NCAA Championships Session 1: Penn State Wrestling Was Perfect

PHILADELPHIA– Penn State wrestling will probably lose a match at some point in these NCAA Championships but it didn’t happen in the first session.

Cael Sanderson’s empire went a perfect 10-0 with nine bonus-point wins and as a result, has a sizable lead in the team standings.

This already puts Penn State ahead of last year’s pace– which is significant considering the team ended up winning the national title by 100 points.

Last year, Tyler Kasak lost his first bout Thursday afternoon before rolling to seven straight wins and a third-place finish as a true freshman at 149 pounds.

Now a sophomore who’s the top seed at 157, Kasak had a much better start to this year’s tournament, getting a pin over Northern Illinois’ Landen Johnson.

THE RESULTS

Here’s a full breakdown of Penn State’s results.

125: Luke Lilledahl over Marcello Millani (Cornell) 19-4 TF

133: Bareden Davis over Kurt Phipps (Bucknell) 12-4 MD

141: Beau Bartlett over Jordan Titus (WVU) 4-2

149: Shayne Van Ness over Gabe Willochell (Wyoming), F (4:11)

157: Tyler Kasak over Landen Johnson (Northern Illinois) F

165: Mitchell Mesenbrink over Chandler Amaker (CMU) 16-0 TF

174: Levi Haines over Branson John (Maryland) F

184: Carter Starocci over Caden Rogers (Lehigh) 18-2 TF

197: Josh Barr over Tucker Logan (Lock Haven), 9-1 MD

THE STANDINGS

Here are the team standings

1. Penn State (24 points)
2. Oklahoma State (15.5)
3. Michigan (12)
4. Nebraska (11.5)

       4. Ohio State (11.5)

       6. Iowa (10.5)

       6. Northern Iowa (10.5)

      8. Cornell (10)

     9. Illinois (9)

     10. Minnesota (10)