ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Penn State Nittany Lions (6-0, 6-0 B1G), under the direction of head coach Cael Sanderson, picked up four wins in the quarterfinal round of the 2021 NCAA Wrestling Championships. Penn State will have three veterans and a freshman wrestling in the national semifinals later today. The Nittany Lions qualified nine for this year's tournament and the three-day event is being held in the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Mo.
Heading to St. Louis with a youthful nine-man roster featuring five freshmen and a sophomore, Sanderson's team sits in second place in the team race and has seven of its nine wrestlers still alive to become All-Americans. Four, the semifinalists, have already earned All-America laurels.
Junior Roman Bravo-Young (Tucson, Ariz.), the No. 2 seed at 133, faced No. 10 Louie Hayes of Virginia in Penn State's first national quarterfinal bout. Bravo-Young took a 2-0 lead with a takedown just over a minute into the bout. He finished the period still in control and carried that lead, and 1:41 in riding time, into the second period. Bravo-Young added a quick escape in the second to lead 3-0. Hayes picked up his lone point with an escape in the third and Bravo-Young added a riding time point to roll into the semifinals. He also became a three-time All-American with the victory.
Senior Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.), the No. 2 seed at 141, took on No. 10 Zach Sherman of North Carolina in the quarterfinals. Lee quickly took Sherman down and went to work on top, looking for tilts. After three brief turns that Sherman rolled through, Lee cut Sherman loose to a 2-1 score with 1:10 in riding time. Lee tacked on another takedown and got a two-point turn to lead 6-1 after one with over 2:00 in time. After a neutral start in the second, Lee quickly took Sherman down a third time to up his lead to 8-2. He added a fourth takedown in the third period and, with 4:03 in riding time, advanced to the semifinals with an 11-3 major decision. Lee became a four-time All-American with the victory as well.
Freshman Carter Starocci (Erie, Pa.), the No. 3 seed at 174, battled No. 6 Andrew McNally of Kent State in the quarters. Starocci and McNally tangled in the center circle for the two minutes with neither wrestler giving an inch. Starocci drove in on a high single at the 1:00 mark and finished off a takedown to lead 2-0. He finished the period on top and led by two after one. Starocci escaped to a 3-0 lead to start the second period. He added another takedown off a high single late in the period and finished on top once again to lead 5-0 after two. McNally chose down to start the third and Starocci controlled the action long enough to build up a 2:03 time edge. The Kent State grappler added a late takedown but, with 1:54 in riding time, Starocci posted the 6-3 victory and advanced to the national semifinals. Starocci also became an All-American for the first time with the win.
Sophomore Aaron Brooks (Hagerstown, Md.), the No. 1 seed at 184, met No. 8 Taylor Venz of Nebraska in the quarterfinals. Brooks turned a low shot into a scramble with 2:15 on the clock and bulled his way to a takedown and a 2-0 lead. The Lion sophomore kept control for :45 before Venz escaped to a 2-1 score. The one-point lead held for Brooks after the opening stanza. Venz chose down to start the second period and reversed Brooks for a 3-2 lead. Brooks quickly escaped and then immediately moved in for a takedown to lead 5-3 at the 1:04 mark. A strong ride allowed Brooks to kill the clock and he led by two after two. Brooks chose down to start the third, escaped and iced the bout with another takedown. Nearly 2:00 of riding time made the final score 9-4 and Brooks moved into the national semifinals. The two-time Big Ten Champion became a two-time All-American with the win as well.
Junior Brady Berge (Mantorville, Minn.), the No. 12 seed at 157, met No. 4 Jesse Dellavecchia of Rider in his quarterfinal bout. Berge and Dellavecchia worked through over two minutes of wrestling on their feet until Dellavecchia got in on a high single with :50 on the clock. Berge fought off the effort for a bit then was injured during the action as it moved to the mat. The Lion junior was not able to continue and suffered an injury default loss, falling to the consolation bracket.
Freshman Michael Beard (Pottstown, Pa.), the No. 15 seed at 197, faced No. 26 Jake Woodley of Oklahoma in the quarterfinals. Beard fought off an early Woodley shot over the first minute, forcing a reset. Woodley finished off a second takedown with a lift on the edge off the mat to lead 2-0 with 1:17 on the clock. Beard escaped to a 2-1 score and trailed by one after one. He chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 2-2 tie. Woodley notched a second takedown, however, and Beard trailed 4-2 after two. Woodley chose down to start the third period and escaped to a 5-2 lead. He added a final takedown and, while giving up a stall point, got a riding time point and posted the 8-3 win over the Lion freshman. Beard's loss sent him into consolation action.
Freshman Greg Kerkvliet (Grove Heights, Minn.), the No. 9 seed at 285, met No. 1 Gable Steveson of Minnesota in the last of Penn State's seven quarterfinal bouts. Steveson notched the bout's first takedown :30 into the match. The Nittany Lion could not work his way free of Steveson's control and trailed by two after the opening three minutes. Steveson escaped to a 3-0 lead to start the second period and the bout moved to its midpoint with the wrestlers battling in neutral. Trailing by three, Kerkvliet chose neutral to start the third stanza. The Lion freshman took a high single at the 1:40 mark but Steveson countered the move and took a 5-0 lead with another takedown. Steveson countered another Kerkvliet shot and took a 7-1 lead with :55 on the clock. Kerkvliet escaped and finished off a solid takedown as the bout ended but Steveson's early work led to a 9-4 win. The loss sent Kerkvliet into consolation action.
True freshman Robert Howard (Cranford, N.J.), the No. 23 seed at 125, took on No. 24 Fabian Gutierrez of Chattanooga in his first consolation bout of the tournament. Howard opened up the bout with a quick takedown to take an early 2-1 lead. He worked the middle of the mat for the remainder of the period and led by one after one. Guiterrez reversed the Lion freshman to start the second period and maintained control until a last-second escape by Howard tied the bout at 3-3. Howard chose down to start the third period and reversed the Moc. He added two nearfall points but was reversed. A stall point against had Howard up by one. The Lion freshman iced the win with another reversal and walked away with a 9-7 win. He took on No. 15 Patrick McKee of Minnesota in the next consolation round. McKee connected on a single right off the opening whistle. Howard fought off the move for a bit but the Gopher took a 2-0 lead with a takedown. Howard fought off two turns but was pinned at the 2:04 mark on the third effort by McKee. The loss ended the freshman's tournament with a 2-2 record. Howard went 7-6 as a true freshman this year.
Freshman Joe Lee (Evansville, Ind.), the No. 23 seed at 165, bowed out of the tournament on Thursday with two tough losses. Lee, one of five freshmen to advance to NCAAs for Penn State went 6-7 this season.
Penn State went 4-4 during today's split session. The Nittany Lions picked up another bonus point off Lee's major as well. Penn State is 19-7 overall at the tournament's midway point and has 14.0 bonus points off eight majors and four tech falls. Bravo-Young, Nick Lee, Starocci and Brooks are already All-Americans. Berge, Beard and Kerkvliet are still alive in consolation action and can become All-Americans. Howard and Joe Lee have had their tournaments come to a close.
Penn State has won eight of the last nine contested NCAA Championships with last year's being cancelled by the NCAA (all since Sanderson's arrival at Penn State and he is in his 12th season this year). The Nittany Lions have won nine NCAA titles overall, owning a championship from 1953. The Nittany Lions have won four-straight titles in 2016, '17, '18 and '19 and also won four-straight in 2011, '12, '13 and '14.
The 2021 NCAA Wrestling Championships continue tonight, Friday, March 19, with the national semifinals and continued consolation action at 8 p.m. The semis are live on ESPN or ESPN2. Penn State finished its dual meet schedule with a perfect 6-0 mark, 6-0 in the Big Ten, and earned a share of its seventh Big Ten Regular Season Championship with 5-0 Iowa. The Nittany Lions finished as Big Ten tournament runners-up two weekends ago.
Penn State Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at @pennstateWREST, on Penn State Wrestling's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/pennstatewrest. This is PENN STATE. WRESTLING lives here.
Penn State at 2021 NCAA Wrestling Championships – Session 3
March 19, 2021 – Enterprise Center – St. Louis, Mo.
TEAM STANDINGS (top three as of 4:50 p.m.)
1: Iowa – 73.5
2: PENN STATE – 57.5
3: Oklahoma State – 49.0
Weight-by-weight agate (RANKINGS LISTED ARE OFFICIAL TOURNAMENT SEED):
125: #23 Robert Howard, Fr., Cranford, N.J. -- DNP
Rd. 1: #10 Malik Heinselman, Ohio State – W, 6-4 dec.
Rd. 2: #7 Taylor LaMont, Utah Valley – L, 1-2 dec.
Cn. 2: #24 Fabian Gutierrez, Chattanooga – W, 9-7 dec.
Cn. 3: #15 Patrick McKee, Minnesota – LBF (2:04)
Howard took on No. 10 Malik Heinselman of Ohio State in his first NCAA tournament bout. The duo battled through a scoreless opening period and the bout moved to the second period tied 0-0. Howard chose down to start the second period and after a minute's work, reversed the Buckeye to take a 2-0 lead. He then turned Heinselman for four back points, nearly pinning him, and leg 6-1 after two. Heinselman escaped to start the third and added a late takedown, but Howard's strong second period gave the Nittany Lion a 6-4 victory in his first NCAA tournament bout.
He took on No. 7 Taylor LaMont of Utah Valley in his second-round match-up. Howard and LaMont wrestled through an even minute-plus to start the bout. Each wrestler had slight chances but quick defense on both sides sent the bout to the second period tied 0-0. LaMont escaped to a 1-0 lead to start the second, the only scoring of the middle stanza. Howard looked to answer that escape in the third period but LaMont was able to maintain control until the :25 mark. Howard escaped but 1:26 in riding time allowed LaMont to escape with a 2-1 victory and send Howard into the wrestle-backs.
See above story for this session's recap.
133: #2 Roman Bravo-Young, Jr., Tucson, Ariz. // All-American
Rd. 1: #31 Sean Carter, Appalachian State – W, 20-5 (TF; 7:00)
Rd. 2: #18 Kyle Burwick, Wisconsin – W, 11-3 maj. dec.
Qtrs: #10 Louie Hayes, Virginia – W, 4-1 dec.
Semis: #3 Korbin Myers, Virginia Tech -- tonight
Bravo-Young met No. 31 Sean Carter of Appalachian State in the opening round. Bravo-Young took an early 2-0 lead with a quick takedown and tacked on two more to lead 6-2 with over 2:00 in time after one period. The second-seeded Lion added an early escape and a takedown and finished off the period with a four-point turn to lead 13-2 after two (with a clinched riding time point). Bravo-Young finished off the technical fall with a flurry of takedowns in the third, posting the 20-5 technical fall with 3:45 in riding time.
He met No. 18 Kyle Burwick of Wisconsin in the second round. The Lion junior took a 2-1 lead midway through the first period and turned that into a 4-1 lead with a second takedown in the final seconds of the period. Bravo-Young notched a reversal to take a 6-1 lead and ended the second stanza with another late takedown to carry an 8-2 lead into the third period. Burwick chose down to start the third period and Bravo-Young worked his riding time edge up over 1:00. Bravo-Young used a late takedown in the third period and 1:22 in riding time for an 11-3 major decision, another Penn State bonus point victory.
See above story for this session's recap.
141: #2 Nick Lee, Sr., Evansville, Ind.
Rd. 1: #31 Julian Flores, Drexel – W, 18-0 (TF; 2:33)
Rd. 2: #15 Clay Carlson, South Dakota State – W, 14-3 maj. dec.
Qtrs: #10 Zach Sherman, North Carolina – W, 11-3 maj. dec.
Semis: #3 Sebastian Rivera, Rutgers – tonight
Lee battled No. 31 Julian Flores of Drexel in the opening round. Lee came out fast, taking Flores down and quickly turning him to his back for four nearfall points and a 6-0 lead. He added a second four-point turn, then a third, and led 14-0 with 1:00 still on the clock. Lee finished off the tech fall with a final turn to roll to an 18-0 win at the 2:33 mark in the opening period.
See above story for this session's recap.
157: #12 Brady Berge, Jr., Mantorville, Minn.
Rd. 1: #21 Andrew Cerniglia, Navy – W, 12-4 maj. dec.
Rd. 2: #5 Kaleb Young, Iowa – W, 3-2 dec.
Qtrs: #4 Jesse Dellavecchia, Rider – L, inj. def.
Cn. 4: tonight
Berge met No. 21 Andrew Cerniglia of Navy in the opening round. Berge fought off a fast shot from Cerniglia and had two solid opportunities of his own defended by Cerniglia and the first period was scoreless. Berge escaped to a 1-0 lead to start the second period and then took a 3-0 lead with the bout's first takedown at the :45 mark. The Nittany Lion added a second takedown late to lead 5-1 after two periods. Berge tacked on three more takedowns and 1:45 in riding time to roll to a 12-4 major decision.
He met No. 15 Clay Carlson of South Dakota State in round two. Lee took a 2-0 lead just :20 into the bout, added a second takedown and two back points to jump out to a 6-1 lead in the first minute. He forced Carlson into a stall warning and finished off the period with a 6-2 lead. Lee escaped to start the second stanza and rolled into another takedown just :15 into the second. He picked up a stall point and finished the period with an 11-2 lead and 2:28 in riding time. Lee tacked on one more takedown in the third and, with a gaudy 4:06 in riding time, rolled into the quarterfinals with a 14-3 major decision.
See above story for this session's recap.
165: #23 Joe Lee, Fr., Evansville, Ind. -- DNP
Rd. 1: #10 Travis Wittlake, Oklahoma State – L, 1-8 dec.
Cn. 1: #26 Andrew Nicholson, Chattanooga – L, 4-10 dec.
Lee faced No. 10 Travis Wittlake of Oklahoma State in his first NCAA tournament match-up. Lee battled Wittlake through a scoreless first period but have a up a stall warning in the process and the first period ended tied 0-0. Wittlake escaped to a 1-0 lead to start the second stanza. Lee tried to throw Wittlake on the edge of the mat but the Cowboy countered the effort and turned Lee to his back for a 7-0 lead off the takedown and near fall points. Lee picked up a late escape in the second period but dropped an 8-1 decision to fall into the consolation bracket.
He took on No. 26 Andrew Nicholson of Chattanooga in his first consolation bout of the tournament. Nicholson notched a takedown quickly in the bout but Lee reversed the action right away and tied the bout. A quick Moc escaped and Lee trailed 3-2 at the 2:15 mark. Lee to a 4-3 lead with a takedown midway through the period and Nicholson escaped to a tie. Nicholson took a 7-4 lead in the second with an escape and a takedown, finishing on top in the period. The Moc added a quick takedown in the third and picked up a riding time point to hand Lee a 10-4 loss, ending the Penn State freshman's tournament run. Lee went 0-2 in his first NCAA tournament.
174: #3 Carter Starocci, Fr., Erie, Pa.
Rd. 1: #30 Victor Marcelli, Virginia – W, 10-2 maj. dec.
Rd. 2: #14 Hayden Hastings, Wyoming – W, 8-2 dec.
Qtrs: #6 Andrew McNally, Kent State – W, 6-3 dec.
Semis: #2 Demetrius Romero, Utah Valley – tonight
Starocci took on No. 30 Victor Marcelli of Virginia in his first NCAA bout. Starocci took a 2-0 lead with :51 left in the opening period, turning a high single into a takedown to lead by two after the first period after finishing the period on top. He quickly escaped to start the second stanza and added a takedown in the final seconds to carry a 5-0 lead into the third period. The Lion built his riding time point up over 1:00, then tallied two more takedowns to roll to a 10-2 major decision in his first NCAA tournament bout.
He faced off against No. 14 Hayden Hastings of Wyoming in round two. Starocci scored quickly, taking a 2-0 lead with just under a minute gone. The Lion freshman built up over 1:00 in riding time, cut Hastings loose, and added a late takedown to lead 4-1 after one period. Hastings picked up an escape in the second period but not before Starocci had over 2:00 in riding time and led 4-2 after two. Starocci escaped to start the third period and added on a final takedown to finish off the third period in control. His 2:13 in riding time added one more to his tally in an 8-2 victory that moved the freshmen into the quarterfinals.
See above story for this session's recap.
184: #1 Aaron Brooks, So., Hagerstown, Md.
Rd. 1: #32 Jhaquan Anderson, Gardner-Webb – W, 17-1 (TF; 5:25)
Rd. 2: #17 Owen Webster, Minnesota – W, 5-0 dec.
Qtrs: #8 Taylor Venz, Nebraska – W, 9-4 dec.
Semis: #4 Parker Keckeisen, Norrthern Iowa – tonight
Brooks battled No. 32 Jhaquan Anderson of Gardner-Webb in the first round. Brooks scored just seconds into the bout, quickly added a second and then turned Anderson to his back to open up an 8-1 lead after the opening stanza. Brooks picked up another takedown and a stall point in the second to lead 11-1 with nearly 4:00 in riding time after two. His domination continued into the third period and the top-seeded Lion sophomore posted a lopsided 17-1 technical fall at the 5:25 mark, advancing to the second round.
He took on No. 17 Owen Webster of Minnesota in the second round. Brooks and Webster battled evenly for over 2:00 before Brooks' constant pressure led to a takedown and a 2-0 lead for the Lion sophomore. Brooks finished the period on top and carried that lead with :56 in time into the middle period. Brooks picked up a quick escape to start the second period and led 3-0. He led 4-0 after two thanks to a stall point. Webster chose down to start the third period but Brooks dominated the action. He maintained control for the entirety of the period and, with 2:53 in riding time, rolled into the national quarterfinals with a 5-0 win.
See above story for this session's recap.
197: #15 Michael Beard, Fr., Pottstown, Pa.
Rd. 1: #18 Jacob Kosar, Navy – W, 14-4 maj. dec.
Rd. 2: #31 Owen Pentz, North Dakota State – W, 17-8 maj. dec.
Qtrs: #26 Jake Woodley, Oklahoma – L, 3-8 dec.
Con 4: tonight
Beard met No. 18 Jacob Koser of Navy in the opening round in this, his first NCAA tourney. Beard turned a quick high single into a takedown and an early lead right out of the gates. The Lion controlled Koser for the period, turning him for four back points and finishing on top to lead 6-0 after one. He reversed Koser in the second and added a late takedown to lead 10-1 after two periods. The Lion freshman iced his first NCAA tournament win another takedown and 3:17 in riding time, rolling into the second round with a 14-4 major decision.
He met No. 31 Owen Pentz of North Dakota State in the second round. Beard dominated the first period. The Nittany Lion freshman collected four takedowns in the opening three minutes, scoring often and building up over 1:00 in riding time to lead 8-4 after one. Beard continued the offensive show in the second period, picking up two more takedowns (including one in the final seconds) to lead 12-6 heading into the third period. Beard finished off the major decision with two more takedowns and 1:32 in riding time to post the 17-8 major decision and advance to the quarterfinals.
See above story for this session's recap.
285: #9 Greg Kerkvliet, Fr., Grove Heights, Minn.
Rd. 1: #24 Johnathan Birchmeier, Navy – W, 18-0 (TF; 2:17)
Rd. 2: #8 Jordan Wood, Lehigh – W, 12-2 maj. dec.
Qtrs: #1 Gable Steveson, Minnesota – L, 4-7 dec.
Con. 4: tonight
Kerkvliet faced No. 24 Jonathan Birchmeier of Navy his first NCAA tournament match-up. Kerkvliet dominated the bout from the opening whistle. The Lion freshman took Birchmeier down and then went to work on offense. He turned the Navy wrestler for four back points and reset himself three more times in less than three minutes. With a takedown and four four-point nearfalls, Kerkvliet rolled to an 18-0 technical fall at the 2:17 mark, picking up a win in his NCAA debut and rolling on to the second round.
He battled No. 8 Jordan Wood of Lehigh in the second round. Kerkvliet nearly scored on a fast low shot at the whistle but Wood was able to skip away. Kerkvliet kept up the pace and got a takedown at 1:30 and led 2-1 after the opening three minutes. Kerkvliet quickly escaped to a 3-1 lead to begin the second period and added another takedown. The Lion freshman led 5-1 after two periods. Woods chose down to start the third and Kerkvliet worked his riding time edge up over 1:00 with strong work on top. He turned Woods for four back points and led 9-2 with 1:17 in time as the clock moved below 1:00. Kerkvliet added a final takedown and 1:32 in riding time to rush into the quarterfinals with a 12-2 major decision.
See above story for this session's recap.
