Seven Penn State wrestlers advanced to the quarterfinals and the Nittany Lions remained atop the team standings after the second session of the NCAA Championships on Thursday night in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Third-seeded 184-pounder Aaron Brooks earned Penn State’s fourth pin of the tournament and No. 3 heavyweight Greg Kerkvliet won by major decision to pick up bonus points for the Nittany Lions. No. 1 Roman Bravo-Young (133), No. 6 Beau Bartlett (141), No. 12 Shayne Van Ness (149), No. 2 Levi Haines (157) and No. 1 Carter Starocci (174) each won by decision.
Brooks, Bravo-Young and Starocci are each seeking their third individual national titles, while the other four are looking for their first.
No. 9 seed and defending 197-pound national champion Max Dean moved to the consolation bracket after a 7-2 loss to No. 8 Silas Allred in the round of 16. No. 14 seed Alex Facundo saw his season come to an end with his second loss of the day, dropping a 12-2 major decision to No. 4 Julian Ramirez of Cornell in the 165-pound consolation bracket.
Penn State maintained its team lead with 26 points as the Nittany Lions look to win their 10th national title since 2011 and 11th overall. Iowa is in second place with 21.5 points, followed by Missouri (17.5), Minnesota (16.5) and NC State (16.5) to round out the top five.
Action at the BOK Center continues at noon EDT on Friday with the quarterfinals and consolation action airing on ESPNU. The semifinals will start at 8 p.m. EDT Friday on ESPN.
Roman Bravo Young – 133 pounds
Undefeated and top-seeded Bravo-Young took on No. 17 seed Brayden Palmer of Chattanooga in the round of 16 and opened up a 4-2 lead with a pair of first-period takedowns followed by Palmer escapes. The scoring slowed from there but RBY remained in control, riding out the entire second period and securing a riding time point for a 5-2 decision.
What’s next: Bravo-Young will face No. 8 seed Aaron Nagao of Minnesota in the quarterfinals. RBY defeated Nagao with a closely fought 5-2 decision in the Big Ten Championships title bout.
Beau Bartlett – 141 pounds
Bartlett, the No. 6 seed at 141 pounds, met No. 11 Clay Carlson of South Dakota State in the second round. After a scoreless first, Bartlett escaped to start the second and got a takedown and rideout with 45 seconds left for a 3-0 lead. Carlson responded with an escape to start the third and got a point on a stall call against Bartlett, but the Nittany Lion held on for a 3-2 decision to advance to the quarterfinals.
What’s next: Bartlett will take on No. 3 seed Cole Matthews of Pitt in the quarterfinals.
Shayne Van Ness – 149 pounds
After completing a stunning rally with a third-period fall in the opening round, No. 12 seed Van Ness turned in a different kind of impressive performance against No. 5 seed Paniro Johnson Iowa State. The Nittany Lion redshirt freshman controlled the action from early on, catching Johnson for a six-point throw in the first period and never looking back. Johnson got a second-period reversal and tacked on a late takedown to prevent the major decision, but Van Ness won the 14-8 decision in an effort that was more dominating than the final score appeared.
What’s next: Van Ness will face No. 20 seed Graham Rooks of Indiana in the quarterfinals. Rooks upset the No. 13 and No. 4 seeds in his first two bouts. Van Ness defeated Rooks three times this season with a decision at the Black Knight Open, a major decision in a February dual meet and a major decision at the Big Ten tournament.
Levi Haines – 157 pounds
Haines, the No. 2 seed, continued his outstanding true freshman campaign in the second round against No. 15 Jacob Wright of Wyoming. The Nittany Lion got an early takedown and took a 2-1 lead after one. An escape to start the second and a low shot for a takedown extended his advantage to 5-1. Wright escaped in the third, but Haines added another takedown and with 1:40 in riding time secured an 8-2 decision to advance to the quarterfinals.
What’s next: Haines will meet No. 7 Bryce Andonian of Virginia Tech in the quarterfinals.
Alex Facundo – 165 pounds
Facundo, the No. 13 seed, and No. 4 Julian Ramirez met in a consolation first-round bout between two wrestlers who lost to lower seeds in the opening round. Ramirez got on the board first with a takedown and after a Facundo escape countered a shot for another takedown and a 4-1 lead after one. A Facundo escape narrowed the deficit in the second, but Ramirez blew it open in the third with an escape, a six-point throw and a riding time point for a 12-2 major decision.
What’s next: Facundo ends his redshirt freshman season with a 19-6 record.
Carter Starocci – 174 pounds
Top-seeded Starocci continued his undefeated season and quest for a third national title with a controlling performance against No. 17 Donnell Washington of Indiana. Starocci got a takedown late in the first period and an escape to start the second for a 3-0 lead. Washington took bottom to start the third and Starocci would not let him go, riding out the period to finish with 2:12 in riding time and a 4-0 decision.
What’s next: Starocci will face No. 8 seed Bailee O`Reilly of Minnesota in the quarterfinals. Starocci defeated O’Reilly 8-2 in the Big Ten semifinals earlier this month.
Aaron Brooks – 184 pounds
No. 14 seed Will Feldkamp of Clarion kept things close against third-seeded Brooks for most of two periods, fighting off takedown attempts and holding the Nittany Lion’s lead to 5-2. But with time winding down in the second period, Brooks caught Feldkamp with a blast double and took him to his back. Feldkamp looked for a moment as if he might roll through and turn the tables, but Brooks adjusted and recorded the pin with one second remaining in the period.
What’s next: Brooks’ search for a third national title continues in the quarterfinals against No. 8 seed Kaleb Romero of Ohio State. Brooks defeated Romero with a 12-2 major decision in the Big Ten title bout.
Max Dean – 197 pounds
Dean, the defending national champion and No. 9 seed, and Nebraska’s eighth-seeded Silas Allred met in a rematch of their Big Ten title bout won by the Husker. Allred got the early advantage, driving through on a single leg for a takedown followed by a Dean escape. The Nittany Lion opened the second with an escape to tie it at 2-2, then nearly had a takedown at the edge of the mat but it was not awarded. Allred responded with another single leg for a takedown to take a 4-2 lead into the third. Dean kept shooting and once again nearly had a takedown at the edge but didn’t get control. Allred countered another Dean shot late for a takedown and with a riding time point secured a 7-2 decision to advance to the quarterfinals.
What’s next: Dean moves to the consolation bracket where he will face No. 26 seed Gavin Hoffman of Ohio State. Dean is 3-0 all-time against Hoffman, including a pin during a dual meet in February.
Greg Kerkvliet – 285 pounds
No. 3 seed Kerkvliet had little trouble with South Dakota State’s 14th-seeded A.J. Nevills (the brother of current Nittany Lion Seth Nevills and former Nittany Lion Nick Nevills) in their second round bout. Kerkvliet got a quick takedown and four nearfall points, then added another takedown for an 8-1 lead after the first period. Nevills escaped in the second, but Kerkvliet got another takedown and was dominant on top, picking up a stall point and extending his lead to 11-2. Kerkvliet took down to start the third and got a quick reversal. With 4:30 in riding time, the Nittany Lion junior finished with a 14-2 major decision to move on to the quarterfinals.
What’s next: Kerkvliet will take on No. 11 seed Trent Hillger of Wisconsin in the quarterfinals. Kerkvliet defeated Hillger 6-2 in a January dual meet.
