Those 10 wrestlers accumulated a 155-32 overall record this season.
Mendez earned Big Ten Wrestler of the Year and First-Team All-Big Ten honors following a perfect 19-0 regular season and a 4-0 finish in the Big Ten Championships. The Crown Point, Ind., native and top seed at 141 pounds captured the conference title with a 7-2 victory over No. 2 Brock Hardy of Nebraska.
Davino claimed both Big Ten Freshman of The Year and First-Team All-Big Ten nominations after finishing 23-1 overall in the regular season. The Buckeye rookie avenged his lone loss in the regular season in the Big Ten Championships, defeating Penn State’s top-ranked Marcus Blaze 3-2 via decision in the second tiebreaker period. Davino finished 4-0 overall in the tournament.
Stiles was named to the second team after a 13-4 regular season and a 2-1 finish in the conference championships. Stiles, who transferred from Oregon State at the beginning of the regular season, fell to Penn State’s No.1 Shayne Van Ness by fall in the Big Ten title bout at 149 pounds.
