Penn State wrestling at the 2024 Big Ten tournament: Session I time, TV info, more
Penn State wrestling is set to start the Big Ten Championships. The No. 1 Nittany Lions and the rest of their conference brethren get rolling inside of the Xfinity Center later this morning for the first of five session that will conclude with the finals on Sunday afternoon. Head coach Cael Sanderson’s side is a heavy favorite to win the event and add to its conference regular season crown which it secured back in February.
“I don’t think anybody’s peaked yet,” Sanderson said earlier this week. “I think everybody has their eyes set on the bigger events at the end. But yeah, there’s some different things, everyone’s different. Obviously, different levels of experience. And then weight management is different. So that obviously factors into the training of each individual. I think our our guys are excited and at peace and ready to roll.
“It’s the same for us every year. We just want to want our kids to be happy and want to help them reach their goals. Just keep focus on little things. It’s small and simple things that make the big things take place. So just keep things simple and just have fun.”
Get ready for the event with our primer below.
Big Ten tournament schedule
Maryland is hosting the two-day event. The schedule is as follows (all times eastern):
Saturday
10 a.m. – Session 1 (First Round, Quarterfinals, Wrestlebacks)
5 p.m. – Session 2 (Consolation Matches, Wrestlebacks)
7 p.m. – Session 3 (Semifinals)
Sunday
Noon – Session 4 (Consolation Semifinals, 7th-Place Matches)
4:30 p.m. – Session 5 (1st-, 3rd- and 5th- Place Matches)
How to follow Penn State wrestling at the Big Ten tournament
The Big Ten tournament will be a mixture of live television coverage and streaming. Penn State matches will be part of Big Ten Network’s over-the-air coverage of sessions one, three, and five. BTN+ will stream matside coverage for all sessions. It is also the exclusive home to watch sessions two and four.
The Penn State Sports Network will be on the air with the prematch show at 9:45 p.m. Longtime broadcaster Jeff Byers will be on the call. ET. Click here to access the free LionVision feed.
You can also follow along live and chat with other Penn State wrestling fans on Blue-White Illustrated’s The Wrestling Room forum. Access it by clicking here for live updates.
Who does each Nittany Lion have first?
Here’s the full rundown. The number listed before each wrestler is his seed for the Big Ten tournament. CLICK HERE to see the complete brackets.
125 pounds: No. 6 Braeden Davis, Penn State vs. No. 11 Justin Cardani of Illinois
133 pounds: No. 5 Aaron Nagao, PSU vs. No. 12 Andrew Hampton of Michigan State
141 pounds: No. 1 Beau Bartlett, Penn State vs. winner of No. 9 Danny Fongaro (Indiana) vs. No. 8 Jordan Hamdan (MSU)
149 pounds: No. 4 Tyler Kasak, PSU vs. No. 13 Aiden Vandenbush of Northwestern
157 pounds: No. 1 Levi Haines, Penn State vs. winner of No. 8 Joey Blaze of Purdue and No. 9 Trevor Chumbley of Northwestern
165 pounds: No. 2 Mitchell Mesenbrink, PSU vs. winner of No. 7 Stoney Burell (Purdue) vs. No. 10 Blaine Brenner (Minnesota)
174 pound: No. 1 Carter Starocci, Penn State vs. winner of No. 8 DJ Washington (Indiana) vs. No. 9 Andrew Sparks (Minnesota)
184 pounds: No. 3 Bernie Truax, PSU vs. No. 14 Chase Mielnik of Maryland
197 pounds: No. 1 Aaron Brooks, Penn State vs. winner of No. 8 Evan Bates (Northwestern) vs. No. 9 Ben Vanadia (Purdue)
285 pounds: No. 1 Greg Kerkvliet, PSU vs. winner of No. 8 Bennett Tabor (Minnesota) vs. No. 9 Josh Terrill (Maryland)
Early Penn State storylines to watch
–There is no other place to start other than here: Will Carter Starocci wrestle a full match in the quarterfinals? Time will tell. He is one of six Nittany Lions with a Round 1 bye. So, it’ll be a bit before we know his status.
–How many bonus points can the four Penn State wrestlers who have first round matches earn? It’s key to the team race, as the wrestlers with byes do not get team points for having them.
