http://www.pennstatewrestlingclub.org Penn State Wrestling News en-us webmaster@pennstatewrestlingclub.org (Penn State Wrestling Club) webmaster@pennstatewrestlingclub.org (Penn State Wrestling Club) http://www.pennstatewrestlingclub.org/content/read_news.php?id=2203 The PSWC Annual Awards Luncheon was held on Sunday, April 30, 2023. The event was filled with much celebration of our wrestlers' accomplishments this past season and camaraderie among our wrestling fans, all so glad to be part of the 555 attendees. Jeff Byers served as Master of Ceremonies/Emcee, and Dave Hart was Presenter of the Awards for the event. Awards presented: Ed Sulkowski Award �" to an individual whose dedication and hard work have contributed significantly to the Penn State wrestling program: James Welsh Outstandling Alumnus Award �" Andrew Matter Carl A. Winterburn Award �" to the manager who demonstrates year round support to the Penn State wrestling program: Andrew Johnson Ridge Riley Award Winners (for outstanding performance at each home meet) 11/11/22 Lock Haven - Shayne Van Ness, 149 lbs. 12/11/22 Oregon State - Max Dean, 197 lbs. 01/20/23 Michigan �" Levi Haines, 157 lbs., Alex Facundo, 165 lbs. 01/22/23 Michigan State -- Gary Steen, 125 lbs. 01/27/23 Iowa - Roman Bravo-Young, 133 lbs. 02/12/23 Maryland - Shayne Van Ness, 149 lbs. 02/19/23 Clarion - Roman Bravo-Young, 133 lbs. Ernie Lucas Award Winners (for outstanding performance at each away meet) 12/02/22 Rider - Shayne Van Ness, 149 lbs. 12/04/22 Lehigh - Greg Kerkvliet, 285 lbs. 12/19/22 Central Michigan �" Levi Haines, 157 lbs. 12/19/22 North Carolina - Aaron Brooks, 184 lbs. 12/20/22 Iowa State �" Max Dean, 197 lbs. 01/06/23 Wisconsin - Levi Haines, 157 02/03/23 Ohio State - Carter Starocci, 174 lbs. 02/05/23 Indiana - Donovan Ball, 184 lbs. 02/10/23 Rutgers - Beau Bartlett, 141 lbs. Charles M. Speidel Award -- for the most takedowns in a season: Roman Bravo-Young �" 105 takedowns Bill Koll Award -- for the most pins in a season: Max Dean �" 6 pins Joe Scalzo Award -- for the most points scored during a season: Carter Starocci -- 112 team points Most Bonus Points Scored Award -- for the wrestler who has scored the most bonus points in a season: Greg Kerkvliet �" 27 points Shayne Van Ness - 27 points Academic Excellence Awards �" highest GPA by eligibility class for the season: 1st Year - Levi Haines - 3.50 2nd Year - Brian Borden - 3.93 3rd Year - Beau Bartlett - 3.21 4th Year - Baylor Shunk - 3.63 5th Year - Max Dean - 3.72 All American Awards: Beau Bartlett Roman Bravo-Young Aaron Brooks Max Dean Levi Haines Greg Kerkvliet Carter Starocci Shayne Van Ness Thu, 29 Jun 2023 17:38:30 GMT http://www.pennstatewrestlingclub.org/content/read_news.php?id=2203 http://www.pennstatewrestlingclub.org/content/read_news.php?id=2202 Penn State Wrestling Fans!!!!!!!!!! Another college season has come to a close so this will be the annual end of the year wrap up. We have several guys competing in Las Vegas next week in the US Open and a couple guys also competing in the U20 Nationals so most of the guys got right back to work after the NCAA tournament. Before we move on though it is always good to recap the season and seasons past as winning at this level is not easy and it takes an army of people to make it happen. We never want to take for granted what has been accomplished as it is very difficult to consistently win so we will highlight a few of those things before we move onto what is next. Since the 2010-11 season Penn State has won 10 Team National titles, has had 34 Individual National Champions and 50 NCAA Finalist. Penn State has also had 75 All-Americans and 39 Big Ten Champions during this time. 67% of these 75 All-Americans have been NCAA finalist. This year's team scored its largest margin of victory in School history with a 55-point spread. For the first time in school history we had 7 guys finish in the top 3 of the NCAA tournament and having 8 All-Americans was a tie for most in school history as well. Obviously as a staff we want all our guys to accomplish their goals and not everybody was able to do that this year so that is what continues to push us to get better. Just like every other year we lose a couple of incredible guys to graduation, but we are excited for them and for their future and look forward to seeing who will step up and take control of those weights going forward. We have a great group of incoming Freshmen and are excited about how our next few recruiting classes are shaping up. Regarding what's next as mentioned above we have 12 guys (college and post grad) competing in Vegas next week in either the US Open or the U20 Nationals. The week after the US Open all 5 of our Nittany Lion Wrestling Club wrestlers that medaled in the Worlds last year will be competing in Argentina at the Pan Am Championships. After the Pan Ams we have World Team Trials for all different age groups, camps, and the World Championships so things are just heating up around here as we move into spring and summer. There are only a couple more weeks of school left in the semester so the focus is on finishing strong in the classroom while getting ready for this summer and next year. Thank you for all the continued support of Penn State Wrestling by showing up consistently at home and on the road as it makes a big difference. We will continue to try to get better each year so that we have an exciting team to watch win or lose on the mat. We hope you have a great summer, and we look forward to what the future holds. https://gopsusports.com/news/2023/4/3/wrestling-season-ending-notes-a-full-recap-of-penn-states-2022-23-campaign.aspx GO LIONS!!!!!!!!!! Mon, 24 Apr 2023 01:16:09 GMT http://www.pennstatewrestlingclub.org/content/read_news.php?id=2202 http://www.pennstatewrestlingclub.org/content/read_news.php?id=2201 Kaleb Boyer | The Daily Collegian Mar 28, 2023 When people think of Penn State wrestling, Cael Sanderson and his countless All-Americans come to mind, but the program's foundation was built 70 years ago with a group of young men and another legendary coach. Penn State's 1953 squad was a team of firsts. That group of Nittany Lions became the first team from the East to win the national title in the short history of the sport at the collegiate level. The first 22 national champions came from west of Ohio, with 19 of those titles going to either Oklahoma or Oklahoma A and M, which later rebranded to Oklahoma State in 1957. Lee Roy Smith, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame executive director and a former three-time All-American for Oklahoma State, said the two Oklahoma programs reigned supreme in the early days due to two key advantages: coaching and a wealth of homegrown talent. "The coaches were well-equipped �" some of the best coaches that you could have in wrestling from not only a teaching and technique standpoint, but they were also good at building programs [and] encouraging wrestling, the growth of wrestling, in their states," Smith told The Daily Collegian. Smith said because most wrestlers stayed home in those days, it made it difficult for other schools to compete with Oklahoma State and Oklahoma. With plenty of interest in the sport at the high school level in the Sooner State, the two schools had plenty of recruits to choose from who weren't typically available to programs out east. Eastern programs often had to work with what was at their disposal, whether that be coaches or recruits. As for Penn State, the school managed to find a diamond in the rough. The university would make a program- and history-altering hire when Charlie Speidel was announced as the head coach for both wrestling and boxing in 1927. Speidel never wrestled competitively himself, but he left a legacy that helped Pennsylvania develop into the wrestling hotbed it is today. For the Nittany Lions, the hire marked an end to a revolving door of wrestling coaches since the turn of the century. In that time span, the program changed coaches five times before finally finding the right man for the job. The impact that Speidel brought for both the Nittany Lions and the sport as a whole was felt quickly. The blue and white earned its first All-American in 1935 under the watch of Speidel when Howard Johnston finished first in the nation at 165 pounds. A few years earlier in 1930, Speidel also played a part in the creation of the National Wrestling Coaches Association. The blue and white's coach went on to organize the first PIAA State Championships in 1938, and he often traveled with rival coach Billy Sheridan from Lehigh across the state in an effort to promote wrestling. "Many coaches in those days had to raise the level of wrestling up in their state. And he was one of those pioneer builders, if you will, that helped grow wrestling at the state level so that it could be a feeder for his program," Smith said. Speidel's efforts to build pipelines to his program began to yield results over the next two and a half decades when the Nittany Lions went from having no All-Americans in 1927 to having 16 different All-Americans by 1953. The stars aligned for Penn State in that 1953 season when State College was selected to host nationals, the city's third time hosting the NCAA Championships. In the previous season, 1952, nationals were held in Fort Collins, Colorado, and the Nittany Lions were only able to send three wrestlers. The College Senate decided that only wrestlers who won the EIWA Conference Championship at their weight would be allowed to attend nationals due to travel expenses. "Not just with Penn State, all kinds of teams that have similar types of stories. It's like, 'Yeah, there's just no way we could get there, or at least a good chunk of our guys couldn't get there,'" Jeff Byers, the play-by-play broadcaster for Penn State wrestling since 1990, told the Collegian. With the tournament in its backyard, the blue and white had its best lineup in years. According to Sam Procopio, who covered the 1953 Penn State team for the Collegian, Oklahoma State Sports Information Director Otis Wile said, "This might be a good year for the East to break into the king row." The statement certainly proved to be true. The reigning back-to-back champion, Oklahoma, entered the tournament with two of its best wrestlers injured, and Oklahoma State only brought three wrestlers. The path was open for another team to take home national champion honors. Penn State qualified nine wrestlers to compete in the national tournament and returned all three of its NCAA qualifiers from the previous year: Bob Homan at 123 pounds, Dick Lemyre at 130 pounds and Joe Lemyre at 167 pounds. The other six names for the Nittany Lions included Bill Cramp at 115 pounds, Gerry Maurey at 137 pounds, Don Frey at 147 pounds, Doug Frey at 157 pounds, George Dvorozniak at 177 pounds and Hud Samson at 191 pounds. Five of those nine Penn State athletes became All-Americans in front of a packed Rec Hall, and one of those wrestlers, Samson, became an individual national champion. Samson had an impressive run for the blue and white that season, which he topped off with a fall over No. 1 seed Charles Weber from West Chester. "Hud Samson winning the title was obviously the signature victory of the tournament for the team," Byers said. If the tournament had been out west like in previous years, Samson wouldn't have been able to participate, as he lost in the EIWA Championships and finished third in the unlimited class. The same could be said for all but two of Penn State's wrestlers that year. The only individual EIWA champions for the Nittany Lions were Dick Lemyre and Gerry Maurey. However, the team managed to capture the team title for the conference that year with six more points than runner-up Cornell. Maurey in that EIWA Tournament won each bout by pinning his opponent, and he continued his postseason success with an All-American finish. But the competition he faced at the NCAA Championships proved to be of a higher quality, according to the former Penn State grappler. His favorite memory of that national championship year came in the consolation bracket at 137 pounds. "In that particular tournament when I was wrestling for third place, I beat a guy from Oklahoma who was pretty good. I beat him 10-2 in the final consolation bout," Maurey told the Collegian. The wrestler Maurey bested for third place was Ron Scott, and the victory proved crucial, as Penn State only won the team title by six points over the Sooners. Maurey credited Penn State's balance across the lineup for the team's success that season. "We had five people who placed and made points, but one national champ, one national runner-up and three national thirds," Maurey said. "Therefore, we were able to get enough points to win over the University of Oklahoma." Maurey mentioned that hosting the event gave Penn State an extra edge over the Sooners that year because Oklahoma had to drive all the way to State College, which left its wrestlers worn out from the trip. The next season, the blue and white decided to fly to Oklahoma for nationals after seeing how the travel affected the Sooners. When the team title was secured, the Nittany Lions had unknowingly changed the direction of the sport. The team certainly knew the title was significant, as it was both Penn State's and the East's first team title. Headlines praised the blue and white. "East Is Happy �" It Finally Has Captured Its First NCAA Wrestling Championship," the Collegian printed. The reporter of the story, Procopio, wrote, "The greatest victory of them all gives the East the prestige it richly deserves." Byers, whose uncle was a reserve member of the 1953 Penn State squad, said, "It did seem like everything came together for them, and they had a couple of guys who obviously had great tournaments." Many of those nine wrestlers for Penn State would follow in Speidel's example and go on to grow the sport in different ways. Maurey, Don Frey and his brother, Doug Frey, all became wrestling coaches at the collegiate level. Together, they served over 20 combined years of coaching wrestling. Doug also spent an additional 32 years as the head athletic trainer for Drexel, where he coached. Bill Cramp, Penn State's 115-pound representative in 1953, had a huge impact in the coming decades. Cramp went on to serve 26 years as a wrestling official for the collegiate and high school level. In that time, he designed the logo used on the referees patch, co-founded the NCAA Wrestling Officials Association, refereed in 11-straight national championships from 1970-1980 and served as a regional rules interpreter for both the NCAA and PIAA. Smith said Penn State's wrestlers made a lasting impression on the sport. "It's tremendously impactful. And you know, as much as we talk about the success of wrestlers in other walks of life after having been through college wrestling… we need to always try and be mindful to make sure that they continue that passion for the sport," Smith said. Smith said the sport could use more individuals like that today, in both coaching and officiating. The collection of young men who brought the national title to Penn State for the first time was brought together by one architect, coach Speidel. But who was Speidel really? Speidel commanded the Penn State wrestling program from 1927-1964, with a brief break from 1943-1946 when he served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Maurey said Speidel was "very knowledgeable [and] also very noisy at times" as a coach, explaining that his former coach could get loud at the edge of the mat, trying to get his wrestlers to change positions in the midst of a bout. "Looking at that history and looking at the coach's philosophy, I find it very much in sync in many ways with coach [Cael] Sanderson today," Smith said. Smith said the university, community and fanbase rallied around Speidel and gave him the support he needed to succeed back then. Former Collegian reporter, author, broadcast and print journalist, and Penn State sports historian Lou Prato had a chance to speak with Speidel during his time covering athletics for the Collegian in the 1950s. "I don't remember [Speidel] ever raising his voice at anybody. I mean, he may have at the team.. I don't remember [him] ever raising his voice. He was just a nice guy," Prato told the Collegian. The longtime journalist also mentioned that Speidel would often forget names and went around calling everyone "Doc." Media and others who spent time around Speidel called him "Doc" right back, leading to the nickname he's remembered for to this day. Prato described the feat of Speidel and his squad as a huge deal for the university and the campus back in those days. Although the 1953 Championship was before Prato attended the university, he wrote a story for the Collegian four years after the event. For that story, Speidel recalled the "fine collection of wrestlers," and he told Prato the team could've won the previous year, too, had it been allowed to bring the full lineup to Fort Collins. "It may be a long time before another Eastern team wins the NCAA mat crown, and they'll have to go far to match the superlative performance of Charlie Speidel's 1953 outfit," Prato wrote. He was right, for the next time a team east of Ohio won the NCAA Championship was in 2011, when Penn State won its second title. However, several Midwestern teams like Iowa, Iowa State, Minnesota and even Michigan State were able to steal a lot of glory away from the Oklahoma schools in the following decades. When Speidel's legendary coaching career came to an end, he had achieved a 191-56-13 record in duals, seven team EIWA Championships, 13 other top-three EIWA finishes,13 top-10 finishes at NCAAs, and he set a then-program record 34-dual meet win streak. Under his watch, Penn State had six individual national champions, 15 finalists and 41 All-Americans after previously having no All-Americans prior to his hire. Speidel had achieved what no one in those days could and something that only Sanderson has done since. The impact of himself and his wrestlers on the sport today, especially in the Northeast, can be seen everywhere. "One of the things that I noticed and read about Charlie Speidel was that it was very important to him to enable the growth of his student-athletes to excel on the mat, but off the mat as well," Smith said. "And I think that's a common trait with coach Sanderson." Sat, 01 Apr 2023 16:07:01 GMT http://www.pennstatewrestlingclub.org/content/read_news.php?id=2201 http://www.pennstatewrestlingclub.org/content/read_news.php?id=2200 Zach Allen | The Daily Collegian TULSA, Okla. �" Team culture often leads to team success. In college sports, the chemistry and culture built inside a locker room is harder to establish for an extended period of time, thus being subject to change as the roster cycle rotates over and over again. The cycle of eligibility has struck two of Penn State's veteran leaders following the 2023 Division I Wrestling Championships. The first was Max Dean, who transferred to the Nittany Lions prior to the 2021-22 season. Dean won the 2022 197-pound national championship in his first season in a blue-and-white singlet and was named an All-American once again in 2023, taking home 7th place. At 133 pounds, Roman Bravo-Young entered his fifth season riding one of the nation's longest winning streaks. The graduate student looked to cap his illustrious career with even more hardware. Neither wrestler had to return to the program after last season. They both could've gone out on top of the collegiate wrestling world, but chose to return to help the Nittany Lions capture another team title. "The attitude and the perspective and the culture that [Dean] brought was a huge gift and blessing to the program and our coaching staff," Cael Sanderson said. Dean entered his name in the transfer portal after Cornell, and the Ivy League schools as a whole, took longer to resume their athletic programs following the coronavirus compared to other schools across the country. He eventually landed on Penn State and finished his 2-year Nittany Lion career with a 48-6 overall record. After Dean walked off the mat, he sounded off on what Penn State's program meant to him. "I'm truly glad it was Penn State," Dean said in an emotional post-match interview. "They've really meant a lot to me in my life, even outside of wrestling. It's sad today, not even because I'm not wrestling tonight, but more so because it's ending." According to Carter Starocci, he watched Dean's interview on his hotel bed ahead of his 174-pound title match. He added that he was "almost tearing up" while watching it. "Having a guy like that in your team … and just hearing that interview really puts into perspective that it's something you guys really can't see or can't feel unless you experience it," Starocci said. "It's a lot deeper than wrestling." Bravo-Young ended his career with a loss in the 133-pound national title match, his third straight appearance in the NCAA finals. While the result wasn't what Bravo-Young preferred, it's the stuff inside the locker room that'll hurt the most to leave. Bravo-Young faced a dilemma in the offseason prior to the 2022-23 season, as his return to the program wasn't certain by any means. Before the season, Bravo-Young, who's expressed an interest in joining the UFC circuit, signed an NIL deal with famed MMA manager Dave Martin. Ultimately, the two-time national champion opted to return to the program and put his fighting aspirations aside in order to contribute to another team title. Bravo-Young did just that by finishing as the national runner-up. "He reached his goals and put a lot of time in and came back, helped the team win a national title," Sanderson said. "He did an awesome job and is just clutch so many times, so talented, worked so hard, so consistent." Mon, 20 Mar 2023 01:51:59 GMT http://www.pennstatewrestlingclub.org/content/read_news.php?id=2200 http://www.pennstatewrestlingclub.org/content/read_news.php?id=2199 gopsusports.com TULSA, Okla. �" The Penn State Nittany wrestling team, under the direction of veteran head coach Cael Sanderson added two more individual national champions to its 2023 NCAA Wrestling Championship team title, clinched early in this morning's first session. Carter Starocci and Aaron Brooks both brought home individual gold to cap off the three-day event in Tulsa's BOK Center. Starocci won the 174-pound title, followed immediately by Brooks claiming the 184-pound crown. Nittany Lion true freshman Levi Haines dropped the title bout at 157, Greg Kerkvliet lost in the finals at 285 and Roman Bravo-Young dropped his finals match at 133. All three leave Tulsa as 2023 National Runners-Up. Penn State clinched yet another team title early in the medal rounds, with nearly two full sessions remaining at the three-day event. Penn State won the team title with 137.5 points, fully 55.0 ahead of second-place Iowa's 82.5. That margin of victory between first and second is the largest in Penn State history (breaking the old record of 41.0 set in 2019) and the fifth-largest in NCAA history for any title winner. The title is Penn State's 11th overall and the tenth since Sanderson's arrival in Happy Valley prior to the 2009-10 season. The Nittany Lions have won ten of the last 12 contested NCAA Championship tournaments (2020 was cancelled by the NCAA). Since 2011, Penn State has 34-16 record in the national finals (a .680-win percentage). With the finals starting at 157, true freshman Levi Haines, the No. 2 seed, battled No. 1 Austin O'Connor of North Carolina in his first NCAA title bout and Penn State's first of five. The duo worked the center circle for the first minute-plus, hand fighting on the NCAA logo. Haines briefly got in on a slight shot but O'Connor quickly defended it with 1:00 left in the period. Haines nearly connected on another shot as the period ended and the bout moved to the second tied 0-0. Haines chose down to start the second period and O'Connor controlled the action and 1:00 into the period was awarded two nearfall points. Penn State challenged the call and it was reversed. Haines was unable to break free of O'Connor's control for the period and the bout moved to the third tied 0-0, but O'Connor held 2:00 in time. O'Connor chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 3-0 lead. Haines escaped to a 3-1 score but O'Connor quickly scored again to take a 5-2 lead after a Haines escape. O'Connor tacked on a riding time point and posted the 6-2 win. Haines became a true-freshman All-American earlier in the tournament, Penn State's first since 2020 (Aaron Brooks, 1st-Team at 184) and 2018 (Nick Lee, 5th at 141). Haines ended his freshman year as the 2023 National Runner-Up at 157 and a Big Ten Champion. He closed out his first NCAA tournament with a 4-1 mark and his first season with a 25-2 overall record. Carter Starocci, the No. 1 seed at 174, battled No. 2 Mikey Labriola of Nebraska in his third-straight title bout. Starocci and Labriola worked on the Lion logo for the opening minute before Starocci forced action to the mat. But Labriola worked the scramble out of bounds and the bout continued scoreless. Starocci worked his way in on a fast high single and took a 2-0 lead with 1:15 on the clock. Starocci then controlled the action on top until the final seconds and then rolled the Husker to his back, getting the first period pin at the 2:46 mark to earn yet another NCAA title. Starocci is now a three-time All-American, two-time Big Ten Champion and became Penn State's fifth three-time NCAA Champion. He went 5-0 at this year's tournament and ends his season with a 24-0 record. Starocci will head into next season with a 61-2 career record. Aaron Brooks, the No. 3 seed at 184, battled No. 1 Parker Keckeisen of Northern Iowa in third straight title bout. Brooks set a fast tempo from the onset and controlled position in the center circle. He shot Keckeisen to the outside circle as the clock moved below 1:00. Brooks gained control of Keckeisen's leg and worked his way through for a takedown and a 2-0 lead at the :32 mark. He finished the period on top and led 2-0 after one. Keckeisen chose down to start the second stanza and quickly escaped to a 2-1 score. But Brooks' relentless offense paid off, turning another low shot into leg control and an eventual takedown to up his lead to 4-1 early in the second. Keckeisen escaped to a 4-2 score but not before Brooks had 1:21 in riding time. Brooks chose down to start the third period and picked up a point on a third Keckeisen caution. Brooks escaped to a 6-2 lead with riding time in hand and went on to roll to the 7-2 win and another NCAA title. Brooks became Penn State's 17th four-time All-American earlier in the tournament and the sixth three-time NCAA Champion in school history. Brooks, a three-time Big Ten Champion, went 5-0 in Tulsa and concludes the season with a 17-1 overall record. Brooks will head into next season with a 67-3 overall record. Greg Kerkvliet, the No. 3 seed at 285, took on No. 1 Mason Parris of Michigan in his first trip to the NCAA Championship match. Kerkvliet got in on a single early in the bout but Parris was able to work his way out of trouble. The Wolverines then countered and took Kerkvliet down for a 2-0 lead at the 2:29 mark. Parris was able to control Kerkvliet for over 2:00 and finished the period on top. Kerkvliet trailed 2-0 after one and Parris chose down to start the second stanza. The Wolverine escaped to a 3-0 lead and action resumed in neutral. After a Parris stall at 1:15, the bout was reset in the center circle and action moved to the third period with Parris up 3-0. Kerkvliet chose down to start the third stanza but called for injury time during control, allowing Parris to choose down on the reset. Kerkvliet worked top control, looking for a chance to turn Parris as the clock moved below :30. Parris escaped as the clock wound down and, with riding time, posted the 5-1 win over Kerkvliet. Kerkvliet leaves Tulsa as the 2023 National Runner-Up. He became a three-time All-American earlier in the tournament as well. Kerkvliet posted a 4-1 mark at this year's tournament and ends the season with a 19-3 record. Kerkvliet will enter next season with a 51-10 record. Roman Bravo-Young, the No. 1 seed at 133, met No. 3 Vito Arujau of Cornell in the last of Penn State's five NCAA title bouts. Bravo-Young worked the center circle for the opening minute-plus, hand-fighting for control on the NCAA logo. Arujau drew first blood with a fast takedown to lead 2-1 after a quick Bravo-Young escape at 1:02. Arujau notched a second takedown and led 4-1 after the opening period. Arujau chose down to start the second period and Arujau reversed him, added two near fall points and opened up an 8-1 lead at the 1:20 mark. Bravo-Young, trailing 8-2, chose down to start the third period. He was able to reverse Arujau to cut the lead to 9-4 after an Arujau escape. Arujau was able to wind down the clock with solid defense and, with riding time, posted the 10-4 win. Bravo-Young, a three-time Big Ten Champion, leaves Tulsa as the 2023 National Runner-Up and became Penn State's second five-time All-American earlier in the tournament. He went 4-1 at his final NCAA tournament, went 20-1 on the year, and leaves Penn State with a 100-10 career record. Beau Bartlett, the No. 6 seed at 141, closed out the season earlier today with a third-place finish at 141. Bartlett posted a 5-1 record with one major and earned his first All-America honor. He ended his junior year with a 27-3 record. Redshirt freshman Shayne Van Ness, the No. 13 seed at 149, wrapped up a superb first trip to the NCAA tournament with a third-place finish at 149. Van Ness went 5-1 with a pin and became a freshman All-American. He ended the season with a 24-7 record. Max Dean, the No. 9 seed at 197, closed out a stellar collegiate wrestling career with a seventh-place finish and a 5-2 mark this weekend. Dean ended his career as a four-time All-American and National Champion. He finishes this season with a 25-5 record and his career with a 105-18 mark. Dean collected 17 falls, 17 tech falls and 19 majors during his career. His two years at Penn State were outstanding. Dean won the 2022 NCAA title and has helped lead Penn State to two NCAA team crowns. He went 48-6 as a Nittany Lion, won a Big Ten title, an NCAA title and was a two-time All-American as a Penn Stater (in addition to his two at Cornell). Redshirt freshman Alex Facundo, the No. 13 seed at 165, ended his tournament Thursday with two tough losses. Facundo finished his first season in the Nittany Lion line-up with a 19-6 overall record. The Nittany Lions went 2-3 in the national finals to end the tournament with a 37-9 overall record. Penn State tallied 16.0 bonus points off six pins and four majors. The Nittany Lions have won 11 NCAA titles overall with ten coming under Sanderson (third most in history). Penn State won four-straight titles in 2011, '12, '13 and '14 and again in 2006, '17, '18 and '19. The Nittany Lions won last year (2022) in Detroit, making 2023's title their second straight. Penn State also owns a championship from 1953. With this year's championships in the books, Penn State now has 55 NCAA individual titles spread among 35 individuals. Since 2011, Penn State has the most individual titles in the nation (Penn State 34, Cornell 13, Oklahoma State 10, Ohio State 9, Iowa 7). The Nittany Lions have had 50 NCAA finalists and own a 32-13lkjlkj record in the national finals. Since 2011, Penn State's winning percentage in the NCAA finals is .680. Since 2011, Penn State has won then of 12 NCAA team championships, 83 percent (no tournament in 2020). Sanderson's 14-year head coaching ledger for team finishes at NCAAs since arriving at Penn State is as follows: 2010 (9th), 2011 (1st), 2012 (1st), 2013 (1st), 2014 (1st), 2015 (6th), 2016 (1st), 2017 (1st), 2018 (1st), 2019 (1st), 2020 (no tourn.), 2021 (2nd), 2022 (1st), 2023 (1st). The 2022-23 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by the Family Clothesline. Penn State Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at @pennstateWREST, on Penn State Wrestling's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/pennstatewrest. This is PENN STATE. WRESTLING lives here. Penn State at 2023 NCAA Championships�" Session 6 March 18, 2023 �" BOK Center �" Tulsa, Okla. Team Standings (TOP 3 FINAL) 1: PENN STATE �" 137.5 2: Iowa �" 82.5 3: Cornell �" 76.5 Weight-by-weight agate (RANKINGS LISTED ARE OFFICIAL TOURNAMENT SEED): 133: #1 Roman Bravo-Young, Sr., Tucson, Ariz./Sunnyside �" All-American �" NATIONAL RUNNER-UP Rd. 1: #33 Ethan Oakley, Appalachian State �" W, 12-3 maj. dec. Rd. 2: #17 Brayden Palmer, Chattanooga �" W, 5-2 dec. Qtr: #8 Aaron Nagao, Minnesota �" W, 5-1 dec. Semi: #4 Michael McGee, Arizona State �" W, 6-4 dec. Finals: #3 Vito Arujau, Cornell �" L, 4-10 dec. Bravo-Young took on No. 33 Ethan Oakley of Appalachian State in the opening round. Bravo-Young quickly took Oakley down to start the match, built up riding time and then added a second takedown to lead 4-1 after one. He added an escape and a takedown to lead 7-1 after two periods and rolled through the third period with two takedowns. He added over 4:00 in riding time to post the 12-3 major decision. Roman battled No. 17 Brayden Palmer of Chattanooga in Penn State's first second-round match-up of session two. Bravo-Young scored quickly, taking Palmer down in the opening seconds then adding a second takedown at the midway point of the first period. He led 4-2 after one, then worked his riding time up over 1:00 to start the second period. Bravo-Young controlled Palmer for the entire middle stanza and led 4-2 with 2:36 in time after two. After a neutral start in the third, Bravo-Young finished the bout on his feet and rolled into the quarterfinals with a 5-2 win. Bravo-Young took on No. 8 Aaron Nagao of Minnesota in the first of Penn State's seven quarterfinal match-ups. Bravo-Young fought off an early Nagao shot and worked the remainder of the opening period in neutral. Tied 0-0, Nagao chose down to start the second period and Bravo-Young controlled the Gopher for the full period. He got hit with stalling once during the ride and had 1:57 riding time after the period ended. Bravo-Young chose down to start the third period and steadily worked his way to a reversal and a 2-1 lead after a Nagao escape. Bravo-Young added a penalty point and nearly 2:00 in riding time to post the 4-1 victory and advance to the semifinals tonight. He becomes a five-time All-American with the victory, Penn State's second-ever five-timer (Nick Lee). Roman met No. 4 Michael McGee of Arizona State in the first of Penn State's seven semifinal matches. McGee connected on an early low shot but Bravo-Young scrambled his way to a stalemate midway through the opening period. Bravo-Young had a deep shot defended by McGee late in the period and the bout moved to the second tied 0-0. McGee chose down to start the second period and reversed Bravo-Young to a 2-0 score. McGee locked his hands during the ensuing ride, giving Bravo-Young a point. But the call was reversed on review and the lead stood at 2-0. Bravo-Young escaped to a 2-1 score before the period ended and trailed by one after two periods. Bravo-Young chose down to start the third and McGee controlled the action from the top position until Bravo-Young escaped to a 2-2 tie. Bravo-Young worked his way into control of a single and took a 4-2 lead with a takedown. McGee escaped to cut the lead to 4-3 late and his riding time sent the bout to sudden victory. Bravo-Young quickly moved in on a low shot and scrambled his way to the winning takedown early in extra time. Bravo-Young advanced to tomorrow night's NCAA title bout with the 6-4 (sv) win. 141: #6 Beau Bartlett, Jr., Tempe, Ariz./Wyoming Seminary (Pa.) �" All-American �" 3rd Place Rd. 1: #27 Shannon Hanna, Campbell �" W, 9-2 dec. Rd. 2: #11 Clay Carlson, South Dakota State �" W, 3-2 dec. Qtr: #3 Cole Matthews, Pittsburgh �" W, 3-1 (sv) Semi: #2 Andrew Alirez, Northern Colorado �" L, 2-6 dec. Cn. Semi: #11 Clay Carlson, South Dakota State �" W, 12-3 maj. dec. 3rd Place: #10 Lachlan McNeil, North Carolina �" W, 4-1 dec. Bartlett met No. 27 Shannon Hanna of Campbell in the opening round. Bartlett scored quickly, taking a 2-0 lead with a takedown in the opening seconds. He added a second takedown in the opening period to lead 4-1 after one. Hanna scored the only point of the second period with an escape. Bartlett capped off the win with an escaped, takedown and riding time in the third period to roll into the second round with a 9-2 win. Beau battled No. 11 Clay Carlson of South Dakota State in round two. Bartlett had a chance early on a single leg but Carlson defended the move and the first period ended in a 0-0 tie. Bartlett escaped to a 1-0 lead quickly in the second period and then tacked on a takedown with :45 on the clock to move out to a 3-0 lead. Bartlett finished the period on top and led 3-0 with :31 in time after two periods. Carlson escaped to a 3-1 score to start the third stanza, picked up a stall point and Bartlett finished the match on his feet. He moved into the quarterfinals with a 3-2 victory. Bartlett faced No. 3 Aaron Matthews of Pittsburgh in his quarterfinal bout. Bartlett battled Matthews evenly for the opening period, with both wrestlers working on their feet on the NCAA logo. Tied 0-0, Bartlett chose down to start the second stanza and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead (nearly reversing the Panther in the process). His escape was the only scoring of the period and he led by one after two. Matthews chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 1-1 tie. Bartlett worked a scramble into a near takedown late but time ran out on the move and the bout moved to sudden victory. Bartlett and Matthews worked in neutral for the sudden victory period, sending the bout to a tie-breaker. Bartlett was down first and could not escape. Matthews chose neutral and worked the outside circle until Bartlett was able to bring him into the center and work through a low double in the final seconds for a takedown. The last second flourish moved Bartlett into the semifinals with a 3-1 (sv) decision and earned the Nittany Lion his first All-American honor. Beau took on No. 2 Andrew Alirez of Northern Colorado in the semifinals. Alirez used a high single to work his way to a takedown and an early 2-0 lead. Bartlett got to his feet for the escape with 1:08 left in the opening period to cut the lead in half, 2-1. The wrestlers spent the rest of the period in neutral and Bartlett trailed by one after one. Alirez chose down to start the second stanza and quickly escaped to a 3-1 lead. Alirez was able to work his way into control for a second takedown and a 5-1 lead after two periods. Bartlett chose down to start the third period and worked his way to an escape and a 5-2 deficit at the 1:35 mark. He moved in on offense, but Alirez was able to defend the clock down below :30. Bartlett forced one stall warning, but Alirez was able to kill the clock and, with riding time, Alirez posted the 6-2 win. Bartlett's loss dropped the Nittany Lion All-American into consolation action, with third place still in play. Bartlett met No. 11 Clay Carlson of South Dakota State in the consolation semifinals. Bartlett came out firing, taking Carlson down for a quick 2-0 lead. Carlson escaped to a 2-1 score and action continued in neutral. Bartlett added a second takedown at the midway point and led 4-1 after one. Bartlett quickly escaped to a 5-1 lead and then added to his lead with a third takedown. He led 7-1 after two periods and dominated the third period as well. Bartlett added a takedown, a two-point turn and 2:36 in riding time to roll to the 12-3 major decision. He advanced to meet No. 11 Lachlan McNeil in the third-place bout. Bartlett worked the center circle with McNeil for the full first period, sending the bout to the second tied 0-0. McNeil chose down to start the second stanza and worked his way to an escape and a 1-0 lead midway through the period. Bartlett took control and dominated the last two minutes. Bartlett chose down to start the third, quickly escaped to tie the bout 1-1 and then went to work on offense. The Nittany Lion junior rolled through a takedown to open up a 3-1 lead and then finished the match on top. He added 1:41 in riding time and rolled to a 4-1 win. The victory sets Bartlett in third place. He went 5-1 and leaves Tulsa as an All-American with a 27-3 overall record. 149: #12 Shayne Van Ness, Fr., Somerville, N.J./Blair Academy �" All-American �" 3rd Place Rd. 1: #21 Ethan Miller, Maryland �" WBF (6:26) Rd. 2: #5 Paniro Johnson, Iowa State �" W, 14-8 dec. Qtr: #20 Graham Rooks, Indiana �" W, 10-7 dec. Semis: #1 Yianni Diakomihalis, Cornell �" L, 3-8 dec. Cn. Semi: #4 Caleb Henson, Virginia Tech �" W, 5-3 dec. 3rd Place: #3 Kyle Parco, Arizona State �" W, 7-2 dec. Van Ness took on No. 21 Ethan Miller of Maryland in round one. Van Ness gave up an early takedown, a two point near fall and then another four-point turn to trail 8-0 after one period. He notched an escape to trail 8-1 after two periods. Van Ness went on an offensive torrent in the third period. The Nittany Lion rolled off four takedowns in the first 1:30 of the stanza to nearly erase the early eight-point deficit. After his fourth of the period, Van Ness worked Miller to his back, settling in briefly and ended the comeback with a fall at the 6:26 mark. Shayne met No. 5 Paniro Johnson of Iowa State in the second round. Van Ness worked the first two minutes in neutral and then attacked, working through a shot for a takedown and moving Johnson to his back for four nearfall points. With Van Ness up 6-0, Johnson began the second period with a reversal and a takedown, cutting Van Ness' lead to 8-4. After Johnson got hit with a stall warning, Van Ness worked his way around the Cyclone for another takedown, picked up a stall point and led 11-4 with 1:44 in time after two. Van Ness began the third with a takedown and worked his way to a dominant 14-8 victory and a trip to the quarterfinals. Van Ness took on No. 20 Graham Rooks of Indiana in the quarters. Rooks connected on a quick single to take a 2-1 lead early in the opening stanza. Van Ness pressured the Hoosier to the outside circle after his escape and got in on a shot but Rooks countered for a score and a 4-2 lead with :30 left. Rooks chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 5-2 lead at 1:48. He added a third takedown to lead 7-3. Van Ness escaped to a 7-4 score to start the third period and then picked up a stall point. He moved in for a takedown on the edge of the mat to tie the bout at 7-7 and added two nearfall to take a 9-7 lead with 1:24 remaining. Van Ness finished the bout in control and added a riding time point to post the thrilling 10-7 victory. The win moved him into the semifinals and earned him All-America honors as a freshman. Shayne battled No. 1 Yianni Diakomihalis of Cornell in the semis. Van Ness came out shooting and nearly took Diakomihalis down off the opening whistle. But the Big Red grappler was able to fight off the move and action continued in neutral. Van Ness remained aggressive, staying in the center circle and looking for his shots. The match moved to the second period tied 0-0. Van Ness chose down to start the second period and worked his way to a quick escape and a 1-0 lead. The duo finished the second period in neutral and Van Ness led 1-0 heading into the final period. Diakomihalis chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 1-1 tie. Van Ness worked his way in for a takedown and a 3-2 lead after a quick Diakomihalis escape. But the Big Red wrestler answered with a quick takedown and four back points take an 8-3 lead. That big move was the difference in the bout and Van Ness dropped the 8-3 decision. The loss dropped the Penn State All-American into consolation action, with third place still possible. Van Ness took on No. 4 Caleb Henson of Virginia Tech in the consolation semifinals. The duo worked neutral over the first minute with Van Ness maintaining position on the NCAA logo. The first period ended in a scoreless tie and Henson chose down to start the second period. The Hokie escaped and Van Ness moved in on offense, securing a takedown at the 1:15 mark. Henson managed a late escape and tied the bout at 2-2 heading to the third. Van Ness chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 3-2 lead. He continued to move in on offense and clinched the match with a late takedown on the edge of the mat. Henson escaped in the final seconds but Van Ness posted the 5-3 win. He advanced to meet No. 3 Kyle Parco of Arizona State in the third place match. Van Ness controlled the center of the mat for the opening two minutes, holding position until Parco forced a scramble with a shot. Van Ness deftly worked his way through the move and countered it for a takedown and a 2-0 lead late in the period. Parco escaped to start the second period, cutting Van Ness' lead to 2-1. The duo battled evenly over the middle stanza and Van Ness led 2-1 after two. Then Van Ness took control. The Nittany Lion dominated that final two minutes, adding an escape and two takedowns to roll to an impressive 7-2 victory. The win clinched third place for Van Ness. He leaves Tulsa and his first NCAA tournament as an All-American with a 5-1 mark and a 24-7 overall record. 157: #2 Levi Haines, Fr., Arendtsville, Pa./Biglerville �" All-American �" NATIONAL RUNNER-UP Rd. 1: #31 Ashton Eyler, Lock Haven �" W, 10-3 dec. Rd. 2: #15 Jacob Wright, Wyoming �" W, 8-2 dec. Qtr: #7 Bryce Andonian, Virginia Tech �" WBF (6:11) Semi: #3 Peyton Robb, Nebraska �" W, 5-3 dec. Finals: #1 Austin O'Connor, North Carolina �" L, 2-6 dec. Haines battled No. 31 Ashton Eyler of Lock Haven in the opening round. Haines notched the first takedown at the 1:35 mark and added a second takedown with just :15 left in the opening period to lead 4-1 after one. Haines added an escape and a takedown to lead 7-2 after two periods. After an Eyler escape early in the third, Haines added a fourth takedown and nearly 2:00 in riding time to roll to the 10-3 win. Levi faced No. 15 Jacob Wright of Wyoming in the second round. Haines notched a takedown a minute into the bout to lead 2-1 early and carried that lead into the second period. He quickly escaped to a 3-1 lead to start the period then moved through a low shot for another takedown and a 5-1 lead with 1:20 on the clock. He finished the period on top to carry 1:18 in riding time into the third period. Wright picked up an escape point in the third but Haines would add a final takedown and 1:40 in riding time to post the strong 8-2 win and advance to the quarterfinals. Haines faced No. 7 Bryce Andonian of Virginia Tech in the quarterfinals. Haines worked his way in on a single quickly and took Andonian to the mat but the Hokie countered the move for a takedown and four near fall points to lead 6-1 early. Haines worked a shot into a late scramble but Andonian countered himself out of trouble and Haines trailed by five after one. Haines chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 6-2 score. Haines worked his way through a shot for another takedown to cut the lead to 7-4 after cutting the Hokie loose. He then bulled through a second takedown and finished the period on top to trail 7-6 after two. Andonian chose down to start the third period and Haines cut him loose to an 8-6 deficit. The Nittany Lion freshman then lifted Andonian off the ground once more and tied the match at 8-8 with a takedown. Haines then worked control into a chance to turn the Hokie to his back. He swiftly moved Andonian's shoulders to the mat and got the fall at the 6:11 mark. The pin moved him into the semifinals and earned him All-America honors as a true freshman. Levi faced No. 3 Peyton Robb of Nebraska in the semifinals. Haines and Robb worked the middle of the mat for all three minutes of the opening period with neither wrestler giving an inch. The bout moved to the second tied 0-0 and Robb escaped to a 1-0 lead to begin the middle stanza. Haines worked his way into a deep single at the 1:00 mark and steadily worked his way to a takedown and a 2-0 lead. Robb escaped to tie the bout at 2-2 with :15 left and action moved to the third. Haines chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 3-2 lead. The Nittany Lion then worked through a scramble and notched a second takedown to lead 5-2 with :30 left. Robb managed a late escape but Haines' strong offense in the final two periods sent the true freshman into the national finals with a 5-3 win. 165: #13 Alex Facundo, Fr., Essexville, Mich./Davison �" DNP �" Season complete (19-6) Rd. 1: #20 Holden Heller, Pittsburgh �" L, 3-5 dec. Cn. 1: #4 Julian Ramirez, Cornell �" L, 2-12 maj. dec. Facundo met No. 20 Holden Heller of Pitt in the first round. Facundo was in deep on a shot late in the first period, but Heller was able to work his way out of bounds for a reset and the bout moved to the second stanza tied 0-0. Heller escaped to start the third period and worked his way through a scramble to open up a 3-1 lead midway through the second stanza. Facundo escaped to start the third period, cutting the lead to 3-2. He nearly took Heller down to grab the lead but Heller countered for a takedown and a 5-2 edge late in the period. Facundo escaped with :15 left and was working on a late takedown but time expired, dropping him into consolation action with a 5-3 loss. Alex met No. 4 Julian Ramirez of Cornell in the first round of consolation action. Ramirez took Facundo down early to take a 2-1 lead in the opening minute. Facundo looked to work in on a low single but Ramirez countered and eventually worked his way to a second takedown and a 4-1 lead after one. Facundo escaped quickly to start the second period, the only point of the middle stanza. Ramirez tacked on an escape to start the third and then added a takedown, four near fall and a riding time point to post the 12-2 win. Facundo's loss ended his first NCAA tournament with an 0-2 mark. He finishes the season with a 19-6 record. 174: #1 Carter Starocci, Jr., Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep �" All-American �" NATIONAL CHAMPION Rd. 1: #33 John Worthing, Clarion �" WBF (1:21) Rd. 2: #17 Donnell Washington, Indiana �" W, 4-0 dec. Qtr: #8 Bailee O'Reilly, Minnesota �" W, 5-2 dec. Semi: #4 Chris Foca, Cornell �" W, 6-0 dec. Finals: #2 Mikey Labriola, Nebraska �" WBF (2:46) Starocci met No. 33 John Worthing of Clarion in the first round. Starocci worked quickly against Worthing, taking the Golden Eagle down in the opening seconds. He controlled Worthing's arm, turned him to his back and settled in for the fast fall at the 1:21 mark to advance to the second round. Carter battled No. 17 Donnell Washington of Indiana in round two. Starocci worked neutral for the bulk of the first period and broke through Washington's defense for a late takedown and a 2-0 lead late in the period. He escaped quickly to start the third period, upping his lead to 3-0, and chased Washington to the outside circle for the rest of the period. Starocci led 3-0 after two periods and Washington chose down to begin the period. Starocci controlled Washington for the entire period and, with 2:13 in riding time, rolled into the quarters with a 4-0 win. Starocci battled No. 8 Bailee O'Reilly of Minnesota in the quarterfinals. Starocci worked through a low single, collecting both of O'Reilly's ankles for a takedown and an early 2-0 lead. He turned a low single into a scramble and finished off a second takedown as time ran out to lead 4-1 after the opening period. Starocci chose down and escaped quickly to a 5-1 lead, an edge he would hold into the third stanza. O'Reilly chose down to start the third period and worked his way to an escape, cutting Starocci's lead to 5-2. But the Nittany Lion junior was steady in the neutral position and moved into the semifinals with a 5-2 decision. The victory also made Starocci a three-time All-American. Carter battled No. 4 Chris Foca of Cornell in his semifinal bout. Starocci took control of the bout early, taking Foca down just over a minute in to lead 2-0. He then controlled the action on top for well over a minute and finished the period on top to lead 2-0 with 1:45 in riding time. Starocci chose down to start the second stanza and quickly escaped to a 3-0 lead. Starocci controlled the tempo for the second period, forcing Foca backwards as the period played out to lead by three after two. Foca chose neutral to begin the last period and Starocci went to work. The Nittany Lion junior moved through a single for a second takedown and a 5-0 lead with :40 left in the bout. With riding time clinched, Starocci finished the match on top and advanced to the NCAA title bout once again with a strong 6-0 win. 184: #3 Aaron Brooks, Sr., Hagerstown, Md./N. Hagerstown �" All-American �" NATIONAL CHAMPION Rd. 1: #30 Matthew Waddell, Chattanooga �" W, 13-4 maj. dec. Rd. 2: #14 Will Feldkamp, Clarion �" WBF (4:59) Qtr: #6 Kaleb Romero, Ohio State �" W, 4-1 dec. Semi: #2 Trent Hidlay, North Carolina State �" W, 6-3 dec. Finals: #1 Parker Keckeisen, Northern Iowa �" W, 7-2 dec. Brooks faced No. 30 Matthew Waddell of Chattanooga in round one. Brooks took Waddell down quickly and added a second takedown later in the first period to lead 4-1 with 1:15 in riding time after one. He reversed Waddell to start the second period, upping his lead to 6-1. Brooks added a third takedown to lead 8-2 with over 2:00 in time after the second stanza. Brooks tacked on two more takedowns and 3:40 in riding time to roll into the second round with a 13-4 major decision. Aaron met No. 14 Will Feldkamp of Clarion in round two. Brooks scored quickly, taking Feldkamp down to lead 2-1 in the opening minute. He carried that lead into the second period and escaped to begin the middle stanza, taking a 3-1 lead. Brooks scrambled to a second takedown at the 1:10 mark and opened up a 5-2 lead midway through the middle stanza. Brooks continued to work on offense and turned a last second takedown into a pinning opportunity. With just :01 left on the clock, Brooks got the fall at 4:59 to move into the quarterfinals. Brooks took on No. 6 Kaleb Romero of Ohio State in the quarters. Brooks set a fast pace, forcing Romero to the outside circle for the first two minutes. Brooks fought off a slight Romero shot as the period ended and the bout was tied 0-0 after one. Brooks chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. He continued to shoot Romero to the outside circle. Brooks was resilient, however, and finished off a last second takedown to lead 3-0 after two periods. Romero chose down to start the third period and escaped to a 3-1 score. Romero continued to live on the edge of the mat as Brooks worked on offense. Brooks finally forced the stall point and rolled on to the 4-1 victory. The win not only advanced the Nittany Lion to the semifinals but it made him a four-time All-American. Aaron faced off against No. 2 Trent Hidlay of North Carolina State in the semifinals. Brooks and Hidlay fought through an even opening minute-plus before Brooks used a swift low single to control Hidlay's leg, take him down, and open up a 2-1 lead after a quick Hidlay escape. Brooks quickly added a second takedown to up his lead to 4-1 and worked his riding time over 1:00 with the rideout. Leading 4-1, Brooks chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 5-1 lead. Brooks controlled the second period from neutral and carried that lead into the third period. Hidlay chose down to start the third period. Brooks gave up a stall point on top and then Hidlay escaped to a 5-3 score with 1:20 left (Brooks had 1:49 in time). Brooks added 1:49 in riding time and rode into the NCAA finals once again with a strong 6-3 win over Hidlay. 197: #9 Max Dean, Sr., Lowell, Mich./Lowell �" All-American �" 7th Place Rd. 1: #24 Levi Hopkins, Campbell �" W, 6-1 dec. Rd. 2: #8 Silas Allred, Nebraska �" L, 2-7 dec. Cn. 2: #26 Gavin Hoffman, Ohio State �" W, 6-0 dec. Cn. 3: #18 Tanner Harvey, Oregon State �" W, 10-5 dec. Cn. 4: #11 Jaxon Smith, Maryland �" W, 3-2 dec. Cn. Qtr: #2 Bernie Truax, Cal Poly �" L, 6-8 (sv) 7th Place: #10 Jacob Cardenas, Cornell �" W, 4-2 dec. Dean took on No. 24 Levi Hopkins of Campbell in the opening round. Dean and Hopkins battled through an even first period with neither wrestler threatening. Dean escaped quickly to start the second stanza, taking a 1-0 lead. He turned a short scramble in the middle of the mat into a takedown and a 3-0 lead with :50 left in the period to lead by that score after two. Hopkins chose neutral to start the third period but Dean quickly took him down to a 5-0 lead, working his riding time over 1:00, and rolled to the 6-1 victory. Max battled No. 8 Silas Allred of Nebraska in the second round. Allred drew first blood with a takedown midway through the opening period and Dean nearly reversed him after the score. But Allred worked his way out of bounds and Dean settled for an escape and trailed 2-1 after one. Dean chose down to start the second period and worked his way to an escape and a 2-2 tie (keeping Allred's riding time edge below 1:00). Allred managed a late takedown and led 4-2 after two periods. After a neutral Allred start, Dean nearly scrambled to takedowns twice but each time Allred was able to escape out of bounds. The Husker added a last second counter takedown and Dean fell into consolation action with the 7-2 loss. Dean faced No. 26 Gavin Hoffman of Ohio State in his first consolation bout of the session. Dean battled Hoffman through a scoreless first period and then chose down to start the second. The Nittany Lion senior escaped quickly to lead 1-0. He then worked his way through a single leg and turned the effort into a takedown and a 3-0 lead. Dean added another takedown and riding time in the third and moved on in conso action with a 6-0 victory. Dean battled No. 18 Tanner Harvey of Oregon State in his next bout. Harvey scored first to take a 2-1 lead in the first minute. Dean answered with a takedown of his own after a short scramble to lead 3-2. But Harvey reversed the Lion to lead 4-3 with :40 on the clock. Dean escaped to send the bout to the second tied 4-4. Dean escaped to start the second period, taking a 5-4 lead. Dean turned a low shot into a takedown and a 7-4 lead with :45 left in the period. Leading by three, Dean built his riding time up over 1:00 to start the third period, added a final takedown and rolled to the 10-5 decision. The victory moved him one step closer to All-America status as he remained alive in consolation action. Max met No. 11 Jaxon Smith of Maryland in the 'blood round' with a win earning All-America laurels. Dean set the tempo early, forcing Smith to the outside circle. Dean continued to press Smith towards out of bounds as the clock moved below 1:00. The duo moved to the second period tied 0-0. Dean escaped to a 1-0 lead to start the second period. Dean connected on a low single and was able to pull Smith back onto the mat for a takedown on the edge, upping his lead to 3-0. Smith managed a late escape and Dean led 3-1 after two. Smith chose down to start the third period and escaped to a 3-2 score. Dean finished the period on attack and became a four-time All-American with the 3-2 win. He then took on No. 2 Bernie Truax of Cal Poly. Truax took an early 2-1 lead with a quick takedown. Truax as was able to work through another scramble for a second takedown and a 4-2 lead at :42. Dean worked for a takedown on the edge of the mat but Truax was able to back out to a reset as the first period ended. Dean escaped to a 4-3 score to start the second period. He was steady on offense however and his efforts paid off as he took a 5-4 lead into the third period with a late takedown. Truax chose down to start the third period and Dean went to work on top. He controlled the action from the top position and had Truax locked down when the officials stopped action for blood time, forcing a reset. Dean was able to control the Cal Poly wrestler for nearly the entire period before Truax reversed him in the last seconds. Dean's riding time point sent the bout to sudden victory. Truax notched a takedown early in extra time to post the 8-6 (sv) win, sending Dean into the seventh-place bout. Dean took on No. 10 Jacob Cardenas of Cornell in the 7th-place bout. Cardenas scored quickly to take an early 2-1 lead after a fast Dean escape. Dean set up on the center circle and worked to counter a Cardenas shot as the clock moved below a minute. He rolled through the scramble for a takedown and a 3-2 lead at :35. He finished the period on top and carried that one-point lead into the second period. Dean chose down to start the second and quickly escaped to a 4-2 lead. The escape was the only scoring of the period and Dean led by two after two. Cardenas chose neutral to start the third period. Dean maintained position in the center of the mat and controlled the action for the last two minutes, rolling to a 4-2 victory and claiming seventh place. Dean ends his collegiate career as a four-time All-American and National Champion. He finishes this season with a 25-5 record and his career with a 105-18 mark. Dean collected 17 falls, 17 tech falls and 19 majors during his career. His two years at Penn State were outstanding. Dean won the 2022 NCAA title and has helped lead Penn State to two NCAA team crowns. He went 48-6 as a Nittany Lion, won a Big Ten title, an NCAA title and was a two-time All-American as a Penn Stater (in addition to his two at Cornell). 285: #3 Greg Kerkvliet, Jr., Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley �" All-American �" NATIONAL RUNNER-UP Rd. 1: #30 Hayden Copass, Purdue �" WBF (0:34) Rd. 2: #14 A.J. Nevills, South Dakota State �" W, 14-2 maj. dec. Qtr: #11 Trent Hillger, Wisconsin �" W, 4-0 dec. Semi: #2 Wyatt Hendrickson, Air Force �" W, 4-2 dec. Finals: #1 Mason Parris, Michigan �" L, 1-5 dec. Kerkvliet faced No. 30 Hayden Copass of Purdue in round one. Kerkvliet ended the bout quickly. He used a quick low single to work his way into a cradle, turned Copass quickly to his back and got the fall in just :34. Kerkvliet's fast fall moved him into the second round. Greg faced No. 14 A.J. Nevills of South Dakota State in the second round. Kerkvliet took Nevills down quickly and added four back points off the initial move to open up a 6-1 lead early. He added a second takedown at 1:00 and worked his riding time edge well over 1:00. Kerkvliet finished the period on top and led 8-1 after one. He added a stall point and another takedown to lead 11-2 with nearly 3:00 in riding time after two periods. He opted for down to start the third and quickly reversed Nevills to lead 13-2. He finished the period on top and, with 4:30 in riding time, posted the convincing 14-2 major decision to become Penn State's seventh quarterfinalist. Kerkvliet faced No. 11 Trent Hillger of Wisconsin in Penn State's final quarterfinal match of the day. Kerkvliet set the pace from the opening whistle and spent over two minutes chasing Hillger to the outside circle. The Lion was hit with stalling for pushing the Badger out but the first period ended in a 0-0 tie. Kerkvliet chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Kerkvliet continued to work his offense and notched a fast late takedown to lead 3-0 after two. Hillger chose down to start the third period and Kerkvliet dominated the action on top. He rode the Badger for the full two minutes and, with 2:20 in riding time, moved into the semifinals with a strong 4-0 victory. Kerkvliet also became a three-time All-American with the win. Greg battled No. 2 Wyatt Hendrickson of Air Force in Penn State's seventh and last semifinal bout of the evening. Kerkvliet worked his way in on a low shot early but Hendrickson was able to counter the move and took a 2-0 lead with a takedown. Kerkvliet worked his way to an escape to cut the lead to 2-1 with 1:00 left in the opening period. Kerkvliet trailed by one after one. He chose down to start the second period and, after a minute's work, reversed Hendrickson to take a 3-2 lead. He then controlled the action on top, forcing a stall warning, and working the Air Force grapplers time edge below 1:00. He finished the period on top and carried that lead into the third. Hendrickson chose down to start the third period and Kerkvliet continued to control the action on top. He was called for stalling at :56, forcing a reset. Kerkvliet still finished the period on top and, with riding time, moved into his first NCAA final bout with a 4-2 victory over the second-seed. Sun, 19 Mar 2023 16:18:44 GMT http://www.pennstatewrestlingclub.org/content/read_news.php?id=2199 http://www.pennstatewrestlingclub.org/content/read_news.php?id=2198 By Bill Horlacher State College.com It's tempting to take Penn State's wrestling success for granted. Yes, the Lion grapplers have won nine NCAA team titles in the last 11 years when the national tournament was contested. Yes, they've captured 32 individual titles over that period. Yes, according to any reasonable definition of "dynasty," they qualify for use of the "D" word. But let's not take Coach Cael Sanderson's athletes for granted. That would put us on a slippery slope to becoming entitled, even spoiled. Rather, let's exercise the very theme that helped put them at the top: gratitude. And while we're counting our blessings rather than demanding them, let's be thankful for the voice that brings us Penn State wrestling. Jeff Byers is now in his 34th year of broadcasting the team's exploits, and he does his radio work with a rare combination of objectivity and passion. It has been my privilege for the last several years to interview Byers between the Big Ten tournament and the NCAA Championships. Our recent conversation ranged from regular season dramas to postseason possibilities; from dodgeball diversions to grappling grit. No one puts things in perspective quite like the man they call "Ironhead." What would you consider to be the most dramatic moments of the regular season? Byers: Well, in terms of actual moments, I don't think there was anything as exciting as when Marco Vespa took Spencer Lee to his back. (Vespa was filling in for Gary Steen at the 125-pound weight class in Penn State's dual meet against Iowa.) I mean, you're talking about a kid who's never won a collegiate match taking on one of the true legends in the sport. And for about three seconds there, it looked like he might have a pin. I think there were a bunch of others that you could consider. Levi Haines, having his red shirt pulled and beating Cobe Siebrecht that same night in the Jordan Center. And then Alex Facundo and Levi getting wins in the Michigan meet against higher-ranked opponents. That was pretty special. And in the Michigan State dual, Gary Steen getting the win against Tristan Lujan, who was ranked 24th at the time. Then there was the performance by Roman Bravo-Young when he racked up 14 takedowns in the Maryland dual. That's virtually unheard of at the collegiate level to get 14 takedowns in a single bout. You spoke about Gary Steen. I think most fans have been very supportive of his efforts, but others are frustrated with Penn State's ongoing "black hole" at 125 pounds. What's the answer for that weight class? Byers: I think Gary just needs to get some confidence. And you know, Robbie Howard… I think if he had been healthy he would've been the guy this year, and he will probably be the guy moving forward. (Howard has battled a series of injuries, but when healthy in early 2021, he reached the round of 16 at the NCAA nationals.) Is Robbie gonna be OK for next year? Byers: That's certainly the hope and the plan. And I think if he is healthy, he can be a dangerous kid there at 125. As for Gary Steen, the effort was there and there were a lot of things that he improved on during the season. But just as your confidence builds when you start piling up wins, if you start to pile up the losses it's hard to keep your confidence. Can you share a story or a comment that you think encapsulates the whole season? Byers: Watching Donovan Ball carry Roman Bravo-Young out of Rec Hall after his final match there… that reinforces how close the team is. Here's Donovan Ball, a guy that's working his tail off and who could be a starter in a lot of places, and he has that genuine joy for a teammate who is getting to fulfill his dreams out there. The fact that you have a backup coming out and carrying off a starter is special. I think it speaks a lot about both wrestlers and the team�"that camaraderie and the feeling they have. And I do think that's why Penn State has had the success it's had under Cael. Talk to me about the fun side of this team. Byers: It's mostly between the coaches and the wrestlers. There's always good-natured allegations of cheating in the dodgeball games and the other games they play. A lot of the wrestlers will tell you that they're the best dodgeball players, and the coaches will tell you that they are the best. I think that adds a competitive spirit to things, but it also adds a fun element. Who is the best dodgeball player? Byers: I don't know. I'm not in the wrestling room enough to be able to say. And even if I did know, I'm not saying cause I don't want to get caught in the middle. These guys are pretty good with their aim. Switching to Big Tens, I would have expected the Nittany Lions to have been a bit more excited by their victory in the team competition (they beat Iowa, 147-134.5). Most of their post-tournament interviews were very laid-back. Except for Levi Haines�"and of course, that was his "coming out party." Do the Lions view Big Tens as just a warmup to the NCAA nationals like the Valero Texas Open before The Masters? Byers: Well, I don't think that's quite the case. I think that these guys want to compete in anything and everything they do, and they want to win anything and everything they do. But I also think they understand that the ultimate goal is to win a national title. So I don't think they look at a loss in the Big Ten tournament as being the end of the world. Truth is, I don't think they look at a loss in the NCAA championships as being the end of the world, either. I think the focus is always on getting better. It's not quite accurate to say that Penn State doesn't care about the Big Tens. It's not where they're trying to peak, but you understand that to get to where you're ultimately trying to get to, this is an important step in that process. What do you think, for you, is gonna be the memory from Big Tens that'll stay with you for five or 10 years? Byers: It would be Levi Haines and his win over Peyton Robb. How about him picking Robb up off the mat twice during sudden victory for the decisive takedown… Byers: There are not a lot of guys that when the two (for a takedown) was not initially awarded, would have stayed right on things. A lot of guys would have gone into complaint mode. I do believe Levi did a terrific job of thinking, "I'm just gonna keep wrestling until I get the win." And you need to understand just how remarkable that was. You're talking about a true freshman against a guy in his fifth year of college who is at the top of his game in Peyton Robb. And you're in sudden victory at the end of your first big college tournament. And to have that strength, that will and strength to be able to pick him up twice. That is really special stuff. We knew Levi Haines was special, but I think you're now seeing moments that define how unique Levi Haines is. It was just an hour or two after the Big Tens were over when Bo Nickal won his first official UFC match. How does that fit into the cosmic scheme of things? Byers: I think it opens up an alternative career opportunity to make money for these guys, right? Wrestlers, by and large, have done very well in MMA, but from Penn State's perspective, now you have a top-notch training facility close by (American Top Team Happy Valley located in Pleasant Gap) with a big-time rising star in the sport. I think there's going to be other guys follow that that road. How would you compare the current team to previous Penn State teams? Byers: I think the overall depth in those final nine weight classes is as good or better than any team Cael has had here. From a pure wrestling talent standpoint, I think this is as good of a team as they've had going into the national tournament. They have at least seven, and I would argue nine, who are legitimate national title contenders. No, I'm not expecting nine guys to win national titles, but there's not a guy in those last nine where there isn't a path. And they certainly have nine guys who can get on the podium and be All-Americans. Were you a bit shocked by the seedings for Penn State? Like Aaron Brooks, a two-time national champion, seeded third. Or Max Dean, a defending national champ, seeded ninth! Byers: Well, I think 197 pounds is probably the toughest weight class in the country, and there's no way that anybody knows what's going to happen. There's probably 10 guys there who could win it, and Max is certainly one of them. But we knew his loss to Silas Allred in the Big Ten finals would put a pretty big dent in his seeding, and the committee isn't supposed to consider records from previous years. As for Aaron, he got hurt by a couple things. He didn't wrestle a whole lot this season (his record is 12-1). Obviously, he did lose that match to Marcus Coleman (the fifth seed from Iowa State) and he never got to officially wrestle (Parker) Keckeisen or (Trent) Hidlay this season. But I don't know if seeding matters a whole lot to a guy like Aaron Brooks. The way he wrestled at the Big Ten tournament, if he wrestles like that, you can seed him 33rd and it's not going to matter. He is going to win the tournament… he's just that good. At the end of the day, you've got to beat the top contenders one way or another to get to your ultimate goal. So the sky isn't falling because of these seeds? Byers: No. I think it's quite unlikely that these guys will look at the seeds and throw in the towel before the tournament begins. Does Penn State have a chance to set the all-time point record for NCAA nationals? Byers: For Penn State? Yes, they do. But I don't think they're gonna set the all-time record for all schools. (Iowa scored 170 points at the 1997 NCAA nationals. The Penn State record, 146.5, was set in 2017.) Who is the Penn State wrestler likeliest to achieve a surprise finish at nationals? Byers: There are a few strong candidates. The guy who is probably the most underappreciated for the improvements he has made is Beau Bartlett. I still think Beau, going into nationals, is a legitimate title contender. He has really worked on improving his offensive game and creating scoring opportunities for himself. I think that was the last piece of the puzzle for him to take the final step to become a national champion. He had a little bit of a slip-up in the one bout at Big Tens, but I think he is somebody that can go win a national title. And I think both Shayne Van Ness and Alex Facundo are capable of beating anybody in their weight classes. That being said, there's probably about 12 guys in each of those weight classes who are capable of beating them as well. Well, let's go into your annual Ironhead Awards and a couple quick predictions. First, who would be the Ironhead Award winner for "Most Valiant Effort in a Single Bout"? Byers: Boy, that is a tough one. There's a few strong candidates, but Carter Starocci wins for his performance at the NWCA All-Star Classic (Nov. 22 in Austin, Texas) and his ride in the third period against Mekhi Lewis. (The bout was heavily publicized as a rematch from last year's NCAA title bout where Starocci defeated Lewis in a tie-breaker.) I just think that showed the will and determination that Carter has. He's obviously a terrific athlete, but there's a mental edge to Carter Starocci that when he needs to find a way he does it. How about "Most Valiant Effort for The Season"? Byers: There are so many really strong candidates there. And I'm not just talking about the starters; I'm talking about everybody on this team. You talk about a guy like Paul Feite who, due to a congenital condition, was born missing one arm. He provides inspiration with his attitude, and he's constantly there for his teammates in building guys up if they're coming off losses. And guys like Baylor Shunk and Donovan Ball are so valuable for the team�"willing to step in and do whatever's asked of them at any particular moment. And a guy like Terrell Barraclough was expecting to start throughout the season and he ends up ceding the position to Levi Haines. That's a situation where on a lot of teams, you could see friction develop. But Terrell is right there, supporting Levi and doing anything he can to help the team. So out of all those potential recipients, who gets the Ironhead Award along with our $100,000 gift certificate for "Most Valiant" this season? Byers: In these days of NIL, it probably should come with that money. (But it doesn't.) First, let me also mention another wrestler. Although I'm not going to give him this award, I do think Gary Steen also deserves recognition. There's a point I heard years ago from David Taylor when he was moving up a weight class in freestyle. He said it's one thing to work your tail off and then you win a title. But it's another thing to work your tail off and not see results. Make no mistake, Gary Steen is busting his butt every day in that practice room but not getting the results he wants. Yet he's still coming back, grinding it out. He deserves some special recognition. But at the end of the day, I think Shayne Van Ness should get this award. This is a guy who battled through injury last season (while he was redshirting) and had very little opportunity to get out on the mat. And he has been valiant in his effort throughout this season. He's lost some matches to guys who were better wrestlers on that day, but he never lost because somebody was putting forth a better effort. To me, Shayne Van Ness epitomizes that drive and willingness to keep moving forward that Penn State wrestling has been all about. How about the "Greatest Off-Mat Contributor"? Byers: In all honesty, I don't think I could pick just one for this year. And to me, that speaks volumes about this team and how many guys are making significant contributions. Baylor Shunk and Donovan Ball come to my mind immediately as two guys who are willing to do anything they can to help their teammates. But again, I could go to Paul Feite; I could go to Marco Vespa. And Seth Nevills is another guy who could be mentioned. After all, he lost his position when Greg Kerkvliet arrived here, and Seth could have easily just gone the football route. But he never lost contact with the wrestling team, and he came back this year, and I think he's had a lot to do with the success that Kerkvliet is having this season. This room is loaded with guys who are here for the right reasons, trying to make themselves and this team better. Who's the "Most Overlooked Contributor"? Byers: I think it probably is Beau Bartlett. The three freshmen are exciting because they're new faces and you're wanting to see how far they can get this year, and you know what the guys who have already earned All-American honors are capable of. But Beau Bartlett's sitting there with only one loss during the regular season and now two losses heading into the national tournament. He's kind of an overlooked figure when you talk about this team. I really think he is a guy who could sneak in and surprise people at the NCAA tournament. Now onto your predictions for the NCAAs. Which Penn State wrestlers will win national titles? Byers: Titles? I think I'm getting out of that part of the prediction business. But I will say going in that there are some bouts I'm really excited to see. And I think Roman Bravo-Young against Daton Fix is going to be as good as college wrestling gets. (Fix has won four Big 12 titles and has lost three times in the NCAA title bout including twice to RBY.) If Roman wins it again�"and I'm assuming they're both gonna get there�"that solidifies his place on the mountain of greatness that Cael Sanderson has built here. But even if he loses that match, you'd still be talking about a guy who won two national titles and was a five-time All American. I think all of our highly-rated guys will face potential pitfalls, and that makes things very intriguing for the fans. Some of the matchups may not occur, but if Carter Starocci faces Mekhi Lewis, that will be must-watch wrestling. And obviously, Aaron Brooks has a couple of guys seeded ahead of him that are really dangerous at 184�"Keckeisen and Hidlay, from Lewistown. (Keckeisen is a three-time Big 12 champion and Hidlay is a three-time ACC champ who has lost a couple nail-biters to Brooks at prior NCAAs including a 3-2 defeat in last year's title match.) And I think Greg Kerkvliet and Mason Parris are gonna meet again in the finals and that will be must-watch wrestling. All right. Here's my final question. Which teams will take the top five spots? Byers: I do think Penn State will win the title. And the nice thing from Penn State's perspective is that they don't need to have their best performances of the season. That's certainly what we're expecting and that's what their track record will tell you is likely. But they could have a subpar performance and still win the national tournament. That's just the type of firepower that this team has. Penn State has the most potential All-Americans and, by far, the most potential national champions. And I just think that combination is going to be virtually impossible to overcome barring an injury or something horribly unforeseen. I do think Iowa is a really good team, and I think they have a lot of guys that will get bonus points in those early rounds. That should help them take the number two spot. I'm really impressed with that Missouri squad; I think they can get six or seven All-Americans, so Missouri is my pick to finish third. And I think Nebraska is peaking here at the right time for taking fourth place. As for fifth, I think you could flip a coin among at least four teams. But I'm gonna go ahead and say Oklahoma State. Tue, 14 Mar 2023 20:19:31 GMT http://www.pennstatewrestlingclub.org/content/read_news.php?id=2198 http://www.pennstatewrestlingclub.org/content/read_news.php?id=2197 by Jon Kozak Flowrestling The brackets are out for the 2023 NCAA Tournament! Because everyone loves breaking down all the draws, we decided to evaluate all of the draws for the top 10 teams based on seeds at the NCAA Tournament. Top 10 Team Scores Based On Seeds Penn State - 97 Iowa - 74.5 Cornell - 68.5 Nebraska - 62.5 NC State - 39.5 Missouri - 55 Virginia Tech - 51 Iowa State - 49 Ohio State - 39.5 Arizona State - 38 Penn State - A Mixed Bag RBY, Carter Starocci, and Greg Kerkvliet all received great draws and are big favorites to make the finals. However, Max Dean, Beau Bartlett, Shayne Van Ness, Levi Haines, and yes even Aaron Brooks have their work cut out for them. Dean will likely have Allred (who just beat him in the Big 10 finals) in the second round! Bartlett will likely meet returning All-American Cole Matthews in the quarters. Shayne Van Ness will need to get by Caleb Henson and Paniro Johnson to make the semis. Levi Haines should meet the always dangerous Bryce Andonian in the quarters. And Aaron Brooks is poised for another match at NCAAs against Trent Hidlay in the semis. Nittany Lion fans will remember their ultra-competitive 2021 NCAA finals match and their overtime match from last year's semi-final. Obviously, Penn State is still the BIG favorite and has proven to perform their best every year at NCAAs, but they certainly have their work cut out for them in Tulsa. Iowa - Tough Early Matches For Hawkeyes The story for Iowa wrestlers are the tough early-round matches the Hawkeyes will have at most weights (aside from Spencer Lee and Real Woods). #24 seed Brody Teske will be a big underdog against Pitt's Micky Phillippi. At 149, Max Murin is set to face Jonathan Millner in the second round - Millner defeated Murin at last year's NCAAs, 8-1. Cobe Siebrecht will wrestle Model round one (who he beat 3-2) and then face former #1 Peyton Robb in the second round (who beat Siebrecht 7-2). As the #11 seed Nelson Brands will see #6 Ethan Smith in the second round. Abe Assad received the #12 seed and will see returning All-American Marcus Coleman in the second round. At 197, Jacob Warner will have Cam Caffey round one only to see Rocky Elam in the second round! While Patrick Kennedy and Tony Cassioppi are the favorites to make the quarters, they'll also be in some dogfights. Kennedy will likely have a rematch of his Big 10 semifinal with Cam Amine in the second round while Tony Cassioppi will likely have returning NCAA finalist Cohlton Schultz in the quarters with #1 Mason Parris in the semis. Cornell - Big Red, Big Variance Cornell vaulted up to #3 in our team rankings based on the performance of Julian Ramirez and Jacob Cardenas at EIWAs. Yianni Diakomihalis seems like a lock to make the finals and Vito is set up nicely to reach the semis against Daton Fix. However, their 68.5 projected team points are likely closer to their ceiling rather than their floor based on some of the draws for the lower seeded wrestlers. Brett Ungar, Vince Cornella, and Jacob Cardenas will all have battles from the first round on and will need to wrestle their best to find the podium. Ungar received the #15 seed and will have Ryan Miller in round 1 only to meet #2 Pat Glory in round 2. Cornella got the #7 seed but has a potential rematch with #10 Lachlan McNeil in round 2 - McNeil notably defeated Cornella in December, 4-0. Though Cardenas beat #5 seed Michael Beard, Cardenas got the #10 seed and will see Big 12 runner-up Tanner Sloan in round 2. Sloan is a hammer on top with wins on the season over the likes of Luke Surber, Owen Pentz, and Silas Allred (X2). If Cardenas can get by Sloan, he'll then see #2 seed and 2X All-American Bernie Truax in the quarters. Then there's #4 seed Julian Ramirez who notched his second win of the season over NCAA runner-up Quincy Monday in the EIWA finals. Ramirez will likely have Monday again in the quarters Friday morning at NCAAs for a spot in the semis. If Ramirez can take out Monday for a third-straight time, Cornell will be put in a great spot to earn a team trophy. Nebraska - A Trophy On The Way Can Nebraska do it? Are they poised for their first team trophy since the 2007-08 season? After examining their draws, the Corn Huskers should feel pretty confident heading into Tulsa. Liam Cronin earned the #3 seed and will have Antonio Lorenzo then likely Noah Surtin and the winner of Patrick McKee vs Stevo Poulin to make the semis. At 141, Brock Hardy got the #4 seed and will likely see Ryan Jack in the quarters and then Real Woods in the semis. Hardy has split with Jack on the year and has 2 razor-thin losses to Real Woods. A run to the finals isn't out of the question for Hardy. At 184, Lenny Pinto may have got the #13 seed but who is his second-round opponent? #4 seed Trey Munoz who Pinto defeated at the CKLV this year. At 197, Silas Allred will see Max Dean in the second round who he just impressively defeated in the Big 10 finals. And at 157, Peyton Robb is a title contender at the #3 seed and will be a big favorite to make the semis where he'll likely have a rematch with #2 seed Levi Haines or #7 seed Bryce Andonian. NC State - 6AAs For The Wolfpack? If NC State wrestles to seed, the Wolfpack will put 6 different wrestlers on the podium! Check out the seeds for their guys in Tulsa: 125 - #20 Jarrett Trombley 133 - #5 Kai Orine 141 - #5 Ryan Jack 149 - #17 Jackson Arrington 157- #8 Ed Scott 174 - #22 Alex Faison 184 - #2 Trent Hidlay 197 - #6 Isaac Trumble 285 - #7 Owen Trephan Kai Orine is coming off a fantastic ACC tournament where he came away the champ with wins over Micky Phillippi and Sam Latona. Orine will likely wrestle #12 Dylan Ragusin in the second round in what should be a highly entertaining and wild bout. Because of his performance at ACCs, Orine should be considered a favorite but that match will absolutely be in the balance. Ryan Jack is in a great spot to reach the quarters and will likely wrestle Brock Hardy in the quarters. The two have split matches on the year with Hardy winning the most recent bout at CKLV in December. Ed Scott will likely wrestle returning All-American Will Lewan in the second round before seeing #1 seed Austin O'Connor in the quarters. Scott was beating Lewan 10-0 at the CKLV before Lewan injury defaulted. O'Connor and Scott have wrestled 3 times in their college career with O'Connor holding the series lead at 2 matches to 1. The good news for Trent Hidlay - he should cruise to the semis. The bad news for Trent Hidlay - he'll likely wrestle 2-time NCAA champion Aaron Brooks there. Their potential meeting in the semis would mark the third consecutive year Hidlay and Brooks have met at NCAAs. Brooks defeated Hidlay each of the past two years in very close matches (3-2 in the 2021 NCAA finals and 6-4 in OT in the 2022 NCAA semis).Isaac Trumble at the #6 seed has a tough road but so does everyone at 197 pounds. Trumble's path to the semis will like go through #3 seed Rocky Elam. However, that's not the worst news in the world as Trumble is 1-0 in his career against Elam - Trumble defeated Elam 5-3 last season. On top of the above wrestlers seeded to All-American, Trombley, Arrington, and Faison have great potential to bust up their respective brackets. Missouri - Tigers Will Need To Claw Their Way To The Podium Outside of Keegan O'Toole, Missouri didn't receive any favors with their draws at NCAAs. #6 seed Brock Mauller will likely wrestle Big Ten runner-up Michael Blockhus in round 2 (who just beat All-American Yahya Thomas). #3 seed Rocky Elam will likely have a match with returning NCAA runner-up Jacob Warner in the second round and then see Isaac Trumble (who has a win over Rocky last season) in the quarters. Not the smoothest path to the semis for Elam. Though Missouri got all 10 guys to NCAAs, only 5 are seeded to All-American. Allan Hart got the #8 seed and Peyton Mocco got the #7 seed but Noah Surtin (#14 seed), Connor Brown (#27 seed), Jarrett Jacques (#17 seed), Colton Hawks (#22 seed), and Zach Elam (#10 seed) are all projected to finish off of the podium. The Tigers will need at least one of those guys to outperform their seed if they hope to bring home a team trophy. Iowa State - Some Brutal Early Draws Iowa State had climbed all the way up to #3 as a team earlier in the season but are now projected to finish 8th based on seeds. David Carr as the #1 seed looks like a lock to make the finals but there aren't any other "sure things" in the Cyclones lineup. Paniro Johnson and Marcus Coleman are the next highest seeds at #5. Paniro should be a big favorite in his opening-round match against Jarod Verkleeren. However, Paniro will then likely wrestle Doug Zapf (who was ranked in the top 10 throughout the year) - definitely not a "gimme" for Johnson in the second round. Marcus Coleman will likely wrestle Iowa's Abe Assad in the second round and then have a potential match with either Lenny Pinto or Trey Munoz in the quarters. Though Coleman beat Munoz in the round of 12 last season, Munoz took out Coleman in December this year. Sam Schuyler got the #9 seed for the Cyclones but will have a tough match with returning All-American and formerly #4 ranked wrestler Lucas Davison in the second round. Davison notably defeated Schuyler at last year's NCAA tournament, 4-0. Younger Bastida, who looked like a title contender entering the year but received the #13 seed based on his 6th place finish at Big 12s. On top of that, Bastida has Utah Valley's Evan Bockman in the first round - who just beat Bastida at the Big 12 tournament! Virginia Tech - Need To Pull The Upsets Sam Latona (#6 seed), Caleb Henson (#4 seed), Bryce Andonian (#7 seed), Mekhi Lewis (#3 seed), and Hunter Bolen (#7 seed) are all projected to reach the podium for the Hokies in Tulsa. However, their other 5 qualifiers are all projected to finish in the round of 24 or the round of 16. That means if Virginia Tech hopes to bring home a team trophy, they'll need some of those lower-seeded wrestlers to pull off some upsets on the front side or make a deep consolation run. #27 seed Eddie Ventresca and #21 seed Andy Smith feel like the best bets to blow up their respective brackets. Ventresca has #6 seed Stevo Poulin in the first round. Although Poulin won the Big 12 tournament last week, he also lost to Kase Mauger (who didn't qualify), #21 seed Jore Volk, and #29 seed Nico Provo this year. Andy Smith proved how dangerous he can be with wins over #6 seed Isaac Trumble and #7 seed Tanner Sloan this year. Smith's opening-round match against Zac Braunagel is certainly a winnable one for the Hokies. Ohio State - Narrow Path To A Trophy Ohio State has only 3 wrestlers seeded in the top 8 - #2 Sammy Sasso, #6 Ethan Smith, and #6 Kaleb Romero. #14 Jesse Mendez, #17 Dylan D'Emilio, #10 Carson Kharchla, and #16 Tate Orndorff have all been ranked in the top 10 this year and it wouldn't be a shock if one of them made the podium. However, they all of challenging competitors in their way. Mendez should wrestle Vito Arujau in the second round (who beat Mendez a few weeks ago), Dylan D'Emilio will have #1 seed Real Woods in the second round, and Tate Orndorff has #1 ranked Mason Parris in round 2. Carson Kharchla has the most "winnable" round 2 match of those 4 against Michael Caliendo but would then see defending national champ Keegan O'Toole in the quarters. It's also worth mentioning that Gavin Hoffman is the #26 seed and we shouldn't forget how he reached the semi-finals last year out of the #20 spot. The Buckeyes might need Hoffman to pull off some magic again at this year's NCAAs if they hope to bring home a trophy. Arizona State - Sun Devils Need Points From Everyone With only 5 wrestlers qualified, Arizona State's path to a team trophy seems unlikely. However, the Sun Devils have some big point-scoring potential in the wrestlers they are sending to Tulsa. 2021 NCAA runner-up Brandon Courtney also finished runner-up at the PAC-12 tournament where he lost to Brandon Kaylor. For that performance, Courtney received the #10 seed but will have a shot at revenge against Kaylor in the second round. #4 seed Michael McGee looks poised to make the semi-finals but will have to take out either #5 Kai Orine or #12 Dylan Ragusin in the quarters. McGee notably defeated Ragusin in a wild quarter-final last year to earn AA honors. #3 seed Kyle Parco and #5 seed Cohlton Schultz also look poised to score big points for the Sun Devils. Parco is a big favorite to reach the semi-finals where he would most likely wrestle Sammy Sasso. Schultz should have a potential match with Tony Cassioppi in the quarters before wrestling top-seeded Mason Parris. Schultz has two wins over Tony Cassioppi in college (4-1 and 5-0 at 2021 NCAAs) and notably defeated Mason Parris in last year's quarter-finals, 6-5. Fri, 10 Mar 2023 13:02:33 GMT http://www.pennstatewrestlingclub.org/content/read_news.php?id=2197 http://www.pennstatewrestlingclub.org/content/read_news.php?id=2196 gopsusports.com ANN ARBOR, Mich.; March 5, 2023 �" The Penn State Nittany Lions (16-0, 8-0 B1G) stormed the field to claim the 2023 Big Ten Championship, winning the school's seventh conference title. Four Penn State wrestlers earned individual titles as well. Penn State won the team race with 147.0 points, ahead of second place Iowa's 134.5. Penn State also qualified nine individuals for the 2023 NCAA Championships in two weeks. All individual rankings listed are InterMat (Feb. 21, 2023). This is Penn State's seventh conference championship, having also won in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2019. Penn State now has 59 Big Ten Champions, spread among 32 individuals. Penn State's six finalists tied the school record for finalists in a season (2019). Cael Sanderson was named Big Ten Coach of the Year, earning the honor for the seventh time. Levi Haines was honored as the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, becoming Penn State's eighth honoree. Roman Bravo-Young (133) and Aaron Brooks (184) both became three-time Big Ten Champions (Penn State's 8th and 9th respectively). Carter Starocci (174) became a two-time Big Ten Champion and Levi Haines (157) become a true freshman Big Ten Champion. Roman Bravo-Young, ranked No. 1 at 133, met No. 13 Aaron Nagao of Minnesota in Penn State's first Big Ten final bout. Bravo-Young battled through an even first minute plus, setting a high tempo and chasing Nagao around the middle of the mat. Bravo-Young continued to connect on singles and forced a stall warning at :15. He then completed a low double as time expired to lead 2-0 after one. After a neutral start in the second, Bravo-Young continued to hold position in the center of the mat as Nagao worked towards the outside circle. Bravo-Young picked up a another takedown at :45. Bravo-Young gave up a locked hands point at :05 and finished the period no top to lead 4-1 with :54 riding time after two. Bravo-Young chose down to start the third period. Nagao controlled the action for over a minute before Bravo-Young picked up a stall point and rolled to the 5-2 win. Bravo-Young became Penn State's eight three-time Big Ten Champion. The victory capped off a 3-0 run at Big Tens for Bravo-Young and sends him to the NCAA Championship in two weeks with a 16-0 record. True freshman Levi Haines, ranked No. 7 at 157, met No. 1 Peyton Robb of Nebraska in the finals. Haines and Robb battled in the middle of the mat before Haines worked his way in on a high single. Robb was able to defend the shot to a reset with 1:44 on the clock. Haines continued to shoot, forcing Robb to step back as the clock hit 1:10. Haines fought off a late Robb shot, with action moving out of bounds with :01 on the clock. Robb escaped to a 1-0 lead to start the second period. The duo worked in neutral as the clock moved below 1:00. Haines trailed by one to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 1-1 tie at 1:38. Haines worked the center of the mat as the clock moved through the 1:00 mark. He nearly countered a Robb shot at :40 but the Husker stepped out of trouble and the clock moved to :30. The bout moved to sudden victory tied 1-1. Haines ended it quickly. He moved in on a high single, readjusted after a brief Robb counter, lifted the Husker off the mat and took him back down for two points and a 3-1 (sv) win. Haines earned his first Big Ten title in his first trip, going 3-0. He will head to his first NCAA tournament with a 22-1 record. Carter Starocci, ranked No. 1 at 174, took on No. 2 Mike Labriola of Nebraska in the finals. Starocci came out with a fast pace early, working in the center of the mat against the second-ranked Husker. Starocci gained control of Labriola's left leg and nearly notched a takedown before Labriola fled out of bounds, picking up a stall warning. Starocci took a handful of shots and nearly took Labriola down at the buzzer but the match moved to the second tied 0-0. Labriola chose down to start the second period and Starocci maintained control of the Husker until Labriola escaped to a 1-0 lead at :56. Starocci blew through a strong double leg for a takedown and a 2-1 lead with just :15 left in the period. Starocci chose down to start the final stanza and quickly escaped to a 3-1 lead. Starocci continued to shoot Labriola out of bounds with a high pace and worked the clock down below :50. Starocci turned a low single into a scramble at :40 and finished off another takedown with seconds left. Add the riding time point and Starocci rolled to the 6-1 win. Starocci's 3-0 run in Ann Arbor made him a two-time Big Ten Champion and sends him to NCAAs with a 19-0 record. Aaron Brooks, ranked No. 1 at 184, met No. 5 Kaleb Romero of Ohio State. Brooks chased Romero around the edge of the mat for the first minute, looking for a takedown or at least a stall warning. Brooks continued to shot Romero backwards, picked up a stall warning and finished off a low shot for a 2-0 lead at 1:36. After a Romero escape, Brooks continued to force Romero to the outside circle as the Buckeye struggled with his high pace. Brooks worked the clock down to 0:00 with more pressure and led 2-1 after one. Brooks chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 3-1 lead. Brooks offense was relentless as he worked his way around Romero for a second takedown and a 5-1 lead with 1:05 on the clock. Brooks finished the period on top and led 5-1 with 1:33 in time after two. Romero chose down to start the period. Brooks picked up a stall point at 1:22 and cut Romero loose. With riding time clinched, Brooks picked up another stall point and then quickly took Romero down again to open up a 9-2 lead at :45. He added two more points on another stall to lead 11-2 He finished the period on top and, with the riding time point, rolled to the 12-2 major decision. Brooks win gave him his third Big Ten title, making him Penn State's ninth three-timer (and joining current teammate Bravo-Young on that list). Brooks went 3-0 with two majors and a tech fall in Ann Arbor and heads to Tulsa with a 12-1 record. Max Dean, ranked No. 3 at 197, faced No. 10 Silas Allred of Nebraska. Dean worked the middle of the mat for the opening minute-plus until Allred took a low shot that led to a scramble at 1:30. Dean worked through the move and action was stopped at :54. Allred turned a low shot into a late takedown and Dean trailed 2-1 after one. Dean chose down to start the second period and steadily worked his way to an escape and a 2-2 tie. Dean took a slight shot that Allred countered for another takedown and a 4-3 lead with :40 on the clock. Dean trailed 4-3 after the second period. Allred chose neutral to start the third period. Dean looked for a go-ahead takedown as the clock hit 1:20 but Allred's defense kept him at bay. Dean continued to shoot as the clock wound down and Allred countered a late effort for a 6-3 win. Dean went 2-1 in Ann Arbor and heads to Tulsa with a 20-3 record. Greg Kerkvliet, ranked No. 2 at 285, met No. 1 Mason Parris of Michigan in the tournament's final title bout. Parris took an early 2-0 lead with a takedown in the first minute and Kerkvliet escaped to a 2-1 score :48 seconds later. Kerkvliet worked in the center of the mat looking for an opening but the clock moved to 0:00, sending the bout to the second period with Parris up by one. Kerkvliet chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 2-2 tie. He then worked in neutral as the clock hit 1:00, looking for an opening. Parris backed away from every shot the Lion big man took as Kerkvliet continued to prowl on the Michigan logo. Time moved below the :30 mark with both men on their feet and the bout moved into the third period tied 2-2. Parris chose down to start the third period and escaped to a 3-2 lead at the 1:50 mark. Kerkvliet continued to shoot and Parris continued to block as the clock hit 1:00. Kerkvliet took a single at the :45 mark but Parris was able to fight off the move and Kerkvliet finally picked up the stall point with :20 left, tying the bout at 3-3. The match moved into sudden victory. Kerkvliet took a low shot that Parris was able to turn into a scramble, finishing off the takedown. Kerkvliet dropped a tough 5-3 (sv) decision. Kerkvliet went 2-1 at Big Tens and took second. He will head to Tulsa with a 15-2 record. Beau Bartlett, ranked No. 4 at 141, faced No. 13 Parker Filius of Purdue the consolation semifinals. The duo battled through a scoreless first period. Filius chose down to start the second period and Bartlett controlled action on top for over a minute before Filius escaped for a point. Bartlett quickly scrambled his way to a takedown and rode Filius out to carry that lead into the third period. He escaped to start the third, maintaining over 1:00 in riding time, and lead 3-1. Filius managed a late escape and cut Bartlett loose to a 4-3 score. Bartlett picked up the riding time point and moved into the third place bout with a 5-3 win. He took on No. 19 Dylan D'Emilio of Ohio State for third place. Bartlett set a fast tempo early in the match, taking a series of shots that forced his Buckeye opponent into defense. The duo finished the first period knotted in a 0-0 tie. D'Emilio chose down to start the second period. Bartlett was able to control action on top for a bit before the Buckeye escaped to a 1-0 lead. Bartlett returned the favor with an escape to start the third and action resumed in neutral, tied 1-1. Bartlett continued to pressure D'Emilio and connected on a low shot for a takedown and a 3-1 lead with 1:15 left in the bout. D'Emilio escaped to a 3-2 score but Bartlett continued to score, finishing off the bout with a final takedown to post the 5-2 win. Bartlett's victory clinched the third-place spot for the Nittany Lion junior. He closes out his Big Ten run with a 3-1 mark and heads to Tulsa for NCAA's with a 22-2 record. Shayne Van Ness, ranked No. 13 at 149, took on No. 28 Graham Rooks of Indiana in the consolation semifinals. Van Ness battled Rooks evenly for the first couple minutes before working his way through a single leg for a takedown at the :47 mark to open up a 2-0 lead. Rooks escaped to cut the score to 2-1 after the opening period. Van Ness notched an escape to start the second period and quickly moved in for a takedown to open up a 5-1 lead. He added a third takedown as the second period wound down to lead 7-2 with over 1:00 in riding time after two. Rooks cut the lead to 7-3 win an early escape to start the third period but Van Ness dominated on offense. The Nittany Lion picked up two more takedowns and riding time to roll into the third-place bout with a 12-4 major decision. He faced No. 6 Max Murin of Iowa for third place. Van Ness worked the center of the mat for the first minute, trying to break through Murin's defense from the opening whistle. Murin took a shot at 1:30 and connected on a takedown to open up a 2-1 lead after a quick Van Ness escape. Van Ness continued to scramble for openings, keeping Murin backing away as the clock moved below :30. Trailing 2-1 after one, Van Ness rolled to a quick escape to tie the bout at 2-2 to start the second period. Van Ness worked for points but Murin defended his way to a 2-2 tie after two. Murin escaped to a 3-2 lead to start the third period. Van Ness chased Murin for the remainder of the period, forcing one stall warning, but in the end dropped the hard-fought 3-2 decision. Van Ness went 4-2 at his first Big Ten tournament and heads to nationals with a 19-6 record. Alex Facundo, ranked No. 9 at 165, faced No. 25 Dan Braunagel of Illinois in the 7th-place match. After battling through a scoreless first period, Facundo escaped to a 1-0 lead early in the second period. The duo worked in neutral as the clock moved below :30. Facundo continued to move in on offense and notched a key late takedown to lead 3-0 after two. Braunagel escaped to a 3-1 score to start the third. Facundo instigated a late scramble but a stalemate stopped the action. He fought off a late Braunagel flurry and took seventh place with the 3-1 win. Facundo went 3-2 at his first Big Ten tournament, placing seventh. He heads to NCAAs in two weeks with a 19-4 record. Gary Steen, competing in placer bouts at 125 (that do not count towards team score), faced Michigan State's Tristan Lujan to start the day for the Nittany Lions. The Nittany Lion freshman fell behind 2-0 early in the first but escaped quickly to a 2-1 score. He escaped to a 2-2 tie early in the second period but fell behind 4-2 on a subsequent Lujan takedown. Trailing 5-3 early in the third, Steen worked his way to a takedown to tie the bout 5-5 at the 1:10 mark. He cut Lujan loose to a 6-5 deficit and went to work for a go-ahead takedown. But Lujan defended his lead through a late scramble and Steen's tournament ended with the close 6-5 loss. Penn State has nine automatic qualifiers for the NCAA Championships: Bravo-Young (133), Bartlett (141), Van Ness (149), Haines (157), Facundo (165), Starocci (174), Brooks (184), Dean (197), Kerkvliet (285). The 2023 NCAA Championships is set for March 16-18, 2023, in Tulsa's BOK Center. The six-session title tournament features sessions at 12:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 16; 12:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. on Friday March 17; and 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 18 (all times Eastern). The NCAA tournament will be broadcast national on the ESPN family of networks. The tournament seeds and full bracket will be revealed on Wednesday night at 8 p.m. on NCAA.com (at-large selections for each weight will be rolled out a day prior on Tuesday). The 2022-23 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by the Family Clothesline. Penn State Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at @pennstateWREST, on Penn State Wrestling's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/pennstatewrest. This is PENN STATE. WRESTLING lives here. Penn State at 2023 Big Ten Championship �" Session 3/4 March 5, 2023 �" Ann Arbor, Mich. �" University of Michigan, Host Team Standings (TOP THREE FINAL) 1: PENN STATE �" 147.0 2: Iowa �" 134.5 3: Nebraska �" 104.5 Weight-by-weight agate (RANKINGS LISTED ARE INTERMAT as of 2/21/23): 125: Gary Steen, Fr., Hermitage, Pa./Reynolds Rd. 1: #15 Braxton Brown, Maryland �" L, 0-14 maj. dec. Cn. 1: bye Cn. 2: #17 Jack Medley, Michigan �" L, 2-7 dec. Pl. 2: Tristan Lujan, Michigan State �" L, 5-6 dec. Steen, the 10th-seed at 125, met No. 15 Braxton Brown of Maryland in the opening round (the 7th-seed). Steen fell behind early to the ranked Terrapin, trailing 6-0 after the opening period and dropped a tough 14-0 major decision. He received a bye in the first round of consolation action to stay alive into session two. Gary Steen took on No. 17 Jack Medley of Michigan in his first conso bout at 125. Medley took Steen down early for a 2-1 lead after a quick Steen escape. Steen fought off two more Medley efforts before Medley connected for a takedown and a 4-1 lead after the first period. Medley added an escape to lead 5-1 after two. Steen escaped to a 5-2 score to start the third period but Medley finished off a 7-2 win with a final takedown. Steen's loss ended his shots at an automatic slot at NCAAs but he moved in to the 9/10 placer bracket starting in session three. 133: #1 Roman Bravo-Young, Sr., Tucson, Ariz./Sunnyside �" CHAMPION Rd. 1: bye Qtr: #18 Brody Teske, Iowa �" W, 13-2 maj. dec. Semi: #11 Dylan Ragusin, Michigan �" W, 8-2 dec. Finals: #13 Aaron Nagao, Minnesota �" W, 5-2 dec. Bravo-Young, ranked No. 1 at 133 and the top-seed, had an opening round by and met No. 18 Brody Teske in the quarterfinals. Bravo-Young took Teske down quickly and built up over 1:00 in riding time with a strong ride. He finished the period on top to lead 2-0 after one. He upped his lead to 4-1 early in the second stanza, added two back points to lead 6-1, then another two-point turn to lead 8-1 after two periods. Bravo-Young added two more takedowns quickly in the third period and rolled to a 13-2 major decision with over 5:00 in riding time. The win moved him into the semifinals as he became Penn State's first automatic qualifier for the NCAA Championships in Tulsa. Roman met No. 11 Dylan Ragusin of Michigan in the first of Penn State's seven semifinal bouts. Bravo-Young scored quickly, taking Ragusin down for two points and an early 2-1 lead. The Nittany Lion bulled through a second takedown at the :45 mark to open up a 4-1 lead and then finished the period on top to carry that lead, with 1:00 in riding time, into the second stanza. Bravo-Young worked his way to an escape and a 5-1 lead to open up the second stanza. After having a takedown reversed on review, Bravo-Young fought off a late Ragusin shot and led 5-1 after two. Bravo-Young built his riding time up over 1:00 before Ragusin escaped to a 5-2 score. Bravo-Young finished the bout with a takedown and a riding time point to post the 8-2 win and move into the Big Ten finals on Sunday. 141: #4 Beau Bartlett, Jr., Tempe, Ariz./Wyoming Seminary (Pa.) �" 3rd place Rd. 1: bye Qtr: #28 Cole Mattin, Michigan �" W, 4-2 dec. Semi: #6 Brock Hardy, Nebraska �" L, 3-7 dec. Cn. Semi: #13 Parker Filius, Purdue �" W, 5-3 dec. 3rd Place: #18 Dylan D'Emilio, Ohio State �" W, 5-2 dec. Bartlett, ranked No. 4 at 141 and the second seed, had a first round bye and took on No. 28 Cole Mattin of Michigan in the quarterfinals. After a scoreless first period, Bartlett escaped to a 1-0 lead to start the second stanza. Bartlett took a 2-0 lead into the third period after picking up a stall point late in the second stanza. Bartlett used a takedown in the third period to ice the bout and posted a strong 4-2 victory to move into the semifinals. The win also clinched his spot at the NCAA Championships. Beau took on No. 6 Brock Hardy of Nebraska in the semis. The duo scrambled through a couple early shots before Bartlett rolled through a Hardy shot for a takedown and a 2-1 lead at the 1:15 mark. The Nittany Lion junior carried that lead into the second where Hardy escaped to a 2-2 tie to begin the period. Hardy worked through for a takedown and a 4-2 lead midway through the period and finished on top. Bartlett chose down to start the third period and escaped to a 4-3 score but Hardy quickly took him down again and posted the 7-3 win. Bartlett's loss sent him into the conso semifinals in session three. 149: #13 Shayne Van Ness, Fr., Somerville, N.J./Blair Academy �" 4th place Rd. 1: Jake Harrier, Illinois �" W, 16-4 maj. dec. Qtr: #6 Max Murin, Iowa �" L, 2-4 dec. Cn. 2: Jaden Reynolds, Purdue �" W, 19-7 maj. dec. Cn. 3: #30 Chance Lamer, Michigan �" W, inj. def. Cn. Semi: #28 Graham Rooks, Indiana �" W, 12-4 maj. dec. 3rd Place: #6 Max Murin, Iowa �" L, 2-3 dec. Van Ness, ranked No. 13 at 149 and the fifth seed, took on Jake Harrier of Illinois in the opening round. He picked up a takedown midway through the opening period and added a late one to lead 5-2 after one. Van Ness increased his lead to 7-3 midway through the second, finished on top and led 7-3 with 2:25 in riding time after two. He added a quick scores in the third to up his lead to 12-3 early in the third and rolled to a 16-4 major decision with nearly 4:00 in riding time. Van Ness' win moved him into the quarterfinals where he met No. 6 Max Murin of Iowa. Bartlett trailed 2-1 after the first period and tied it up with a takedown in the second. Murin upped retook a 3-2 lead with an escape early in the third and had riding time. Van Ness was unable to break through Murin's third period defense and dropped into consolation action with a 4-2 decision. Shane met Purdue's Jaden Reynolds in his first conso bout. Van Ness scored quickly, taking Reynolds down in the opening seconds to take 2-0 lead. He then worked a strong ride into a stall point to lead 3-0 at :35 and carried that lead into the second period. Van Ness added an escape and a quick takedown to open up a 6-0 lead then tacked on two quick takedowns to lead 10-3 after two periods. He tacked on four more takedowns and over 3:00 of riding time to roll to the 19-7 major decision. Van Ness battled No. 30 Chance Lamer of Michigan in his next conso bout. Midway through the opening period, Van Ness took Lamer down and to his back for a six-point move, opening up a 6-0 lead. Van Ness led 6-1 after the opening period and built his riding time to nearly 2:00 before Lamer escaped to a 6-2 score. Van Ness added two more quick takedowns to lead 10-3 with 2:49 riding time after two. Van Ness tacked on one more takedown to lead 13-4 before Lamar took an injury default after a stoppage early in the third period. Van Ness got the injury default victory to continue his quest for third place starting in session three. 157: #7 Levi Haines, Fr., Arendtsville, Pa./Biglerville �" CHAMPION Rd. 1: bye Qtr: #24 Derek Gilcher, Indiana �" W, 6-0 dec. Semi: #6 Kendall Coleman, Purdue �" W, 3-2 dec. Finals: #1 Peyton Robb, Nebraska �" W, 3-1 (sv) Haines, ranked No. 7 at 157 and the second seed, had a first round by and met No. 24 Derek Gilcher of Indiana in the quarters. Haines took a 2-0 lead at the 1:10 mark and rode Gilcher out to lead 2-0 with over a minute in riding time after the opening period. He quickly escaped to a 3-0 lead to start the second and carried that lead into the third. Haines added a two-point turn and riding time to roll to a 6-0 win and advance to the semifinals. He also earned a spot at the NCAA tournament in Tulsa as a true freshman. Levi took on No. 6 Kendall Coleman of Purdue in his semifinal match-up. Haines and Coleman battled evenly for opening period, sending the bout to the second tied 0-0. Haines chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Haines worked his way in on a low single and forced a scramble that lead to two points open up a 3-0 lead at 1:24. Coleman rolled to an escape on a reset to cut Haines' lead to 3-1 midway through the period. Haines carried that lead into the third where Coleman escaped to a 3-2 lead to start the last stanza. Haines controlled the action in neutral for the rest of the period and posted the 4-3 victory to move into Sunday's Big Ten title bout. 165: #9 Alex Facundo, Fr., Essexville, Mich./Davison �" 7th place Rd. 1: Stony Bell, Purdue �" W, 7-2 dec. Qtr: #12 Carson Kharchla, Ohio State �" L, 1-3 dec. Cn. 2: Nick South, Indiana �" W, 3-1 dec. Cn. 3: #33 Bubba Wilson, Nebraska �" L, 2-3 dec. 7th Place: #25 Dan Braunagel, Illinois �" W, 3-1 dec. Facundo, ranked No. 9 at 165 and the fourth seed, faced Purdue's Stony Buell. Facundo battled Buell through the first period and led 2-0 thanks to a late takedown in the opening stanza. He escaped to start the second and quickly took Buell down to open up a 5-0 lead and led 5-1 after two. Facundo added a third takedown in the final period and posted the 7-2 win to move into the quarterfinals. He took on No. 12 Carson Kharchla of Ohio State in the quarters. Facundo trailed 2-0 after a late Kharchla takedown in the first and then 3-0 after the Buckeye escaped to start the second. The Penn State freshman escaped quickly to start the third period, cutting the lead to 3-1. He chased Kharchla for the rest of the bout but the Buckeye defended his way to a 3-1 win, sending Facundo into consolation action. Alex faced Nick South of Indiana in his first conso bout. Facundo battled South through nearly three minutes of even wrestling before coming out on top of a scramble for a 2-0 lead at the end of the opening period. He escaped for another point to start the second period and led 3-0 heading to the third stanza. South escaped to a 3-1 score to start the third period but Facundo held firm on defense for the rest of the match and posted the 3-1 victory to advance in consolation action. He took on No. 33 Bubba Wilson of Nebraska in his next bout. Facundo and Wilson battled through a scoreless first period. The Nittany Lion freshman quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead to start the second stanza. Facundo forced a scramble midway through the second but Wilson was able stalemate the action to a reset. Wilson escaped to a 1-1 tie to start the third period and then quickly took Facundo down to lead 3-2 after a quick Facundo escape. Facundo worked for a final takedown but Wilson fought off the effort to hold on for the 3-2 win. Facundo's loss dropped him into the seventh-place bout in session three. 174: #1 Carter Starocci, Jr., Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep -- CHAMPION Rd. 1: bye Qtr: #15 Troy Fisher, Northwestern �" W, 10-2 maj. dec. Semi: #8 Bailee O'Reilly, Minnesota �" W, 8-2 dec. Final: #2 Mikey Labriola, Nebraska �" W, 6-1 dec. Starocci, ranked No. 1 at 174 and the top seed, had a first round bye and took on No. 15 Troy Fisher of Northwestern in the quarterfinals. Starocci scored quickly, taking Fisher down to lead 2-1. He quickly added a second takedown to up his lead to 4-1 and carried that lead into the second stanza. Starocci escaped to a 5-1 lead in the second and added another takedown to lead 7-1 after two periods. The Nittany Lion junior added a fourth takedown and 2:04 in riding time to roll into the semifinals with 10-2 major decision. He also grabbed a spot at nationals with the win. Carter battled No. 8 Bailee O'Reilly of Minnesota in the semis. Starocci worked shoulder control into a low shot and a takedown on the edge of the mat, opening up a 2-0 lead at 1:54. Starocci stayed aggressive on offense throughout the opening period and notched a second takedown late and led 4-1 after one. O'Reilly started the second period on bottom and Starocci built his riding time edge well over 1:00. He cut O'Reilly loose midway through the period and led 4-2 with 1:51 in time after two. Starocci escaped to a 5-2 lead quickly in the third. He took the Gopher down a third time late in the period and, with riding time, rolled to the 8-2 win. Starocci's victory moved him into Sunday's Big Ten title match. 184: #1 Aaron Brooks, Sr., Hagerstown, Md./North Hagerstown -- CHAMPION Rd. 1: bye Qtr: #14 Brian Soldano, Rutgers �" W, 18-2 (TF; 5:57) Semi: #8 Matt Finesilver, Michigan �" W, 18-6 maj. dec. Final: #5 Kaleb Romero, Ohio State �" W, 12-2 maj. dec. Brooks, ranked No. 1 at 184 and the top seed, had a bye in the opening round and battled No. 14 Brian Soldano of Rutgers in the quarterfinals. Brooks took Soldano down twice in the opening minute of the bout to lead 4-2 and led 6-2 after one. He quickly upped his lead to 8-2 to start the second stanza and carried that lead, and over 3:00 in riding time, into the third. The Lion senior took a 10-2 lead with a quick takedown and then turned Soldano for two and four to notch the 18-2 technical fall at 5:57. The win moved him into the semifinals and earned him a spot at NCAAs. Aaron met No. 8 Matt Finesilver of Michigan in his semifinal match. Brooks and Finesilver battled through the opening minute evenly before Brooks blew through a high double to open up a 2-1 lead. Brooks worked Finesilver to the mat for a second takedown and led 4-2, then added a third one late and finished on top to lead 6-2 after the opening period. Brooks continued to pour on the offense in the second, picking up a fourth takedown, then a fifth at 1:00 to open up a 10-4 lead. Brooks worked his riding time edge up over 1:00, picked up a stall point and then took Finesilver down again to lead 13-5 after two. Brooks tacked on two more takedowns, clinched his riding time point, and finished the period on top to roll to the 18-6 major decision. 197: #3 Max Dean, Sr., Lowell, Mich./Lowell �" 2nd place Rd. 1: bye Qtr: #23 Michael Foy, Minnesota �" W, 2-0 dec. Semi: #12 Jacob Warner, Iowa �" W, 3-1 dec. Finals: #10 Silas Allred, Nebraska �" L, 3-6 dec. Dean, ranked No. 3 at 197 and the top seed, had an opening round bye and met No. 23 Michael Foy of Minnesota in his quarterfinal bout. Dean and Foy wrestled through a scoreless first period and the Gopher chose down to start the second. Dean controlled the action from the top position, breaking Foy down and building up 2:00 in riding time by finishing the period on top. Tied 0-0, Dean worked his way to an escape and a 1-0 lead at the 1:10 mark, maintaining a riding time edge. Dean, with the riding time point, moved into the semifinals with a 2-0 win. He also earned an automatic bid to nationals with the victory. Max took on No. 12 Jacob Warner of Iowa in the semis. Dean and Warner worked the middle of the mat in neutral for the bulk of the first period and finished it in a scoreless tie. Dean chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 1-0 lead at the 1:25 mark. Dean slid through a fast low shot and finished it off for a takedown and a 3-0 lead with :45 left in the period. Dean finished the period on top and led 3-0 after two. Warner quickly escaped to a 3-1 score to start the third period. Dean worked the middle of the mat for the remainder of the period and finished off the 3-1 victory. The win moved Dean into the finals on Sunday and was the 100th victory of his career. 285: #2 Greg Kerkvliet, Jr., Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley �" 2nd place Rd. 1: bye Qtr: #16 Tate Orndorff, Ohio State �" W, 9-1 maj. dec. Semi: #3 Tony Cassioppi, Iowa �" W, 5-0 dec. Final: #1 Mason Parris, Michigan �" L, 3-5 dec. (sv) Kerkvliet, ranked No. 2 at 285 and the second seed, had Penn State's seventh first round bye and took on No. 16 Tate Orndorff of Ohio State in the quarterfinals. Kerkvliet took an early 2-0 lead with a fast takedown and then built up a big riding time edge, forcing Orndorff into a first stall and riding him out to lead 2-0 with 2:48 in riding time. Kerkvliet reversed the Buckeye quickly to start the second, cut him loose and then added another takedown to lead 6-1 with 4:02 riding time after two. He took an 8-1 lead early in the third with a clinched riding time point, rolling into the semifinals with a 9-1 major decision. Kerkvliet also earned a trip to Tulsa and the NCAA tournament with the victory. Greg faced No. 3 Tony Cassioppi of Iowa in Penn State's final semifinal bout of the evening. Kerkvliet took a 2-0 lead midway through the opening period with a strong double at the 1:02 mark. He dominated the action on top after the takedown and finished off the period on top to lead 2-0 with 1:02 in riding time after one. Kerkvliet took down to start the second and patiently worked his way to a reversal and a 4-0 lead. He rode Cassioppi out once again and led 4-0 with 1:22 in riding time after two periods. Cassioppi chose down to start the final stanza and but Kerkvliet was unrelenting on top, controlling the Hawkeye for the full two minutes and rolling to a 5-0 win with 3:12 in riding time. His victory pushed him into Sunday's Big Ten finals, Penn State's sixth finalist. Mon, 06 Mar 2023 16:43:24 GMT http://www.pennstatewrestlingclub.org/content/read_news.php?id=2196 http://www.pennstatewrestlingclub.org/content/read_news.php?id=2195 gopsusports.com ANN ARBOR, Mich. �" The Penn State Nittany Lions (16-0, 8-0 B1G) will have seven wrestlers competing in the semifinals later tonight at the 2023 Big Ten Championships. All seven have qualified for the 2023 NCAA Championships. Penn State, under the direction of head coach Cael Sanderson, has three more still alive for NCAA bids as well. The two-day event continues tonight at 5:30 p.m. Eastern from Michigan's Crisler Arena. All individual rankings listed are InterMat (Feb. 21, 2023). Penn State entered the tournament with seven top-two seeds, all of whom earned byes in the opening round (four first, three second). Penn State's current NCAA qualifiers for the NCAA Championships in two weeks are: Roman Bravo-Young (133), Beau Bartlett (141), Levi Haines (157), Carter Starocci (174), Aaron Brooks (184), Max Dean (197) and Greg Kerkvliet (285). The others still alive for automatic bids are Gary Steen, Shayne Van Ness and Alex Facundo. Roman Bravo-Young, ranked No. 1 at 133 and the top-seed, had an opening round by and met No. 18 Brody Teske in the quarterfinals. Bravo-Young took Teske down quickly and built up over 1:00 in riding time with a strong ride. He finished the period on top to lead 2-0 after one. He upped his lead to 4-1 early in the second stanza, added two back points to lead 6-1, then another two-point turn to lead 8-1 after two periods. Bravo-Young added two more takedowns quickly in the third period and rolled to a 13-2 major decision with over 5:00 in riding time. The win moved him into the semifinals as he became Penn State's first automatic qualifier for the NCAA Championships in Tulsa. Beau Bartlett, ranked No. 4 at 141 and the second seed, had a first round bye and took on No. 28 Cole Mattin of Michigan in the quarterfinals. After a scoreless first period, Bartlett escaped to a 1-0 lead to start the second stanza. Bartlett took a 2-0 lead into the third period after picking up a stall point late in the second stanza. Bartlett used a takedown in the third period to ice the bout and posted a strong 4-2 victory to move into the semifinals. The win also clinched his spot at the NCAA Championships. Levi Haines, ranked No. 7 at 157 and the second seed, had a first round by and met No. 24 Derek Gilcher of Indiana in the quarters. Haines took a 2-0 lead at the 1:10 mark and rode Gilcher out to lead 2-0 with over a minute in riding time after the opening period. He quickly escaped to a 3-0 lead to start the second and carried that lead into the third. Haines added a two-point turn and riding time to roll to a 6-0 win and advance to the semifinals. He also earned a spot at the NCAA tournament in Tulsa as a true freshman. Carter Starocci, ranked No. 1 at 174 and the top seed, had a first round bye and took on No. 15 Troy Fisher of Northwestern in the quarterfinals. Starocci scored quickly, taking Fisher down to lead 2-1. He quickly added a second takedown to up his lead to 4-1 and carried that lead into the second stanza. Starocci escaped to a 5-1 lead in the second and added another takedown to lead 7-1 after two periods. The Nittany Lion junior added a fourth takedown and 2:04 in riding time to roll into the semifinals with 10-2 major decision. He also grabbed a spot at nationals with the win. Aaron Brooks, ranked No. 1 at 184 and the top seed, had a bye in the opening round and battled No. 14 Brian Soldano of Rutgers in the quarterfinals. Brooks took Soldano down twice in the opening minute of the bout to lead 4-2, and led 6-2 after one. He quickly upped his lead to 8-2 to start the second stanza and carried that lead, and over 3:00 in riding time, into the third. The Lion senior took a 10-2 lead with a quick takedown and then turned Soldano for two and four to notch the 18-2 technical fall at 5:57. The win moved him into the semifinals and earned him a spot at NCAAs. Max Dean, ranked No. 3 at 197 and the top seed, had an opening round bye and met No. 23 Michael Foy of Minnesota in his quarterfinal bout. Dean and Foy wrestled through a scoreless first period and the Gopher chose down to start the second. Dean controlled the action from the top position, breaking Foy down and building up 2:00 in riding time by finishing the period on top. Tied 0-0, Dean worked his way to an escape and a 1-0 lead at the 1:10 mark, maintaining a riding time edge. Dean, with the riding time point, moved into the semifinals with a 2-0 win. He also earned an automatic bid to nationals with the victory. Greg Kerkvliet, ranked No. 2 at 285 and the second seed, had Penn State's seventh first round bye and took on No. 16 Tate Orndorff of Ohio State in the quarterfinals. Kerkvliet took an early 2-0 lead with a fast takedown and then built up a big riding time edge, forcing Orndorff into a first stall and riding him out to lead 2-0 with 2:48 in riding time. Kerkvliet reversed the Buckeye quickly to start the second, cut him loose and then added another takedown to lead 6-1 with 4:02 riding time after two. He took an 8-1 lead early in the third with a clinched riding time point, rolling into the semifinals with a 9-1 major decision. Kerkvliet also earned a trip to Tulsa and the NCAA tournament with the victory. Shayne Van Ness, ranked No. 13 at 149 and the fifth seed, took on Jake Harrier of Illinois in the opening round. He picked up a takedown midway through the opening period and added a late one to lead 5-2 after one. Van Ness increased his lead to 7-3 midway through the second, finished on top and led 7-3 with 2:25 in riding time after two. He added a quick scores in the third to up his lead to 12-3 early in the third and rolled to a 16-4 major decision with nearly 4:00 in riding time. Van Ness' win moved him into the quarterfinals where he met No. 6 Max Murin of Iowa. Bartlett trailed 2-1 after the first period and tied it up with a takedown in the second. Murin upped retook a 3-2 lead with an escape early in the third and had riding time. Van Ness was unable to break through Murin's third period defense and dropped into consolation action with a 4-2 decision. Alex Facundo, ranked No. 9 at 165 and the fourth seed, faced Purdue's Stony Buell. Facundo battled Buell through the first period and led 2-0 thanks to a late takedown in the opening stanza. He escaped to start the second and quickly took Buell down to open up a 5-0 lead and led 5-1 after two. Facundo added a third takedown in the final period and posted the 7-2 win to move into the quarterfinals. He took on No. 12 Carson Kharchla of Ohio State in the quarters. Facundo trailed 2-0 after a late Kharchla takedown in the first and then 3-0 after the Buckeye escaped to start the second. The Penn State freshman escaped quickly to start the third period, cutting the lead to 3-1. He chased Kharchla for the rest of the bout but the Buckeye defended his way to a 3-1 win, sending Facundo into consolation action. Gary Steen, the 10th-seed at 125, met No. 15 Braxton Brown of Maryland in the opening round (the 7th-seed). Steen fell behind early to the ranked Terrapin, trailing 6-0 after the opening period and dropped a tough 14-0 major decision. He received a bye in the first round of consolation action to stay alive into session two. The Nittany Lions went 9-3 in the first session and picked up 5.5 bonus points off four majors and a technical fall. Penn State and Iowa are tied in the early team standings, both with 63.5 points. Minnesota is in third with 51.5 (as of 2:15 p.m. with some consolation action ongoing). The tournament continues tonight with the conference semifinals and more consolation action beginning at 5:30 p.m. Eastern on both the Big Ten Network and B1G+. The event concludes on Sunday, March 5, with consolation action starting at 1:00 p.m. and the Big Ten Championship Finals and placing bouts at 4:30 p.m. Eastern on the Big Ten Network. Penn State's NCAA qualifiers will head to Tulsa, Okla., for the 2023 NCAA Championships on March 16-18, 2023, in Tulsa's BOK Center. The six-session title tournament features sessions at 12:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 16; 12:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. on Friday March 17; and 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 18 (all times Eastern). The NCAA tournament will be broadcast national on the ESPN family of networks. The 2022-23 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by the Family Clothesline. Penn State Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at @pennstateWREST, on Penn State Wrestling's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/pennstatewrest. This is PENN STATE. WRESTLING lives here. Penn State at 2023 Big Ten Championship �" Session 1 March 4, 2023 �" Ann Arbor, Mich. �" University of Michigan, Host Team Standings (Top 3 after session 1 as of 2:16 p.m.) 1: PENN STATE �" 63.5 1: Iowa �" 63.5 3: Minnesota �" 51.5 Weight-by-weight agate (RANKINGS LISTED ARE INTERMAT as of 2/21/23): 125: Gary Steen, Fr., Hermitage, Pa./Reynolds �" #10 seed Rd. 1: #15 Braxton Brown, Maryland �" L, 0-14 maj. dec. Cn. 1: bye Cn. 2: tonight 133: #1 Roman Bravo-Young, Sr., Tucson, Ariz./Sunnyside �" #1 seed Rd. 1: bye Qtr: #18 Brody Teske, Iowa �" W, 13-2 maj. dec. Semi: tonight 141: #4 Beau Bartlett, Jr., Tempe, Ariz./Wyoming Seminary (Pa.) -- #2 seed Rd. 1: bye Qtr: #28 Cole Mattin, Michigan �" W, 4-2 dec. Semi: tonight 149: #13 Shayne Van Ness, Fr., Somerville, N.J./Blair Academy �" #5 seed Rd. 1: Jake Harrier, Illinois �" W, 16-4 maj. dec. Qtr: #6 Max Murin, Iowa �" L, 2-4 dec. Cn. 2: tonight 157: #7 Levi Haines, Fr., Arendtsville, Pa./Biglerville �" #2 seed Rd. 1: bye Qtr: #24 Derek Gilcher, Indiana �" W, 6-0 dec. Semi: tonight 165: #9 Alex Facundo, Fr., Essexville, Mich./Davison �" #4 seed Rd. 1: Stony Bell, Purdue �" W, 7-2 dec. Qtr: #12 Carson Kharchla, Ohio State �" L, 1-3 dec. Cn. 2: tonight 174: #1 Carter Starocci, Jr., Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep -- #1 seed Rd. 1: bye Qtr: #15 Troy Fisher, Northwestern �" W, 10-2 maj. dec. Semi: tonight 184: #1 Aaron Brooks, Sr., Hagerstown, Md./North Hagerstown -- #1 seed Rd. 1: bye Qtr: #14 Brian Soldano, Rutgers �" W, 18-2 (TF; 5:57) Semi: tonight 197: #3 Max Dean, Sr., Lowell, Mich./Lowell �" #1 seed Rd. 1: bye Qtr: #23 Michael Foy, Minnesota �" W, 2-0 dec. Semi: tonight 285: #2 Greg Kerkvliet, Jr., Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley �" #2 seed Rd. 1: bye Qtr: #16 Tate Orndorff, Ohio State �" W, 9-1 maj. dec. Semi: tonight Mon, 06 Mar 2023 15:52:40 GMT http://www.pennstatewrestlingclub.org/content/read_news.php?id=2195 http://www.pennstatewrestlingclub.org/content/read_news.php?id=2194 By Andy Elder UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. �" It was Jan. 3, the calendar had just turned to 2023 and Cael Sanderson was meeting the media for the first time in the new year. The last time his Nittany Lions were on the mat, they were sweeping to three wins Dec. 19-20 in the Collegiate Wrestling Duals. True freshman Levi Haines, subbing in at 157 pounds for a "banged up" Terrell Barraclough, posted a fall and two decisions. Throughout the early portion of the season, Sanderson had been asked about who would eventually win the weight. He repeatedly cited Barraclough's improvement and said the coaches would let it play out. Even after Haines nipped Barraclough, 2-1, on Nov. 20 in the finals of the Black Knight Open at Army West Point, Barraclough started the next three duals, going 2-1. With the Big Ten portion of the schedule just three days away, fans and media alike wanted to know who Penn State's starter at 157 would be for the rest of the season. Would it be the junior, Barraclough, or the true freshman, Haines? "Is that your hope? That he (Haines) makes it tough on you guys to make that call?" a reporter asked Sanderson on that early January afternoon. "Uh, I don't know if you'd want him to make it tough," Sanderson responded. "You'd want him to make the answer crystal clear. That would be better." Haines started the first two Big Ten duals of the season and, at least from the outside looking in, was starting to make a clear case as the starter. He majored No. 16 Garrett Model of Wisconsin, 16-6, in Madison. Then, in the next dual two weeks later, Haines thrilled a record Bryce Jordan Center crowd of 15,998 with his 3-1 sudden victory win over No. 10 Will Lewan of Michigan. Barraclough got one final shot, two days later in East Lansing, Michigan. He dropped a 6-2 decision to Michigan State's No. 15 Chase Saldate. Decision time With No. 2 Iowa looming five days later back in the BJC, Sanderson had reached a tipping point. Haines had exhausted his five free competition dates. Under the new NCAA guideline for freshmen, if he stepped on the mat against the Hawkeyes, his redshirt would be burned. Haines got the start and immediately showed why the decision was "crystal clear" for Sanderson and his staff. He hit a double on No. 15 Cobe Siebrecht with 1:22 left in the match for the winning points in a 3-2 win. His win that night, and what Haines had been displaying in the wrestling room, left his teammates knowing it was the right decision. "It's been exciting. It's like he was anointed," 184-pounder Aaron Brooks said. "How young he is, how calm he is … I was talking to him after his match. He (nearly) got put to his back early and he's chillin. He smiles about it. He won two big matches in the BJC. I think it's great for him to go out here and get this experience because the more he wrestles, the better he gets. So, it's been exciting. I'm just making sure he's good spiritually, mentally. The physical will do itself." Sanderson said the key to bringing someone off redshirt in the middle of the season is gaining consensus. "I think the big thing is just making sure everybody's on the same page. You can't have a house divided. I mean, with their family, with the kid, with the team, the coaches, everybody. I's something that the kid and their family have to be excited about. Levi's excited to compete and, and he's ready, as we've seen. His family is supportive," he said. "Now it's up to him. Same thing with everybody. You take advantage of opportunities or you don't and then the next one comes. It's up to Levi to make sure it was the right experience. Even then, he's gonna compete with enthusiasm, which is, you know, the most important thing." Haines hasn't looked back. He finished the season with a fall, a major decision and a pair of 8-2 decisions. He's not really been challenged. His intensity and confidence seemed to grow with each successive bout. "Yeah, it's definitely accurate," he said. "I'm just kind of growing up and learning a little bit something from each and every match." Haines finished the regular season with an 18-1 record, a No. 7 national ranking and a No. 2 seed for the Big Ten Championships, which are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Choosing a less traveled path Haines started making a name for himself during his freshman year at Biglerville High School in south central Pennsylvania. He was a state runner-up as both a freshman and sophomore. He finally broke through during his junior year, compiling a 30-0 record and winning a PIAA title. As the son of two parents who were college athletes �" Ken Haines wrestled and played soccer at Lock Haven University, while his mother, Aimee, played field hockey and lacrosse at Lock Haven �" Haines probably knew better than most that he would need the best preparation possible to compete in college. He verbally committed to Penn State in May of 2021, two months after winning his state title. And, he was looking forward to competing internationally as a member of the U.S. Cadet World team later that summer. When it came time for his senior season, Haines opted to forgo his senior season of high school wrestling. He was training with former Nittany Lion standout and U.S. freestyle gold medalist David Taylor at his training center in Pleasant Gap, which is about 10 miles northeast of the Penn State campus. And he trained with the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club at Penn State. In addition, he entered and won two collegiate open tournaments, the Edinboro Open and the Franklin and Marshall Open. "My senior year, it was a tough decision. But, ultimately it came down to I wanted to challenge myself and I knew I was going to get much better coming in here and getting better partners and the best coaching in the world. So, it was a hard decision, but it was no doubt the right decision," he said. "My decision to come to Penn State was pretty easy for me. I've been wrestling for David (Taylor) and I'm from Pennsylvania. I grew up watching Penn State wrestle. I came here and clicked with the coaches. I've been in their system of wrestling training with David. It was a pretty easy decision. It's the best place in the world to wrestle. You see guys coming here constantly to continue their careers after college. So, it was kind of a no-brainer." With all of that past preparation as prologue, Haines is one of the favorites to challenge for a Big Ten title at 157 and earn a berth to the NCAA Championships on March 16-18 at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He's never experienced a tournament as chock full of talent as Big Tens. But at least one person, teammate Carter Starocci, doesn't seem to think that experience will matter. "I think when you're ready, you're ready," he said. "If you're a freshman, junior, sophomore, it doesn't matter." Is Haines ready? Tune in this weekend to find out. Mon, 06 Mar 2023 15:40:02 GMT http://www.pennstatewrestlingclub.org/content/read_news.php?id=2194