Penn State wrestlers won individual Big Ten championships and the Nittany Lions claimed their third consecutive conference team title on Sunday at Northwestern’s Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Illinois.
Luke Lilledahl, Tyler Kasak, Mitchell Mesenbrink, Levi Haines, Carter Starocci each captured individual conference crowns, while Greg Kerkvliet took second. Haines and Starocci took home their third Big Ten titles, Mesenbrink won his second and Lilledahl and Kasak claimed their first.
In the consolation bracket, Beau Bartlett and Shayne Van Ness both won third place, Braeden Davis took fourth and Josh Barr finished sixth after injury defaulting in his final two bouts.
All 10 Penn State wrestlers had already qualified on Saturday for the NCAA Championships March 20-22 in Philadelphia.
Penn State finished atop the team standings with a school-record 181.5 points, eclipsing last year’s total of 170.5. Nebraska was second with 137 points, followed by Iowa (112), Minnesota (108.5) and Illinois (105.5) to round out the top five.
The Big Ten tournament title is Penn State’s ninth overall, all won under coach Cael Sanderson, who ties longtime Michigan coach Cliff Keen for second most in conference history behind Dan Gable’s 21.
CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET
125 Pounds – Luke Lilledahl
No. 4 seed Luke Lilledahl struck first against No. 2 seed Caleb Smith of Nebraska in the 125 pound title bout. The Nittany Lion freshman used an ankle pick for a takedown with under a minute left in the first and stayed in control for the remainder of the period.
Smith escaped to start the second to narrow the lead to 3-1 heading into the third.
Lilledahl started the final period with an escape of his own 17 seconds into the third. As the two wrestlers battled near the edge of the mat, Lilledahl was hit with a questionable second stall call giving Smith a second point. A third stall call late handed Smith another point but that would be all. Lilledahl claimed a 4-3 decision and his first Big Ten title.
“I’ve been watching this on TV pretty much since I started wrestling and to be able to finally compete in it and win it is just a dream come true,” Lilledahl told the Big Ten Network. “But also it’s just a stepping stone to the national title. So I’ll just take what I can from my matches and prepare for [the NCAA Championships].”
157 Pounds – Tyler Kasak
No. 2 seed Tyler Kasak rolled out of a strong shot by No. 8 seed Brandon Cannon of Ohio State for a takedown with 30 seconds left in the first period to take a 3-0 lead in the 157 pound title bout.
Cannon escaped for the only scoring of the second period and Kasak held a 3-1 advantage going into the third. Kasak responded with an escape early in the final period then was hit with a second stall call before taking down Cannon and whipping him to his back for a seven-point throw. The Nittany Lion sophomore maintained control for a 12-2 major decision and his first Big Ten title.
“It’s just all about preparation leading up to it,” Kasak told BTN. “I thought I did a pretty good job preparing for these types of moments and handling adversity and things that come along with being a wrestler in Division I.”
Asked what to expect from him at NCAAs in two weeks, Kasak replied “Gold. That’s it. Gold.”
165 Pounds – Mitchell Mesenbrink
No. 1 seed Mitchell Mesenbrink worked a head outside single into a takedown of No. 2 seed Michael Caliendo of Iowa to take a 3-0 lead late in the first period of the 165 pound championship matchup. A Caliendo escape was the only point of the second and Mesenbrink took a 3-1 lead into the third.
The Nittany Lion sophomore escaped quickly to start the third for a 4-1 lead and that was all he needed. Mesenbrink won by decision for his second consecutive Big Ten title.
“I like that he fights,” Mesenbrink said of his Hawkeye opponent, against whom he now holds a 5-0 career record. “There’s not many guys want to come out and scrap. He likes to scrap, and I like that. Wrestling’s boring if it’s just standing there. So just go, go, go. Bring it.”
174 Pounds – Levi Haines
No. 1 seed Levi Haines converted a single leg into a takedown in the final seconds of the 174 pound title bout to take a 3-0 lead against No. 3 seed Lenny Pinto of Nebraska. After escaping to start the second, Haines drove through on a double and turned Pinto for four near fall points. Pinto escaped at the end of the period, and Haines held an 11-1 lead heading into the third.
Pinto chose the down position to start the third, and Haines stayed on top for the entire period. The Nittany Lion racked up a total 3:24 in riding time en route to a 12-1 major decision and his third Big Ten championship.
184 Pounds – Carter Starocci
No. 1 seed Carter Starocci gave up his first takedown of the season to No. 2 seed Max McEnelly of Minnesota two minutes into the 174 pound championship. Starocci quickly escaped and trailed 3-1 heading into the second period. After opening the middle period with an escape, Starocci used a single leg for a takedown at the edge of the mat. McEnelly escaped with four seconds remaining, and Starocci led 5-4 after two.
The Minnesota redshirt freshman escaped to start the third and tie the bout at 5-5, where it would remain through the end of regulation.
With 21 seconds left in sudden victory, Starocci slipped by a McEnelly shot and spun behind for the takedown and an 8-5 decision for his third Big Ten title.
“All these guys are good out here,” Starocci told BTN. “It’s all about getting ready for the national tournament and that’s what I’m looking forward to.”
Heavyweight – Greg Kerkvliet
No. 2 seed Greg Kerkvliet gave up his first takedown of the season as No. 1 seed Gable Steveson of Minnesota drove through on a double with 30 seconds remaining in the first period to take a 3-0 lead. Kerkvliet escaped to start the second, but Steveson powered through a shot by the Nittany Lion for his second takedown. Kerkvliet escaped to cut the deficit to 6-2 before the period ended.
After of a neutral start, Steveson recorded his third takedown of the bout. Kerkvliet escaped but couldn’t get anything more as Steveson won a 10-3 decision and his fourth Big Ten title.
CONSOLATION BRACKET
133 Pounds – Braeden Davis
After winning his first two bouts in wrestlebacks, No. 4 seed Braeden Davis opened his consolation semifinal against No. 3 seed Braxton Brown of Maryland with two takedowns and carried an 8-2 lead into the second period. Brown got his first takedown in the third period, but Davis held on for a 9-7 decision to advance to the third-place bout.
In an action-packed but brief third-place bout, Davis claimed the opening takedown against No. 9 seed Nic Bouzakis of Ohio State before Bouzakis responded with a reversal and two near fall. Davis quickly scored a reversal of his own, but Bouzakis then caught Davis and took him to his back for the pin at 2:22. Davis settled for a fourth-place finish as he gets ready for the NCAA Championships in two weeks.
141 Pounds – Beau Bartlett
Bouncing back from an upset loss in the semifinals, No. 1 seed Beau Bartlett bounced back in the consolation semifinals against No. 6 seed Joey Olivieri of Rutgers. Bartlett used a first-period takedown and second-period escape to take a 4-1 lead. Olivieri escaped to start the third, but that was all, and Bartlett claimed a 4-2 decision.
The third-place bout was a matchup that was widely expected would be the championship bout, with Bartlett taking on rival and No. 2 seed Jesse Mendez of Ohio State. After a scoreless first period, Bartlett worked for an escape and a 1-0 lead after 51 seconds and the score remained that way heading into the third.
Mendez, who defeated Bartlett for the conference and national titles a year ago, responded with an escape 18 seconds into the final period to knot the bout at 1-1. With 40 seconds remaining, Bartlett countered a strong Mendez shot and got around for the takedown to seize a 4-1 lead. Mendez escaped with 10 seconds remaining, but Bartlett claimed the 4-2 decision and third place in his final Big Ten tournament.
149 Pounds – Shayne Van Ness
No. 1 seed Shayne Van Ness was also an upset victim on Saturday night but came out sharp in the consolation semis against No. 6 seed Andrew Clark of Rutgers. Van Ness got a takedown in the first followed by an escape and two takedowns in the second while building up over 2:30 in riding time to take a 10-1 lead. The Nittany Lion tacked on two more points in the third for a 12-1 major decision.
The third-place bout was another 1-2 matchup as Van Ness met No. 2 seed Kyle Parco of Iowa. Van Ness got on a good shot and worked for the bout’s opening takedown, then turned Parco for four near fall points to take a 7-0 lead after one. The Nittany Lion sophomore escaped 20 seconds into the middle period and went on the attack again with his second takedown to open up an 11-0 lead heading into the final period.
With Parco choosing the down position to start the final two minutes, Van Ness executed a third-period rideout, adding a stall point and riding time point, for a 13-0 major decision and a third-place finish.
197 Pounds – Josh Barr
No. 2 seed Josh Barr looked to continue the Nittany Lions’ consolation success in the semifinal against No. 4 seed Isaiah Salazar of Minnesota. But just over a minute into the bout, the two wrestlers tied up near the edge of the mat and Barr sustained an apparent leg or knee injury. Barr had to take an injury default, and medically forfeited the fifth-place bout to finish in sixth place.
WHAT’S NEXT
The Nittany Lions now will prepare for the NCAA Championships March 20-22 in Philadelphia, where in 2011 Penn State won the first of 11 NCAA Championships to date under Sanderson.
