Iowa claims Big Ten Title; Bravo-Young and Brooks win for Nittany Lions

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA – For the second year in a row, the Iowa Hawkeyes have claimed the title at the Big Ten Wrestling Championships completed Sunday at Penn State. The host Nittany Lions struggled on the second day of the tournament (3 and 9) and finished in second place.

The Nittany Lions crowned two champions in junior Roman Bravo-Young (Tucson, Ariz.) and sophomore Aaron Brooks (Hagerstown, Md.). Bravo-Young won his first and Brooks his second. The two-day event was hosted by Penn State in the BJC.

Freshman Carter Starocci (Erie, Pa.), runner-up at 174, was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Penn State finished the team race in second place. Iowa won the team title, followed by Penn State, Nebraska, Michigan, Minnesota and Purdue.

Penn State now heads to the 2021 NCAA Championships with nine total NCAA qualifiers secured and the at-large bids announced this coming Tuesday with the potential for one more. The 2021 NCAA Championships will take place in St. Louis, Mo., March 18-20.

Junior Roman Bravo-Young (Tucson, Ariz.), ranked No. 2 by InterMat at 133, took on No. 3 Austin DeSanto of Iowa in the first of Penn State’s four Big Ten title bouts. DeSanto took an early single, trying to gain control of the Lion’s right leg, but Bravo-Young fought off the slight shot. Bravo-Young then worked a fast shot into a scrambling takedown and opened up a 2-1 lead at the 1:34 mark. The duo finished the opening period in neutral on the Nittany Lion logo and the bout moved to the second period with Bravo-Young leading by one. DeSanto chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 2-2 tie. Bravo-Young took a diving shot with 1:15 on the clock but DeSanto stepped back from the effort to keep the one-point margin intact briefly. Another fast shot from the Lion junior led to a second Bravo-Young takedown and a 4-2 lead. He kept DeSanto down on the mat and finished on top to lead 4-2 with 1:13 in time after two. Bravo-Young chose down to start the third period and escaped to a 5-2 lead. DeSanto immediately got in on a high single but Bravo-Young fought off the move and the clock read 1:22. Bravo-Young gave up a stall warning late in the final period but his early work gave the Lion a strong 5-2 win and his first Big Ten championship. Bravo-Young went 3-0 to pick up his first conference crown.

Senior Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.), ranked No. 2 at 141, met No. 1 Jaydin Eierman of Iowa in the finals. Lee scored quickly, drifting behind the Hawkeye for a takedown and an early 2-1 lead. Eierman countered a Lee shot and took the Lion down to take a 3-2 lead with 2:00 on the clock. Eierman kept control of Lee for the rest of the period and Lee trailed by one after one (Eierman had 1:59 in riding time as well). Eirman chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 4-2 lead with 1:37 on the clock. Lee worked the middle off the mat for the next minute, taking shots that the Hawkeye was able to skip away from. Lee continued to shoot, Eirman continued to move away and the clock moved to :30. Eirman picked up a first stall before the period ended and Lee trailed 4-2 after two. Lee chose neutral to start the third period. With Eirman holding a riding time edge, the Lion tied the bout at 4-4 with a takedown. He cut Eierman loose to a 5-4 score and went back to work. Lee picked up a point on a second stall, tying the bout at 5-5, but Eierman was able to back away for the rest of the bout and picked up a 6-5 victory. Lee took second at 141 with a 2-1 record, including a technical fall.

Freshman Carter Starocci (Erie, Pa.), ranked No. 4 at 174, battled No. 1 Michael Kemerer of Iowa in Penn State’s third final battle. The Lion freshman battled the senior in the center mat for the first half of the opening stanza. Kemerer took a 2-0 lead with a takedown at the 1:01 mark. Starocci quickly escaped, then took a high single but Kemerer forced a stalemate to maintain his lead. Leading by one, Kemerer chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 3-1 lead with 1:45 on the clock. Starocci locked up a high single on a reset but the Hawkeye once again defended the Lion shot. Starocci took a shot late that Kemerer countered in a scramble, notching a takedown with two near fall points to lead 7-1 after two periods. Starocci chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 7-2 score. He fought off a Kemerer single for the next :30 and a reset moved the action to the center circle with 1:10 left in the bout. Starocci continued to move forward with shots but Kemerer’s strong defense kept the Lion from scoring and Starocci dropped a 7-2 decision. Starocci earned runner-up status in his first conference tournament with a 3-1 record, including a pin.

Sophomore Aaron Brooks (Hagerstown, Md.), ranked No. 1 at 184, took on No. 14 Taylor Venz of Nebraska in Penn State’s final title tilt. Venz notched the bout’s first takedown but Brooks quickly escaped and returned to his feet. He then moved in on the Cornhusker and took him down to open up a 3-2 lead with 1:35 left in the opening period. Brooks maintained control for the rest of the period and finished on top to lead 3-2 with 1:46 in time after one. Brooks chose down to start the second period. He waited for his chance during the scramble and worked his way around Venz for a reversal at the 1:15 mark to up his lead to 5-2. He picked up another takedown after a Venz escape, finished on top again, and led 7-3 with 2:10 in time after two periods. Venz chose down to start the third period. Brooks controlled Venz long enough to clinch the riding time point before the Husker escaped to a 7-4 score. Brooks worked his way around a Venz shot for a takedown and a 9-4 lead with :45 on the clock. He cut Venz loose and, with 3:03 in riding time, rolled to a 10-5 decision and his second straight Big Ten Championship at 184.

True freshman Robert Howard (Cranford, N.J.) battled No. 9 Malik Heinselman of Ohio State in Penn State’s first consolation semifinal bout. Heinselman took a 2-1 lead with a takedown at the 1:40 mark. Howard escaped to start the second period, tying the bout at 2-2. The duo grappled through another scramble but the 2-2 score held after two. Heinselman quickly escaped to a 3-2 lead to start the third period. Howard got in on a high single with :45 left but the Buckeye scrambled out of the Lions’ grasp, countered for a final takedown, and downed the Nittany Lion freshman 5-2. Howard met No. 15 Michael DeAugustino of Northwestern in the fifth-place bout. DeAugustino scored the bouts’ first takedown just under a minute into the bout and rode the Lion freshman out. DeAugstino added a quick escape to start the second period, the middle stanza’s only points. Howard chose neutral to begin the final period. He forced a scramble and worked DeAugustino towards his back, picking up a late takedown. DeAugustino picked up a riding time point and Howard lost 4-2, placing sixth in his first Big Ten tournament. Howard went 3-3 with two majors and advanced to nationals.

Junior Brady Berge (Mantorville, Minn.), ranked No. 8 at 157, met No. 6 Brayton Lee of Minnesota in the consi semis. The ranked duo battled through a scoreless first period. Berge chose down to start the second stanza and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Lee answered that escape to begin the third and the bout moved into the third period tied at 1-1. Berge gave up a stall warning midway through the third period but the bout moved to sudden victory. Lee took Berge down :15 into extra time and took the 3-1 (sv) win, sending Berge into the fifth-place bout. Berge took medical forfeit (not a loss) and did not compete in the fifth-place bout, earning him a sixth-place finish with a 3-2 record, including three majors. He now preps for the NCAA Championships.

Freshman Michael Beard (Pottstown, Pa.), No. 15 at 197, took on No. 13 Cameron Caffey of Michigan State in the consolation semis. Caffey notched an early takedown, taking a 2-0 lead with 2:20 on the clock. The Spartan was able to build up over 1:00 in riding time before Beard escaped to a 2-1 score. Caffey added a second takedown and led 4-1 with 1:53 in time after one. Caffey added a quick escape to up his lead to 5-1 and then countered a Beard shot for another takedown to lead 7-2 after two periods. The Spartan added one more takedown and a reversal of Beard’s first takedown and posted the 12-6 win, moving Beard into the fifth-place bout. He met No. 14 Lucas Davison of Northwestern for fifth. Beard came out and controlled the action early. Beard controlled the early tempo but could not break through Davison’s defense and the first period ended in a scoreless tie. Davison chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Beard moved in for a low shot, scrambling for a takedown in the center circle to take a 2-1 lead. Davison escaped quickly and the bout was tied 2-2. Beard chose down to start the final period and escaped, but Davison would take on two takedowns in the third period to notch a 6-4 win. Beard finished sixth in his first Big Ten tournament with a 3-3 record.

Freshman Greg Kerkvliet (Grove Heights, Minn.), ranked No. 6 at 285, battled No. 12 Christian Lance of Nebraska in Penn State’s final consolation semi match-up. Kerkvliet dominated the first three minutes, scoring on two textbook takedowns to lead 4-1 with over 1:30 in riding time heading to the second. The Penn State freshman escaped to start the second period and added another takedown. He continued his dominant effort, picking up one more late takedown and adding 2:30 in riding time to roll to a 10-2 major decision. His win moved him into the third-place bout where he took on No. 3 Tony Cassioppi of Iowa. The Hawkeye notched the bout’s first takedown, scoring on the edge of the mat for an early 2-0 lead. Kerkvliet worked to break free of Cassioppi’s strong ride but the Hawkeye was able to maintain control on offense and ended the first period with a 2-0 lead and 1:50 in riding time. Kerkvliet chose neutral to start the second period but the Hawkeye added a second takedown and upped his lead to 4-0. A stall point gave the Hawkeye a 5-0 lead after two periods. Cassioppi would add an escape and another takedown and posted a 9-0 major. Kerkvliet finished fourth at his first conference tourney with a 4-2 record, including three majors.

Freshman Joe Lee (Evansville, Ind.) had one match slated for the day, taking on David Ferrante of Northwestern for seventh place at 165. Lee countered an early Ferrante shot and nearly scored himself but almost a minute’s worth of scrambling led to no scoring. Lee rolled himself into a scramble but Ferrante countered for a takedown and a 2-0 lead as the first period ended. Lee took a brief lead in the second with a takedown and near fall, but Ferrante counter-rolled through Lee’s pin effort for back points of his own and led 9-6 with 1:19 in time after two periods. Lee chose neutral to start the third period, looking to battle back on his feet. But Ferrante held the Nittany Lion freshman at arm’s length and Lee dropped a 10-6 decision. Lee went 2-3 and finished eighth in his first conference tournament run.

All nine of the above Nittany Lions have qualified for the NCAA Championships. True freshman Beau Bartlett (Tempe, Ariz.) went 1-2 at 149, dropping a sudden victory bout in his last match-up in session two. Bartlett will be in the pool for consideration for an at-large bid at 149. The NCAA will announce the at-large entrants at each weight on Tuesday, March 9, in a release on NCAA.com.

The Nittany Lions went 3-9 in overall on Sunday. Penn State finished the tournament with a 27-17 overall record and collected 18.5 bonus points from eight majors, a tech fall and four pins. Brooks earned his second Big Ten title and Starocci became Penn State’s seventh Big Ten Freshman of the Year. It is Penn State’s second straight, with Brooks winning last season.

Penn State at 2021 Big Ten Championship – FINAL

March 7, 2021 – University Park, Pa. – Bryce Jordan Center

TEAM STANDINGS (FINAL)
1: Iowa – 159.5
2: PENN STATE – 124.0
3: Nebrarska – 105.5
4: Michigan – 92.0
5: Minnesota – 77.5
6: Purdue – 76.0
7: Northwestern – 74.0
8: Michigan State – 73.5
9: Ohio State – 69.5
10: Rutgers – 52.0
11: Illinois – 32.0
12: Wisconsin – 30.5
13: Indiana – 22.0
14: Maryland – 2.0