The penultimate night of wrestling at the 2024 NCAA Championships came to a close. For some wrestlers dreams were still alive. But for other guys their dreams were crushed.
The three day tournament that concludes every D1 collegiate season is unforgiving as much as it is rewarding. And on the first day there were 330 guys with high hopes of bringing home history and glory.
However at the end of tonight’s action, the dreams were alive for only 20 wrestlers. Each session in the NCAA Championships gets more and more intense and this session was no different.
It’s not normal for a team to lock up the team title early on Saturday morning. But Penn State Wrestling locked it up a full day prior to the last sessions of the 2024 NCAA Championships.
Dynasty. pic.twitter.com/IwZM8DQSKu
— Nittany Central (@NittanyCentral) March 23, 2024
Now let’s take a look at tomorrow’s schedule.
Saturday Schedule
Session V
Time: 11:00 a.m. EST
Where: Kansas City, Missouri
TV: ESPNU and ESPN+
Session Duration: 3 hours
Session VI
Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
Where: Kansas City, Missouri
TV: ESPN and ESPN+
Session Duration: 3 hours
Now onto the action!
Session IV – Championship Bracket
141
No. 2 Beau Bartlett (PSU) dec. over No. 6 Lachlan McNeil (UNC) 5-1
157
No. 1 Levi Haines (PSU) fall over No. 12 Bryce Andonian (VT) 7:48 SV
165
No. 2 Mitchell Mesenbrink (PSU) major dec. over No. 6 Mike Caliendo (IOWA) 17-9
174
No. 9 Carter Starocci (PSU) dec. over No. 4 Shane Griffith (MICH) 2-0
197
No. 1 Aaron Brooks (PSU) tech. fall over No. 12 Rocky Elam (MIZZ) 17-2
285
No. 1 Greg Kerkvliet (PSU) dec. over No. 4 Cohlton Schultz (ASU) 8-0
Penn State Wrestling Summary
The Nittany Lions were one for one in getting their guys to the final. Beau Bartlett’s masterful performance gives him his first ever appearance in the NCAA finals tomorrow evening.
And in dramatic fashion, Levi Haines makes it two for two for Penn State in the finals as he pinned Andonian in sudden victory! Haines is the ultimate competitor and he doesn’t feel pressure. It’s as simple as that.
Mitchell Mesenbrink then made it three for three for the Nittany Lions with his dominant performance. Even though he gave up the initial takedown, Mesenbrink poured on the pressure and his relentless energy prevailed once again.
In his match at 174 pounds, Carter Starocci made it four for four for Penn State in the finals. Even for a guy who’s wrestling at 75%, it’s simply incredible for him to make the finals. Only Rocco Welsh stands between him and four NCAA titles.
Aaron Brooks is a man on a mission. And his 17-2 technical fall in the semifinals looked like a walk in the park. And just like with Carter Starocci, only one man stands between him and four NCAA titles tomorrow night.
Following Brooks’ match at 197, Penn State was five for five on the night in advancing their guys to the finals.
And at 285, Greg Kerkvliet made it six for six for the Nittany Lions into the finals. His performance was so one-sided, he locked up the riding time point late in the second period. Kerk is looking for one thing and one thing only.
He wants his national title.
Session III – Consolation Bracket (cont.)
133
No. 10 Aaron Nagao (PSU) dec. over No. 16 Nic Bouzakis 3-0
149
No. 7 Tyler Kasak (PSU) major dec. over No. 17 Graham Rooks (IND) 13-1
Session IV – Consolation Bracket
125
No. 5 Jore Volk (WYO) dec. over No. 1 Braeden Davis (PSU) 4-1 SV
133
No. 3 Kai Orine (NCST) dec. over No. 10 Aaron Nagao (PSU) 11-4
149
No. 7 Tyler Kasak (PSU) dec. over No. 3 Jackson Arrington (NCST) 5-4
No. 7 Tyler Kasak (PSU) major dec. over No. 11 Quinn Kinner (RID) 10-2
184
No. 6 Bernie Truax (PSU) dec. over No. 10 Dylan Fishback (NCST) 5-0
No. 6 Bernie Truax (PSU) dec. over No. 7 Thomas Stewart Jr. (VT) 5-1
Summary
Well, let’s just say the blood rounds weren’t kind to the Nittany Lions.
Braeden Davis looked like he might move on in sudden victory. However after a committed shot Jore Volk flipped the script and he pulled out the win.
Then at 133, Aaron Nagao couldn’t come back from a deep hole he dug himself in the first period. Both guys battled tough in the tournament but unfortunately their seasons are over.
But it wasn’t all bad news for Penn State. Tyler Kasak pulled out an incredible 5-4 decision win against the No. 3 seed at 149 pounds. And Kasak is now guaranteed an All-American finish as a true freshman!
Bernie Truax kept the winning going for the Nittany Lions as he won a 5-0 decision and is now a four-time All-American!
The 2023-2024 Penn State Wrestling Team will now finish with eight of 10 All-Americans for the season.
Now onto the final sessions of the 2024 NCAA Championships!
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.