Saturday, March 21, 2015: For the Ohio State wrestling program and its fans, it’s a red letter — make that a scarlet and gray — day, doubly historic for it is the capstone of a season that not only saw the Buckeyes win their first national wrestling team title at the 2015 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships … but also saw Logan Stieber conclude his collegiate mat career by becoming only the fourth wrestler in the 85-year history of the NCAA championships to have won four individual Division I titles.That Saturday — the final day of three days of competition at the 2015 NCAAs in St. Louis — capped a season where the Buckeye wrestlers, coaches and supporters experienced historic highs … and a devastating loss: the tragic suicide of Kosta Karageorge, former Ohio State heavyweight and, at the time, reserve defensive lineman for the team that went on to win the first-ever National College Football playoff title.The first-ever team titleLogan Stieber and the Ohio State Buckeyes celebrate after winning the 2015 national championship in St. Louis (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) For Ohio State, it was an interesting journey to the 2015 NCAA title. Before the start of the season, the only thing that wrestling journalists and fans might have agreed on regarding “who will win the team crown?” was — “it could be just about anyone’s.” The word “parity” was one that was frequently heard even more than usual, with the idea that there were a number of programs that would be contending, other than defending team titlist Penn State, who had won four straight NCAA championships, but was expected to be in a rebuilding year, with the graduations of superstars Ed Ruth and David Taylor. As the season progressed, two teams that garnered much of that team title speculation: the Iowa Hawkeyes, no stranger to NCAA championships … and the Missouri Tigers, who were having a Cinderella season. As for Ohio State, they compiled a 14-4 dual-meet record in 2014-15, with losses to Virginia Tech, Missouri, Iowa, and, to Lehigh at the National Duals. However, the postseason was the time for the Buckeyes to shine when the lights were the brightest.Ohio State played host to the 2015 Big Ten Wrestling Championships at venerable St. John Arena, a nearly 60-year-old facility across Lane Avenue from famed Ohio Stadium. At the end of the two-day tournament, the hosts found themselves sharing the team title with Iowa … the first time there have been conference co-team champions since 1932, and only the sixth time in the long history of the organization once known as the Midwest Conference. There were other factors that made the 2015 Big Tens one for the history books. While it was the 35th conference crown for the Hawkeyes (who last won the Big Ten mat title in 2010), it was the first for the Buckeye wrestling program since 1951. …
Continue Reading: Palmer: Stieber, Ohio State make history in 2015
