Penn State wrestling: Updates from Big Ten tournament session one

Penn State wrestling is ready to compete at the Big Ten tournament.

The Nittany Lions are the favorites to win the conference crown. But, they’ll need a full team effort to get the job done in Lincoln, Neb.

“I think you kind of get your best individual performance and your best mindset if you’re thinking less about yourself and more about your team and your performance and the things you can control,” Penn State coach Cael Sanderson said back on Monday.

“The more you think about yourself, the smaller your world gets, and the more difficult things become and the less fun it is. Your responsibility is just do the best you can with the time that you’re allotted there. And it’s not about winning and losing, it’s more about just competing with some enthusiasm and excitement. Then, we should be fine as a team.”

Action begins at 11 a.m. ET. Here’s how to follow along and what you need to know. Please refresh this page for the latest information throughout session one.

Penn State wrestling rundown for session one

Nebraska’s Pinnacle Bank Arena plays host to this year’s Big Ten tournament.

The first two seeds in each weight class have a bye. So, while the wrestling is expected to begin at 11 a.m. at 125 pounds, it’ll be a bit until a Penn State wrestler hits the mat. That’s because Drew Hildebrandt (No. 2), Roman Bravo-Young, and Nick Lee (both No. 1) won’t wrestle in the first round.

Beau Bartlett is first up for the Lions, then, at 149 pounds. He’s the seven see and will take on No. 10 Michael Blockhus from Minnesota. The winner draws No. 2 Austin Gomez of Wisconsin. That match should be around 11:45 a.m. ET, or so. As always with wrestling tournaments, it all depends on how the matches in the weight classes before that go.

From there, Brady Berge makes his postseason debut for Penn State at 157 pounds. Seeded No. 10, he’ll wrestle in the first round opposite No. 7 Garrett Model of Wisconsin. The winner of that bout gets No. 2 Kaleb Young of Iowa in the second round.

Next up for Penn State will be Creighton Edsell at 165 pounds. He’s wrestling in the postseason for the first time. Also seeded No. 10, the Nittany Lion will open the tournament opposite Hayden Lohrey of Purdue. Two-seedP Alex Marinelli from Iowa awaits the winner.

Penn State has byes at 174 (Carter Starocci, No. 1), 184, (Aaron Brooks, No. 1) and 197 (Max Dean, No. 2). Its final first round match will come at heavyweight. No. 3 Greg Kerkvliet takes on Maryland’s Zach Schrader, who is seeded 14th.

Session one doesn’t end with round one, of course. Round two will also be wrestled in this session in addition to the start of the consolation bracket.

How can I watch, follow Penn State?

If you want to follow along in other ways, here’s that information from our tournament preview. We also invite you to sign up for a Blue-White Illustrated account to read about and discuss the action with other Penn State fans on The Wrestling Room forum.

“Big Ten Network and its streaming sister BTN+ are yet again the home for this year’s tournament.

The action begins at 11 a.m. ET Saturday. Big Ten Network will bounce between mats — think of it like the NFL RedZone setup — while BTN+ will have a camera focused on each mat. Longtime Penn State radio voice Jeff Byers will also call the action on-site, as well. Live links can be found here on the Penn State website.

Session two starts with consolation bracket matches at 6:30 p.m. Those will be exclusively found on BTN+. Then, at 8 p.m., Big Ten Network comes back on the air for the semifinals.

Moving on to Sunday, BTN+ will have the consolation bracket semifinals starting at Noon ET. At 4:30 p.m., the finals start on BTN while third- and fifth-place matches will air on BTN+.”

Of course, you can also stick right here or join us over on the forums for more.

Rolling updates from the Big Ten wrestling quarterfinals and first consolation bouts in Session 1

3 p.m.: Seven Penn State wrestlers are headed to the semifinals. Greg Kerkvliet beat Nebraska’s Christian Lance by decision, 7-1, at heavyweight. Before that, Max Dean topped Rutgers’ Greg Bulsak 6-2 to punch his ticket.

Besides that group, Drew Hildebrandt (125), Beau Bartlett (149), and Creighton Edsell (165) are alive in the consolation bracket.

2:25 p.m.: Penn State had back-to-back pins. Carter Starocci beat Maryland’s Dominic Solis by fall in 2:12 at 174. Then, at 184, Aaron Brooks also pinned a Terp, as he beat Kyle Cochran in 1:41.

At 165, Creighton Edsell fought hard but lost to Iowa’s Alex Marinelli, 8-2.

2:12 p.m.: Brady Berge is an NCAA qualifier. He upset No. 2 Kaleb Young of Iowa 5-3 with some beautiful offense and better defense.

Beau Bartlett is into the consolation bracket, however. The Penn State 149-pounder lost by major decision, 12-4, to Wisconsin’s Austin Gomez.

1:45 p.m.: The action is fast and furious in the quarterfinal round.

Drew Hildebrandt was upset 5-3 in sudden victory at 125 pounds by Northwestern seven-seed Michael DeAugstino. Tied at three after three periods of wrestling, the Wildcat shot and got behind the Penn State wrestler for the deciding takedown. Hildebrandt is now off to the consolation bracket.

Roman Bravo-Young is into the semifinals, however. He won over Purdue’s Matt Ramos by decision, 11-3. The same can be said for Nick Lee, who was a winner by technical fall, 16-0, over Wisconsin’s Joseph Zargo in 5:04.

Rolling updates from Big Ten wrestling tournament Session 1, Round 1

1:17 p.m.: Penn State is a perfect 4-0 in the first round. Greg Kerkvliet just closed it out with a fall in 2:13 over Maryland’s Zach Schrader.

12:40 p.m.: Penn State is 3-0 so far in the first round of the Big Ten wrestling tournament. Creighton Edsell beat Hayden Lohrey of Purdue 3-2 in sudden victory. The Lions scored a takedown 19 seconds into the extra period.

Edsell will face Alex Marinell of Iowa in the quarters.

12:20 p.m.: Penn State has two first round winners so far. Beau Bartlett won, 3-2, over Michael Blockhus of Minnesota at 149. A late takedown attempt by the Gopher was reviewed but not rewarded.

Then, at 157, Brady Berge dominated Garrett Model of Wisconsin, 10-2. The major decision equaled the Lions first bonus points of the day in the team race.

Creighton Edsell is up next at 165.

11:50 a.m.: A few updates here, including our first big upset. Cayden Rooks of Indiana knocked off four-seed Chad Red of Indiana, 9-8. Late stall call the difference. Nick Lee will no longer see Red in the semifinals assuming the Penn State wrestler gets there. Lee has Joseph Zargo of Wisconsin in the quarters.

Also, some more quarterfinal bouts have been set for Penn State as we await Beau Bartlett:

At 125, Drew Hildebrandt has his opponent. The Nittany Lion will face Michael DeAugustino of Northwestern. He beat Justin Cardani of Illinois, 3-1.

At 133, Roman Bravo-Young will take on Matt Ramos of Purdue. The Boilermaker was a 7-5 winner over Joe Olivieri of Rutgers.