Penn State Wrestling Clinches Big Ten Title and Dominates Edinboro in Dual Meet Finale

The Penn State wrestling team clinched their 10th Big Ten Regular Season Championship with a dominant 22-13 win against Nebraska, further solidifying their status as a wrestling powerhouse. However, their dual meet finale against Edinboro was even more impressive, as they shut out their opponents with a remarkable 55-0 victory. As they head into the 2024 Big Ten Championships at the University of Maryland, the Nittany Lions remain unstoppable, with their sights set on postseason glory.

Wrestling in front of nearly 6,600 fans at Rec Hall against Nebraska, Penn State claimed their 10th B1G dual title since 2012, marking the fourth consecutive year they've achieved this feat. The dual meet began with true freshman No. 6 Braeden Davis at 125, falling to No. 12 Caleb Smith in a hard-fought 11-3 major decision, giving Nebraska an early lead. Baylor Shunk, stepping in for No. 11 Aaron Nagao at 133, dropped a tough 6-2 decision to No. 17 Jacob Van Dee, extending Nebraska's lead to 7-0. However, senior No. 1 Beau Bartlett rallied Penn State with a strong 9-6 win over No. 7 Brock Hardy, cutting Nebraska's lead to 7-3.

Despite a valiant effort from true freshman Tyler Kasak at 149, he narrowly lost to No. 1 Ridge Lovett in a last-second takedown. Sophomore No. 1 Levi Haines at 157, dominated his match against No. 7 Peyton Robb, securing a crucial 10-3 victory.

Redshirt freshman No. 6 Mitchell Mesenbrink rallied from an early deficit to defeat No. 15 Antrell Taylor 9-5, narrowing the Husker lead to 10-9. Senior No. 1 Carter Starocci, ranked then put Penn State in the lead with a dominant 20-4 technical fall over No. 33 Bubba Wilson at 174.

After a narrow loss by graduate Bernie Truax at 184, senior No. 1 Aaron Brooks secured a convincing 17-4 major decision over No. 13 Silas Alred, extending Penn State's lead to 18-13. No. 1 Greg Kerkvliet capped off the victory with a commanding 10-0 major over Nash Hutmacher in the heavyweight match, sealing the final score at 22-13 in Penn State's favor.

 

PSU vs Nebraska – Sunday, February 18

No. 1 Penn State- 22, No. 4 Nebraska-13

125: NEB No. 12 Caleb Smith maj. dec. PSU No. 6 Braeden Davis, 11-3

133: NEB No. 17 Jacob Van Dee dec. PSU Baylor Shunk, 6-2

141: PSU No. 1 Beau Bartlett dec. NEB No. 7 Brock Hardy, 9-6

149: NEB No. 1 Ridge Lovett dec. PSU No. 9 Tyler Kasak, 7-3

157: PSU No. 1 Levi Haines dec. NEB No. 7 Peyton Robb, 10-3

165: PSU No. 6 Mitchell Mesenbrink dec. NEB No. 15 Antrell Taylor, 9-5

174: PSU No. 1 Carter Starocci tech fall NEB No. 33 Bubba Wilson, 19-4 (TF; 5:58)

184: NEB No. 3 Lenny Pinto dec. PSU No. 6 Bernie Truax, 8-6

197: PSU No. 1 Aaron Brooks maj. dec. NEB No. 13 Silas Alred, 17-4

285: PSU No. 1 Greg Kerkvliet maj. dec. NEB Nash Hutmacher, 10-0

In their dual meet finale, Penn State delivered a one-of-a-kind performance, shutting out visiting Edinboro with a resounding 55-0 victory. With this win, head coach Cael Sanderson's squad concluded the regular season undefeated at 12-0 overall. Penn State not only won all ten bouts… not a single bout made it to the third period. In summary, the Nittany Lions had 5 tech falls,  4 pins and 1 win by forfeit.  Kerkvliet clocked in the quickest pin at the 1:27 mark.

As much as we wish this to be the end of the story, it’s not. Unfortunately, right at the end of Carter Starocci’s tech fall over Brody Evans, he appeared to injure his knee and had to be helped off the mat. There has been no updates about the status of his injury or his projected activity for the Big Ten Championships next week.

 

PSU vs Edinboro – Sunday, February 25

No. 1 Penn State- 55, Edinboro- 0

125: PSU No. 8 Braeden Davis tech fall EU Caleb Edwards, 19-3 (TF; 4:02)

133: PSU No. 11 Aaron Nagao tech fall EU Eamonn Jimenez, 18-3 (TF; 3:33)

141: PSU No. 1 Beau Bartlett pinned EU Jacob Brenneman, WBF (4:11)

149: PSU No. 9 Tyler Kasak pinned EU Colin Roberts, WBF (3:20)

157: PSU No. 1 Levi Haines pinned EU Gannon Jaquay, WBF (4:38)

165: PSU No. 6 Mitchell Mesenbrink win by forfeit

174: PSU No. 1 Carter Starocci tech fall EU Brody Evans, 22-5 (TF; 2:45)

184: PSU No. 6 Bernie Truax tech fall EU Brody Evans, 21-3 (TF; 5:00)

197: PSU No. 1 Aaron Brooks tech fall EU Jack Kilner, 19-4 (TF; 3:55)

285: PSU No. 1 Greg Kerkvliet pinned EU Nick Lodato, WBF 1:27) 

With a flawless dual season, Penn State now sets its sights on the 2024 Big Ten Championships at the University of Maryland, prepared to carry their momentum into the postseason. All action can be streamed on BTN+ or the Big Ten Network. The two-day event schedule is as follows:

Saturday, March 9
Session 1 - 10 a.m.
Session 2 - 5:00 p.m.

Sunday, March 10
Sessions 3 and 4 - 12 p.m.
Big Ten finals - 4:30 p.m.