First place Penn State advances five to NCAA finals
TULSA, Okla.– The Penn State Nittany wrestling team will have five wrestlers competing for individual national titles at the 2023 NCAA Wrestling Championships in Tulsa, Okla. Penn State, which sent seven wrestlers to the national semifinals, went 5-2 in the Friday night round. The powerful performance, and the addition of an eighth All-American, has Penn State nearing yet another NCAA team title. The three-day tournament continues Saturday morning with consolation and placing bouts at 11 a.m. Eastern and the National Finals at 7 p.m.
The Nittany Lions lead the team race with 116.5 points while Iowa is in second with 77.0. Penn State has secured eight All-Americans for the year, tying the school record for All-Americans in a single season (1987, 2018). The Nittany Lions’ 5-2 showing in the semifinals improves the team’s mark to 50-8 in the semis since 2011, for a win percentage of .862. Penn State now has a total of 246 All-Americans in its long history, 83 of them (over one-third) under the guidance of head coach Cael Sanderson.
Roman Bravo-Young, the No. 1 seed at 133, met No. 4 Michael McGee of Arizona State in the first of Penn State’s seven semifinal matches. McGee connected on an early low shot but Bravo-Young scrambled his way to a stalemate midway through the opening period. Bravo-Young had a deep shot defended by McGee late in the period and the bout moved to the second tied 0-0. McGee chose down to start the second period and reversed Bravo-Young to a 2-0 score. McGee locked his hands during the ensuing ride, giving Bravo-Young a point. But the call was reversed on review and the lead stood at 2-0. Bravo-Young escaped to a 2-1 score before the period ended and trailed by one after two periods. Bravo-Young chose down to start the third and McGee controlled the action from the top position until Bravo-Young escaped to a 2-2 tie. Bravo-Young worked his way into control of a single and took a 4-2 lead with a takedown. McGee escaped to cut the lead to 4-3 late and his riding time sent the bout to sudden victory. Bravo-Young quickly moved in on a low shot and scrambled his way to the winning takedown early in extra time. Bravo-Young advanced to tomorrow night’s NCAA title bout with the 6-4 (sv) win.
Beau Bartlett, the No. 6 seed at 141, took on No. 2 Andrew Alirez of Northern Colorado in the semifinals. Alirez used a high single to work his way to a takedown and an early 2-0 lead. Bartlett got to his feet for the escape with 1:08 left in the opening period to cut the lead in half, 2-1. The wrestlers spent the rest of the period in neutral and Bartlett trailed by one after one. Alirez chose down to start the second stanza and quickly escaped to a 3-1 lead. Alirez was able to work his way into control for a second takedown and a 5-1 lead after two periods. Bartlett chose down to start the third period and worked his way to an escape and a 5-2 deficit at the 1:35 mark. He moved in on offense but Alirez was able to defend the clock down below :30. Bartlett forced one stall warning but Alirez was able to kill the clock and, with riding time, Alirez posted the 6-2 win. Bartlett’s loss dropped the Nittany Lion All-American into consolation action, with third place still in play.
Redshirt freshman Shayne Van Ness, the No. 13 seed at 149, battled No. 1 Yianni Diakomihalis of Cornell in the semis. Van Ness came out shooting and nearly took Diakomihalis down off the opening whistle. But the Big Red grappler was able to fight off the move and action continued in neutral. Van Ness remained aggressive, staying in the center circle and looking for his shots. The match moved to the second period tied 0-0. Van Ness chose down to start the second period and worked his way to a quick escape and a 1-0 lead. The duo finished the second period in neutral and Van Ness led 1-0 heading into the final period. Diakomihalis chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 1-1 tie. Van Ness worked his way in for a takedown and a 3-2 lead after a quick Diakomihalis escape. But the Big Red wrestler answered with a quick takedown and four back points take an 8-3 lead. That big move was the difference in the bout and Van Ness dropped the 8-3 decision. The loss dropped the Penn State All-American into consolation action, with third place still possible.
True freshman Levi Haines, the No. 2 seed at 157, faced No. 3 Peyton Robb of Nebraska in the semifinals. Haines and Robb worked the middle of the mat for all three minutes of the opening period with neither wrestler giving an inch. The bout moved to the second tied 0-0 and Robb escaped to a 1-0 lead to begin the middle stanza. Haines worked his way into a deep single at the 1:00 mark and steadily worked his way to a takedown and a 2-0 lead. Robb escaped to tie the bout at 2-2 with :15 left and action moved to the third. Haines chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 3-2 lead. The Nittany Lion then worked through a scramble and notched a second takedown to lead 5-2 with :30 left. Robb managed a late escape but Haines’ strong offense in the final two periods sent the true freshman into the national finals with a 5-3 win.
Carter Starocci, the No. 1 seed at 174, battled No. 4 Chris Foca of Cornell in his semifinal bout. Starocci took control of the bout early, taking Foca down just over a minute in to lead 2-0. He then controlled the action on top for well over a minute and finished the period on top to lead 2-0 with 1:45 in riding time. Starocci chose down to start the second stanza and quickly escaped to a 3-0 lead. Starocci controlled the tempo for the second period, forcing Foca backwards as the period played out to lead by three after two. Foca chose neutral to begin the last period and Starocci went to work. The Nittany Lion junior moved through a single for a second takedown and a 5-0 lead with :40 left in the bout. With riding time clinched, Starocci finished the match on top and advanced to the NCAA title bout once again with a strong 6-0 win.
Aaron Brooks, the No. 3 seed at 184, faced off against No. 2 Trent Hidlay of North Carolina State in the semifinals. Brooks and Hidlay fought through an even opening minute-plus before Brooks used a swift low single to control Hidlay’s leg, take him down, and open up a 2-1 lead after a quick Hidlay escape. Brooks quickly added a second takedown to up his lead to 4-1 and worked his riding time over 1:00 with the rideout. Leading 4-1, Brooks chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 5-1 lead. Brooks controlled the second period from neutral and carried that lead into the third period. Hidlay chose down to start the third period. Brooks gave up a stall point on top and then Hidlay escaped to a 5-3 score with 1:20 left (Brooks had 1:49 in time). Brooks added 1:49 in riding time and rode into the NCAA finals once again with a 6-3 win over Hidlay.
Greg Kerkvliet, the No. 3 seed at 285, battled No. 2 Wyatt Hendrickson of Air Force in Penn State’s seventh and last semifinal bout of the evening. Kerkvliet worked his way in on a low shot early but Hendrickson was able to counter the move and took a 2-0 lead with a takedown. Kerkvliet worked his way to an escape to cut the lead to 2-1 with 1:00 left in the opening period. Kerkvliet trailed by one after one. He chose down to start the second period and, after a minute’s work, reversed Hendrickson to take a 3-2 lead. He then controlled the action on top, forcing a stall warning, and working the Air Force grapplers time edge below 1:00. He finished the period on top and carried that lead into the third. Hendrickson chose down to start the third period and Kerkvliet continued to control the action on top. He was called for stalling at :56, forcing a reset. Kerkvliet still finished the period on top and, with riding time, moved into his first NCAA final bout with a 4-2 victory over the second-seed.
Max Dean, the No. 9 seed at 197, met No. 11 Jaxon Smith of Maryland in the ‘blood round’ with a win earning All-America laurels. Dean set the tempo early, forcing Smith to the outside circle. Dean continued to press Smith towards out of bounds as the clock moved below 1:00. The duo moved to the second period tied 0-0. Dean escaped to a 1-0 lead to start the second period. Dean connected on a low single and was able to pull Smith back onto the mat for a takedown on the edge, upping his lead to 3-0. Smith managed a late escape and Dean led 3-1 after two. Smith chose down to start the third period and escaped to a 3-2 score. Dean finished the period on attack and became a four-time All-American with the 3-2 win. He then took on No. 2 Bernie Truax of Cal Poly. Truax took an early 2-1 lead with a quick takedown. Truax as was able to work through another scramble for a second takedown and a 4-2 lead at :42. Dean worked for a takedown on the edge of the mat but Truax was able to back out to a reset as the first period ended. Dean escaped to a 4-3 score to start the second period. He was steady on offense however and his efforts paid off as he took a 5-4 lead into the third period with a late takedown. Truax chose down to start the third period and Dean went to work on top. He controlled the action from the top position and had Truax locked down when the officials stopped action for blood time, forcing a reset. Dean was able to control the Cal Poly wrestler for nearly the entire period before Truax reversed him in the last seconds. Dean’s riding time point sent the bout to sudden victory. Truax notched a takedown early in extra time to post the 8-6 (sv) win, sending Dean into the seventh-place bout.
Redshirt freshman Alex Facundo, the No. 13 seed at 165, ended his tournament Thursday with two tough losses. Facundo finished his first season in the Nittany Lion line-up with a 19-6 overall record.
The Nittany Lions went 6-3 in session four and have an outstanding 30-6 overall mark after two days of action. Penn State has collected 13.0 bonus points off five pins and three majors.
The tournament continues Saturday, March 18, with the conclusion of the consolation bracket and all placing bouts (three through eight) at 11:00 a.m. (ESPNU). The national finals are set for 7:00 p.m. on ESPN (all times Eastern).
Penn State at 2023 NCAA Championships– Session 4
March 17, 2023 – BOK Center – Tulsa, Okla.
Team Standings (Top 3 after session 4)
1: PENN STATE – 116.5
2: Iowa – 77.0
3: Cornell – 64.0
