Five Penn State wrestlers won individual Big Ten championships and the Nittany Lions claimed the team title on Sunday afternoon in the final session of the conference tournament at the University of Maryland’s Xfinity Center.
Braeden Davis (125 pounds), Levi Haines (157), Mitchell Mesenbrink (165), Aaron Brooks (197) and Greg Kerkvliet (285) each won Big Ten titles. Beau Bartlett (141) and Bernie Truax (184) finished second and Aaron Nagao (133) and Tyler Kasak (149) took third.
Penn State won the Big Ten team championship for the second year in a row and eighth time overall under head coach Cael Sanderson, who was named Big Ten Coach of the Year. The Nittany Lions totaled a program-record 170.5 team points, outpacing second-place Michigan’s 123.5. Nebraska (118), Iowa (110.5) and Ohio State (89) rounded out the top five.
The five individual champions matched Penn State’s program record.
Brooks, who was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Year and Outstanding Wrestler of the Championships, became the third Penn Stater and 18th wrestler in conference history to win four Big Ten titles. Sophomore Haines won his second conference championship, while senior Kerkvliet, true freshman Davis and redshirt freshman Mesenbrink, who pulled off a stunning third-period comeback and was named Freshman of the Year, each won their first.
All nine Nittany Lion wrestlers have automatically qualified for the NCAA Championships March 21-23 in Kansas City, Missouri.
Top-ranked 174-pounder Carter Starocci was the only Penn State wrestler not to advance to the final session. He injury defaulted out of the tournament after suffering a leg injury in late February. He would receive an at-large bid to the national tournament but his status is unclear.
125 pounds – Braeden Davis
True freshman and No. 6 seed Davis turned in an impressive second period to break a scoreless tie with No. 4 seed Patrick McKee in their championship final. McKee chose down to start the period and Davis executed a strong ride. As McKee got to his feet, Davis threw down a strong mat return then turned McKee for three nearfall points. The Gopher escaped to narrow the lead to 3-1, but not before Davis built up more than a minute in riding time.
Davis stayed in control in the final period. He escaped to start the third and added a powerful takedown late, tacking on a riding time point for the 8-1 decision. He won his first Big Ten title and Penn State’s first at 125 pounds since 1999.
133 pounds – Aaron Nagao
Nagao, the No. 5 seed advanced to the third-place bout with a 9-5 decision over No. 7 seed Braxton Brown of Maryland earlier in the day. He took on Nebraska’s fourth-seeded Jacob Van Dee for third in a rematch of a quarterfinal bout won 4-3 by Nagao.
The Nittany Lion sophomore didn’t need long to finish things off this time. Nagao got the opening takedown then went to work on top, turning Van Dee for the pin at the 1:51 mark.
141 pounds – Beau Bartlett
Top-seeded Bartlett and No. 2 seed Jesse Mendez of Ohio State wrestled evenly through most of their championship bout. A Mendez escape to start the second and a Bartlett escape to start the third left the bout tied 1-1 as time wound down. Late in the third, however, Bartlett initially fought off a Mendez counter before the Buckeye drove through on a double at the edge of the mat with 10 seconds remaining. Mendez claimed a 4-1 decision for the title and Bartlett had to settle for runner-up.
149 pounds – Tyler Kasak
True freshman Kasak, the No. 4 seed, defeated No. 3 seed Caleb Rathjen of Iowa 7-3 earlier in the day to advance to the third-place bout against No. 6 seed Ethen Miller of Maryland. Kasak powered his way to a takedown off the opening whistle and turned Miller for three nearfall points.
Kasak continued to work on top and put Miller on his back for the pin at 2:36 to win third place.
157 pounds
Haines, the undefeated No. 1 seed, and No. 7 seed Will Lewan of Michigan battled to a 1-1 tie through regulations, with a late Haines takedown attempt coming up short as time expired.
The bout went to sudden victory, where Haines quickly went on the offensive. Ten seconds into the extra period, he drove through on a double for the winning takedown. The 4-1 decision gave Haines a second Big Ten title in his second year of collegiate competition.
165 pounds – Mitchell Mesenbrink
No. 1 seed Dean Hamiti of Wisconsin took control early against Mesenbrink, the No. 2 seed, in their championship bout, opening up a 9-2 lead on the strength of three takedowns by the midway point of the second period. Mesenbrink responded with an escape then converting a single leg for a takedown to narrow the lead to 9-6 heading into the third.
Hamiti reversed to start the third, but Mesenbrink soon turned the tables. The Nittany Lion redshirt freshman countered for a takedown with 1:22 remaining then immediately had Hamiti on his back for three nearfall points. Mesenbrink kept Hamiti bellied out for the remainder of the bout to claim a thrilling 13-11 decision and his first Big Ten title.
184 pounds – Bernie Truax
Truax, the No. 3 seed, and No. 1 seed Isaiah Salazar of Minnesota fought to a 1-1 tie through regulation, despite strong shots from both wrestlers. In sudden victory, Salazar moved in for the early takedown and tacked on three nearfall points for an 8-1 decision and the Big Ten championship.
197 pounds – Aaron Brooks
No. 1 seed Brooks got off to a fast start with a quick takedown of Iowa’s No. 3 seed Zach Glazier in the title bout. Glazier escaped, but Brooks was back at it immediately, grabbing Glazier’s leg and tripping him to the mat for another takedown and a 6-1 lead.
Brooks escaped to start the second, and with a minute left in the period scored another takedown to open up a 10-1 lead. The Nittany Lion turned up the heat in the third, playing catch-and-release with Glazier for three takedowns to record a 19-3 tech fall at the 6:07 mark. Brooks won his fourth Big Ten championship in five finals appearances.
285 pounds – Greg Kerkvliet
Kerkvliet, the No. 1 seed, gave up points for the first time in this tournament when No. 2 seed Nick Feldman of Ohio State circled around for a takedown early in their championship bout. That would be all Kerkvliet would allow.
The Nittany Lion drove through on a double and powered Feldman to the mat for a takedown, riding out the rest of the period. Kerkvliet quickly escaped to start the third, then got behind Feldman for another takedown and an 8-3 lead. The third period featured no more scoring, but Kerkvliet’s 2:42 in riding time tacked on another point for a 9-3 decision and his first Big Ten title.
