By Gabriel Herman and Geoff Rushton
Six Penn State wrestlers advanced to the national quarterfinals and the Nittany Lions stood in first place in the team title standings after day one of the NCAA Championships on Thursday at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
Penn State went 6-1 in second round action and 2-0 in the consolation bracket during Thursday night’s second session. All nine Nittany Lion wrestlers continue on to day two.
Seeking its 10th NCAA title and ninth under coach Cael Sanderson, Penn State had 27.5 team points on the first day to lead a tight race at the top of the standings. Arizona State (22 points), N.C. State (21.5), Michigan (21) and Iowa (20.5) rounded out the top five.
Roman Bravo-Young, Nick Lee, Carter Starocci, Aaron Brooks, Max Dean and Greg Kerkvliet are all still in the hunt for individual titles and will wrestle in the quarterfinals during session three on Friday. Drew Hildebrandt, Beau Bartlett and Brady Berge are each still alive to place in wrestlebacks.
How It Happened
No. 1 Roman Bravo-Young got things started for Penn State in the second session when he faced No. 16 Josh Koderhandt of Navy at 133 pounds. Bravo-Young dominated Koderhandt early, taking a 4-0 lead and more than two minutes of riding time into the second period. After Koderhandt took down to start the second, Bravo Young turned him to his back at the 4:46 mark for the fall. It was the third pin of the tournament for Penn State.
With that, Bravo-Young punched his ticket to Friday morning’s quarterfinals against No. 25 seed Brian Courtney of Virginia, who knocked of the 8 and 9 seeds in his first two bouts.
At 141 pounds, No. 1 Nick Lee got two takedowns to open up a 4-1 lead with 1:58 in riding time against Rider’s No. 16 Quinn Kinner. Lee added two more takedowns and a riding time point the rest of the way for a 9-2 decision. He’ll face No. 8 seed Grant Willits of Oregon State in the quarterfinals.
No. 13 Beau Bartlett faced Ohio State’s No. 4 Sammy Sasso in a 149-pound matchup. Bartlett trailed Sasso 2-0 at the end of the first period following a takedown. The Nittany Lion came back with a reversal in the second to tie the bout and Sasso escaped to take a 3-2 lead with only a minute in the third period.
The third period started with Sasso choosing a bottom start. Bartlett was working on keeping Sasso down when he was called on a second stall call that gave Sasso a 4-2 lead, then Sasso escaped, extending his lead 5-2. Bartlett got a late takedown, but Sasso quickly escaped for a 6-4 lead with under 20 seconds left. Bartlett couldn’t convert on a final shot and dropped the decision. Bartlett will wrestle in consolations tomorrow against No. 19 seed Yahya Thomas of Northwestern.
While Bartlett took an unfortunate loss, Jaydin Eierman of Iowa, the No. 2 seed at 141 pounds, suffered a massive upset on mat two, losing in sudden victory to No. 15 seed Kizhan Clarke of North Carolina.
No. 1 Carter Starocci took on Cal Poly’s No. 16 Adam Kemp at 174 pounds. Starocci ended the first period with a 2-1 lead and added an escape and takedown in the second to open up a a 5-1 margin. Starocci added two more takedowns in the third and a riding time point for an 11-4 decision victory. He will face No. 9 seed Mikey Labriola of Nebraska in the quarterfinals.
No. 2 Aaron Brooks dominated from the outset in his 184-pound bout against No. 15 Hunter Bolen from Virginia Tech. Brooks took an early 2-0 lead and had a first period rideout, then added two more takedowns, an escape, a stall point and more than three minutes in riding time for a 9-1 major decision victory. Brooks will meet No. 7 seed Kaleb Romero of Ohio State in the quarterfinals.
No. 1 Max Dean had his hands full with No. 17 Jay Aiello of Virginia at 197 pounds. Aiello took down to start the second and though Dean had a strong ride, the Cavalier managed a reversal to take a 2-0 lead heading into the third. Virginia threw the challenge brick as it looked like Aiello was close to back points, but after a review the call on the mat stood and no additional points were awarded.
Dean escaped early in the third then, late in the period, he scored a takedown out of a wild scramble to take a 3-2 lead. With over a minute in riding time, Dean avoided a huge upset, coming away with a 4-2 victory to move onto the quarterfinals, where he’ll face No. 8 seed Lou Deprez of Binghamton.
No. 4 Greg Kerkvliet had the final say ahead of the consolation matches, as he took on No. 13 Tate Orndorff from Ohio State at 285 pounds. Kerkvliet got takedown and rode Orndorff for most of the first period, taking a 2-0 lead and 2:25 in riding time into the second. The Nittany Lion sophomore got a reversal to start the second, then added two more takedowns, a stall point and a riding time point for a dominating 10-1 major decision victory. He gets No. 12 seed Christian Lance of Nebraska in the quarterfinals.
Consolation Bouts
No. 16 Drew Hildebrandt faced No. 33 Logan Ashton of Stanford in the first consolation round at 125-pound. Hildebrandt took a 1-0 lead on a second period escape. After Ashton took neutral to start the third, the Nittany Lion scored the bout’s only takedown. Ashton escaped, but Hildebrandt earned the 3-1 decision to stay alive in wrestlebacks. He will take on former Nittany Lion and No. 15 seed Brody Teske of Northern Iowa in the next round on Friday.
No. 16 Brady Berge finished out the night for Penn State when he faced No. 33 Derek Holschlag of Northern Iowa. Berge had a dominant first period, taking an 6-1 lead. It was no match for Berge when it was all said and done, as he finished with a 15-7 major decision victory. He will face No. 15 seed Johnny Lovett of Central Michigan in the next round.
In other action, State High grad Cole Urbas of Penn saw his first NCAA Tournament come to an end on Thursday night. The No. 30 seed at 197 pounds, Urbas dropped a 15-6 major decision to Nebraska’s No. 3 seed Eric Schultz in the opening round. The Quaker sophomore then defeated Chattanooga’s Matthew Waddell 7-1 but lost an 11-2 major decision to Cornell’s Jacob Cardenas in the consolation bracket.
What’s Next?
Wrestling begins at 11 a.m. Friday in Detroit with the third session, which includes quarterfinals, and the second and third rounds of the consolation brackets. ESPNU will broadcast live.
