Penn State Wrestling Heads to 2023 NCAA Championships with
Five Top-Three Seeds
2023 Big Ten Champions have nine national qualifiers
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State wrestling team (16-0, 8-0 B1G) will have five top-three seeds at the 2023 NCAA Championships in Tulsa, Okla. The three-day tournament runs March 16-18, 2023, in Tulsa's BOK Center. The six-session title tournament features sessions at 12:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 16; 12:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. on Friday March 17; and 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 18 (all times Eastern). The NCAA tournament will be broadcast national on the ESPN and ESPNU.
This marks the 10th time in head coach Cael Sanderson's tenure at Penn State that his squad has nine or more qualifiers. Penn State's two top-seeds are returning national champions Roman Bravo-Young (133) and Carter Starocci (174).
Bravo-Young is the No. 1 seed at 133 and will face the winner of the 32/33 pigtail between McGwire Midkiff of North Dakota State and Jack Maida of American in the first round. Bravo-Young won his third straight Big Ten title on Sunday. He is 16-0 overall and 8-0 vs. the field at this year's tournament.
Starocci is the No. 1 seed at 177 and will face the winner of the 32/33 pigtail between No. 32 Will Miller of Appalachian State and No. 33 John Worthing of Clarion in his first bout. Starocci won his second straight Big Ten title on Sunday. He is 19-0 this season and 11-0 vs. the field.
True freshman Levi Haines is the No. 2 seed at 157. He will meet No. 31 Ashton Eyler of Lock Haven in his first NCAA tournament bout. Haines won the Big Ten title this past Sunday. He is 21-1 this season and 12-1 vs. the field.
Returning NCAA Champion Aaron Brooks is the No. 3 seed at 184 and will take on the No. 30 Matthew Waddell of Chattanooga in the opening round. Brooks won his third straight Big Ten championship on Sunday. He is 12-1 overall and 8-1 vs. the field.
Returning All-American Greg Kerkvliet is the No. 3 seed at 285. He will battle No. 30 Hayden Copass of Purdue in the opening round. Kerkvliet took second place at the Big Ten tourney on Sunday. He is 15-2 this year and 7-2 vs. the field.
Beau Bartlett is the No. 6 seed at 141. He will take on No. 27 Shannon Hanna of Campbell in the first round. Bartlett placed third at the Big Ten Championship tourney on Sunday. He is 22-2 this season and 12-2 vs. the field.
Returning NCAA Champion Max Dean is the No. 9 seed at 197. He will face No. 24 Levi Hopkins of Campbell in the opening round. Dean took second at Big Tens on Sunday. He is 20-3 on the year and 9-3 vs. the field.
Redshirt freshman Shayne Van Ness is the No. 13 seed at 149. He will meet No. 20 Johnny Lovett of Central Michigan in his first NCAA tourney battle. Van Ness took fourth at his first Big Ten tourney on Sunday. He is 19-6 on the year and 9-6 vs. the field.
Redshirt freshman Alex Facundo is the No. 13 seed at 165. He will face No. 20 Holden Heller of Pittsburgh in his first NCAA championship match. Facundo placed seventh at his first Big Ten tournament on Sunday. He is 19-4 overall and 4-4 vs. the field.
Penn State has won nine of the last 11 contested NCAA Championships (all since Sanderson's arrival at Penn State, he is in his 14th season). The Nittany Lions have won ten NCAA crowns overall, owning a championship from 1953. Penn State won four-straight team titles in 2011, '12, '13 and '14 and then again in 2016, '17, '18 and '19. Sanderson's crew won the title last season, 2022, in Detroit.
The 2022-23 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.
