Recap: Penn State sends 7 to finals of Big Ten Championships
Penn State wrestling is ready for the semifinal round of the Big Ten Tournament. The Nittany Lions have nine semifinalists in the event’s second session. Every member of coach Cael Sanderson’s team advanced to the round before the finals except for multi-time NCAA champion Carter Starocci. The 174-pound standout injury defaulted one second into his quarterfinal bout and did the same in the consolation bracket as he continues to rehab a knee injury that he suffered at the end of the regular season.
“He is making great progress,” Lions radio broadcaster Jeff Byers said on the Penn State Sports Network. “The knee is in better shape right now than when he walked off the mat in Rec Hall with the help of wrestlers and coaches. The progress has been significant. He has lobbied strongly for the opportunity to compete this weekend. But at the end of the day, the ultimate goal is the NCAA Tournament, and that is the ultimate objective, to go out and win a fourth individual national title.
“It would seem that his best path to do that is to not really compete here and get the knee as healthy as he can for the NCAA Championships.”
Starocci will not be the No. 1 seed at nationals. But, he should fall somewhere between the Nos. 3-6 seed. And, if healthy, that should not greatly impede his chance to win a fourth consecutive NCAA title.
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Big Ten tournament schedule
Maryland is hosting the two-day event. The schedule is as follows (all times eastern):
Saturday
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 in the semifinals?
Here’s the breakdown:
125 pounds: No. 6 Braeden Davis, Penn State vs. No. 7 Michael DeAugstino, Michigan State
133 pounds: No. 5 Aaron Nagao, PSU vs. No. 1 Dylan Ragusin, Michigan
141 pounds: No. 1 Beau Bartlett, Penn State vs. No. 5 Sergio Lemley, Michigan
149 pounds: No. 4 Tyler Kasak, PSU vs. No. 1 Ridge Lovett, Nebraska
157 pounds: No. 1 Levi Haines, Penn State vs. No. 5 Jared Franek, Iowa
165 pounds: No. 2 Mitchell Mesenbrink, PSU vs. No. 3 Mike Caliendo, Iowa
184 pounds: No. 3 Bernie Truax, PSU vs. No. 2 Lenny Pinto, Nebraska
197 pounds: No. 1 Aaron Brooks, Penn State vs. No. 4 Silas Allred, Nebraska
285 pounds: No. 1 Greg Kerkvliet, PSU vs. No. 4 Yaraslau Slavikouski, Rutgers
Live updates from Big Tens’ session two
9:12 — Greg Kerkvliet wins 9-0, and Penn State has seven finalists in the Big Ten Championships.
9:01 — Aaron Brooks is a major decision winner, 14-2, to become a five-time Big Ten finalist at 197 pounds.
8:50 — Bernie Truax scores a late takedown to win 4-3 over Nebraska’s Lenny Pinto who beat the Nittany Lion earlier this year.
8:27 — Mitchell Mesenbrink wins by technical fall 23-7 in the third period to advance to the finals.
8:12 — Levi Haines wins 5-0 to move into the finals at 157 pounds.
7:57 — Tyler Kasak falls 4-0 to No. 1 seed Ridge Lovett of Nebraska.
7:46 — Beau Bartlett wins by decision 5-4 over Sergio Lemley.
7:34 — Penn State has its first lost of the Big Ten tournament. Aaron Nagao falls to top seed Dylan Ragusin 6-3 and falls into the consolation bracket.
7:15 — Braeden Davis had a scoreless first period but then got out to to 1-0 against Michael DeAgustino of Michigan. DeAugstino escapes in the third to 1-1. In sudden victory two, Davis shot and scored to win 5-2. He has Patrick McKee of Minnesota in the finals.
