CLEVELAND -- The Ohio State Buckeyes know about the importance of feeding off of the energy of the crowd, and what it can do for a team, as they were on the wrong end of it in a 19-18 loss at Penn State on February 3.
Fast-forward six weeks, the Buckeyes are the team that is looking to feed off of the energy of a “home” crowd, as Ohio State travelled just two hours north from Columbus for the 2018 NCAA Championships at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.
“Oh, yeah, we're going to use the crowd,” said Kyle Snyder, a two-time heavyweight and 2016 Olympic freestyle champion. “I'm definitely going to use the crowd. I'm going to pump them up as soon as I get on the mat, and the other guys will too.
“Anytime you get to compete in front of a crowd that will uplift you while you're on the mat, it's always a little bit of extra inspiration to compete at a high level.”
Snyder is well aware of the passion Buckeyes fans have for their sports teams, and he expects them to rally together in Cleveland for the whole weekend.
“Everybody on our team is already really self-motivated and they wrestle because they love it, and they want to score a lot of points and do the things they do really well while they're competing,” Snyder said. “But it's really cool when you have a big crowd around you cheering you on, and we're very thankful for that for sure. We hope to see a lot of scarlet and gray.”
The Buckeyes have plenty of roots in Northeast Ohio, particularly as it pertains to redshirt senior 125-pounder Nathan Tomasello, who grew up in Parma and went to Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy in nearby Cuyahoga Falls.
“Blessed to be up here in Cleveland,” Ohio State coach Tom Ryan said. “A lot of our student-athletes were born and raised in this area. It's a great opportunity for them to compete in front of some people that have watched them in their careers for a long time.
“I'm excited about the team I have. We've got great leadership in Kyle Snyder, Bo Jordan and Nate Tomasello, and we're excited to get this tournament underway. It's great to be here.”
A three-time All-American heading into his fourth NCAA Championships, Tomasello stood at the top of the 125-pound division in 2015 and finished in third place in both 2016 and 2017.
And because of that Cleveland connection, Ryan believes there will be no shortage of motivation, and he is hopeful for Tomasello can end his run at Ohio State with a return trip to the top of the podium at the NCAA Championships.
“There are a few things in life that I want more than to see Nate go out with a national championship,” Ryan said.
“My life is complete, but it will be a little more complete if he manages to win a second national championship. And if he doesn't, on my deathbed, I will say that I will probably be a little less satisfied with life. That's how bad that I want to see this guy end with a national championship.
“They're excited. They're really fortunate that they happen to be at an age where the tournament is held in their hometown, so kind of the stars have aligned and they're looking forward to wrestling.”
