The first of six NCAA Championships sessions kicked off for Penn State wrestling on Thursday at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. All 10 Nittany Lions saw action in the first round of bouts and were a perfect 10-0 on the afternoon
Highlighting the session were nine Nittany Lion wrestlers scoring bonus point victories, including two major decisions, four tech falls, and three pins.
Penn State held the early lead in the team standings with 24 points, followed by Oklahoma State with 15.5.
How It Happened
133 pounds
Beginning the action for the Nittany Lions, No. 8 Braeden Davis took on No. 25 Kurt Phipps of Bucknell. After a single leg shot from Phipps, Davis gave up a handful of near-fall points to go down 3-0 midway through the first. Shortly thereafter, Davis scored a reversal to tighten the lead of his opponent, 3-2 heading into the middle period. After an escape from Phipps in bottom position to start the second, Davis grabbed a last-second takedown to put himself in front for the first time in the bout, taking a 5-4 lead into the final period. A final takedown from Davis in the third, along with four near fall points gave the Nittany Lion a 12-4 major decision victory in his first bout of the tournament.
141 pounds
Up next was No. 2 Beau Bartlett facing off against No. 31 Jordan Titus of West Virginia. Bartlett struck first with a takedown just under the middle mark of the first period. Titus then escaped to make the lead 3-1 heading into the second. Titus escaped once again to start the second, clawing into the now one-point lead. Starting the final period in bottom position, Bartlett escaped to put himself further in front 4-2, holding on to win the bout with the same score by decision.
149 pounds
No. 3 Shayne Van Ness took on No. 30 Gabe Willochell of Wyoming to begin his campaign. Van Ness took two takedowns in the first period to put himself in front 6-1 after one. Van Ness kept the pressure on in the second, fighting hard to flip Willochell onto his back, eventually securing the team’s second fall of the first session, this time at 4:11.
125 pounds
After his bye, No. 1 Luke Lilledahl battled No. 32 Marcello Milani of Cornell. Lilledahl grabbed an early takedown to begin the first period, following up the effort with two additional takedowns to take a 9-2 lead into the second. After escaping from bottom position to start the middle period, Lilledahl secured three more takedowns to snag a 19-4 tech fall at 4:24.
157 pounds
Up next for the No. 1 seeds was Tyler Kasak taking on No. 32 Landen Johnson of Northern Illinois. In no time at all, Kasak grabbed the bout’s first takedown, rolling Johnson onto his back with a cradle for the fall at 1:38.
165 pounds
No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink stared down No. 33 Chandler Amaker of Central Michigan. A takedown and four-second near fall to start the bout put Mesenbrink in front 7-0 after the first period. Another offensive flurry from the Nittany Lion secured the 16-0 tech fall at 3:32.
174 pounds
No. 2 Levi Haines faced off against No. 31 Branson John of Maryland to start his weekend. Haines kicked off the bout with an early takedown followed by a two-second near-fall to jump out to a 5-0 lead. Haines then locked up the cradle for the third fall of the session at 2:46.
184 pounds
To begin what may prove to be a historic weekend, No. 1 Carter Starocci stepped to the mat to wrestle No. 32 Caden Rogers of Lehigh. A stalling warning against Rogers paired with a Starocci takedown put the Nittany Lion in front 3-0 after one. More stall calls against Rogers and a four-second near-fall from Starocci increased his lead to 9-0 with nearly 180 seconds of riding time after two. A final trio of takedowns in the third from Starocci locked up the 18-2 tech fall after riding time at 6:20, marking Starocci’s 100th win as a Nittany Lion.
197 Pounds
In his first bout back from an undisclosed injury suffered at the Big Ten Championships earlier this month, No. 4 Josh Barr took on No. 29 Tucker Logan of Lock Haven. After a long stint on the feet, Barr finished the first period with a bout-opening takedown to put himself in front 3-0 after one. An escape from Logan was the only point scored in the middle period as Barr continued to lead 3-1. More offense in the third granted Barr the 9-1 major decision victory in his first bout back from injury.
285 Pounds
Finishing up the first session for the Nittany Lions was No. 3 Greg Kerkvliet taking on No. 30 Sam Mitchell of Wyoming. A quick takedown and an eventual four-second near-fall gave Kerkvliet a 7-0 lead with over 120 seconds of riding time after one. An additional four-second near fall and stall call in the middle period extended Kerkvliet’s lead to 12-0 with 4:12 of riding time after two. A final takedown in the third period awarded Kerkvliet the 16-0 tech fall at 5:31.
What’s Next?
Session II of the NCAA Championships will begin at 7 p.m. Thursday and will be broadcast on ESPN.
