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year. Ever since then, it’s been great. It’s definitely a lot nicer to not have to kill myself to make weight.” Stieber is now 90-3 in his remarkable collegiate career. After going unbeaten as a sophomore, Stieber dropped a match to Penn State freshman and 2012 Cadet World champion Zain Retherford early last season. Stieber came back to score wins over Retherford by the same 7-3 score in the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments. “I know I have to be ready at all times,”
Stieber said. “No matter what happens, I need to keep my cool and focus on what I do best. I needed a little kick in the butt last year and I came back strong after that loss. I went out there and executed after that.”
The top five NCAA finishers at 141, including Stieber, Carter and Retherford, are back this season. Stieber and his younger brother Hunter, a junior 149-pounder, lead a powerful Buckeye lineup. Hunter is a two-time All- American who redshirted this past sea- son.
Hunter Stieber is ranked third at 149 behind returning NCAA champion Jason Tsirtsis of Northwestern and returning runner-up Josh Kindig of Oklahoma State. Hunter won the Pan American Championships for the U.S. in freestyle in July. “It’s nice to have Hunter back in the lineup,” Logan said. “We can work out together and train together all the time again. He’s been great to have in the room. He’s been in the semis twice (at NCAAs). He’s been close. He’s in a tough weight class, but he can do real well this season.”
The Buckeyes also have returning wrestlers ranked in the top 10 in Johnni DiJulius (No. 7 at 133), Josh Demas (No. 8 at 157) and Kenny Courts (No. 6 at 184).
Ohio State also features a dynamite freshman class that includes stud prospects in Kyle Snyder (197), Bo Jordan (165) and Nathan Tomasello (125). “It’s really awesome to have these freshmen on the team,” Stieber said. “These guys are really inspiring. They don’t seem like freshmen to me. They work hard and they are really mature. They’ve really fit in well with our team. Everyone is clicking with each other.” Snyder has won Junior World gold and bronze medals the past two seasons. Snyder spent his senior year of high school training at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs
8 USA Wrestler
Stieber defeated Iowa’s Tony Ramos in the 2013 NCAA finals at 133 pounds in Des Moines. Ramos won the 2014 NCAA crown at 133. Tony Rotundo photo.
Four-time NCAA champions
Pat Smith, Oklahoma State (1990-92, 1994)
Cael Sanderson, Iowa State (1999-2002)
Kyle Dake, Cornell (2010-13)
before heading to Ohio State this past summer.
“Kyle is only 18 years old and he’s one of our leaders already, which is pretty unbelievable,” Stieber said. “He has a great work ethic and his approach is very similar to mine. “He’s a very mature and experienced wrestler for his age, and he won’t be fazed by anything.” Tomasello was 18-0 in his redshirt sea-
son. Tomasello was a three-time Junior Nationals champion in freestyle. He won four Ohio state titles.
“No one will outwork Nathan Tomasello
– he’s a workaholic,” Stieber said. “He knows what he needs to work on and he
brings a crazy amount of dedication to our team.
Jordan went 23-0 in open tournaments as a redshirt. He won the Junior Dan Hodge Trophy in 2013 after winning four Ohio state titles. Jordan is ranked No. 7 nationally in the preseason. “Bo Jordan, he just keeps getting bet-
ter,” Stieber said. “He’s made a lot of progress since last year. He’s getting bet- ter in all three positions.” Stieber is one of the best and most promising freestyle prospects in the United States. A 2011 Junior World silver medalist,
Stieber placed second at the 2012 Olympic Trials and third at the 2013 World Team Trials.
“Being an Olympic champion has been a goal since fifth or sixth grade,” he said. “It’s my main goal in wrestling. It’s been my dream in wrestling to be an Olympic champion. I’m really excited for that opportunity.” Stieber has been excelling on the Senior level against older and more expe- rienced wrestlers since he was in high school.
“Logan wants to be an Olympic cham- pion,” Ryan said. “It’s a very realistic goal
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