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Sammy Sasso wins 100th wrestling match for Ohio State

IMG_6598by:Nick Kosko•01/05/25•

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Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ohio State wrestling star Sammy Sasso earned his 100th career win Sunday by beating Oregon State’s Steele Starren.

The win put Ohio State up 19-3 in their dual against the Beavers. For Sasso, it was much more than just another victory or a milestone.

The four-time All-American missed all of last season after he was injured in a Columbus shooting back in August of 2023.

Sasso made his season debut back in November at 165 pounds, up two weight classes from his career at 149.

“I knew there was gonna be a lot of emotions involved with tonight, but I just tried to do my best to stay focused on wrestling,” Sasso said on Big Ten Network following his season debut.

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Sasso is now 6-3 on the season and ranked No. 11 in the country, per InterMat. He exploded onto the scene in 2019-20, going 23-3 and earning All-American status from the NWCA, after the NCAA Tournament was canceled.

Sasso went 16-1 during the shortened 2021 season and finished 2nd at 149 pounds to North Carolina’s Austin O’Connor.

After a 5th place finish in 2022, Sasso returned to the NCAA finals in 2023, but fell short to Cornell’s Yianni Diakomihalis 4-2.

Regardless if he wins a title or not, the return to the mat has been nothing short of remarkable for Sasso. Going into the 2023-24 season, head coach Tom Ryan mentioned Sasso among the key cogs for Ohio State to win a team title and to unseat Penn State.

They might not catch them this season, but Sasso’s impact on the program is undeniable.

“I mean, obviously we’re one of the schools,” Ryan told On3 at the time. “I don’t believe anybody can do it. I think if you look at the College Football Playoff, I don’t have the data but I remember seeing the data when I was watching the championship game in football. It’s only been seven or eight teams since (it began) right? So I mean, seven teams that have made it, I think seven have made it into the final four.

“It’s very small in football, typically it’s very small in basketball, and it’s extremely small in wrestling. So over the last 125 years, only 12 teams have won the national (title) That’s it. It’s a mind boggling stat. I mean, it really is. And Penn State recently has been very, very hard to beat.”