Nittany Lions Roar in Session 1 of the 2023 NCAA Wrestling Championships

Eight of nine Penn Staters grab wins, Lions roll up big bonus in round one

RecordStaffMarch 16, 2023Last Updated: March 16, 2023

5 minutes read

TULSA, Okla. – The Penn State Nittany wrestling team sits atop the team race after the first session of the 2023 NCAA Championships. Penn State picked up eight wins, including three falls and two majors, to lead the field after Thursday’s opening round of the tournament. Action continues this evening with session two, featuring the second round in the championship bracket as well as the beginning of consolation action.

Penn State leads the team race with 16.0 points. North Carolina State is in second with 12.5 while Iowa is in third with 12.0 points.

Roman Bravo-Young, the No. 1 seed at 133, 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.

Beau Bartlett, the No. 6 seed at 141, 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.

Shayne Van Ness, the No. 12 seed at 149 and one of three freshmen qualifiers for Penn State, 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.

True freshman Levi Haines, the No. 2 seed at 157, 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.

Redshirt freshman Alex Facundo, the No. 13 seed at 165, 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.

Carter Starocci, the No. 1 seed at 174, 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.

Aaron Brooks, the No. 3 seed at 184, 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.

Max Dean, the No. 9 seed at 197, 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.

Greg Kerkvliet, the No. 3 seed at 285, 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.

The Nittany Lions went 8-1 in the first session. Penn State tallied eight bonus points off three pins and two majors.

Action continues with the second round (and first round of consolation bouts) Thursday at 7 p.m. ESPN will broadcast the evening session. The tournament continues with sessions at 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.

Penn State at 2023 NCAA Championships– Session 1
March 16, 2023 – BOK Center – Tulsa, Okla.

Team Standings (Top 3 after session 1 as of 3:40 p.m. Eastern)
1: PENN STATE – 16.0
2: North Carolina State – 11.5
3: Iowa – 12.0

Weight-by-weight agate (RANKINGS LISTED ARE OFFICIAL TOURNAMENT SEED):

133: #1 Roman Bravo-Young, Sr., Tucson, Ariz./Sunnyside
Rd. 1: #33 Ethan Oakley, Appalachian State – W, 12-3 maj. dec.
Rd. 2: #17 Brayden Palmer, Chattanooga – tonight