Penn State can break its NCAA Wrestling Championships team points record tonight; here's how

PHILADELPHIA — Thanks largely to a perfect first day and a prolific effort in the medal round, Penn State wrestling already clinched its fourth consecutive NCAA Championship before Saturday night’s final round. The Nittany Lions can still finish with as many as three individual champions. And, it is in position to break the team points record it set just a year ago.

Head coach Cael Sanderson’s team already has 10 All-Americans. That includes a sixth- and fifth-place finisher in addition to five who finished third. Tonight, redshirt sophomore Mitchell Mesenbrink will wrestle for his first title when he takes on Mikey Caliendo of Iowa in the 165-pound final. Graduate senior Carter Starocci goes for his fifth title and first at 184 pounds when he takes on the weight class’ defending champ, Parker Keckeisen of Northern Iowa, in the first bout of the final session. And, redshirt freshman Josh Barr chases his first title when he wrestles No. 2 Stephen Buchanan of Iowa in the 197-pound final.

Penn State enters session six with 169 team points. It is 60 points clear of second place Nebraska. Besides striving for three individual championships, the Lions are also aiming to break the NCAA team points record it set a year ago. Then, Sanderson’s side scored 172.5, which beat Iowa’s record of 170 from 1997. Each Penn State wrestler can earn a minimum of four points for the team total with a win. Bonus points can be added on top of that.

Put it all together, and the math is simple: To set a new record, the Lions need just one individual champion, as his four points, at a minimum, would put Penn State at 173 points and thus establish a new record. Starocci wrestles first, meaning he could make make history for himself and his team right away tonight.

Recapping Penn State’s tournament so far

Penn State was a perfect 20-0 on day one. It pushed seven starters into the semifinals to start Day 2. But, it went just 3-4 in the semifinal round. Which, to some, was a disappointment; the Lions were 56-8 in the semifinal round of nationals coming into this year’s tournament. But the group righted the ship to start Saturday. It went 11-2 in the medal round. One loss was charged to heavyweight Greg Kerkvliet, who took a medical forfeit out of the tournament due to a left knee injury. And Braeden Davis lost his consolation semifinal before pinning his opponent in the fifth place match. Otherwise, the Lions thrived. Here’s where each finished ahead of the finals:

125 pounds: No. 1 Luke Lilledahl: Third

133 pounds: No. 8 Braeden Davis: Fifth

141 pounds: No. 2 Beau Bartlett: Third

149 pounds: No. 3 Shayne Van Ness: Third

157 pounds: No. 1 Tyler Kasak: Third

165 pounds: No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbribk: First OR Second

174 pounds: No. 2 Levi Haines: Third

184 pounds: No. 1 Carter Starocci: First OR Second

197 pounds: No. 4 Josh Barr: First OR Second

285 pounds: No. 3 Greg Kerkvliet: Sixth

Full Penn State medal round results

Consolation semifinal results

125 pounds: No. 1 Luke Lilledahl, PSU d. No. 3 Eddie Ventresca, Virginia Tech, 4-1 (SV)

133 pounds: No. 14 Zan Fuggit, Wisconsin d. No. 8 Braeden Davis, Penn State, 8-5

141 pounds: No. 2 Beau Bartlett, PSU d. No. 4 Josh Koderhandt, Navy, 11-6 (SV)

149 pounds: No. 3 Shayne Van Ness, Penn State F No. 12 Ethan Stiles, Oregon State (1:06)

157 pounds: No. 1 Tyler Kasak, PSU F No. 2 Meyer Shapiro, Cornell, 4:19

174 pounds: No. 2 Levi Haines, PSU d. No. 5 Simon Ruiz, Cornell, 4-1

285 pounds: No. 9 Cohlton Schultz, Arizona State MDF No. 3 Greg Kerkvliet, Penn State

Medal round final matches

125 pounds: No. 1 Luke Lilledahl, PSU F No. 2 Matt Ramos, Purdue (6:18) (Lilledahl finishes third)

133 pounds: No. 8 Braeden Davis, Penn State F No. 6 Connor McGonagle, Virginia Tech (2:33) (Davis finishes fifth)

141 pounds: No. 2 Beau Bartlett, PSU md. No. 10 CJ Composto, Penn, 11-2 (Bartlett finishes third)

149 pounds: No. 3 Shayne Van Ness, Penn State md. No. 13 Dylan D’Emilio, Ohio State, 15-4 (Van Ness finishes third)

157 pounds: No. 1 Tyler Kasak, PSU md. No. 20 Trevor Chumbley, Northwestern, 8-0 (Kasak finishes third)

174 pounds: No. 2 Levi Haines, PSU md. No. 11 Patrick Kennedy, Iowa, 11-3 (Haines finishes third)

285 pounds: Greg Kerkvliet medically defaulted out of the tournament in the consolation semifinals to finish sixth.