Penn State Wrestling did exactly what Penn State Wrestling was expected to do in the opening sessions of the 2024 Big Ten Wrestling Championships.
The Nittany Lions advanced a staggering seven guys to the finals and several of them barely broke a sweat during the Saturday action. Braeden Davis, Beau Bartlett, Levi Haines, Mitchell Mesenbrink, Bernie Truax, Aaron Brooks, and Greg Kerkvliet mowed down their selective competition on the day and will appear tomorrow evening in the Big Ten finals.
Aaron Nagao and Tyler Kasak are still in the hunt for high finishes after falling out of the championship bracket, however there is still plenty to wrestle for when the Big Ten’s commence tomorrow.
Obviously one of the biggest questions leading up to this year’s conference tournament was what would Carter Starocci do? Well that question was answered pretty early on.
Moving on.
Now onto the action!
Session I – Opening Round Matches
125
No. 6 Braeden Davis (PSU) major dec. over No. 11 Justin Cardani (ILL) 11-1
133
No. 5 Aaron Nagao major dec. over (PSU) No. 12 Andrew Hampton (MSU) 11-0
149
No. 4 Tyler Kasak (PSU) fall over No. 13 Aiden Vandenbush (NU) 2:48
184
No. 3 Bernie Truax (PSU) tech. fall over No. 14 Chase Mielnik (MD) 19-1
Summary
It’s so far so good for the Nittany Lions as all four wrestlers in action steam rolled their counterparts and earned bonus points in the process. The biggest question going into the quarterfinals is how well Davis, Nagao, and Kasak navigate matches against much stiffer competition.
Session I – Quarterfinal Matches
125
No. 6 Braeden Davis (PSU) dec. over No. 3 Eric Barnett (NEB) 8-7 SV
133
No. 5 Aaron Nagao (PSU) dec. over No. 4 Jacob Van Dee (NEB) 4-3
141
No. 1 Beau Bartlett (PSU) dec. over No. 8 Jordan Hamdan (MSU) 4-2
149
No. 4 Tyler Kasak (PSU) dec. over No. 5 Dylan D’Emilio (OSU) 3-2
157
No. 1 Levi Haines (PSU) major dec. over No. 9 Trevor Chumbley (NU) 12-0
165
No. 2 Mitchell Mesenbrink (PSU) fall over No. 10 Blaine Benner (MINN) 3:59
174
No. 9 Andrew Sparks (MINN) injury default over No. 1 Carter Starocci
184
No. 3 Bernie Truax (PSU) dec. over No. 6 Layne Malczewski (MSU) 7-2
197
No. 1 Aaron Brooks (PSU) tech. fall over No. 8 Evan Bates (NU) 19-3
285
No. 1 Greg Kerkvliet (PSU) tech. fall over No. 8 Bennett Tabor (MINN) 15-0
Summary
Holy heart palpatations, Batman!
That quarterfinal battle between Davis and Barnett was simply epic. The early lead by Barnett, the takedown and near fall points from Davis at the end of the second period, and the insane reversal party that ended the third period.
It’s honestly a shame the match had to end on a penalty point, but hey, I’m sure Penn State fans, Cael Sanderson, and Braeden Davis will take it.
And if my blood pressure wasn’t already sky high from watching Davis’ match, Aaron Nagao, Beau Bartlett, and Tyler Kasak were all locked in tight bouts as well. But champions find a way to win and all three guys punched their tickets to the semifinals.
At 157 and 165, both Levi Haines and Mitchell Mesenbrink asserted their dominance as they cruised into the semifinals with a shutout, major decision and fall respectively. Which went a long way in slowing my heart rate to a more manageable 140 bpm. Maybe drinking 9 cups of coffee this morning wasn’t such a great idea?
As for all of the questions surrounding Carter Starocci and what he would do with his injured right knee, they were all answered around 1:19pm as he took an injury default loss to Minnesota’s Andrew Sparks. I for one am in no place at all to have any opinion here, but I think it was the right call. Rest up for two more weeks and then let it rip in the NCAA’s.
Bernie Truax, Aaron Brooks, and Greg Kerkvliet all took care of business in the Nittany Lions’ remaining quarterfinals matches. Truax breezed to an easy decision and Brooks and Kerkvliet make quick work of their counterparts with matching technical falls.
Session II – Semifinals Matches
125
No. 6 Braeden Davis (PSU) dec. over No. 7 Michael DeAugustino (MICH) 5-2 SV2
133
No. 1 Dylan Ragusin (MICH) dec. over No. 5 Aaron Nagao (PSU) 6-3
141
No. 1 Beau Bartlett (PSU) dec. over No. 5 Sergio Lemley (MICH) 5-4
149
No. 1 Ridge Lovett (NEB) dec. over No. 4 Tyler Kasak (PSU) 4-0
157
No. 1 Levi Haines (PSU) dec. over No. 4 Jared Franek (NEB) 5-0
165
No. 2 Mitchell Mesenbrink (PSU) tech. fall over No. 3 Mike Caliendo (IOWA) 23-7
174
No. 10 Brody Baumann (PUR) injury default over No. 1 Carter Starocci (PSU)
184
No. 3 Bernie Truax (PSU) dec. over No. 2 Lenny Pinto (NEB) 4-2
197
No. 1 Aaron Brooks (PSU) major dec. over No. 4 Silas Allred (NEB) 14-2
285
No. 1 Greg Kerkvliet (PSU) major dec. over No. 4 Yaraslau Slavikouski (RUT) 9-0
Summary
Well you can’t win them all, and it’s certainly better to drop a match in the Big Ten Championships rather than in the NCAA’s. But hats off to all of the guys in action this evening. Every single Nittany Lion gave it their all and even though Nagao, Kasak, dropped their semifinal matches, they went down swinging to the very end. And third place is still on the line Sunday.
For Braeden Davis, Beau Bartlett, Levi Haines, Mitchell Mesenbrink, Bernie Truax, Aaron Brooks, and Greg Kerkvliet, Big Ten titles are on the line. Which are always nice to have under your belt for Penn State Wrestling when the NCAA Championships roll around.
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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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