Penn State at the Big Ten wrestling tournament preview: First match for each Lion, predictions, and more

Penn State wrestling kicks off the postseason this weekend. Head coach Cael Sanderson’s No. 1 Nittany Lions will compete at the Big Ten tournament Saturday and Sunday in Ann Arbor, Mich. All 10 starters will participate with hopes of qualifying for the NCAA Tournament, which starts in two weeks in Tulsa, Okla.

“I’d like to win as a coach,” Sanderson said this week. Penn State lost the team race at Big Tens last year to Michigan. “But, we haven’t really talked about that. We don’t talk a lot about winning and losing; it’s kind of an expectation these guys have. I mean, little kids want to win; you don’t have to tell them they want to win. It’s something they’re born with.

“We want to compete well. Our eyes are always on the nationals. That’s the biggest goal. But, the conference is part of the nationals because you have to quality to get there, and it determines your placing and your seed there. That’s just the way I’ve always looked at it because that’s what my coach used to say is, that this is like the first two rounds of the nationals. So, your question is ‘do we want to win the Big Ten Conference?’ Heck yeah, let’s go.”

Get ready for the action with our weight-by-weight breakdown below. Note: Ranking beside each wrestlers name is their Big Ten tournament ranking, not their InterMat ranking.

125 pounds: Penn State redshirt freshman Gary Steen

First match for No. 10 Gary Steen at Big Tens: No. 7 Braxton Brown, Maryland

The skinny: Spencer Lee will dominate this weight class. The Iowa wrestler should face little resistance en route to a conference title. It means that the drama in this bracket will focus on how everyone behind him performs for seeding purposes at nationals. As for Steen, the Penn State wrestler has shown that he has the tools to win big matches. But, he just hasn’t done it consistently. Now would be a good time to start. The Big Ten will send its top nine wrestlers to the national tournament. That means Steen, who has had an up and down and mostly the latter season to date, will need to outperform his No. 10 spot in the preseeds. He lost to Brown 1-0 earlier this year. So, a better effort will be needed out of the gates to stay in the championship half of the bracket. However, two-seed Liam Cronin of Nebraska will be a tall order in the quarters for either.

Will Gary Steen qualify for NCAAs?: We’ll go with yes. But, if we’re wrong, don’t be surprised.

133 pounds: Lions super senior Roman Bravo-Young

First match for No. 1 Roman Bravo-Young at Big Tens: The winner of No.9 RayVon Foley, Michigan State vs. No. 8 Brody Teske, Iowa.

The skinny: ‘RBY’, who has a first round bye, is the top seed as he seeks his third straight conference crown. He pinned both Foley and Teske already this season. The top challengers he’ll have to deal with include expected fellow finalist Jesse Mendez, who is the two seed and a freshman from Ohio State who ‘RBY’ beat 8-2 during this year’s dual meet in Columbus. Before that, however, a semifinal matchup with Northwestern’s Chris Cannon likely awaits. Regardless of who he faces, expect Bravo-Young to take first again.

Will Roman Bravo-Young qualify for NCAAs?: Yes, after winning another Big Ten title.

141 pounds: Penn State junior Beau Bartlett

First match for No. 2 Beau Bartlett at Big Tens: The winner of No. 10 Cole Mattin, Michigan vs. No. 7 Joe Olivieri, Rutgers

The skinny: Bartlett, who has a first-round bye is putting his best wrestling on display as a Nittany Lion this season now that he’s at his more natural weight. The junior beat Mattin by decision and Olivieri by major decision earlier this year. If he can win his first three matches, he hopes for a finals rematch with Iowa top-seed Real Woods, who beat him during this year’s Penn State dual meet with the Hawkeyes. First, though, he’ll likely need to beat Nebraska’s Brock Hardy, who is the three-seed, in the semifinals.

Will Beau Bartlett qualify for NCAAs?: Yes, but he’ll lose a close bout to Woods in the conference tournament final. We’re not saying Bartlett can’t beat the standout Hawkeye, of course. But, Woods is fantastic, and until Bartlett can take him down, we must side with him in what would be a highly-anticipated first place bout.

149 pounds: Lions redshirt freshman Shayne Van Ness

First match for No. 5 Shayne Van Ness at Big Tens: No. 12 Jake Harrier, Illinois

The skinny: Van Ness will appear in his first Big Ten tournament as the five seed, and he draws an opponent he hasn’t seen in Harrier. This bracket could be shaken up if Wisconsin’s Austin Gomez injury defaults out of the tournament, as some believe he will. That said, Van Ness will likely have to contend with Iowa standout Max Murin, who has already beat him, in the quarters. If he passes that test, then Ohio State top-seed Sammy Sasso should be awaiting him in the semis.

Will Shayne Van Ness qualify for NCAAs?: Yes. But, the talented second-year Nittany Lion is going to have to pull off some upsets if he wants to land inside the top three. That said, the Big Ten sends its top nine wrestlers to nationals in this weight class. ‘SVN’ will comfortably be inside of that.

157 pounds: Penn State freshman Levi Haines

First match for No. 2 Levi Haines at Big Tens: The winner of No. 10 Derek Gilcher, Indiana vs. No. 7 Michael Carr, Illinois

The skinny: Haines, who has a first-round bye, enters his first conference tournament on a tear. At Big Tens, he is the number two seed behind Nebraska junior Peyton Robb, who was an All-American last year. He already beat Gilcher earlier this year. He has not faced Carr. Purdue senior and three-seed Kendall Coleman is the biggest threat on the freshman’s side of the bracket.

Will Levi Haines qualify for NCAAs?: Yes. Haines has long been a dark horse pick of many to win his first conference crown. Advancement to NCAAs is expected either way.

165 pounds: Lions redshirt freshman Alex Facundo

First match for No. 4 Alex Facundo at Big Tens: No. 13 Stoney Buell, Purdue

The skinny: Despite upsetting Michigan junior Cameron Amine during the regular season, slots in behind the second-seeded Wolverine at number four. He’s also behind Wisconsin sophomore and top-seed Dean Hamiti, who beat Facundo earlier this year, and Iowa sophomore Parick Kennedy, who was unavailable when the Hawkeyes visited the Lions. He has never faced Buell. He did face and beat Ohio State’s Carson Kharchla, though, who is the five seed and likely quarterfinal draw if Facundo beats Buell as expected.

Will Alex Facundo qualify for NCAAs?: Yes. A top-four finish is expected, which would punch his ticket to nationals for the first time.

174 pounds: Lions junior Carter Starocci

First match for No. 1 Carter Starocci at Big Tens: The winner of No. 9 Max Maylor, Michigan vs. No. 8 Troy Fisher, Northwestern

The skinny: Starocci, who has a first round bye, is the top seed as he looks for his second straight Big Ten title. Nebraska senior Michael Labriola will be his top challenger as the two-seed. Starocci pinned Maylor earlier this year. A quarterfinal bout with Illinois five-seed Edmond Ruth, the brother of Penn State great Ed, could await in the semis.

Will Carter Starocci qualify for NCAAs: Yes. Expect Starocci to roll to another first-place finish. There’s no need to overanalyze this weight class.

184 pounds: Penn State senior Aaron Brooks

First match for No. 1 Aaron Brooks at Big Tens: The winner of No. 9 Dylan Connell, Illinois vs. No. 8 Brian Soldano, Rutgers

The skinny: Brooks, who has a first round bye, rolls into Ann Arbor as the top seed. He’ll likely see two-seed and Ohio State senior Kaleb Romero, who he beat 3-2 in the regular season, in the finals. Brooks beat Soldano by technical fall earlier this year.

Will Aaron Brooks qualify for NCAAs?: Yes. A third straight Big Ten title is expected.

197 pounds: Lions senior Max Dean

First match for No. 1 Max Dean at Big Tens: The winner of No. 9 Michael Foy, Minnesota vs. No. 8 Braxton Amos, Wisconsin

The skinny: Dean, who has a first round bye, is the No. 1 seed as he searches for his second straight conference title. A semifinal match with either Michigan State’s Cameron Coffey or Iowa’s Jacob Warner likely awaits. Dean beat both by decison already earlier this year. The other side of the bracket is intriguing. Two-seed Silas Alread of Nebraska and three-seed Zac Braunagle of Illinois are expected to duke it out for the right to face Dean in the finals.

Will Max Dean qualify for NCAAs?: Yes. Dean has all the tools to win again. However, he must be active in every match or risks getting outscored and losing a close bout.

285 pounds: Penn State junior Greg Kerkvliet

First match for No. 2 Greg Kerkvliet at Big Tens: The winner of No. 7 Tate Orndorff, Ohio State vs. No. 10 Hayden Copass, Purdue

The skinny: Kerkvliet, who has a first round bye, seeks his first conference crown. He is the two seed. His biggest threat to not reach the finals comes from three-seed Tony Cassioppi, a senior from Iowa. Familiar face Mason Parris, a senior from Michigan, is the expected finalist on the other side of the bracket as the top seed. Kerkvliet shut him out and won by major decision earlier this year.

Will Greg Kerkvliet qualify for NCAAs? Yes. And, we’ll go out on a short limb and say he finally wins a Big Ten title this weekend.

Final word

Penn State has every opportunity to qualify all 10 starters to NCAAs. However, as Cael Sanderson always says, they must earn it. Whether or not they do will go a long way in determining the overall team race, which the Lions are favored to win entering the weekend.