4 Penn State wrestling takeaways from day one of the NCAA Championships

The first day of the NCAA Wrestling Championships has concluded. Penn State is off to a strong start.

Seven Nittany Lions are still in the championship bracket. One is alive in consolation action, which means they will be out of the tournament with one more loss. Finally, one member of head coach Cael Sanderson’s nine-member contingent at nationals has been eliminated from the tournament. Redshirt freshman Alex Facundo lost both his first and second matches on Thursday to bow out of the tournament.

What else did we learn? Here are our takeaways after two sessions went into the books at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla.

1. Shayne Van Ness stole the show

Some of the day went as expected for Penn State. Other parts of it did not. But, if you would have told the story of Shayne Van Ness’ first two matches in the 149-pound bracket to anyone prior to the first bout, it’s doubtful you would have been believed.

The Penn State redshirt freshman was caught early in his match against Maryland’s Ethen Miller, and it looked like the Terp would upset him. The third period started with the Nittany Lion trailing 9-1. However, ‘SVN’ closed to within 12-9 with a flurry of action before pinning his opponent to move into round two. There was just one problem: No. 5 Paniro Johnson of Iowa State awaited the 12th-seeded Penn State wrestler.

It turned out to be no problem at all. Van Ness was the aggressor throughout and clearly had more in his gas tank than Johnson did. It led to a 14-8 decision victory that was not as close as it looked. Van Ness is now into the quarterfinals at nationals for the first time. It came only after a very impressive day.

2. Bonus points power Penn State again

To the surprise of exactly no one, bonus points powered Penn State to the team lead after day one. The Lions again racked them up in bulk. Besides Van Ness, Aaron Brooks picked up a second-round fall at 184, and Carter Starocci and Greg Kerkvliet had first-round pins at 174 and heavyweight, respectively. Kerkvliet earned a major decision victory in round two. Roman Bravo-Young had a major decision in the first round. So, too, did Levi Haines at 157 pounds.

It’s why Penn State (26 points) leads comfortably over Iowa (21.5), Missouri (17.5), Minnesota (16.5), and North Carolina State (16.5) entering day two.

3. Max Dean has work to do

Max Dean will not compete as an NCAA champion. The 197-pound Nittany Lion won his first round match. But, he was again unable to solve Nebraska’s Silas Allred, who beat him two weeks ago in the Big Ten championships. The Cornhusker won again, this time by a 7-2 decision. Now, the senior Penn State wrestler heads to the consolation bracket. There, he can wrestle for up to third place and earn valuable points in the team race. But, a loss ends both his tournament and his college career.

4. Odds and ends

–The seven Nittany Lions left in the quarterfinals are Roman Bravo-Young (133 pounds), Beau Bartlett (141), Shayne Van Ness (149), Levi Haines (165), Carter Starocci (174), Aaron Brooks (184), and Greg Kerkvliet (heavyweight).

–Former Penn State wrestler Michael Beard is also in the consolation bracket. The 197-pounder from Lehigh was upset in Round 2.

–Action begins with session three on Friday at Noon ET on ESPNU.

First Session 3 matchup for each Nittany Lion

All matches are in the championship bracket unless otherwise noted:

125 pounds: No competitor

133 pounds: No. 1 Roman Bravo-Young, Penn State vs. No. 8 Aaron Nagao, Minnesota

141 pounds: No. 6 Beau Bartlett, PSU vs. No. 3 Cole Matthews, Pitt

149 pounds: No. 12 Shayne Van Ness, Penn State vs. No. 20 Graham Rooks, Indiana

157 pounds: No. 2 Levi Haines, PSU vs. No. 7 Bryce Andonian, Virginia Tech

165 pounds: No competitor

174 pounds: No. 1 Carter Starocci, Penn State vs. No. 8 Bailee O’Reilly, Minnesota

184 pounds: No. 3 Aaron Brooks, PSU vs. No. 6 Kaleb Romero, Ohio State

197 pounds: No. 9 Max Dean, Penn State vs. No. 26 Gavin Hoffman, Ohio State (Consolation)

285 pounds: No. 3 Greg Kerkvliet, PSU vs. No. 11 Trent Hillger, Wisconsin

Full day one results for Penn State

Courtesy of Penn State Athletics:

133: #1 Roman Bravo-Young, Sr., Tucson, Ariz./Sunnyside
Rd. 1: #33 Ethan Oakley, Appalachian State – W, 12-3 maj. dec.
Rd. 2: #17 Brayden Palmer, Chattanooga – W, 5-2 dec.
Qtr: #8 Aaron Nagao, Minnesota

141: #6 Beau Bartlett, Jr., Tempe, Ariz./Wyoming Seminary (Pa.)
Rd. 1: #27 Shannon Hanna, Campbell – W, 9-2 dec.
Rd. 2: #11 Clay Carlson, South Dakota State – W, 3-2 dec.
Qtr: #3 Cole Matthews, Pittsburgh

149: #12 Shayne Van Ness, Fr., Somerville, N.J./Blair Academy
Rd. 1: #21 Ethan Miller, Maryland – WBF (6:26)
Rd. 2: #5 Paniro Johnson, Iowa State – W, 14-8 dec.
Qtr: #20 Graham Rooks, Indiana

157: #2 Levi Haines, Fr., Arendtsville, Pa./Biglerville
Rd. 1: #31 Ashton Eyler, Lock Haven – W, 10-3 dec.
Rd. 2: #15 Jacob Wright, Wyoming – W, 8-2 dec.
Qtr: #7 Bryce Andonian, Virginia Tech

Results: 165-285 pounds

165: #13 Alex Facundo, Fr., Essexville, Mich./Davison – DNP – Season complete (19-6)
Rd. 1: #20 Holden Heller, Pittsburgh – L, 3-5 dec.
Cn. 1: #4 Julian Ramirez, Cornell – L, 2-12 maj. dec.

174: #1 Carter Starocci, Jr., Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep
Rd. 1: #33 John Worthing, Clarion – WBF (1:21)
Rd. 2: #17 Donnell Washington, Indiana – W, 4-0 dec.
Qtr: #8 Bailee O’Reilly, Minnesota

184: #3 Aaron Brooks, Sr., Hagerstown, Md./North Hagerstown
Rd. 1: #30 Matthew Waddell, Chattanooga – W, 13-4 maj. dec.
Rd. 2: #14 Will Feldkamp, Clarion – WBF (4:59)
Qtr: #6 Kaleb Romero, Ohio State

197: #9 Max Dean, Sr., Lowell, Mich./Lowell
Rd. 1: #24 Levi Hopkins, Campbell – W, 6-1 dec.
Rd. 2: #8 Silas Allred, Nebraska – L, 2-7 dec.
Cn. 2: #26 Gavin Hoffman, Ohio State

285: #3 Greg Kerkvliet, Jr., Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley
Rd. 1: #30 Hayden Copass, Purdue – WBF (0:34)
Rd. 2: #14 A.J. Nevills, South Dakota State – W, 14-2 maj. dec.
Qtr: #11 Trent Hillger, Wisconsin