DETROIT, Mich. – The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team will have six All-Americans competing in the NCAA National Semifinals tonight after they each grabbed wins in this morning's quarterfinal action. All six became All-Americans with their quarterfinal victories and will continue championship bracket action this evening. Penn State went a perfect 6-0 in the quarters and continues to lead the team race.
As of 3:15 p.m. with some consolation bouts still in process, Penn State leads a tight team race with 73.0 points, Michigan is in second with 62.5. Arizona State has 53.0 as of 3 p.m. as well.
Senior Roman Bravo-Young (Tucson, Ariz.), the No. 1 seed at 133, faced No. 25 Brian Courtney of Virginia in Penn State's first quarterfinal match. Bravo-Young took Courtney down quick, just seconds into the match and kept control of the Cavalier until cutting him loose at the :30 mark. He led 2-1 after one, chose down to start the second, and quickly reversed him to lead 4-1. After another cut, Bravo-Young added two more takedowns to lead 8-3 after two. After a Courtney escape, Bravo-Young tacked on two more takedowns and posted a 13-6 win, becoming a four-time All-American and advancing to the semifinals.
Senior Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.), the No. 1 seed at 141, met No. 8 Grant Willits of Oregon State in the quarters. Lee took Willits down midway through the first period and controlled the action on offense for the rest of the period to lead 2-0 with 1:18 in riding time after one. Lee chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 3-0 lead. He then pressed in on offense, turned a high double into a scramble and worked Willits' back to the mat. After a bit of work, Lee got the fall at the 3:45 mark, moving to the semifinals and becoming Penn State's first five-time All-American.
Sophomore Carter Starocci (Erie, Pa.), the No. 1 seed at 174, took on No. 9 Mikey Labriola off Nebraska in the quarterfinals. Starocci and Labriola scrambled through the middle part of the opening period with neither wrestler getting a takedown. Starocci chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. He finished the period with a strong ride and led 3-0 with 1:27 in riding time after two periods. Labriola chose down to start the third period and escaped to a 3-1 score with 1:30 left in the bout. Starocci closed out the convincing win with another takedown and riding time to post the 6-1 victory, becoming a two-time All-American and advancing to the semifinals.
Junior Aaron Brooks (Hagerstown, Md.), the No. 2 seed at 184, met No. 7 Kaleb Romero of Ohio State in the quarterfinals. Brooks opened up an early lead in the first period, taking Romero down early and then adding a late takedown to lead 4-1 with :51 in time after one. Brooks chose down and quickly escaped to a 5-1 lead. He took Romero down again and led 7-1 with 1:00 to go in the period. Romero chose neutral to start the third and Brooks quickly took the Buckeye down again to take a 9-1 lead. Brooks clinched the riding time point before Romero escaped to a 9-2 score. Brooks continued to pour on the offense in the third and walked away with a 13-2 major decision, becoming a three-time All-American and advancing to the semifinals.
Junior Max Dean (Lowell, Mich.), the No. 1 seed at 197, faced No. 8 Lou Deprez of Binghamton in the quarters. Deprez notched an early takedown to open up a 2-1 lead in the first minute. Dean fought off another Deprez single and trailed by one after one. Dean chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 2-2 tie, but not before Deprez built up a 1:05 time edge. Dean nearly scored as the period ended but Deprez was able to work his way out of bounds. Dean scrambled for a takedown at the 1:00 mark but none was called. The officials reviewed the action, and the call was reversed, giving Dean the takedown and a 4-2 lead. Dean then worked the top position and killed Deprez's riding time lead. Deprez was able to escape but Dean's third period takedown was the difference in a 4-3 victory. The win moved Dean into the semifinals as a three-time All-American.
Sophomore Greg Kerkvliet (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.), the No. 4 seed at 285, battled No. 12 Christian Lance of Nebraska in Penn State's last quarterfinal of the session. Kerkvliet took an early 2-0 lead with a takedown at the :40 mark of the first period. He finished on top and chose down to start the second. Kerkvliet reversed Lance to start the second period, opening up a 4-0 lead and building up well over 1:00 in riding time with strong offense on top. He led 4-0 with 2:19 in riding time after two periods. Lance chose down to start the third and Kerkvliet build up over 4:00 in time before he escaped. Kerkvliet continued his strong offense, though, and notched a final takedown to roll to a 7-1 win with 4:09 in riding time. The victory made him a two-time All-American and advanced him to the semifinals.
Senior Brady Berge (Mantorville, Minn.), the No. 16 seed at 157, battled No. 15 Johnny Lovett of Central Michigan in the second consolation round. Berge led 2-1 after the first period thanks to an early takedown. He chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 3-1 lead, the only points in the second. Lovett chose down to start the third and reversed Berge to tie the bout at 3-3. Berge escaped quickly to lead 5-4 as the clock hit 1:00. Berge held off Lovett's late offense and posted the 4-3 win, advancing to the third round of consolation action. In his second conso bout of the session, Berge took on No. 10 Peyton Robb of Nebraska. Robb took an early lead with a takedown and Berge escaped in seconds to set the score at 2-1 a minute in. Robb added a second takedown and Berge trailed 4-2 after the opening period. Robb added a takedown in the second and another takedown in the third to post the 8-3 win. The loss for Berge ended the Lion's tournament with a 2-2 mark.
Senior Drew Hildebrandt (Granger, Ind.), the No. 16 seed at 125, met No. 15 Brody Teske of Northern Iowa in the second round of consolation action. Hildebrandt gave up two takedowns to trail 4-1 after the first period and escaped to start the second, cutting the lead to 4-2. Hildebrandt then tied the match with a takedown of his own. Teske escaped to a 5-4 lead with :30 left in the period. Teske escaped to start the third period and added a final takedown to post an 8-4 win. The loss ended Hildebrandt's tournament with a 1-2 mark.
Sophomore Beau Bartlett (Tempe, Ariz.), the No. 13 seed at 149, battled No. 19 Yahya Thomas of Northwestern in the second round of consos. Bartlett defended a solid Thomas single for nearly a minute in the opening period and fought off the move to keep the bout scoreless after one. Thomas chose down to start the second and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. He added a takedown and led 3-1 after two after a Bartlett escape. Bartlett escaped to start the third period, but Thomas added another takedown to up his lead to 5-2. Bartlett escaped quickly and went to work on offense, but Thomas was able work the clocks down and grab the 5-3 victory. The loss ended Bartlett's tournament at 1-2.
The Nittany Lions went 7-3 in session three and are 22-6 overall at the tournament's midway point. Penn State has 16.5 bonus points off seven majors, one technical fall and four pins.
Penn State has won eight of the last ten contested NCAA Championships (all since Sanderson's arrival at Penn State and he is in his 13th season this year). The Nittany Lions have won nine NCAA titles overall, owning a championship from 1953. The Nittany Lions won four-straight titles in 2016, '17, '18 and '19 and again in 2011, '12, '13 and '14.
The tournament continues tonight at 8 p.m. (ESPN) with the national semifinals and consolation action, including the All-America round; and Saturday's at 11 a.m. (ESPNU) and 7 p.m. (ESPN).
The 2021-22 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by the Family Clothesline. Penn State Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at @pennstateWREST, on Penn State Wrestling's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/pennstatewrest. This is PENN STATE. WRESTLING lives here.
Penn State at 2022 NCAA Wrestling Championships – Session 3
March 18, 2022 – Detroit, Mich. – Little Caesars Arena
Team Standings (Top 3)
1: PENN STATE – 73.0
2: Michigan – 62.5
3: Arizona State – 53.0
Weight-by-weight agate (RANKINGS LISTED ARE OFFICIAL TOURNAMENT SEED):
125: #16 Drew Hildebrandt, Sr.
Rd. 1: #17 Anthony Noto, Lock Haven – L, 2-4 (sv)
Cn. 1: #33 Logan Ashton, Stanford – W, 3-1 dec.
Cn. 2: #15 Brody Teske, Northern Iowa – L, 4-8 dec.
Hildebrandt was Penn State's first competitor of the day against No. 17 Anthony Noto of Lock Haven. Hildebrandt and Noto battled through a scoreless first period and Noto chose neutral to start the second. Noto notched a takedown with :46 on the clock but Hildebrandt quickly escaped to a 2-1 score. Trailing by one, Hildebrandt chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 2-2 tie. The bout moved to sudden victory where Noto notched a quick takedown to post the 4-2 (sv) win and send Hildebrandt to consolation action.
He took on No. 33 Logan Ashton of Stanford in the first round of consolation action. Hildebrandt and Ashton battled through a scoreless first period. The Lion senior took a 1-0 lead with a quick escape to start the second. After Ashton chose neutral to start the third, Hildebrandt iced the bout with a takedown. The 3-1 win keeps the Nittany Lion alive in consolation action.
See above story for bout-by-bout recap.
133: #1 Roman Bravo-Young, Sr.
Rd. 1: #32 Dominic LaJoie, Cornell – W, 16-4 maj. dec.
Rd. 2: #16 Josh Koderhandt, Navy – WBF (4:45)
Qtrs: #25 Brian Courtney, Virginia – W, 13-6 dec.
Semis: #5 Austin DeSanto, Iowa – tonight
Bravo-Young met No. 32 Dominic LaJoie of Cornell in the first round. Bravo-Young took a big lead with three first period takedowns. He added another takedown and an escape to lead 9-2 after two. Bravo-Young dominated the third period and rolled to a 16-5 major decision with 2:59 in riding time.
He met No. 16 Josh Koderhandt of Navy in the second round. Bravo-Young scored quickly, taking Koderhandt down in the opening seconds. He added a two-point turn and finished on top to lead 4-0 with over 2:00 in time after one. Koderhandt chose down to start the second and Bravo-Young made him pay for the decision. The Nittany Lion worked the Midshipman over to his back after riding for a minute-plus and picked up the fall at the 4:45 mark, advancing to the quarterfinals and picking up big bonus points for Penn State.
See above story for bout-by-bout recap.
141: #1 Nick Lee, Sr.
Rd. 1: #32 Josh Mason, Bloomsburg – W, 15-3 maj. dec.
Rd. 2: #16 Quinn Kinner, Rider – W, 9-2 dec.
Qtrs: #8 Grant Willits, Oregon State – WBF (3:45)
Semis: #4 Real Woods, Stanford -- tonight
Lee took on No. 32 Josh Mason of Bloomsburg in the opening round. Lee took control of the match quickly, taking Mason down and to his back for a six-point burst in the opening :15. He upped his lead to 8-0 in the second and added four more back points to lead 12-0 after two. The Lion senior advanced to the second round with a 15-3 major including 3:58 in riding time.
He battled No. 16 Quinn Kinner of Rider in his second-round match-up. Lee took a quick 2-1 lead with a takedown and added a second takedown and rideout to lead 4-1 with 1:58 in riding time after the first period. Lee added two more takedowns in the second and led 8-2 after two. With riding time clinched in the third, Lee worked his way to a 9-2 win to advance to the quarterfinals.
See above story for bout-by-bout recap.
149: #13 Beau Bartlett, So.
Rd. 1: #20 Colin Realbuto, Northern Iowa – W, 5-4 dec.
Rd. 2: #4 Sammy Sasso, Ohio State – L, 4-6 dec.
Cn. 2: #19 Yahya Thomas, Northwestern – L, 3-5 dec.
Bartlett took on No. 20 Colin Realbuto of Northern Iowa in his first NCAA tournament bout. Bartlett and Realbuto battled through an even first period and Bartlett chose down to start the second. He escaped to a 1-0 lead but not before Realbuto built up 1:41 in riding time. Realbuto escaped to a 1-1 tie to start the third and then took a 3-1 lead with a late takedown. Bartlett picked up a point on a second Panther stall, then escaped with :28 left to tie the bout at 3-3 (but Realbuto had clinched riding time). Bartlett scrambled through a low shot and finished off a takedown with just :09 left to grab a thrilling 5-4 win.
He met No. 4 Sammy Sasso of Ohio State in the second round. Bartlett and Sasso battled through two scoreless minutes before the Buckeye countered a Bartlett move and took the Lion down to lead 2-0 after the opening stanza. Bartlett tied the bout with a reversal, but Sasso escaped and led 3-2. Sasso worked his lead to 5-2 before Bartlett cut it to 5-4 with a late takedown but ran out of time after cutting Sasso loose and dropped a 6-4 decision. The loss moved Bartlett into consolation action.
See above story for bout-by-bout recap.
157: #16 Brady Berge, Sr.
Rd. 1: #17 Hunter Willits, Oregon State – L, 1-2 dec.
Cn. 1: #33 Derek Holschlag, Northern Iowa – W, 15-7 maj. dec.
Cn. 2: #15 Johnny Lovett, Central Michigan – W, 4-3 dec.
Cn. 3: #10 Peyton Robb, Nebraska – L, 3-8 dec.
Berge met No. 17 Hunter Willits of Oregon State in the first round. Berge and Willits battled through a scoreless first period with Berge defending two quick Willits shots. Willets escaped to a 1-0 lead to start the second period and carried that lead to the third. Berge chose down in the third and escaped to a 1-1 tie, but Willets built up over 1:00 in riding time and that edge gave the Beaver the 2-1 victory, sending Berge into consolation action.
He battled No. 33 Derek Holschlag of Northern Iowa in the first round of consolation action. Berge took Holschlag down quickly to open up a 2-0 lead. He added another takedown and two back points to lead 6-1 after one. Berge notched two quick takedowns in the second period to up his lead to 10-3. Holschlag was able to take Berge down and cut the lead to 10-5. Berge rolled up three more takedowns in the final minute and, with a rideout and 2:28 in riding time, posted the 15-8 major. He moved into the second consolation round with the win.
See above story for bout-by-bout recap.
174: #1 Carter Starocci, So.
Rd. 1: #33 Connor O'Neill, Rutgers – WBF (6:38)
Rd. 2: #16 Adam Kemp, Cal Poly – W, 10-4 dec.
Qtrs: #9 Mike Labriola, Nebraska – W, 6-1 dec.
Semis: #4 Hayden Hidlay, North Carolina State -- tonight
Starocci battled No. 33 Conner O'Neill of Rutgers in the first round. Starocci dominated the opening stanza, rolling up an 8-2 lead off three takedowns and two back points. He increased that lead to 11-4 with over 3:00 in riding time after two periods and then ended the match late in the third, rolling O'Neill to his back for the fall at the 6:38 mark.
He met No. 16 Adam Kemp of Cal Poly in the second round. Starocci controlled the entire bout, chasing Kemp towards the outside circle for seven minutes. Starocci led 2-1 after the opening period and upped that lead to 5-1 with a takedown and an escape in the second. Starocci continued to pressure Kemp for the next two minutes and finished off a convincing 10-4 win with two more takedowns and a riding time point. The victory moved Starocci into the quarterfinals.
See above story for bout-by-bout recap.
184: #2 Aaron Brooks, Jr.
Rd. 1: #31 A.J. Burkhart, Lehigh – W, 21-7 maj. dec.
Rd. 2: #15 Hunter Bolen, Virginia Tech – W, 9-1 maj. dec.
Qtrs: #7 Kaleb Romero, Ohio State – W, 13-2 maj. dec.
Semis: #3 Trent Hidlay, North Carolina State – tonight
Brooks met No. 31 Wyatt Sheets of Oklahoma State in the opening round. Brooks opened up a 4-1 lead after the opening period with two takedowns and added to his margin in the second, bolting out to a 9-2 advantage. The Nittany Lion junior continued to pour on the offense in the third, dominating the final minutes and posting a 21-7 major decision with 4:32 in riding time.
He battled No. 15 Hunter Bolen of Virginia Tech in the second round. Brooks led 2-0 after one, with an early takedown and rideout. The Nittany Lion continued to control the action during the middle period, taking a 6-0 lead with an escape, a takedown and a stall point. Brooks added a third takedown and over 3:00 in riding time with a strong third period and rolled to a 9-1 major to advance to the quarterfinals and pick up bonus points.
See above story for bout-by-bout recap.
197: #1 Max Dean, Jr.
Rd. 1: #32 Will Feldkamp, Clarion – W, 16-1 (TF; 4:40)
Rd. 2: #17 Jay Aiello, Virginia – W, 4-2 dec.
Qtrs: #8 Lou Deprez, Binghamton – W, 4-3 dec.
Semis: #21 Gavin Hoffman, Ohio State – tonight
Dean faced No. 32 Will Feldkamp of Clarion in the first round. Dean came out firing on offense, opening up an early 8-1 lead with two takedowns and a four-point turn. The Nittany Lion junior took Feldkamp down quickly in the second period, turned him once for two points and then a final time to end the bout early with a 16-1 technical fall at 4:32.
He took on No. 17 Jay Aiello of Virginia in the second round. Dean and Aiello battled through a scoreless first period. Aiello chose down to start the second period and after getting ridden for much of the period, scrambled to a reversal to lead 2-0 after two. Dean escaped quickly to start the third period but trailed 2-1 late. The Lion forced a scramble with a late shot and worked his way to a takedown in the last :30. He finished the period on top and, with riding time, used four unanswered points to grab the 4-2 victory, advancing to the quarterfinals.
See above story for bout-by-bout recap.
285: #4 Greg Kerkvliet, So.
Rd. 1: #29 Brandon Metz, North Dakota State – WBF (4:17)
Rd. 2: #13 Tate Orndorff, Ohio State – W, 10-1 maj. dec.
Qtrs: #12 Christian Lance, Nebraska – W, 7-1 dec.
Semis: #1 Gable Steveson, Minnesota – tonight
Kerkvliet took on No. 29 Brandon Metz of North Dakota State in the first round. Kerkvliet took Metz down early in the first period and spent the rest of it on top, building up a riding time edge as he looked for back points. Metz chose down to start the second period and Kerkvliet took advantage of the decision. Kerkvliet turned Metz midway through the second period and picked up the fall at the 4:17 mark.
He met No. 13 Tate Orndorff of Ohio State in Penn State's final second round bout. Kerkvliet dominated the bout from the outset. He took Orndorff down quickly in the first and rode him for the entire period to lead 2-0 with 2:25 in riding time after one. Kerkvliet started the second period with a reversal and once again finished on top to lead 4-0 with over 4:00 in riding time. The third period was all Kerkvliet as he picked up two more takedowns, a stall point and the riding time point to roll to a 10-1 major decision. The victory, with key bonus points, advances him to the quarterfinals.
See above story for bout-by-bout recap.
