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2024 Big Ten Wrestling Championships: Session 1 takeaways

IMG_6598by:Nick Kosko•03/09/24•

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BIG TENS 2
Nick Kosko/On3 Sports

With one session in the books, it’s time to look at what the Big Ten Wrestling Championships offered on Saturday morning and afternoon.

Four things really stood out in the first four-plus hours. But don’t worry, there’s plenty more to come throughout the weekend.

Here are the biggest takeaways from the first session of the Big Ten Tournament.

125 pounds remains insane

The departure of Spencer Lee must’ve sent the entire country into a tizzy. The former Iowa three-time NCAA champ left the door wide open for 2024 to see some new guys emerge.

That would’ve been Matt Ramos of Purdue, who beat Lee last year. But then Ramos lost to Rutgers‘ Dean Peterson in the quarterfinals and the semis feature the No. 4, 6, 7 and 9 seeds. Get your popcorn ready for that bracket Saturday night.

Brody Teske is here to shock the world … Kind of

Teske is a three-time NCAA qualifier for Northern Iowa and Iowa so him making the 133 pound semifinals isn’t exactly surprising. It’s the fact he was the No. 14 and final seed in the bracket.

Teske knocked off No. 3 Nic Bouzakis of Ohio State in the first round and then No. 11 Dustin Norris of Purdue in the quarterfinals. He gets No. 2 Dylan Shawver of Rutgers in Saturday night’s semifinals. If he won that one to rep Iowa in the finals, it’d be quite the run. The backstory is he reportedly won back the 133 pound spot too late so Iowa did not enter him into the tournament until after the seeding meeting. That resulted in No. 14.

Carter Starocci is (presumably) done until NCAAs

It really stunk to see the three-time NCAA champ from Penn State medically default out of his quarterfinal match. After getting injured in Penn State’s final dual, Starocci had to take the mat to accept defeat, something he hasn’t done in years. Heck, I even saw him walk around without a limp, so it was a little surprising to see him not get in on the action.

The rule is he has to do it again in his wrestleback match and then he’ll have two losses on his record. Of course, he’ll get an at-large bid to NCAAs, but the question is now what seed he’ll get in Kansas City in two weeks. Regardless, he’ll still be the favorite even not at 100%.

Does Penn State get caught in the team score?

Penn State had the lead after the first session and had nine guys get to the semifinals. So, everyone besides Starocci. Michigan was next with eight semifinalists and the Wolverines are 2nd in the team race.

Advancement and bonus points are the name of the game. Iowa and Nebraska are in the top four with Minnesota, Rutgers and Ohio State vying for that fifth spot at the moment. Penn State and Michigan have head-to-head matchups in the first three weights, which could swing the team tournament.

How to watch 2024 Big Ten Wrestling Championships

Fans not in attendance for this year’s Big Ten Tournament have the option of streaming on Fubo TV.

Fubo’s spring offer just kicked off – For a limited time, new subscribers can save $20 on their first month of Fubo’s Pro, Elite, and Premier plans.

Date: Saturday March 9th (1 and 2) and 10th (3 and 4)
Session 1: 10 a.m. ET
Session 2: 5 p.m. ET and 7 p.m. ET
Session 3: 12 p.m. ET
Session 4: 4:30 p.m. ET

Location: College Park (M.D) – The University of Maryland
Channel: Big Ten Network
Live Stream: Fubo TV (Try for free)

Fans can click the link above for a free trial of Fubo TV to stream the 2024 Big Ten Wrestling Championships