Penn State wrestling at the 2024 NCAA championships: Time, TV info for session one, how to find results, more
The 2024 NCAA Wrestling Championships start today in Kansas City, Mo. Penn State will have entrants in all 10 weight classes once the action begins inside of the T-Mobile Center this afternoon. Blue-White Illustrated will provide continuing coverage of the tournament from the first whistle on Thursday through the post-event news conferences late Saturday night.
“I think I approach it the same. Just I think the next title is always the more fun one,” Nittany Lion Carter Starocci said on Wednesday. “So just really exciting.
“As far as a team-race thing, I don’t think any of us on the team are kind of looking at that. We’re kind of just focused on the first match at hand and doing our best.”
NCAA Championships: Day 1 schedule
Day one begins at Noon ET with the first session, which feature pigtail bouts and first round matches. It is scheduled to run until 3:30 p.m.
Session two, which features second-round championship bracket matches plus first-round consolation bracket action, begins at 7 p.m. It is expected to go until 10:30 p.m.
How to watch, follow the Lions at NCAAs
The NCAA Wrestling Tournament’s opening day will be a mixture of live television coverage and streaming. Penn State matches will be part of ESPNU’s over-the-air coverage of session one. ESPN, then, will carry session two. Specific mat cameras will be available to stream, as well, via ESPN+.
The Penn State Sports Network will be on the air with the prematch show at 11:45 a.m. for session one and 6:45 p.m. for session two on Thursday. 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 will each Nittany Lion face first in Kansas City?
Here’s the breakdown:
125 pounds: No. 1 Braeden Davis, Penn State. vs. winner of No. 33 Tristan Lujuan, Michigan State vs. Mike Joyce, Brown
133 pounds: No. 10 Aaron Nagao, PSU vs. No. 23 Marlon Yarbrough, Virginia
141 pounds: No. 2 Beau Bartlett, Penn State vs. No. 31 Kai Owen, Colorado
149 pounds: No. 7 Tyler Kasak, PSU vs. No. 26 Jaden Abas, Stanford
157 pounds: No. 1 Levi Haines, PSU vs. winner of No. 33 Nick Stampoulous, Buffalo vs. No. 32 Isaax Wilcox, Ohio State
165 pounds: No. 2 Mitchell Mesenbrink, Penn State vs. No. 31 Maxx Mayfield, Northwestern
174 pounds: No. 9 Carter Starocci, PSU vs. No. 24 Andrew Sparks, Minnesota
184 pounds: No. 6 Bernie Truax, Penn State vs. No. 27 Cameron Pine, Clarion
197 pounds: No. 1 Aaron Brooks, PSU vs. winner of No. 33 Evan Bates, Northwestern vs. No. 32 John Crawford, Franklin & Marshall
285 pounds: No. 1 Greg Kerkvliet, Penn State vs. winner of No. 33 Jordan Greer, Ohio vs. No. 32 Nick Willham, Indiana
Early storylines to follow
–If Penn State is going to break Iowa’s team total record of 170 points, it will need to pile up some bonus points in the first session. It will rely on its six top-two seeds to start. But, it will take them from any competitor it can get them from.
–As we’ve noted endlessly, Carter Starocci is adamant that he is ready to roll. But, this will be the first time seeing him in competition since the three-time NCAA champ suffered a knee injury in late February. All eyes will be on his movements, demeanor, and aggression level in round one.
–Will any Lions surprisingly find themselves in the consolation bracket after just one round? By seeding alone and past history alone, none should. But, upsets happen at this tournament, which makes it a storyline to follow.
–Are the first-time NCAA tournament entries from Penn State, freshmen Braeden Davis (125 pounds) and Tyler Kasak (149) plus redshirt freshman Mitchell Mesenbrink (165) ready for the bright lights? We’ll find out soon enough.
