PSU to take on Hofstra Sunday; Former Wildcat Nik Miller expected to be in line-up for Hofstra
UNIVERSITY PARK- The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestlers (1-0, 0-0 B1G) continue dual meet action on Sunday, Dec. 10, when they host Hofstra (0-1) in Rec Hall. The action begins at 1 p.m. All rankings listed are InterMat/InterMat TPI. Former Central Mountain Wildcat Nikolas Miller is expected to be in the line-up for Hofstra at 197.
Penn State is coming off a 30-10 win over Lehigh in the dual opener for head coach Cael Sanderson‘s Nittany Lions last Sunday. Five Nittany Lions made their dual debuts in the win as Penn State began the year with the resounding victory and is 1-0 heading into the battle with Hofstra in Rec Hall.
The Nittany Lion line-up features nine ranked wrestlers this week. Aaron Nagao is ranked No. 4 at 133 and is 4-1, Beau Bartlett is No. 2 at 141 and is 7-0, Shayne Van Ness, who is now out for the season, is No. 2 at 149 and is 3-0, Levi Haines is No. 1 at 157 and is 4-0, Mitchell Mesenbrink is No. 14 at 165 and is 8-0, Carter Starocci is No. 1 at 174 and is 4-0, Bernie Truax is No. 2 at 184 and is 4-0, Aaron Brooks is No. 1 at 197 and is 3-0, and Greg Kerkvliet is No. 1 at 285 and is 4-0.
Hofstra enters the dual meet coming off competing at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational last weekend. The Pride are 0-1 overall, having lost to Ohio State in a dual on Nov. 19. Hofstra is led by heavyweight Keaton Kluever who is ranked No. 21 by InterMat and is 3-1 overall. Penn State leads the all-time series 5-2. The Nittany Lions lost the last meeting, an 18-15 setback on Nov. 16, 2008 in Rec Hall.
Penn State returns to dual meet action on Friday, Jan. 5, at Oregon State. The dual is an 8 p.m. Eastern start (5 p.m. local). Many Nittany Lions will also prepare for the 2023 Senior Nationals/2024 US Olympic Trials Qualifier in Fort Worth, Tex., on Dec. 15-17. The Nittany Lions are led by head coach Cael Sanderson.
All rankings listed are InterMat individual/InterMat TPI. The 2023-24 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by the Family Clothesline. Penn State Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via X at @pennstateWREST, on Penn State Wrestling’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/pennstatewrest. This is PENN STATE. WRESTLING lives here.
#1 PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (1-0, 0-0 B1G)
125 Robert Howard So. Cranford, N.J./Bergen Catholic 3-4
Gary Steen So. Hermitage, Pa./Reynolds 6-3
Braeden Davis Fr. Belleville, Mich./Dundee 7-0
133 #4 Aaron Nagao So. La Habra, Calif./Esperanza 4-1
141 #2 Beau Bartlett Sr. Tempe, Ariz./Wyoming Seminary (Pa.) 8-0
149 Tyler Kasak Fr. Doylestown, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic 4-1
157 #1 Levi Haines So. Arendtsville, Pa./Biglerville 4-0
165 #14 Mitchell Mesenbrink Fr. Hartland, Wis./Arrowhead 8-0
174 #1 Carter Starocci Sr. Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep 4-0
184 #2 Bernie Truax Gr. Oceanside, Calif./Rancho Buena Vista 4-0
197 #1 Aaron Brooks Sr.+ Hagerstown, Md./North Hagerstown 3-0
285 #1 Greg Kerkvliet Sr. Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley 4-0
HOFSTRA PRIDE (0-1)
125 Dylan Ryder Sr. Dix Hills, N.Y./Half Hollow Hills West 3-4
133 Dylan Acevedo Jr. Sayreville, N.J./Sayreville 0-4
Ryan Arbeit Fr. Wantagh, N.Y./Wantagh 0-3
141 Alex Turley So. St. Louis, Mo./Webster Groves 2-6
149 Noah Tapia Fr. Moline, Ill./Moline 3-7
157 Frank Volpe Fr. Hauppauge, N.Y./Hauppauge 0-3
165 Joe McGinty Sr. Monroe, N.Y./Monroe-Woodbury 4-4
Matt Rogers Jr. Wantagh, N.Y./Wantagh 0-1
174 Ross McFarland Jr. Pennellville, N.Y./Massapequa 3-4
184 Will Conlon Fr. Hoover, Ala./Spain Park 3-6
197 Nikolas Miller Jr. Lock Haven, Pa./Central Mountain 2-4
285 #21 Keaton Kluever Gr. Kaukauna, Wis./Kaukauna 3-1
Individual Rankings listed are InterMat and Team Rankings are
Intermat Tournament Power Index (as of 12/5/23)
THIS WEEK
#1 Penn State (1-0, 0-0 B1G) hosts Hofstra (0-1) on Sunday, Dec. 10. The dual meet is a 1 p.m. start in Rec Hall.
UP NEXT
Penn State returns to dual meet action on Friday, Jan. 5, at Oregon State. The dual is an 8 p.m. Eastern start (5 p.m. local). Many Nittany Lions will also prepare for the 2023 Senior Nationals/2024 US Olympic Trials Qualifier in Fort Worth, Texas, on Dec. 15-17.
ON THE AIR
TV – None
Radio online – Free all year via Lionvision at GoPSUsports.com
Live Web Video – B1G+
NOTES:
ALL-AMERICAN SHAYNE VAN NESS OUT FOR SEASON
Penn State head coach Cael Sanderson announced on Tuesday, Dec. 5, that returning All-American Shayne Van Ness, who was ranked No. 2 at 149 at the time, will miss the remainder of the season with an injury.
FIVE NITTANY LIONS MAKE REC HALL DUAL DEBUTS IN 30-10 WIN OVER #20 LEHIGH TO OPEN DUAL SEASON
Penn State won seven of ten bouts in the dual meet opener for the Nittany Lions and downed #20 Lehigh 30-10 in Rec Hall on Dec. 3. Five Nittany Lions made their Penn State dual meet debuts in the match (Aaron Nagao, Tyler Kasak, Mitchell Mesenbrink, Bernie Truax, Lucas Cochran). Carter Starocci picked up a pin at 174 to lead Penn State, Greg Kerkvliet majored #12 Nathan Taylor at 285, Levi Haines downed #24 Max Brignola at 157, Mitchell Mesenbrink notched a tech fall over #32 Jake Logan at 165, Bernie Truax picked up a tech fall at 184, Beau Bartlett notched a major at 141 and Tyler Kasak moved up to 149 and downed Drew Muchn 7-5 at 149.
LUCAS COCHRAN TAKES THIRD AT MAT TOWN OPEN
Sophomore Lucas Cochran posted a 2-1 record, plus a win over a non-collegiate wrestler, to take third place at the Mat Town Open at Lock Haven on Nov. 26. Cochran majored Virginia’s Krystian Kinsey and then dropped a tough 13-6 decision to #6 Jacob Cardenas of Cornell. He pinned Cayden Bevis of Binghamton (2:57) and beat a non-collegiate wrestler in the third place bout. Kurt McHenry went 1-2 at 125 and both Sean Wang (133) and Timothy Levine (149) competed as well.
FIVE NITTANY LIONS WIN TITLES AT BLACK KNIGHT INVITE; BARTLETT’S THREE PINS EARN HIM B1G W.o.W.
Five Nittany Lion wrestlers won titles at the Black Knight Invite at West Point on Nov. 19. True freshman Braeden Davis went 4-0 at 125 to win the title, including victories over No. 31 Tristan Lujan of Michigan State and No. 30 Ethan Berginc of Army West Point. Aaron Nagao went 4-0 in his Penn State debut at 133, including a pin over No. 33 Braden Basile of Army West Point in the title bout. Beau Bartlett went 4-0 with three pins to reign supreme at 141. Mitchell Mesenbrink went 4-0 at 165, including a 25-6 tech over No. 21 Brevin Cassella of Binghamton and a pin of No. 22 Anthony White of Rutgers, to win his title. True freshman Josh Barr went 4-0 at 184, including a win over No. 13 Jacob Nolan, to win the crown as well. Bartlett’s three pins earned the Lion senior a share of the Nov. 21 Big Ten Wrestler of the Week honor.
12 OF PENN STATE’S 17 ENTRIES PLACE AT BLACK KNIGHT
Including the five champions listed above (Davis, Nagao, Bartlett, Mesenbrink, Barr), 12 of Penn State’s 17 competitors placed at the Black Knight Invite on Nov. 19. Robert Howard went 2-2 for 4th at 125; Gary Steen went 4-1 for 5th at 125; Tyler Kasak went 3-1, losing to Bartlett in the finals, for 2nd at 141; David Evans went 4-1 for 5th at 141; Terrell Barraclough went 3-1, including a pin of No. 9 Caleb Fish of Michigan State, for 2nd at 165 (losing to Mesenbrink in the finals); Matt Lee went 3-2 for 6th at 165; and Brian Borden went 3-2 for 6th at 174.
FIVE NITTANY LIONS COMPETE AT NWCA ALL-STAR EXHIBITION, HOSTED IN REC HALL ON NOV. 21
Five Penn State Nittany Lion wrestlers competed in the 2023 National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Star Exhibition. The event took place on Tuesday, Nov. 21, in Penn State’s very own Rec Hall. The exhibition was not an official NCAA event and does not count towards any competitor’s win/loss record or RPI. Shayne Van Ness rolled to a 5-1 win over Arizona State’s Kyle Parco at 149, Carter Starocci majored Mekhi Lewis 11-0 at 174, Aaron Brooks majored Tanner Sloan 11-2 at 197 and Greg Kerkvliet notched an 18-2 tech fall over Wyatt Hendrickson at 285.
SHAYNE VAN NESS RULES THE JOURNEYMEN; 3 WINS, 3 PINS, ALL IN THE FIRST PERIOD, EARNS B1G W.O.W.
Sophomore Shayne Van Ness rolled to a 3-0 record at the Journeymen Collegiate Classic on Nov. 12 in Bethlehem, Pa. All three of his wins were by fall and all three came in the first period. He pinned Army West Point’s Eddie Hummel at 2:06, Bloomsburg’s Cade Balestrini at 2:58 and Lehigh’s Kelvin Griffin at 1:30. In all, Van Ness wrestled 6:34 minutes of a possible 21:00. He was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week (11/14) for his efforts, sharing the honor with Wisconsin’s Dean Hamiti.
NITTANY LIONS ROLL AT JOURNEYMEN COLLEGIATE
Penn State rolled to a 45-15 overall record at the Journeymen Collegiate Classic on Nov. 12 in Bethlehem, Pa. Eleven of Penn State’s 20 wrestlers went unbeaten at the event (3-0). The Nittany Lions rolled up 10 pins, 11 tech falls and nine majors as well.
DAVID EVANS DOWNS #6 CJ COMPOSTO OF PENN TO TOP LIST OF NITTANY LION RANKED WINS AT JOURNEYMEN
Junior David Evans took down #6 CJ Composto of Penn in sudden victory to a 4-1 (sv) win at 141 to top the list of Penn State ranked wins at the Journeymen Collegiate Classic on Nov. 12 in Bethlehem, Pa. Evans lost a close 6-4 match to #12 Malyke Hines of Lehigh and got a medical forfeit win over #13 Vince Cornella of Cornell to go 2-1. Beau Bartlett rolled to a 15-3 major over #12 Hines as well, Carter Starocci teched #14 Nick Incontrera of Penn at 174, 21-5 (6:52), and Greg Kerkvliet rolled to a 7-2 win over #8 Owen Trephan of North Carolina State in Penn State’s other top ranked wins.
PARKING INFO FOR ’23-24
Transportation Services has announced parking information for Penn State Wrestling duals at Rec Hall for the 2023-24 season.
GAMEDAY PARKING LOCATIONS
• Nittany Deck, West Deck
• Parking available beginning two hours before each game
PARKING PAYMENT INFORMATION
• No charge with a valid Penn State parking permit
• Prepaid parking available through https://psu.parkmobile.io/rec-hall
o $5.50 through day before event, $10 day of event
o $30 season parking packages available through Dec. 2
Note: The season package does not include parking for the BJC Dual on Feb. 12 at the Bryce Jordan Center. Visit https://psu.parkmobile.io/bryce-jordan-center to purchase parking for that event.
PARKMOBILE PREPAYMENT INSTRUCTIONS
• Visit https://psu.parkmobile.io/rec-hall
• Select game or season package at bottom of the page
• Select parking area
• Enter the license plate information for the vehicle being driven to the event
o Note: If a different vehicle must be driven than the one registered at purchase, users must contact ParkMobile Member Support through the ParkMobile website or app (Settings – Chat Support) to request a vehicle change for that reservation.
• Purchase parking for the event
o Note: Guests must present their ParkMobile QR code to event parking staff on their mobile device, if requested. Printed permits from the ParkMobile website will also be accepted.
o Note: If correct license plate information is entered at purchase, the gates for the purchased parking facility will open automatically for entry and exit. If license plate information is not correct or cannot be read by deck equipment, guests must scan their ParkMobile QR code at the entry and exit machines.
IMPORTANT PARKING REMINDERS
All vehicles must be parked with the license plate facing the drive aisle located closest to the parking space so that payment can be verified by parking enforcement staff.
A valid permit or payment is required in event parking areas 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Vehicles parked without a valid permit or payment may be ticketed and/or towed at the owner’s expense.
Non-football event parking is managed by Penn State Transportation Services. For more information on parking for this event, please email parking@psu.edu or call 814-865-1436.
COMPLEMENTARY WEST DECK SHUTTLE SERVICE
Complementary shuttle service to and from the West Parking Deck will be provided for all 2023-24 Penn State Wrestling matches at Rec Hall.
Shuttle service will begin 90 minutes prior to each match and run until post-match traffic has cleared. Each shuttle is wheelchair accessible.
Located on White Course Drive and accessible from Atherton Street near Rec Hall, the West Deck provides fans with the following benefits:
• Reduced entry and exit times
• Parking for vehicles up to 7’9″ (Nittany Deck clearance 6’9″)
• Ground-level electric vehicle charging
For more information on Penn State Wrestling parking and shuttle service, email Penn State Transportation Services at parking@psu.edu or call 814-865-1436.
