Recap: Penn State has all 10 alive, six in semis, after session three at NCAAs

Penn State continues to lead at the 2024 NCAA Wrestling Championships. The Nittany Lions have six All-Americans who will compete in tonight’s semifinal round. It starts at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN. Those six are Beau Bartlett (141 pounds), Levi Haines (157), Mitchell Mesenbrink (165), Carter Starocci (174), Aaron Brooks (197), and Greg Kerkvliet (285). Two other Nittany Lions, Braeden Davis (125) and Bernie Truax (184) have their first consolation bracket matches. A win is required to reach All-American status. And, Tyler Kasak (149) and Aaron Nagao (133) both went two-for-two in session three consolation bracket action to keep their tournament going into tonight. Penn State leads the team race by a wide margin.

Read on to see full Penn State results from session three and also a recap of how it happened.

Complete Penn State session results

Listed matchups are championship bracket quarterfinals unless otherwise noted. 

125 pounds: No. 8 Richard Figueroa, Arizona State d. No. 1 Braeden Davis, Penn State, 3-2 

133 pounds: No. 10 Aaron Nagao, PSU d.  No. 24 Julian Chlebove, Arizona State (consolation bracket), 6-1
–-133 pounds third round consolation: Nagao d. Nic Bouzakis, Ohio State 3-0

141 pounds: No. 2 Beau Bartlett, Penn State F  No. 26 Vance Vombaur, Minnesota, 6:48

149 pounds: No. 7 Tyler Kasak, PSU F. No. 9 Ethan Fernandez, Cornell, :39 (consolation bracket)

—149 pounds third round consolation: Kasak md. Graham Rooks, Indiana, 13-3

157 pounds: No. 1 Levi Haines, PSU md. No. 8 Peyton Robb, Nebraska, 8-0

165 pounds: No. 2 Mitchell Mesenbrink, Penn State d. No. 10 Cameron Amine, Michigan, 6-1

174 pounds: No. 9 Carter Starocci, PSU d.  No. 1 Mehki Lewis, Virginia Tech, 4-0

184 pounds: No. 3 Dustin Plott, Oklahoma State md. No. 6 Bernie Truax, Penn State, 16-6

197 pounds: No. 1 Aaron Brooks, PSU F No. 8 Stephen Buchanan, Oklahoma, 2:45

285 pounds: No. 1 Greg Kerkvliet, Penn State d. No. 9 Nick Feldman, Ohio State, 1-0

Rolling updates from NCAA Wrestling Championships session three

3:55 — Tyler Kasak closes out session three for Penn State by beating Graham Rooks of Indiana 13-3. The Nittany Lions still have all 10 wrestlers alive heading into tonight. Six are in the semis and four are in the consolation bracket needing one more win to assure All-American status. That session starts at 8 p.m. tonight.

3:40 — Aaron Nagao is into tonight’s Round of 12. He beats Ohio State’s Nic Bouzakis 3-0 with 1:22 in riding time to keep his tournament alive. The Buckeye suffered a right leg injury in the second period but pushed through it. The Nittany Lion is one win away from earning All-American status.

3:25 — We are awaiting third-round consolation bouts for Aaron Nagao at 133 pounds and Tyler Kasak at 149 pounds. Both Penn State wrestlers must win to keep their tournament alive and advance to tonight’s blood round, where a win would guarantee All-American status.

3:03 — Greg Kerkvliet is an All-American and off to the 285-pound semifinals. He survived a great late shot from No. 6 Nick Feldman of Ohio State late to win, 1-0. Penn State has six All-Americans and semifinalists: Beau Bartlett (141), Levi Haines (157), Mitchell Mesenbrink (165), Carter Starocci (174), Aaron Brooks (197), and Kerkvliet.

2:41 — Aaron Brooks is now a five-time All-American. The Nittany Lion pinned No. 8 Stephen Buchanan by pancaking him to his back at the 2:45 mark of the first period. He advances to his first NCAA semifinals at 197 pounds.

2:32 — Bernie Truax is heading to the consolation bracket. The No. 6 seed at 184 pounds lost to No. 3 Dustin Plott of Oklahoma State 16-6. He appeared to suffer an injury in the first period when his knee ended up in a compromised position during a scramble. He wrestled through it after a medical timeout but was seemingly not the same afterward.

2:17 — Carter Starocci isn’t 100 percent but he is continuing his run through the NCAA Championships. The nine seed beat No. 1 Mehki Lewis 4-0 in a 174-pound quarterfinal to become an All-American for the fourth time and move onto to tonight’s semifinals.

1:56 — Updated team scores at 1:56: 1. Penn State (61.5), 2. Iowa (40), 3. Iowa State (38.5)

1:55 — Mitchell Mesenbrink is the Nittany Lions’ third semifinalist. He wins his quarterfinal match over Cameron Amine of Michigan 6-1. Penn State now has three All-Americans and SFs: Beau Bartlett, Levi Haines, and Mesenbrink. Carter Starocci up next.

1:26 — Tyler Kasak keeps his tournament alive with a first-period pin of Ethan Fernandez in just 36 seconds. And Levi Haines is a semifinalist with a 8-0 major decision over Peyton Robb with 2:48 in riding time.

12:55 — Beau Bartlett fended off a tremendous late shot from No. 26 Vance Vombaur of Minnesota and turned it into a fall at the 6:48 in a 141-pound quarter. The Nittany Lion led 4-2 at the time of the pin. He is the first semifinalist for Penn State. He will face No. 6 Lachlan McNeil of North Carolina, who upset No. 3 Real Woods tonight.

12:54 — Aaron Nagao’s season will extend for at least one more match. He beats No. 24 Julian Chlebove, Arizona State. It was a controversial win. The Penn State wrestler threw Chlebove to his back late for a five-point move in the third period to give him a 6-1 lead with three seconds left. Arizona State challenged the scoring move and the call was reversed. The Nittany Lions challenged that decision, and the video review ultimately gave Nagao a takedown but no back points. That gave him a 5-1 lead, and with riding time, he won, 6-1 to move into the next consolation round.

12:15 — Penn State has lost its first match for the second day in a row. Davis lost to Figueroa 3-2. The difference was 1:14 in riding time for the Sun Devil thanks to a third period reversal and ride that helped account for all three of Figuroa’s points in the end. Davis will wrestle tonight in the consolation bracket.

11:55 — Braeden Davis will be the first Nittany Lion on the mat in a 125-pound quarterfinal opposite No. 8 Richard Figueroa of Arizona State. Senior Beau Bartlett and sophomore Levi Haines have mat assignments. The 141-pound Nittany Lion is in the hole on mat three when the session begins. Haines, like Davis, will compete on mat three, but he is the fifth scheduled match on the mat.