Penn State perfect in NCAA quarterfinals, send 6 to semis

 

DETROIT, Mich. – The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team will have six All-Americans competing in the NCAA National Semifinals Friday night after they each grabbed wins in the morning’s quarterfinal action. All six became All-Americans with their quarterfinal victories and will continue championship bracket action in the evening. Penn State went a perfect 6-0 in the quarters and continues to lead the team race.

As of 3:15 p.m. with some consolation bouts still in process, Penn State leads a tight team race with 73.0 points, Michigan is in second with 62.5. Arizona State has 53.0.

Senior Roman Bravo-Young (Tucson, Ariz.), the No. 1 seed at 133, faced No. 25 Brian Courtney of Virginia in Penn State’s first quarterfinal match. Bravo-Young took Courtney down quick, just seconds into the match and kept control of the Cavalier until cutting him loose at the :30 mark. He led 2-1 after one, chose down to start the second, and quickly reversed him to lead 4-1. After another cut, Bravo-Young added two more takedowns to lead 8-3 after two. After a Courtney escape, Bravo-Young tacked on two more takedowns and posted a 13-6 win, becoming a four-time All-American and advancing to the semifinals.

Senior Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.), the No. 1 seed at 141, met No. 8 Grant Willits of Oregon State in the quarters. Lee took Willits down midway through the first period and controlled the action on offense for the rest of the period to lead 2-0 with 1:18 in riding time after one. Lee chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 3-0 lead. He then pressed in on offense, turned a high double into a scramble and worked Willits’ back to the mat. After a bit of work, Lee got the fall at the 3:45 mark, moving to the semifinals and becoming Penn State’s first five-time All-American.

Sophomore Carter Starocci (Erie, Pa.), the No. 1 seed at 174, took on No. 9 Mikey Labriola off Nebraska in the quarterfinals. Starocci and Labriola scrambled through the middle part of the opening period with neither wrestler getting a takedown. Starocci chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. He finished the period with a strong ride and led 3-0 with 1:27 in riding time after two periods. Labriola chose down to start the third period and escaped to a 3-1 score with 1:30 left in the bout. Starocci closed out the convincing win with another takedown and riding time to post the 6-1 victory, becoming a two-time All-American and advancing to the semifinals.

Junior Aaron Brooks (Hagerstown, Md.), the No. 2 seed at 184, met No. 7 Kaleb Romero of Ohio State in the quarterfinals. Brooks opened up an early lead in the first period, taking Romero down early and then adding a late takedown to lead 4-1 with :51 in time after one. Brooks chose down and quickly escaped to a 5-1 lead. He took Romero down again and led 7-1 with 1:00 to go in the period. Romero chose neutral to start the third and Brooks quickly took the Buckeye down again to take a 9-1 lead. Brooks clinched the riding time point before Romero escaped to a 9-2 score. Brooks continued to pour on the offense in the third and walked away with a 13-2 major decision, becoming a three-time All-American and advancing to the semifinals.

Junior Max Dean (Lowell, Mich.), the No. 1 seed at 197, faced No. 8 Lou Deprez of Binghamton in the quarters. Deprez notched an early takedown to open up a 2-1 lead in the first minute. Dean fought off another Deprez single and trailed by one after one. Dean chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 2-2 tie, but not before Deprez built up a 1:05 time edge. Dean nearly scored as the period ended but Deprez was able to work his way out of bounds. Dean scrambled for a takedown at the 1:00 mark but none was called. The officials reviewed the action, and the call was reversed, giving Dean the takedown and a 4-2 lead. Dean then worked the top position and killed Deprez’s riding time lead. Deprez was able to escape but Dean’s third period takedown was the difference in a 4-3 victory. The win moved Dean into the semifinals as a three-time All-American.

Sophomore Greg Kerkvliet (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.), the No. 4 seed at 285, battled No. 12 Christian Lance of Nebraska in Penn State’s last quarterfinal of the session. Kerkvliet took an early 2-0 lead with a takedown at the :40 mark of the first period. He finished on top and chose down to start the second. Kerkvliet reversed Lance to start the second period, opening up a 4-0 lead and building up well over 1:00 in riding time with strong offense on top. He led 4-0 with 2:19 in riding time after two periods. Lance chose down to start the third and Kerkvliet build up over 4:00 in time before he escaped. Kerkvliet continued his strong offense, though, and notched a final takedown to roll to a 7-1 win with 4:09 in riding time. The victory made him a two-time All-American and advanced him to the semifinals.

Senior Brady Berge (Mantorville, Minn.), the No. 16 seed at 157, battled No. 15 Johnny Lovett of Central Michigan in the second consolation round. Berge led 2-1 after the first period thanks to an early takedown. He chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 3-1 lead, the only points in the second. Lovett chose down to start the third and reversed Berge to tie the bout at 3-3. Berge escaped quickly to lead 5-4 as the clock hit 1:00. Berge held off Lovett’s late offense and posted the 4-3 win, advancing to the third round of consolation action. In his second conso bout of the session, Berge took on No. 10 Peyton Robb of Nebraska. Robb took an early lead with a takedown and Berge escaped in seconds to set the score at 2-1 a minute in. Robb added a second takedown and Berge trailed 4-2 after the opening period. Robb added a takedown in the second and another takedown in the third to post the 8-3 win. The loss for Berge ended the Lion’s tournament with a 2-2 mark.

Senior Drew Hildebrandt (Granger, Ind.), the No. 16 seed at 125, met No. 15 Brody Teske of Northern Iowa in the second round of consolation action. Hildebrandt gave up two takedowns to trail 4-1 after the first period and escaped to start the second, cutting the lead to 4-2. Hildebrandt then tied the match with a takedown of his own. Teske escaped to a 5-4 lead with :30 left in the period. Teske escaped to start the third period and added a final takedown to post an 8-4 win. The loss ended Hildebrandt’s tournament with a 1-2 mark.

Sophomore Beau Bartlett (Tempe, Ariz.), the No. 13 seed at 149, battled No. 19 Yahya Thomas of Northwestern in the second round of consos. Bartlett defended a solid Thomas single for nearly a minute in the opening period and fought off the move to keep the bout scoreless after one. Thomas chose down to start the second and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. He added a takedown and led 3-1 after two after a Bartlett escape. Bartlett escaped to start the third period, but Thomas added another takedown to up his lead to 5-2. Bartlett escaped quickly and went to work on offense, but Thomas was able work the clocks down and grab the 5-3 victory. The loss ended Bartlett’s tournament at 1-2.

The Nittany Lions went 7-3 in session three and are 22-6 overall at the tournament’s midway point. Penn State has 16.5 bonus points off seven majors, one technical fall and four pins.

Penn State has won eight of the last ten contested NCAA Championships (all since Sanderson’s arrival at Penn State and he is in his 13th season this year). The Nittany Lions have won nine NCAA titles overall, owning a championship from 1953. The Nittany Lions won four-straight titles in 2016, ‘17, ‘18 and ‘19 and again in 2011, ‘12, ‘13 and ‘14.

The tournament continues at 8 p.m. Friday (ESPN) with the national semifinals and consolation action, including the All-America round; and Saturday’s at 11 a.m. (ESPNU) and 7 p.m. (ESPN).

Penn State at 2022 NCAA Wrestling Championships – Session 3
March 18, 2022 – Detroit, Mich. – Little Caesars Arena

Team Standings (Top 3)
1: PENN STATE – 73.0
2: Michigan – 62.5
3: Arizona State – 53.0