First-Place Penn State Wrestling advances seven to National Semifinals with perfect session 3
TULSA, Okla – The Penn State Nittany wrestling team went 7-0 in the quarterfinals during a perfect third session at the 2023 NCAA Wrestling Championships in Tulsa’s BOK Center. All seven became All-Americans with their wins and advanced to Friday night’s national semifinals. Penn State also went 2-0 in consolation action to finish off the perfect session.
Penn State extended its lead in the team race. The Nittany Lions sit in first place with 78.0 points. Iowa is in second place with 48.0 while Cornell is in third with 45.5.
Roman Bravo-Young, the No. 1 seed at 133, 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).
Beau Bartlett, the No. 6 seed at 141, 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.
Redshirt freshman Shayne Van Ness, the No. 13 seed at 149, 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.
True freshman Levi Haines, the No. 2 seed at 157, 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.
Carter Starocci, the No. 1 seed at 174, 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.
Aaron Brooks, the No. 3 seed at 184, toon 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.
Greg Kerkvliet, the No. 3 seed at 285, 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.
Max Dean, the No. 9 seed at 197, 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.
The Nittany Lions went 9-0 in session three and hit the event’s midway point with an outstanding 24-3 overall mark. Penn State has collected 13.0 bonus points off five falls and three majors. Penn State’s seven semifinalists is a school record.
Action continues with sessions four at 8 p.m. Friday, March 17; and sessions five and six at 11:00 a.m. (ESPNU) and 7:00 p.m. (ESPN) on Saturday, March 18 (all times Eastern).
Penn State at 2023 NCAA Championships– Session 3
March 17, 2023 – BOK Center – Tulsa, Okla.
Team Standings (Top 3 after session 3)
1: PENN STATE – 78.0
2: Iowa – 48.0
3: Cornell – 45.5
