9 A.M.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — On what seems like just a brisk winter morning, Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center stands idle, with few patrons decked in university letters filtering into the rather eerily empty gates. But inside the arena, fourteen nerve-ridden wrestling teams patiently await the start to the 2021 Big Ten Wrestling Championships.
Wrestlers pace on the vast four-mat setup at the base of the BJC, with cardboard cutouts looking down from above. The few fans that scatter the stands seem to sit on the edge of their seats as they survey the hefty assortment of renowned competition below. Even the inanimate crowd of cutouts wish they had hands to check their clocks as we inch closer to the 10 A.M. start-time.
10 A.M.
With the quick blow of a whistle, officials call to action the start of the Big Ten matchups. If there were any apprehensive nerves before the whistle, they are long gone now as the energy quickly shifted to exhilarating eagerness from all parties.
Opening the action for the Nittany Lions is true freshman Robert Howard at 125 pounds. Jogging alongside the mat, No. 11 seed seems prepared to face sixth-seed Eric Barnett of Wisconsin in the opening round. But after three full period of grappling, the freshman drops a 3-2 decision in his first Big Ten Championship appearance.
Soon after, true freshman Beau Bartlett awaits a similar debut where he faces sixth-seeded Michael Blockhus of Minnesota in the opening rounds. The Lion's 149-pounder marked an impressive 7-1 regular season record, which he hopes to translate to his post-season matches. But in his valiant effort, Bartlett drops a 5-3 decision to Blockhus.
Three mats down, junior Brady Berge ties his green ankle bands as he prepares to take on Illinois' Johnny Mologousis at 157 pounds. Even after a huge injury recovery, Berge managed a formidable 5-0 regular season record this year. He comes into the Big Tens with a 2-1 career mark at the previous Championships. And in true Lion nature, Berge pounces on Mologousis, securing a 13-4 major decision victory and a ticket to the quarterfinals.
11 A.M.
Fans seem to have settled into their seats after already taking in a number of highly-anticipated matches so early in the tournament. But with one hour down, the action has only just begun and plenty more history is to be made in this rather unusual year of Big Ten matchups.
Another freshman prepares to mark his post-season debut as No. 6 seed Joe Lee steps on the mat. The 165 pounder is going head-to-head with a familiar face, Jonathan Spadafora of Maryland. The two faced off at the Maryland dual where Lee delivered a quick pin to the Turtling Terrapin. But this time around, the tables turned as Lee drops a 7-5 sudden victory decision.
At the same time, freshman Carter Starocci surveyed the arena before following suit in his Big Ten Championship debut. The No. 3 seed at 174 pounds reintroduces his grappling to Maryland's Phillip Spadafora, who he saw just weeks ago at the Lion's home dual. Fighting through 4 minutes and 47 seconds, Starocci stuns fans with Penn State's first pin of the tournament.
12 P.M.
Matches seem to fly by on the four spotlighted mats – especially with action this high-level and quick-moving. In just a second, fans go from stone-faced to jumping out of their seats, perhaps with a swift takedown or nimble ankle pick.
No. 7 seed Michael Beard spent the morning watching his fellow freshman teammates each shine in their post-season debuts. And now it's his turn. The 197 pounder battles Rutgers' Billy Janzer in a nail-biting, three period long matchup.
Ultimately, the freshman prevailed with a 7-3 decision over the Scarlet Knight, and heads to quarterfinals.
Minutes later, the Lion's heavyweight Greg Kerkvliet struts onto the mat, giving fans no seconds to prepare before throwing a quick takedown to Northwestern's Jack Heyob. Kerkvliet comes into the tournament as a No. 7 seed at 285. The last of the Lion's freshman class to make their debut, Kerkvliet successfully performs a 16-5 major with 4:34 in riding time.
Thanks to its three top-two seeds, Penn State boasts three first-round byes – with junior Roman Bravo-Young being one of them. Despite his long morning of waiting, the 133-pound Lion draws out his time on the mat using every second of the three periods in his quarterfinal matchup. Having a 6-3 all-time record at the Big Tens, Bravo-Young is no stranger to this high competition. And ultimately, the top-seed Lion posts a 9-3 win, moving himself into the semifinals.
In similar fashion to Bravo-Young, senior Nick Lee enjoyed a morning of preparation thanks to his first-round bye. A Big Ten veteran, Lee wastes no time in his face-off with Ohio State's Dylan D'Emilio. The Lion's No. 2 seed secured a 16-1 tech fall at the 3:12 mark – not only punching his ticket to the semifinals, but also qualifying himself for the NCAA tournament.
1 P.M.
There seems to be no shortage of talent from the 14 Big Ten teams. The high-level competition makes each win that much sweeter, but each loss that much harder. However, the token group of winners have little time to celebrate, as we swiftly move into the quarterfinals and prepare to see the continuation of their prospective Big Ten journeys.
Brady Berge finds himself back on the mat like he never left. But this time, there's more pressure and, unfortunately, more to lose. The junior battles Purdue's Kendall Coleman in a long-winded attempt to regain control but ultimately finds himself dropping a 3-2 decision. The 157 pounder is set to move on to the consolations in session two.
Not long after Berge, Carter Starocci returns to the mat, prepared to make an attempt at qualifying for the semifinals. The freshman faces Ohio State's No. 6 seed Kaleb Romero in an extremely close match that came down to the second. The Lion is no stranger to overcoming a challenge though, as he boasts a 6-1 regular season record that saw him plowing through top-ranked upperclassmen opponents. Starocci finished up the bout with a 2-0 ride out, moving himself along to the semifinals and qualifying for the NCAA tournament.
Sophomore Aaron Brooks finally gets his chance to perform after a first-round bye at 184. Perhaps one of the most anticipated Lions to watch, Brooks hopes to recollect the same first place finish at the Big Tens as he did last year. The sophomore impresses once again as he defeats Iowa's Nelson Brands 14-8. The 184 pounder now joins Lee and Starroci as a Penn State NCAA qualifier.
The action does not seem to end this hour, as Michael Beard prepares to face Michigan's No. 2 seed Myles Amine. Fighting relentlessly, Beard pushes his limits into a sudden victory – keeping fans on the edge of their seats. The 197-pound freshman falls in an 8-6 decision.
The last Lion to round up quarterfinals is Greg Kerkvliet. The freshman had an impressive start to the day, working his way up the rankings. Now met with Michigan's No. 2 seed Mason Parris, Kerkvliet finds himself down from the start. Although vigorously working to make up the points, the Lion's heavyweight comes up short dropping a 11-3 major decision loss.
2 P.M.
While we've seen plenty of success thus far in the day, redemption is in order for some of the Lions in consolation action. They already got a taste of the incredibly difficult talent presented at this year's Big Tens. So now, the only thing left to do is eat or be eaten. And speaking of eating – most fans are filtering into the hallways to scan the Bryce Jordan Center lunch options. Whether you're doing the wrestling or watching the wrestling, it surely can work up an appetite.
Robert Howard, Beau Bartlett and Joe Lee all prepare off the mat to redeem their Big Ten debuts. The first up: Howard. In true Nittany Lion style, the freshman comes through with a 16-4 major. The next face off: Bartlett. And the 149-pounder wasted absolutely no time by securing a fall at 0:55. Finally, we see Lee. The 165-pound freshman joins his other consolation teammates by dominating a 4-3 win. All three freshman are still alive in tonight's consolation action.
