Penn State wrestling took care of Ohio State Friday night, so of course, the team stayed at No. 1.
As always, the individual rankings varied.
All 10 of Penn State’s starters are ranked, and all are in the top 10.
Here’s a deeper dive into who ranked where with the rankings courtesy of InterMat.
125: BRAEDEN DAVIS (NO. 2, UP ONE)
This will probably be the most controversial ranking among Penn State’s wrestlers because, well Davis had the most controversial match of the weekend for Penn State or anywhere else in college wrestling. In case you don’t know by now, Davis beat Vinny Kilkeary 4-3, but for many, that win should come with an *. Kilkeary had what many felt was a takedown of Davis in the final seconds of the match, but the official didn’t see it that way in real-time or after review. So since many felt Davis should have lost, many will disagree with him moving up in the rankings. On the other hand, he was ruled the winner, and a guy ahead of him, Wisconsin’s Eric Barnett, fell from No. 2 to No. 4 after losing to Purdue’s Matt Ramos, who’s still No. 1.
Davis could well wrestle Ramos at next month’s Big Ten Championships and almost certainly will take on Iowa’s Drake Ayala, ranked No. 7, at this Friday night’s showdown in Iowa City.
133: AARON NAGAO (NO. 6, DOWN ONE)
Penn State wrestling only lost two matches Friday night, and unfortunately for Nagao, his was one of them. The second-year wrestler who transferred after an All-American season at Minnesota fell out of the top five as a result of that loss, which was a tough 13-10 bout to Ohio State’s Nic Bouzakis, who’s now ranked No. 11. But Nagao has a big week ahead of him. Likely matchups with Iowa’s Cullan Schreiver (No. 20) Friday and Rutgers’ Dylan Shawver (No. 10) at the BJC Dual next Monday give Nagao two chances to assert himself.
141: BEAU BARTLETT (NO. 1, UP 2)
The stars aligned for Bartlett Friday night. First, he took care of what he could control, beating Ohio State’s Jesse Mendez– who was and is ranked third– with a takedown in sudden victory. Later in the night, Bartlett got some help from an old foe. Michigan’s Sergio Lemley– who Bartlett beat in a 7-5 decision last month in Ann Arbor– stunned No. 1 Real Woods of Iowa in a 14-4 major decision that was almost a pin. The upset led to Lemley jumping from No. 19 to No. 10 and Bartlett becoming the new No. 1. Many expected Friday’s projected matchup between Bartlett and Woods to be a “one vs. two” battle, and it still will be. But the roles will be different than most thought.
149: TYLER KASAK (NO. 10, UP TWO)
Penn State officially has a starter at 149. Coming into Friday, it wasn’t certain whether coach Cael Sanderson would wrestle Kasak, thus burning the freshman’s redshirt, or Dylan Evans, who has proven himself to be capable this season. Sanderson chose Kasak, and Kasak didn’t let the legend down. He took on Ohio State’s Dylan D’Emilio, a fifth-year who came in ranked ninth and handled him in a 7-2 decision. Now, D’Emilio is out of the top 10, falling to 11, and Kasak’s in. Kasak’s slated to have another challenge Friday against Iowa’s Caleb Rathjen, ranked No. 12
157: LEVI HAINES (NO. 1, NO CHANGE)
Haines came in at No. 1, won his match Friday night, and is still No. 1.
165: MITCHELL MESENBRINK (NO. 7, NO CHANGE)
After Davis at 125, this is another ranking that will confuse some people. Mesenbrink dominated Friday night with a 10-4 win over Bryce Hepner, who came in ranked No. 20. Some expected Mesenbrink to move up as a result of his win, but Intermat disagreed. So Mesenbrink’s still No. 7, but will surely move up if he beats No. 6 Mikey Caliendo Friday night in Iowa City.
174: CARTER STAROCCI (NO. 1, NO CHANGE)
Starocci came in at No. 1, won his match Friday night– his national-best 61st straight–, and is still No. 1.
184: BERNIE TRUAX (NO. 6, DOWN ONE)
Everything was going smoothly for Truax Friday night, and then it wasn’t. Truax was up 9-4 on Ohio State’s Ryder Rogotzke and then got caught, which yet to Rogotzke pinning him. Truax’s next projected ranked matchup is scheduled for Monday at the BJC against Rutgers’ Brian Solando, who’s ranked No. 19. Truax is a three-time All-American at three different weight classes, so it’s a good bet he’ll be just fine.
197: AARON BROOKS (NO. 1, NO CHANGE)
Brooks came in at No. 1, won his match Friday night and is still No. 1. He and Starocci are each aiming to become four-time national champions.
HEAVYWEIGHT: GREG KERKVLIET (NO. 1, NO CHANGE)
Hopefully, you’ve noticed the pattern by now.
