Six Penn State wrestlers will compete for national titles on Saturday and two more can place as high as third after a successful Friday night that saw the Nittany Lions clinch the team title at the NCAA Championships in Kansas City.
Penn State went 6-0 in its semifinal bouts, with Beau Bartlett, Levi Haines, Mitchell Mesenbrink, Carter Starocci, Aaron Brooks and Greg Kerkvliet advancing to the finals. The six finalists are a program record.
Starocci and Brooks will be looking to become just the sixth and seventh four-time national champions in NCAA history. Bartlett, Haines, Mesenbrink and Kerkvliet are seeking their first titles.
Tyler Kasak and Bernie Truax also advanced to the consolation semifinals and can place as high as third or as low as sixth. Blood round victories secured All-America status for Kasak and Truax, giving Penn State eight All-Americans for 2024.
Freshman Braeden Davis and sophom*ore Aaron Nagao saw their seasons come to an end with losses in the consolation round of 12.
Penn State ran away with the team title, tallying 148 points by the end of Friday night for an 83.5-point lead over second-place Michigan. The Nittany Lions — who won their 11th national title under coach Cael Sanderson and 12th overall — are within striking distance of the NCAA team points record of 170, set by Iowa in 1997.
Penn State Wrestling Clinches 2024 NCAA Team Title
Action on Saturday gets underway at 11 a.m. EDT with consolation semifinals followed by the medal round. The championship finals begin at 7 p.m. The early session will be broadcast on ESPNU and the finals will be on ESPN. Both will livestream on ESPN+.
CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET
149 Pounds
No. 2 seed Beau Bartlett and No. 6 seed Lachlan McNeil wrestled a scoreless first period, and McNeil landed the only point of the second with an escape to take a 1-0 lead. Taking the bottom position to start the third, Bartlett worked his way to a reversal for a 2-1 lead then took control on top. The Nittany Lion senior used a 2-on-1 tilt for two nearfall points and rode out the period. With a riding time point, Bartlett claimed a 5-1 decision to earn a spot in the finals.
Bartlett will face No. 1 seed Jesse Mendez of Ohio State for the title in a rematch of the Big Ten championship bout won by the Buckeye. Bartlett beat Mendez in sudden victory during a Feb. 2 dual meet.
157 Pounds
After a scoreless first period between No. 1 seed Levi Haines and No. 12 seed Bryce Andonian of Virginia Tech, Andonian escaped to start the second and fended off a deep shot to take a 1-0 lead into the third. Haines leveled the score at 1-1, but Andonian drove through on a double leg to get the bout’s first take down and a 4-1 lead. The Nittany Lion sophom*ore responded by getting control of Andonian’s leg and securing the takedown. Andonian escaped and the bout went to sudden victory tied 5-5.
In the extra period, Haines converted on a single leg and took Andonian to his back for the pin a 7:48 and a thrilling win to advance to the finals for a second consecutive year.
Haines will take on No. 2 seed Jacori Teemer of Arizona State for the title.
165 Pounds
No. 2 seed Mitchell Mesenbrink and No. 6 seed Mike Caliendo wrestled an action-packed first period to open their semifinal bout. Caliendo struck first with a double leg for a takedown, followed by a Mesenbrink escape. The Nittany Lion redshirt freshman answered by converting a head inside single for a takedown, and a Caliendo escape even the score at 4-4 heading into the second period.
After a Caliendo escape to start the second, Mesenbrink again went inside single and fought through the Hawkeye’s defense to secure a takedown. Mesenbrink used a low single for his third take down later in the period and carried a 10-7 lead into the third. The Nittany Lion opened the final period with an escape then used a single for his fourth takedown. Another Caliendo escape was followed by a Mesenbrink single leg for his fifth and final takedown. With a riding time point, Mesenbrink earned a 17-9 major decision and a spot in the finals at his first NCAA Championships.
Mesenbrink will meet No. 4 seed David Carr of Iowa State in the title bout. Carr upset top seed Keegan O’Toole in the semis.
174 Pounds
No. 9 Carter Starocci got in deep on a few shots in the first period against No. 4 Shane Griffith of Michigan, but Griffith fought them off and the bout went to the second tied 0-0. Griffith chose bottom position and Starocci executed a full period rideout to build up two minutes in riding time. Starocci quickly escaped to start the third and that would be all he would need. With the riding time point, the Nittany Lion senior, secured a 2-0 decision and a spot in the finals for thw fourth time.
Starocci, who is wrestling with a heavily wrapped leg after suffering an injury in late February, will look to become a four-time NCAA champion when he takes on No. 6 Rocco Welsh of Ohio State on Saturday night.
197 Pounds
No. 1 seed Aaron Brooks took down No. 12 Rocky Elam of Missouri near the edge of the mat midway through the first period to set the tone in their semifinal bout. After an Elam escape, Brooks scored his second takedown and finished the period on top to take a 6-1 lead into the second. After picking up a stall point and allowing Elam to escape in the second, Brooks picked up his third takedown and another stall point for an 11-2 advantage. The Nittany Lion senior poured it on in the third to earn a 17-2 tech fall at the 5:42 mark.
Brooks will seek his fourth NCAA title when he battles No. 2 seed and Mifflin County grad Trent Hidlay of NC State in the final.
Heavyweight
No. 1 seed Greg Kerkvliet scored a fast takedown against No. 4 seed Cohlton Schultz of Arizona State and stayed in control the rest of the first period for 2:44 in riding time and a 3-0 lead heading into the second. After quickly escaping to start the second, Kerkvliet got Schultz’s leg and tripped him to the mat for another takedown. Once again, Schultz could not do anything underneath and Kerkvliet finished the period on top with a 7-0 lead. Schultz chose neutral to start the third and scored his only point on a stall point. With a riding time point, Kerkvliet wrapped up an 8-1 decision and earned his second trip to the NCAA finals.
Kerkvliet will take aim at his first NCAA title when he faces No. 10 seed Lucas Davison of Michigan on Saturday night.
CONSOLATION BRACKET
125 Pounds
No. 1 Braeden Davis and No. 5 Jore Volk of Wyoming traded escapes in the second and third period to send their blood round bout to sudden victory tied 1-1. In an intense scramble, Davis got in deep on a shot and nearly had the winning takedown. But Volk countered and worked his way to the decisive score for a 4-1 victory.
Davis ends his true freshman campaign with a Big Ten title and a 22-4 record.
133 Pounds
No. 10 Aaron Nagao fell behind early against No. 3 Kai Orine of NC State, who scored the blood round bout’s opening takedown and took a 3-1 lead into the second after a Nagao escape. Nagao chose the bottom position to start the second and Orine went to work, turning the Nittany Lion sophom*ore for nearfall points and riding out the period to take a 7-1 lead into the third. Orine escaped to an 8-1 lead to start the third. Nagao tightened things up with his first takedown to pull within 8-4, but an Orine reversal sealed the deal and a riding time point made it an 11-4 decision.
Nagao finishes his season with a 17-7 record.
141 Pounds
No. 7 seed Tyler Kasak changed Penn State’s round of 12 fortunes against No. 3 seed Jackson Arrington of NC State. Arrington jumped out to the early lead with a first period takedown followed by a Kasak escape, then escaped to start the second for a 4-1 lead. Kasak responded, snapping down to set up Arrington then quickly getting behind for a late takedown and riding out the period. The Nittany Lion true freshman escaped to a 5-4 lead to open the third and battled Arrington evenly the rest of the way to claim the decision victory and secure All-America honors.
Kasak dominated the first period of his consolation quarterfinal bout against No. 11 Quinn Kinner of Rider. The Nittany Lion caught Kinner in a headlock and took him to his back for a takedown and four nearfall points, staying on top for the remainder of the period to build 2:18 in riding time. A reversal in the second expanded Kasak’s lead to 9-0. Kinner escaped in the second and again to start the third, but Kasak added a riding time point for a 10-2 major decision.
Kasak will face No. 1 seed Ridge Lovett of Nebraska in the consolation semifinals. The winner will advance to the third place bout, with the loser wrestling for fifth place.
184 Pounds
After No. 6 seed Bernie Truax and No. 10 seed Dylan Fishback of NC State wrestled a scoreless first period, Fishback chose down to start the second. Truax stayed in control throughout for a rideout and two minutes in riding time advantage. The Nittany Lion escaped to start the third then scored the bout’s only takedown. With 3:36 in riding time, Truax earned a 5-0 decision and became a four-time All-American.
Against No. 7 Thomas Stewart of Virginia Tech in the consolation quarterfinals, Truax broke a scoreless tie with a quick second period escape. Stewart evened the bout with an escape in the third, and as time wound down Truax scored the bout’s only takedown in the final seconds. With a riding time point, Truax earned a 5-1 decision.
Truax will take on No. 4 seed Trey Munoz of Oregon State in the consolation semifinals.
