Recap: Penn State sails through second round of NCAA Wrestling Championships

Penn State wrestling leads the team race after day one of the 2024 NCAA Wrestling Championships. It has a big second session to thank for that. The Nittany Lions won all 10 matches they wrestled, including eight in the championship bracket, and scored bonus points triumphs in most of them. Full results and a look at how it happened are below.

Complete Penn State second round results

125 pounds: No. 1 Braeden Davis, Penn State d. No. 17 Brett Ungar, Cornell, 2-1

133 pounds: No. 10 Aaron Nagao, PSU tf. No. 26 Kade Moore, Missouri, 16-1 (5:00) (consolation bracket)

141 pounds: No. 2 Beau Bartlett, Penn State F No. 15 Mitch Moore, Rutgers, 5:09

149 pounds: No. 7 Tyler Kasak, PSU md. No. 23 Drew Roberts, Minnesota, 14-5 (consolation)

157 pounds: No. 1 Levi Haines, PSU vs. No. 16 Teague Travis, Oklahoma State

165 pounds: No. 2 Mitchell Mesenbrink, Penn State md. No. 15 Brevin Cassella, Binghamton, 11-3

174 pounds: No. 9 Carter Starocci, PSU d. No. 8 Adam Kemp, Cal Poly, 5-3

184 pounds: No. 6 Bernie Truax, Penn State d. No. 11 Colton Hawks, Missouri, 4-2

197 pounds: No. 1 Aaron Brooks, PSU F No. 17 Joseph Novak, Wyoming, 2:20

285 pounds: No. 1 Greg Kerkvliet, Penn State md. Grady Greiss, Navy, 9-1

Rolling Penn State updates from session two

10:20 — Greg Kerkvliet completes a perfect session two for Penn State. The 285-pound No. 1 seed beats Grady Greiss of Navy by major decision, 9-1, with 4:30 in riding time to reach Friday’s quarterfinals.

9:51 — Aaron Brooks and Bernie Truax are both off to the quarterfinals. Brooks decked his 197-pound opponent, Joey Novak of Arizona State, at the 2:20 mark of the first period. Truax won a 4-2 decison over Colton Hawks of Missouri at 184. Penn State is now 9-0 in session two with seven quarterfinalists and Greg Kerkvliet left to wrestle.

9:18 — Penn State has two more quarterfinalists. Mitchell Mesenbrink took out Brevin Cassella of Binghamton by major decision, 11-3, at 165 pounds. At 174 pounds, Carter Starocci surrendered just his second takedown of the season and trailed 3-0 early but quickly escaped and scored a takedown of his own en route to a 5-3 decision over Adam Kemp of Cal Poly to advance.

8:53 — Tyler Kasak was pushing for a technical fall late in his 149-pound first-round consolation bracket bout with Minnesota’s Drew Roberts but gave up a third period takedown and settled for a 14-5 major decision win to keep his season alive. The freshman will wrestle in the second round of consolation action tomorrow.

8:35 — Penn State 157-pound sophomore Levi Haines is into the quarterfinals. And, he got there via his second technical fall of the tournament. The Nittany Lion racked up six takedowns en route to a 19-4 triumph in 6:41.

8:10 — Beau Bartlett has Penn State’s first fall of the tournament. Leading No. 15 Mitchell Moore of Rutgers 4-1 in the third period, Bartlett picked up Moore’s leg, snapped down on his head, caught the Scarlet Knight in a cradle, and threw his back to the mat for a pin at the 5:49 mark. He is the Lions’ second quarterfinalist.

7:58 — Aaron Nagao keeps his tournament alive and gives Penn State a big boost in the team race by dominating Missouri’s Kade Moore. A four-point tilt late locked up a 16-1 technical victory at the 5:00 mark. He is into the second round of 133-pound consolation bouts tomorrow.

7:14 — Braeden Davis is the first Penn State quarterfinalist of the night. He mostly rode out Cornell’s Brett Ungar in the third period, and it was the difference. A bout tied 1-1 after both wrestlers earned escapes goes to Davis with the riding time point, 2-1. The Lions are 1-0 in the evening session.