LINCOLN, Neb. – The Penn State Nittany Lion (17-0, 8-0 B1G) wrestling team will have five wrestlers compete in 2022 Big Ten Finals, set for tomorrow in Lincoln, Neb. Penn State, under the guidance of head coach Cael Sanderson, has qualified seven for the NCAA Championships in two weeks with two others still alive for an automatic bid. The two-day event continues tomorrow, Sunday March 6, with consolation action at 12 p.m. and the finals and placing bouts at 4:30 p.m. Eastern.
Penn State went 5-2 in the semifinals, with both losses coming in sudden victory. The Nittany Lions are in second place in the team race with 111.5 points, just behind first place Michigan's 116.0. Iowa is in third at 109.0.
Senior Roman Bravo-Young (Tucson, Ariz.), ranked No. 1 at 133 by InterMat, met No. 8 Dylan Ragusin of Michigan in Penn State's first semifinal bout. Bravo-Young dominated the bout, notching the only takedown in the meeting, adding an escape and a riding time point, to roll to a 4-0 win. The victory moves Bravo-Young into the Big Ten finals against No. 3 Austin DeSanto of Iowa tomorrow.
Senior Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.), ranked No. 1 at 141, faced off against No. 18 Jake Bergeland of Minnesota in the semifinals. Lee took Bergeland down twice in the opening minutes and led 12-1 after a handful of nearfalls in the first period. Lee finished off a 16-1 tech fall with a reversal to start the second period, ending the bout at the 5:06 mark. His win sends him into tomorrow's Big Ten finals against No. 2 Jaydin Eierman of Iowa.
Senior Brady Berge (Mantorville, Minn.), ranked No. 13 at 157, took on No. 10 Will Lewan of Michigan in the semis. Berge and Lewan battled evenly for seven minutes. Each wrestler notched an escape and the match moved to sudden victory where Lewan scored on a quick scrambling takedown to post the 3-1 (sv) win. Berge's loss moves him into consolation action, still alive for third place. He will take on No. 12 Kendall Coleman of Purdue in the consolation semifinals to start the day.
Sophomore Carter Starocci (Erie, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 174, was set to meet No. 4 Michael Kemerer of Iowa in the semifinals. Starocci, however, received a medial forfeit victory over the Hawkeye. The win moves Kemerer into the Big Ten finals tomorrow against No. 2 Logan Massa tomorrow.
Junior Aaron Brooks (Hagerstown, Md.), ranked No. 1 at 184, faced off against No. 19 Taylor Venz of Nebraska in the semis. Brooks controlled the action from the outset and opened things up with a four-point second period, rolling to a 7-2 victory with 3:06 in riding time. Brooks' victory sends him to the Big Ten finals against Myles Amine tomorrow.
Junior Max Dean (Lowell, Mich.), ranked No. 1 at 197, took on No. 5 Cameron Caffey of Michigan State in the semis. Dean took an early 2-0 lead with a takedown, an escape in the second and third and 1:23 in riding time to roll to a 5-2 win. Dean's victory, which avenged his only loss of the season in January, moves him into the Big Ten finals tomorrow against Nebraska's Eric Schultz.
Sophomore Greg Kerkvliet (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.), ranked No. 5 at 285, met No. 4 Tony Cassioppi of Iowa in the final semifinal match of the night for Penn State. Kerkvliet took a 2-1 lead with a reversal in the second, a 4-2 lead with a takedown at the :30 mark but gave up a late reversal and the match moved to sudden victory. Cassioppi scored a quick takedown and notched the 6-4 (sv) win. Kerkvliet's loss sends him into consolation action where he will meet Lucas Davison of Northwestern in the conso semis tomorrow.
Sophomore Beau Bartlett (Tempe, Ariz.), ranked 17 at 149, took on No. 29 Christian Kanzler of Illinois in consolation action. Bartlett battled Kanzler through a scoreless first period. He chose down to start the second, quickly reversed the Illini into a cradle and pinned Kanzler at the 3:40 mark. The win moved him into the third round of consolations where he met No. 15 Mike VanBrill of Rutgers. Bartlett took VanBrill through sudden victory tied 1-1 only to lose a close 2-1 (tb) decision on riding time. Bartlett's loss moves him to the seventh-place bout, with a win clinching a trip to the NCAA tournament.
Senior Drew Hildebrandt (Granger, Ind.), ranked No. 5 at 125, met No. 10 Patrick McKee in Penn State's first consolation bout of the night. Hildebrandt fell behind early and could not come back after trailing by four, dropping a 6-3 decision to McKee. While the loss dropped Hildebrandt out of the scoring portion of the tournament, the Lion senior moved into the mini bracket for ninth place since the conference qualifies 10 at 125. Hildebrandt received a bye in the mini bracket as the highest seed in it and will continue on tomorrow in session three, with one win earning him a trip to Detroit. Junior Creighton Edsell (Wyalusing, Pa.), ranked No. 23 at 165, met Cael Carlson of Minnesota in a conso bout. Edsell gave up a first period takedown and dropped a 3-2 decision, ending his tournament run at 1-2. Edsell will be in the pool for an at-large bid, which will be announced Wednesday night, March 9, at NCAA.com.
Penn State went 6-5 in session two and ended day one with a 17-8 overall record. The Nittany Lions have gathered 15.0 bonus points off two majors, two techs, four pins and a forfeit.
Penn State has its ten wrestlers in Lincoln looking to qualify them for the 2022 NCAA Wrestling Championships. The tournament serves as the national qualifier for the conference and 88 Big Ten wrestlers will earn trips to Detroit to battle for an NCAA title. The Big Ten will automatically qualify 10 at 125, 10 at 133, 7 at 141, 7 at 149, 7 at 157, 7 at 165, 8 at 174, 12 at 184, 11 at 197 and 9 at 285.
The 2022 Big Ten Tournament his hosted by the University of Nebraska. Sunday's third and fourth sessions begin at 12 p.m. (B1G+) and 4:30 p.m. (B1G Network) respectively with the conference title bouts and placing bouts set for 4 p.m.
Penn State ended its dual meet season with a 17-0 record and won the 2022 Big Ten Regular Season title with an 8-0 mark. It marked the sixth time that head coach Cael Sanderson led Penn State through an unbeaten dual meet season.
All rankings listed by Penn State wrestling are InterMat individual and team TPI. The 2021-22 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by the Family Clothesline. 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 2022 Big Ten Championship – Session 2
March 5, 2022 – Lincoln, Neb. – University of Nebraska, Host
Team Standings (Top 3 after session 2)
1: Michigan – 116.0
2: PENN STATE – 111.5
3: Iowa – 109.0
Weight-by-weight agate (RANKINGS LISTED ARE INTERMAT as of 2/22/22):
125: #5 Drew Hildebrandt, Sr., Granger, Ind.
Rd. 1: bye
Qtr: #13 Michael DeAugustino, Northwestern – L, 3-5 (sv)
Cn 2: #10 Patrick McKee, Minnesota – L, 3-6 dec.
9/10 Rd 1: bye
9/10 Rd 2: tomorrow
Hildebrandt, No. 2 seed at 125, had a first-round bye. He met No. 13 Michael DeAugustino of Northwestern, the 7th-seed, in the quarterfinals. Hildebrandt was riding DeAugustino out in the second period when he got hit for a penalty point and trailed 2-0. He tied the bout with a third period reversal and sent the match to sudden victory on riding time. But DeAugustino notched a quick takedown to steal the 5-3 (sv) win and send Hildebrandt into consolation action.
See above story for tonight's recap.
133: #1 Roman Bravo-Young, Sr., Tucson, Ariz.
Rd. 1: bye
Qtr: #23 Matt Ramos, Purdue – W, 11-3 maj. dec.
Semi: #8 Dylan Ragusin, Michigan – W, 4-0 dec.
Finals: #3 Austin DeSanto, Iowa – tomorrow
Bravo-Young, the No. 1 seed at 133, had a first-round bye. He took on No. 23 Matt Ramos of Purdue, the 9th-seed, in the quarterfinals. Bravo-Young broke open an early close match and rolled to an 11-3 major decision with 2:56 in riding time.
See above story for tonight's recap.
141: #1 Nick Lee, Sr., Evansville, Ind.
Rd. 1: bye
Qtr: #22 Joe Zargo, Wisconsin – W, 16-0 (TF; 5:06)
Semis: #18 Jake Bergeland, Minnesota – W, 16-1 (TF; 5:06)
Finals: #2 Jaydin Eierman, Iowa – tomorrow
Lee, the No. 1 seed at 141, had a first-round bye. He met No. 22 Joe 22 Joe Zargo of Wisconsin, the 8th-seed, in the quarterfinals. Lee dominated the action against No. 22 Joe Zargo of Wisconsin, turning a first period takedown into a number of near falls. Lee did not give up a point and finished off a 16-0 tech fall with a reversal at the 5:06 mark.
See above story for tonight's recap.
149: #17 Beau Bartlett, So., Tempe, Ariz.
Rd. 1: #30 Michael Blockhus, Minnesota – W, 3-2 dec.
Qtr: #5 Austin Gomez, Wisconsin – L, 4-12 maj. dec.
Cn. 2: #29 Christian Kanlzer, Illinois – WBF (3:40)
Cn. 3: #15 Mike VanBrill, Rutgers – L, 1-2 (tb)
7th: Kanen Storr, Michigan – Tomorrow
Bartlett, the No. 7 seed at 149, met No. 30 Michael Blockhus of Minnesota (the 10th-seed) in the opening round. Bartlett trailed 1-0 after two but used an escape, a takedown, and late defense to notch a 3-2 win to advance to the quarterfinals. He took on No. 5 Austin Gomez of Wisconsin, the 2nd-seed, in the quarters where he dropped an 12-4 major, moving into consolation action.
See above story for tonight's recap.
157: #13 Brady Berge, Sr., Mantorville, Minn.
Rd. 1: #31 Garrett Model, Wisconsin – W, 10-2 maj. dec.
Qtr: #9 Kaleb Young, Iowa – W, 5-3 dec.
Semis: #10 Will Lewan, Michigan – L, 1-3 (sv)
Cn. Semi: #12 Kendall Coleman, Purdue – tomorrow
Berge, the No. 10 seed at 157, took on No. 31 Garret Model of Wisconsin (the 7th-seed) in the first round. Berge notched two first period takedowns, a third in the second and a fourth in the third to roll to a 10-2 major decision with 1:52 in riding time. He took on No. 9 Kaleb Young of Iowa, the 2nd-seed, in the quarterfinals. Berge notched the bout's only two takedowns and posted a thrilling 5-3 victory.
See above story for tonight's recap.
165: #23 Creighton Edsell, Jr., Wyalusing, Pa. -- DNP
Rd. 1: Hayden Lohrey, Purdue – W, 3-1 (sv)
Qtr: #5 Alex Marinelli, Purdue – L, 2-8 dec.
Cn. 2: Cael Carlson, Minnesota – L, 2-3
Edsell, the No. 10 seed at 165, met Purdue's Hayden Lohrey (the 7th-seed) in the opening round. Edsell led 1-0 into the third, got hit for a penalty point midway through the final period, but ended the bout with a quick takedown in extra time to notch a 3-1 (sv) win. He took on No. 5 Alex Marinelli of Iowa, the 2nd-seed, in the quarterfinals. Edsell battled the second-seed tough but fell 8-2 to move into the consolation bracket.
See above story for tonight's recap.
174: #1 Carter Starocci, So., Erie, Pa.
Rd. 1: bye
Qtr: Dominic Solis, Maryland – WBF (2:13)
Semis: #4 Michael Kemerer, Minnesota – W, med. Forfeit
Finals: #2 Logan Massa, Michigan – tomorrow
Starocci, the No. 1 seed at 174, had a first-round bye. He took on Maryland's Dominic Solis in the quarterfinals. Starocci made fast work of the Terrapin, opening up a 6-2 lead and then ending the match with a pin at the 2:13 mark in the first period.
See above story for tonight's recap.
184: #1 Aaron Brooks, Jr., Hagerstown, Md.
Rd. 1: bye
Qtr: #8 Kyle Cochran, Maryland – WBF (1:40)
Semis: #19 Taylor Venz, Nebraska – W, 7-2 dec.
Finals: #2 Myles Amine, Michigan – tomorrow
Brooks, the No. 1 seed at 184, had a first-round bye. He battled No. 8 Kyle Cochran of Maryland, the 8th-seed, in the quarterfinals. Brooks, like Starocci just moments before, ended his match quickly. He took Cochran down at the shoulders midway through the first, turned him to his back, reset once and got the fast fall at the 1:40 mark of the opening stanza.
See above story for tonight's recap.
197: #1 Max Dean, Jr., Lowell, Mich.
Rd. 1: bye
Qtr: #12 Greg Bulsak, Rutgers – W, 6-2 dec.
Semis: #5 Cameron Caffey, Michigan State – W, 5-2 dec.
Finals: #2 Eric Schultz, Nebraska – tomorrow
Dean, the No. 2 seed at 197, had Penn State's sixth first-round bye. He met No. 12 Greg Bulsak of Rutgers in the quarterfinals, the 7th-seed. Dean collected the bout's only takedowns and rolled to a convincing 6-2 victory.
See above story for tonight's recap.
285: #5 Greg Kerkvliet, So., Inver Grove Heights, Minn.
Rd. 1: Zach Schrader, Minnesota – WBF (2:13)
Qtr: #11 Christian Lance, Nebraska – W, 7-1 dec.
Semis: #4 Tony Cassioppi, Iowa – L, 4-6 (sv)
Cn. Semi.: #10 Lucas Davison, Northwestern – tomorrow
Kerkvliet, the No. 3 seed at 285, wrestled Maryland's Zach Schrader in Penn State's final opening round bout. Kerkvliet took Schrader down quickly, turned him three times to open up a 14-0 lead and then pinned him on his fourth turn, getting the fall at the 2:13 mark in the opening period. He took on No. 11 Christian Lance of Nebraska, the 6th-seed, in the quarterfinals. Kerkvliet controlled the entire match, getting the bout's only takedowns and rolling to a 7-1 win with over 2:00 in riding time.
See above story for tonight's recap.
