In what is a football and basketball-based University based
on popularity, one must not forget the excellence and achievements in other
Buckeye athletics recently.
By Ryan Leonardo
In late March, the Buckeye wrestling team headed to St. Louis for the NCAA
Wrestling Championships. Two Buckeyes
etched their names in the books and became National Champions. Mike Pucillo (184 lbs.) and J Jaggers (141
lbs.) earned individual National titles, while helping the Buckeyes to an
overall 2nd place at the national tournament, the best finish in school
history. Of course, national powerhouse Iowa took 1st. Although Iowa’s wrestling program is like the UCLA
Bruins of the John Wooden era, finishing the highest in school history must not
go unnoticed.
Jaggers
defeated No. 1 seed Chad Mendez of Cal Poly to claim his title, while Mike
Pucillo beat No. 1 seeded Jake Varner of Iowa State. Pucillo’s victory clinched second place for
the Scarlet and Gray. Congratulations to
the Buckeyes and the Wrestling team of 2008, in what was a great
performance. Not many know how
successful other facets of our athletic program are, so hopefully this will
enlighten the Buckeye Faithful. Special
thanks to Chris Hansen for initial information on this piece.
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