Philadelphia— It wasn’t quite the perfection that Penn State wrestling had Thursday but it was still pretty good.
Penn State went 20-0 on Day One of this year’s National Championships, which as far as anybody knows, had never happened before.
Friday, the team lost its first two bouts and three of the first five but bounced back to secure seven semifinal bids and All-America honors.
Top-ranked wrestlers Luke Lilledahl (125) and Tyler Kasak (157) each were upset, and eighth-seeded Braeden Davis fell to top-ranked Lucas Byrd (Illinois). But Penn State’s seven other wrestlers won, and thus are two wins away from becoming national champions.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Here’s how everything happened in Session III.
12:19 p.m. – The streak is over. Luke Lilledahl falls in a classic in the riding time periods, 3-2. Lilledahl had his chances, but Lehigh’s Sheldon Seymore fought off every attempt. Truly a thriller.
12:33 p.m. – No real surprise here. Braeden Davis falls to No. 1 seed Lucas Byrd of Illinois by major decision, 12-1. Byrd and Iowa’s Drake Ayala appear to be on a collision course for the finals.
12:48 p.m. – Penn State has its first semifinalist later tonight at 141 pounds as Beau Bartlett defeated Penn’s CJ Composto, 5-0. He will get another rematch with Ohio State’s returning national champion Jesse Mendez. Bartlett is 2-0 against Mendez this season.
Semis: Bartlett vs. No. 3 Jesse Mendez (Ohio State)
1:08 p.m. – It’s now two semifinalists for the Nittany Lions as Shayne Van Ness defeated North Carolina’s Lachlan McNeil, 7-2. It will be a good one in the semis as Van Ness gets Nebraska’s Ridge Lovett.
Semis: Van Ness vs. No. 3 Ridge Lovett (Nebraska)
1:25 p.m. – It’s another PSU 1-seed knocked off as Tyler Kasak drops a 5-4 match to Purdue’s Joey Blaze.
1:44 p.m. – Mitchell Mesenbrink defeats Oklahoma State’s Cameron Amine, 5-0, to reach the 165-pound semis. It will not be a match with former PSU wrestler Terrell Barraclough as he was knocked off by Nebraska’s Christopher Minto. It will be Mesenbrink and Minto in the semis.
Semis: Mesenbrink vs. No. 12 Christopher Minto (Nebraska)
2:01 p.m. – Levi Haines is Penn State’s fourth in the semis as he beat Navy’s Danny Wask, 7-2, at 174 pounds. He will face Oklahoma State’s Dean Hamiti. PSU fans will remember the excellent match last year in the Big Ten 165-pound finals between Mesenbrink and Hamiti. Hamiti wrestled for Wisconsin then.
Semis: Haines vs. No. 3 Dean Hamiti (Oklahoma State)
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.2:23 p.m. – Carter Starocci is moving on with a 9-1 major decision over Maryland’s Jaxon Smith. He will meet up with Oklahoma State’s Dustin Plott in the semifinals.
Semis: Starocci vs. No. 4 Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State)
2:39 p.m. – Josh Barr picks up a 14-3 major decision at 197 pounds over former Penn State wrestler Michael Beard, who is now competing at Lehigh. Barr will meet up with top-seed Jacob Cardenas of Michigan.
Semis: Barr vs. No. 1 Jacob Cardenas (Michigan)
2:56 p.m. – Greg Kerkvliet beats Michigan’s Joshua Heindselman, 5-0, to advance to the semis. He will get a big one against Oklahoma State’s Wyatt Hendrickson. Penn State goes 7-3 in the quarterfinals and is done for the session.
Semis: Kerkvliet vs. No. 2 Wyatt Hendrickson (Oklahoma State)
The semifinal round is scheduled to begin at 8.
STANDINGS
Here are the team standings going into Session IV.
Surprisingly, Penn State is ahead.
1. Penn State (90.5)
2. Nebraska (62.5)
3. Oklahoma State (61)
4. Iowa (42)
5. Northern Iowa (36.5)
