Seven Penn State wrestlers are headed to the national semifinals and another is alive in consolations after a perfect and often thrilling session for the Nittany Lions on Friday afternoon at the NCAA Championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Penn State also widened its lead in the team race as it closes in on a 10th national championship under coach Cael Sanderson and 11th overall.
The Nittany Lions went 9-0 in session three. No. 1 seed Roman Bravo-Young (133), No. 6 Beau Bartlett (141), No. 13 Shayne Van Ness (149), No. 2 Levi Haines (157), No. 1 Carter Starocci (174), No. 3 Aaron Brooks (184) and No. 3 Greg Kerkvliet (285) all won their quarterfinal bouts to stay in the hunt for titles and earn All-America status.
No. 9 Max Dean (197) won two consolation bouts and can still finish as high as third.
Penn State’s afternoon was highlighted by three consecutive dramatic victories.
Bartlett scored a takedown with one second remaining in tie breakers against No. 3 seed Cole Matthews to advance to the semis. Redshirt freshman Van Ness rallied from a 7-3 deficit at the start of the third to knockoff No. 20 Graham Rooks of Indiana 10-7. And true freshman Haines fell behind 6-1 and nearly got pinned himself in the first period against No. 7 Bryce Andonian of Virginia Tech before staging an electrifying comeback and pinning Andonian in the third.
With consolation bouts still underway, Penn State sat atop the leaderboard with 78 points, comfortably ahead of second-place Iowa with 48. Cornell (45.5), Nebraska (44) and Michigan (39) rounded out the top five.
Action continues at 8 p.m. EDT on Friday with the semifinal round airing live from the BOK Center on ESPN.
Roman Bravo-Young – 133 pounds
In a rematch of this year’s Big Ten championship bout won by Bravo-Young, the top-seeded and undefeated Nittany Lion met No. 8 seed Aaron Nagao of Minnesota in the quarterfinals. After a scoreless first period, Nagao chose down to start the second and Bravo-Young stayed on top the entire period. Bravo-Young took bottom to start the third and worked his way to a reversal. Nagao escaped, but RBY added a penalty point and a riding time point. With the 4-1 decision, Bravo-Young became a five-time All-American and advanced his quest for a third national title.
What’s next: Bravo-Young will take on No. 4 seed Michael McGee of Arizona State in the semifinals. RBY won their only previous meeting by decision in December 2021.
Beau Bartlett – 141 pounds
Bartlett, the sixth seed, and No. 3 seed Cole Matthews of Pitt each managed an escape to send their quarterfinal bout to sudden victory tied 1-1. The wrestlers sparred but neither could get in on a shot in sudden victory, sending it to tie breakers. Matthews stayed on top for the first 30-second period, and with riding time the deciding factor if the bout remained tied, chose neutral to start the second TB. It seemed as if the Matthews would win it on riding time, but as time wound down Bartlett shot in and got control for the takedown with one second remaining for a 3-1 win. Bartlett earns All-America status for the first time as he moves on to the semifinals.
What’s next: Bartlett will face No. 2 seed Andrew Alirez of Northern Colorado in the semifinals.
Shayne Van Ness – 149 pounds
Redshirt freshman Van Ness, the No. 13 seed, fell behind early against No. 20 Graham Rooks of Indiana, who used a single leg for a takedown and countered a Van Ness shot for another score to take a 4-2 lead after one. An escape to start the second and another takedown extended the Hoosier’s lead to 7-2. But Van Ness worked his way back, escaping in the second and again to start the third to pull within 7-4. After a stall point against Rooks, Van Ness got a takedown at the edge of the mat and two back points to move in front 9-7 with 1:24 left. The Nittany Lion finished out the bout on top, adding a riding time point for a 10-7 decision to advance to the semifinals and become an All-American for the first time.
What’s next: Van Ness will meet No. 1 seed and three-time national champion Yianni Diakomihalis in the semifinals.
Levi Haines – 157 pounds
True freshman Haines, the No. 2 seed, got in trouble early against No. 7 Bryce Andonian of Virginia Tech. Andonian countered a Haines shot for a takedown and nearly had the Nittany Lion pinned before adding four near fall points. Haines escaped, but Andonian took a 6-1 lead into the second. Haines regrouped in the middle period, escaping then working his way to a takedown. After cutting Andonian loose, Haines came back with another takedown and finished the period on top to pull within 7-6. Andonian escaped to start the third, but Haines was relentless, lifting the Hokie off the mat and taking him down to tie it 8-8. Haines then worked Andonian toward his back and got his shoulders to the mat for the pin at the 6:11 mark, becoming an All-American and advancing to the semifinals for the first time.
What’s next: Haines will battle No. 3 seed Peyton Robb of Nebraska in the semifinals for a rematch of their Big Ten title bout won by Haines in sudden victory.
Carter Starocci – 174 pounds
Top-seeded and undefeated Starocci continued his methodical run through the bracket against No. 8 Bailee O’Reilly of Minnesota. Starocci converted a couple of low singles into takedowns to lead 4-1 after the first period and added an escape in the second to move ahead 5-1. O’Reilly escaped in the third, but that’s all he would manage. Starocci won a 5-2 decision — his 50th consecutive victory — to secure All-America honors for the third time and continue his search for a third national title.
What’s next: Starocci will face No. 4 seed Chris Foca of Cornell in the semifinals. Starocci won their two previous meetings in 2020 and 2021 by decision.
Aaron Brooks – 184 pounds
In another Big Ten title bout rematch, top-seeded Brooks met No. 8 seed Kaleb Romero of Ohio State and once again controlled most of the match. After a scoreless first, Brooks escaped to start the second and aggressively pursued Romero, finally getting a late takedown for a 3-0 lead heading into the final period. Romero escaped to start the third but got hit with a stall call as he tried to stay away from Brooks aggressive offense. With a 4-1 decision, Brooks became a four-time All-American as he aims for his third national title.
What’s next: Brooks will meet a familiar foe in the semifinals when he takes on No. 2 seed and Mifflin County native Trent Hidlay of NC State. Brooks is 2-0 against Hidlay, with the wins coming in 2021 NCAA title bout and 2022 national semifinals.
Max Dean – 197 pounds
After losing in the round of 16 on Thursday night, Dean, the No. 9 seed, battled his way back in the consolation bracket on Friday. Looking to become a four-time All-American, Dean used two takedowns, an escape and a riding time point for a 6-0 decision over No. 26 Gavin Hoffman of Ohio State. In his next bout, Dean fell behind early against No. 18 Tanner Harvey of Oregon State, who scored the bout’s first takedown. Dean responded with an escape and a takedown out of a scramble, but Hoffman answered with a reversal. Dean’s escape before the first period tied it at 4-4. From there the Nittany Lion took control. Dean escaped to start the second then used a low single for a takedown to move ahead 7-4. He built his riding time over a minute to start the third and after a Harvey escape added one more takedown for a 10-5 decision.
What’s next: Dean will take on No. 11 seed Jaxon Smith of Maryland in the next round of consolations and can still finish as high as third.
Greg Kerkvliet – 285 pounds.
No. 2 seed Kerkvliet and No. 11 Trent Hillger of Wisconsin were scoreless after the first period of their quarterfinal bout. Kerkvliet quickly escaped to start the second and connected for a late takedown to take a 3-0 lead into the final period. Hillger chose down to start the third and Kerkvliet remained in control to ride out the period. With a riding time point, Kerkvliet secured a 4-0 decision to become an All-American for the third time and move on to the semifinals.
What’s next: Kerkvliet will meet No. 2 seed Wyatt Hendrickson of Air Force in the semifinals.
