Hello, and welcome to day one of the NCAA Wrestling Championships!
Andy Stine is back home in central Pennsylvania with the live file, while Joe Smeltzer is at the Wells Fargo Center bringing you everything from the action. Follow along here throughout the day for updates.
12:51 p.m. – Penn State started the day at 133 pounds with Braeden Davis picking up a 12-4 major decision over Bucknell’s Kurt Phipps. Davis was down early the match, but got the major decision with a late takedown and four back points at the end of the match. The Nittany Lions are on the board.
1:23 p.m. – Beau Bartlett made it 2 for 2 for Penn State with a 4-2 victory over West Virginia’s Jordan Titus at 141 pounds.
1:30 p.m. – After the required period of rest for Cornell’s Marcello Millani after winning a pigtail match, Luke Lilledahl took care of business with a 19-4 technical fall over Millani in 4:24.
1:37 p.m. – Penn State has its first fall of the tournament as Tyler Kasak decked Northern Iowa’s Landen Johnson in the first period.
2:00 p.m. – Shayne Van Ness and Mitchell Mesenbrink were both on the mat at the same time and both impressed. Van Ness pinned Wyoming’s Gabe Willochell in 4:11 at 149, while Mesenbrink picked up a second period technical fall, beating Central Michigan’s Chandler Amaker, 16-0, in 3:32.
2:39 p.m. – It’s another pin for the Nittany Lions. Levi Haines decked Maryland’s Branson John with a tight cradle in the first period. PSU is now 7 for 7 for the first round.
2:56 p.m. – The inevitable happened again with Carter Starocci advancing. This time, Starocci got an 18-2 technical fall over Caden Rogers of Lehigh. It was the 100th victory of Starocci’s career in a Penn State singlet.
3:37 p.m. – Josh Barr appeared to be fine health-wise in his opening match in a 9-1 major decision over Lock Haven’s Tucker Logan.
3:44 p.m. – Greg Kerkvliet made it a perfect 10 for 10 for Penn State in the first round with a 15-0 technical fall over Wyoming’s Sam Mitchell.
3:56 p.m. – At the end of the first session, Penn State leads the team standings with 24 points. Oklahoma State is in second place at 15.5 points, while Michigan is third with 12 points. Session 2 begins at 7 p.m.
7:15 p.m. – We’re back for Session 2 and it’s more domination from Lilledahl. Lilledahl picked up a 19-3 technical fall in 6:52 over Northern Illinois’ Blake West to start the evening.
7:37 p.m. – Braeden Davis makes it 12 for 12 for the entire day with a 5-3 decision over Maryland’s Braxton Brown.
8:08 p.m. – It’s another close one for Beau Bartlett, but as usual, it’s also another victory for him. Bartlett defeated South Dakota State’s Julian Tagg, 4-1.
8:31 p.m. – It’s another win for the Nittany Lions, which are still rolling, as Shayne Van Ness cruised to an 11-1 major decision over Rutgers’ Andrew Clark.
8:41 p.m. – Kasak picks up another win. After getting a first period pin earlier today, Kasak went the distance in the evening session with an 8-3 victory over Iowa State’s Cody Chittum.
8:54 p.m. – Mitchell Mesenbrink never really stops, does he? The machine racked up another technical fall, beating Hostra’s Kyle Mosher, 22-6, in just 4:15. Scoring 22 points in just over four minutes just doesn’t seem possible.
9:45 p.m. – Both Levi Haines and Carter Starocci were on the mat at the same time. Starocci didn’t waste much time against Rutgers’ Shane Cartagena-Welsh, picking up a 15-0 technical fall in 4:23. Haines picked up a 4-0 win over Oklahoma’s Gavin Sax.
10:17 p.m. – It was the first threat of a loss today by Penn State, but Josh Barr came through in the end. Even while in concussion protocol after bumping heads with Oklahoma State’s Trey Munoz, Barr got a shot deep in sudden victory to pick up a 5-2 win.
10:30 p.m. – Minnesota’s Gable Steveson just beat Rutgers’ Yaraslau Slavikousk by disqualification because of too many stall violations in the first period. I’ve never seen that before. Can’t imagine it’s been done much, if ever.
10:36 p.m. – It’s a perfect 20 for 20 for the Nittany Lions after Greg Kerkvliet finishes the night with a 4-0 win over Lock Haven’s Gavin Hoffman. That’s just crazy in the NCAA Championships.
10:45 p.m. – Penn State has the obvious lead with 39.5 points at the end of the first day. Nebraska follows with 28 points, while Oklahoma State is in third with 27. See you tomorrow!
