The first session of the 2024 NCAA Wrestling Championships has concluded so let’s dive into what happened and how it unfolded for Penn State Wrestling.
The day has finally arrived that everyone has been waiting for.
It’s Session I of the 2024 NCAA Wrestling Championships and the best of the best in the nation have descended upon the Show Me State for some wrestling madness! So let’s take a look at how the No. 1 ranked Nittany Lions fared in the first session of action as they try to capture their 11th team championship in the last 13 years.
But before that, here is a quick look at the schedule for the action set for later today.
Thursday Evening Schedule
Session II
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Where: Kansas City, Missouri
TV: Broadcast nationally on ESPN and ESPN+
Live Stream: FuboTV (FREE Trial)
Session Duration: 3 hours 30 minutes
Penn State Wrestling Session I Results
Now onto the action!
Session I – Opening Round Matches
125
No. 1 Braeden Davis (PSU) dec. over No. 33 Tristan Lujan (MSU) 8-1
133
No. 23 Marlon Yarbrough (UVA) major dec. over No. 10 Aaron Nagao (PSU) 13-5
141
No. 2 Beau Bartlett (PSU) dec. over No. 32 Kal Miller (MD) 6-1
149
No. 26 Jaden Abas (STAN) dec. over No. 7 Tyler Kasak (PSU) 4-2
157
No. 1 Levi Haines (PSU) tech. fall over No. 32 Issac Wilcox (OHST) 17-2
165
No. 2 Mitchell Mesenbrink (PSU) tech. fall over No. 31 Maxx Mayfield (NW) 18-2
174
No. 9 Carter Starocci (PSU) dec. over Andrew Sparks (MINN) 12-6
184
No. 6 Bernie Truax (PSU) tech. fall over No. 27 Cameron Pine (CLAR) 18-3
197
No. 1 Aaron Brooks (PSU) tech. fall over No. 33 Evan Bates (NW) 19-4
285
No. 1 Greg Kerkvliet (PSU) tech. fall over No. 33 Jordan Greer (OHIO) No. 32 Nick Willham (IND) 19-3
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Penn State Wrestling Session I Summary
Let’s just say that losing their opening match of the 2024 NCAA’s by major decision to a No. 23 seed wasn’t exactly a great look for a team dubbed possibly one of the greatest ever assembled.
But that’s exactly what happened when No. 10 Aaron Nagao took to the mat against No. 23 Marlon Yarbrough of Virginia. Then, to make matters worse, true freshman Tyler Kasak was upended by the No. 26 seed Jaden Abas from Stanford.
Two guys who I thought would make deep runs into their brackets were already staring at the notion that one more loss meant their tournament and season would be over.
But hey, that’s wrestling. And crazy stuff like this happens every year in the NCAA Championships.
Looking on the bright side, Braeden Davis got the job done with an impressive 8-1 win. Then following that up, Beau Bartlett did what Beau Bartlett likes to do at times by being very conservative. Which led to a late takedown and near fall points to win a nail biting 6-1 decision.
At the next three weights, Levi Haines, Mitchell Mesenbrink, and Carter Starocci piled on the points. Both Haines and Mesenbrink won technical falls and Carter shook off some early rust to smash his opponent.
Bernie Truax kept the hammer down with a dominant 18-3 technical fall and Aaron Brooks followed that up with another technical fall 19-4.
Greg Kerkvliet also joined the “tech” party as he walked through his opponent 19-3.
The Nittany Lions were a combined 8-2 in the opening session with three decision wins and five technical falls.
The giant wheel of the NCAA Championships is in motion. And it’s already claimed its fair share of early round victims. However, it’s a marathon and not a sprint. And there’s still plenty more to wrestle for.
Tune in later tonight at 7:00pm EST for more wrestling action as we turn the page to the quarterfinals.
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Education: Penn State University
Location: State College, PA
Even though he had no prior journalism experience, Chris has now covered Penn State Wrestling and Penn State Football for the past three years, including as the Penn State Wrestling Beat Writer for VictoryBellRings.com, part of the FanSided network.
And it's clear he also likes constant torture as he's been a PSU Basketball fan for way too long.
Several years back, Chris made the seamless transition from PGA Professional to computer programmer and thoroughly enjoys following and writing about all things related to Penn State sports during his spare time.
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