Penn State wrestling takeaways from Big Ten tournament session one: A big surprise, seven into semis, more

Seven Penn State wrestlers have advanced to the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament.

Head coach Cael Sanderson’s team is just behind Michigan in the overall team race after the first session at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Neb.

Things went mostly as planned for the Nittany Lions, but not entirely.

Here’s a breakdown of what took place ahead of session two, which starts at 6:30 p.m. ET Saturday night.

Penn State send seven to the semifinals

Only Michigan (eight) has more semifinalists than the Nittany Lions.

Roman Bravo-Young punched his ticket with a quarterfinal win with an 11-3 major decision over Matt Ramos of Purdue at 133 pounds.

Then, at 141, Penn State’s Nick Lee crushed Wisconsin’s Joseph Zargo by technical fall, 15-1 in 5:05.

At 157 pounds, Brady Berge continued his Penn State comeback story with a pair of wins to reach the semis. He opened the tournament with a 10-2 major decision over Garrett Model of Wisconsin. Then, he upset Kaleb Young, the second-seed from Iowa, 5-3. Berge pushed the pace and was the dominant wrestler throughout.

Penn State then picked up back-to-back first period pins at 174 and 184. First, Carter Starocci decked Maryland’s Dominic Solis in 2:18. Then, Aaron Brooks beat Terp Kyle Cochran by fall in 1:41.

Max Dean is also into the semis. The Penn State 197-pounder won 9-2 over Rutgers’ Greg Bulsak. Finally, heavyweight Greg Kerkvliet is, too, after winning 7-1 over Christian Lance of Nebraska.

What didn’t go according to plan?

Second-seed Drew Hildebrandt was upset in the 125-pound quarterfinals by Northwestern’s Michael DeAugustino. The Wildcat scored a takedown in sudden victory to shock the senior and two-time All-American. He is now in the consolation bracket and wrestles again later Saturday night. He faces Patrick McKee of Minnesota, who previously beat him at the NCAA Tournament.

Also falling into wrestlebacks were Beau Bartlett and Crieghton Edsell.

Bartlett won his first match over Minnesota’s Michael Blockhaus, 3-2. He did so after a late takedown by the Gopher was not awarded upon video review. The Penn State 149-pounder then lost to second-seeded Auston Gomez of Wisconsin, 12-4.

Edsell, then, picked up a big team point at 165 by beating Purdue’s Hayden Lohrey 3-1 in sudden victory. But, he then lost in the second round to second seed Alex Marinelli of Iowa by an 8-2 count.

Next matches for Penn State

125: Drew Hildebrandt vs. No. 8 Patrick McKee, Minnesota (consolation)

133: Roman Bravo-Young vs. No. 5 Dylan Ragusin, Michigan

141: Nick Lee vs. No. 5 Jakob Bergeland, Minnesota

149: Beau Bartlett vs. No. 8 Christian Kanzler, Illinois (consolation)

157: Brade Berge vs. No. 3 Will Lewan, Michigan

165: Creighton Edsell vs. No. 9 Cael Carlson, Minnesota (consolation)

174: Carter Starocci vs. No. 4 Michael Kemerer, Iowa

184: Aaron Brooks vs. No. 4 Taylor Venz, Nebraska

197: Max Dean vs. No. 3 Cameron Caffey, Michigan State

285: Greg Kerkvliet vs. No. 2 Tony Cassioppi, Iowa

Where is Penn State in the team standings after sesson one of the Big Ten tournament?

Penn State is behind Michigan by a point. The Wolverines have 68.5 and the Nittany Lions have 67.5

Iowa is in third with 55. Nebraska and Wisconsin round out the top five.

Action resumes at 6:30 p.m. ET on BTN+ with consolation bracket action. Hildebrandt should be one of the first wrestlers on the mat. The semifinals, then, begin at 8:30 p.m. on Big Ten Network. They will also be streamed on BTN+.

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