Four-time state champ D’Emilio having breakout season for Ohio State wrestling

Jan. 4—Dylan D’Emilio joined Ohio State’s wrestling program with lofty expectations, both of his own and of the coaches.

Winning four state individual titles at Genoa High School tends to set the bar that high.

The high-end recruit and current sophomore for the Buckeyes could’ve wiped his slate clean for college, leaving his remarkable prep record of 210-6 as an afterthought.

After all, it wasn’t going to help him at the collegiate level.

Instead, he is letting it fuel his confidence into trying to achieve as much as he can, now in a scarlet and gray singlet.

“The high school stuff is great and is awesome, is fun, rewarding, and got me here,” said D’Emilio, whose 210 wins tie for 10th all-time in OHSAA history.

“Now, it’s another level. You’ve got guys like Jordan Burroughs (2012 Olympic gold medalist) who was a one-time state champ; now he’s the best in the world. You also kind of want to have that confidence. I’ve always had that hunger, those high goals. That confidence within myself is just, I believe in myself and I believe in Ohio State and my coaches.”

D’Emilio is off to a strong start to his sophomore season at 141 pounds. He’s 13-3 with eight bonus-point wins, including two major decisions, two technical falls, and three pins. He has already surpassed his win total last season (10-8) and earned a 4-3 win over Pittsburgh’s Cole Matthews (No. 18) in his most recent match Dec. 12.

Adapting to the collegiate scene took time, but was something D’Emilio embraced with the caliber of wrestling he knew he’d face — especially on his own team.

D’Emilio moved to Columbus two weeks after graduating high school. He spent the summer in OSU’s wrestling room with numerous already-accomplished teammates, one being then-senior Nathan Tomasello, a national champ at 125 as a freshman in 2015.

“You get beat up all summer, but fall comes around, you’re adjusted a little bit,” D’Emilio said.

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He redshirted the 2019-20 season with fourth-year starter Luke Pletcher already locked in at 141. Pletcher was previously a two-time fourth-place finisher at the NCAA tournament and the eventual No. 1 seed in the class as a senior. However, the coronavirus pandemic wiped out the season prematurely just days before the nationals.

While redshirting, D’Emilio said he tweaked his knee in a wrestle-off and recovered to wrestle unattached at two opens (6-2 mark) — only to injure his other knee. He also ended up breaking his nose and had surgery that February.

“Just up and down with injuries, but still a good year, still got a lot better,” he said.

Because of the pandemic, D’Emilio spent his summer at home, working relentlessly with his former high school teammates to stay fresh. Julian Sanchez (Army), Oscar Sanchez (Ohio), and James Limongi (Kent State) — each individual state champs — needed to train and remain sharp, too.

D’Emilio was able to return to campus in late September. He lost his initial wrestle-off to Anthony Echemandia, but was able to participate in extra matches during a Big Ten-only schedule.

D’Emilio soon won his way into the starting lineup and never looked back, posting a 7-6 regular-season mark.

Despite placing ninth at the Big Ten tournament, he earned one of six at-large berths into the NCAA tournament as the No. 30 seed and drew No. 3 seed Sebastian Rivera of Rutgers, a three-time Big Ten champion (twice at Northwestern). He fell 8-1 in the opener.

Facing an uphill battle to earn All-American status, D’Emilio reeled off three straight consolation wins, including an upset over the No. 20 seed, but lost to No. 5 Dom Demas of Oklahoma to cut his season two wins short of his goal.

D’Emilio was able to shed some light on a season-defining NCAA tournament — often the case in wrestling, for better or worse.

“Ten years from now, nobody is going to care how I did in my dual meet on Jan. 20, but maybe somebody might remember the national tournament,” D’Emilio said. “That’s what we do, base our goals off of.

“It’s nice to pick up a few wins there, but at the same time, I fell short, too. Nobody remembers the guy that got a few wins at nationals.”

That in mind, D’Emilio has kept his goal of being an All-American this season. He’s also trusting the process to get there, not making any drastic changes.

He’s more than solidified his spot for the No. 7-ranked Buckeyes, earning the No. 23 ranking at 141, according to InterMat.

Ohio State assistant coach J Jaggers, a two-time national champion for the Buckeyes, felt D’Emilio has shown tremendous development early, even while taking losses, as well as remaining confident.

“The biggest boost was the confidence that came from the NCAA tournament,” Jaggers said. “It takes a strong mind and mature guy to understand not all is lost because you didn’t get your hand raised that day. The key is keep inching toward your goal, because it takes a mountain of work to get a little bit better at this sport.”

“It’s not just the times he stepped out to compete where that confidence carries over. He was very eager and enthusiastic all spring, summer, and fall. It’s the consistency that matters. When there’s light at the end of the tunnel, which I think he got at the national tournament — ‘I’m here. I can be All-American or national champ.’ That makes it easier to come to work every day.”

Jaggers said the program expects great things from D’Emilio, one of two four-time state champs on the roster. Kaleb Romero, current 184-pounder, is the other.

“I’m really, really fortunate. This program is special,” D’Emilio said. “I have a lot of belief in it and what we’re doing. I’m trying not to get too high, trying not to get too low.

“There’s going to be tough losses in this game, high wins in this game. Enjoy them. Be sad for a couple hours. Other than that, it’s time to move on and just keep chasing the next thing.”

First Published January 3, 2022, 11:02am