Parents: KRYSTAL AND GREG KERKVLIET
Major: HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND FAMILY STUDIES
Athletic: Four-time All-American (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)...All-American as a freshman...Placed seventh at 285 as a freshman in first trip to NCAAs...Fourth place finish as a sophomore to become two-timer....2023 NCAA National Runner-Up junior season...Perfect 5-0 run through NCAAs to win first NCAA title in 2024, becoming four-time All-American.
2023-24 / SENIOR SEASON:
Season: Posted perfect 20-0 record with two pins, four tech falls and eight majors...Went 9-0 in dual meets...Won first Big Ten title...Rolled through national field in Kansas City to win first NCAA crown at 285...Hodge Trophy Finalist.
Journeymen (11/12): Posted 3-0 record with a tech fall, including wins over #19 Nathan Taylor of Lehigh and #8 Owen Trephan of North Carolina State. NWCA All-Star Classic (11/21): Impressive performance in an 18-2 technical fall (4:48) over #2 Wyatt Hendrickson of Air Force in Rec Hall (exhibition/not an official result). Lehigh (12/3): Majored #12 Nathan Taylor, rolling to 11-1 win. Oregon State (1/5): Rolled up seven takedowns in a lopsided 21-5 tech fall (5:17) over #12 Boone McDermott to cap off Penn State’s 36-3 win in Corvallis. Michigan (1/19): Dominated #4 Lucas Davison in 8-3 win in Ann Arbor. Maryland (1/28): Pinned Jordan Gabriel (0:55). Ohio State (2/2): Majored #12 Nick Feldman, posting 12-0 shutout. Iowa (2/9): Notched strong 9-1 major decision, with nearly 4:00 in riding time, over Ben Keuter to cap off Penn State’s 29-6 win in Iowa City. Nebraska (2/18): Capped off Penn State’s win over Nebraska with 10-0 major against Nash Hutmacher. Edinboro (2/25): Pinned Nick Lodato (2:27). Big Ten Championship (3/9-10): Claimed his first Big Ten Championship with 3-0 run in Maryland, teched #30 Bennett Tabor of Minnesota 15-0, majored #12 Yaraslau Slavikouski of Rutgers 9-0 in semis and beat #7 Nick Feldman of Ohio State 9-3 in finals.
NCAA Championships (3/21-23): Became four-time All-American by winning his first individual National Championship. Went 5-0 with two majors and a tech fall. Beat #4 Cohlton Schultz 8-1 in NCAA semifinals and majored #10 Lucas Davison of Michigan 13-4 in title bout.
2022-23 / JUNIOR SEASON:
Season: Went 19-3 on the year, including 13-1 mark in duals meets...Had four majors, six techs and three pins...Big Ten Runner-Up, All-American and NCAA National Runner-Up.
Lock Haven (11/11): Lock Haven (11/11): Capped off Penn State’s season opening win with a first period pin of LHU’s Ethan Miller (1:21). NWCA Exhibition (11/22): Downed #4 Tony Cassioppi of Iowa 8-5 in exhibition match (not official result). Rider (12/2): Majored David Szuba 11-1 with over 5:00 in riding time. Lehigh (12/4): Rolled to 18-0 tech fall over #22 Nathan Taylor (4:01). Oregon State (12/11): Rolled to an 18-2 tech fall over J.J. Dixon (6:08). Collegiate Duals (12/19-20): Notched 17-1 tech fall (4:27) over UNC’s Brandon Whitman. Received a forfeit victory in Penn State’s 22-12 win over #5 Iowa State. Wisconsin (1/6): Notched 6-2 win over #11 Trent Hillger. Michigan (1/20): Gave up late takedown in 3-1 loss to #2 Mason Parris. Michigan State (1/22): Dominated Ryan Vasbinder, notching 19-4 tech fall at 6:15. Iowa (1/27): Notched match’s only takedown in a convincing 3-1 win over #3 Tony Cassioppi in thrilling BJC Dual meet victory. Ohio State (2/3): Rolled up 4:53 of riding time in 9-0 major over #18 Tate Orndorff. Indiana (2/5): Rolled to a 16-0 tech fall (3:59) over #28 Jacob Bullock. Rutgers (2/10): Picked up a first period tech fall, 16-0, over Kyle Epperly at the 2:06 mark. Clarion (2/19): Pinned Austin Chapman (5:21) in dual finale.
Big Ten Championships (3/4-5): Lost hard-fought sudden victory match, 5-3, to #1 Mason Parris of Michigan in the Big Ten Championship bout at Michigan, finishing as runner-up. Majored #16 Tate Orndorff of Ohio State 9-1 and handled #3 Tony Cassioppi of Iowa 5-0 in semifinals.
NCAA Championships (3/16-18): Earned his first trip to the national finals with a 4-1 run in Tulsa. Became a three-time All-American with four straight wins, including a first round pin and a second round major. Beat #11 Trent Hillger of Wisconsin 4-0 in the quarterfinals before taking down #2 Wyatt Hendrickson of Air Force 4-2 in the semis. Lost 5-1 to #1 Mason Parris of Michigan in the finals.
2021-22 / SOPHOMORE SEASON:
Season: Went 22-3 as a sophomore with five majors, three tech falls and six majors...Became two-time All-American with fourth place finish at NCAAs.
Sacred Heart (11/13): Pinned Mark Blokh (3:57) in first action of the season. Oregon State (11/13): Dominated #24 Gary Traub, rolling to a 16-0 tech fall (5:58)...Named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week (11/16). Army West Point (11/18): Posted 14-3 major over Brandon Phillips. Collegiate Duals (12-20-21): Went 3-0 at Collegiate Duals, including a major over UNI’s Tyrell Gordon, a win over #19 Lewis Fernandes of Cornell and a major over Arizona State’s Chad Porter. Maryland (1/7): Rolled to an 18-3 tech fall (4:42) over #26 Zach Schrader in Big Ten opener at Maryland. Indiana (1/9): Posted 20-3 tech fall (4:59) against Jacob Bullock in Rec Hall. Rutgers (2/16): First period pin of Alex Esposito (1:45). Michigan (1/21): Posted impressive 8-5 win over #2 Mason Parris. Michigan State (1/23): Pinned MSU’s Brad Wilton in the first period (1:58). Ohio State (2/4): Majored #13 Tate Orndorff 10-2 with 2:52 in riding time to cap off Penn State’s BJC Dual win over the Buckeyes. Nebraska (2/6): Strong 8-2 win over #12 Colton Schultz. Rider (2/20): Pinned David Szuba early in the first period (1:11) of the dual finale.
Big Ten Championship (4-1, 3rd Place, NCAA Qualifier): Went 4-1 at Big Ten tournament to place third, only loss a sudden victory defeat in the semis; pinned Maryland’s Zach Schrader (2:13), beat #11 Christian Lance of Nebraska before 6-4 (sv) loss to #3 Tony Cassioppi of Iowa in semis, then beat #10 Lucas Davison of Northwestern and #3 Mason Parris of Michigan 5-3 for third place.
NCAA Championships (4-1, 4th Place, All-American): Became two-time All-American, placing fourth at 285 with a 4-1 mark. Pinned #29 Brandon Metz of North Dakota State (4:17), majored #13 Tate Orndorff of Ohio State and beat #12 Christian Lance of Nebraska to advance to semifinals. Lost tough 8-3 decision to #1 Gable Steveson of Minnesota in semis then all but clinched Penn State’s 10th NCAA team championship with impressive 6-1 win over #7 Mason Parris of Michigan in conso semifinals.
2020-21 / REDSHIRT FRESHMAN SEASON:
Season: Posted a 10-4 overall record, beginning his season on the last day of the regular season...Had six majors, two pins and a tech..Went 4-2 in first trip to nationals to become an All-American.
Maryland (2/22): Returned from injury to Penn State and collegiate debut with two pins against Maryland. Pinned Garrett Kappes (1:12) in the dual meet and Bryan Bones (1:18) in extra bouts.
Big Ten Championships (4-2, 4th, NCAA Qualifier): Went 4-2 at first Big Ten Championships and placed fourth to qualify for NCAAs as a freshman. Three of his wins were major decisions, including a 10-2 major over #12 Christian Lance of Nebraska. Also beat #13 Trent Hillger of Wisconsin 7-3.
NCAA Championships (4-2, 7th, All-American): After being cleared to compete the day before Penn State’s final dual meet of the season on Feb. 21, Kerkvliet became an All-American as a freshman with a 4-2 run through his first NCAA Championship. Opened tourney with a tech fall over #24 Jonathan Birchmeier of Navy and a major over #8 Jordan Wood of Lehigh before losing 7-4 to #1 Gable Steveson of Minnesota in quarters. Majored #29 Austin Harris of Oklahoma State and #21 Tate Orndorff of Ohio State in the seventh-place bout to become an All-American.
2019-20 / REDSHIRT SEASON:
Season: Competed in open tournaments as an unattached wrestler...Went 8-0 with five pins and a major.
HIGH SCHOOL / PERSONAL:
Was a U23 World Wrestling Championships qualifier, advancing to the bronze medal match...Was a four-time Minnesota state champion..Went unbeaten his senior season which ended with a first-period pin the state finals...Suffered only one loss as a sophomore and a junior...Was a cadet World Champion (2017) and two-time finalist...Was a Junior World silver medalist (2018) and a USA Junior National Champion (2018).
KERKVLIET MATCH-BY-MATCH
2023-24
Date Wt. Result Opponent Place Rec
2021 285 W, 18-0 #24 Jonathan Birchmeier, Navy (TF; 2:17) NCAA 1-0
2021 285 W, 12-2 #8 Jordan Wood, Lehigh (major) NCAA 2-0
2021 285 L, 4-7 #1 Gable Steveson, Minnesota NCAA 2-1
2021 285 W, 13-5 #29 Austin Harris, Oklahoma St. (major) NCAA 3-1
2021 285 L, 8-14 #4 Cohlton Schultz, Arizona State NCAA 3-2
2021 285 W, 13-1 #21 Tate Orndorff, Ohio State (major) NCAA (7th) 4-2
2022 285 WBF #29 Brandon Metz, North Dakota St. NCAA 5-2
2022 285 W, 10-1 #13 Tate Orndorff, Ohio State (major) NCAA 6-2
2022 285 W, 7-1 #12 Christian Lance, Nebraksa NCAA 7-2
2022 285 L, 3-8 #1 Gable Steveson, Minnesota NCAA 7-3
2022 285 W, 6-1 #7 Mason Parris, Michigan NCAA (4th) 8-3
2023 285 WBF #30 Hayden Copass, Purdue (0:34) NCAA 9-3
2023 285 W, 14-2 #14 A.J. Nevills, South Dakota St. (maj.) NCAA 10-3
2023 285 W, 4-0 #11 Trent Hillger, Wisconsin NCAA 11-3
2023 285 W, 4-2 #2 Wyatt Hendrickson, Air Force NCAA 12-3
2023 285 L, 1-5 #1 Mason Parris, Michigan NCAA (2nd) 12-4
2024 285 W, 19-3 #32 Nick Willham, Indiana (TF; 5:16) NCAA 13-4
2024 285 W, 9-0 #17 Grady Griess, Navy (major) NCAA 14-4
2024 285 W, 1-0 #19 Nick Feldman, Ohio State NCAA 15-5
2024 285 W, 8-1 #4 Cohlton Schultz, Arizona State NCAA 16-4
2024 285 W, 13-4 #10 Lucas Davison, Michigan (major) NCAA (1st) 17-4
2022-23
Date Wt. Result Opponent Place Rec
11/11 285 WBF Ethan Miller, Lock Haven (1:21) dual 1-0
12/2 285 W, 11-1 David Szuba, Rider (major) dual 2-0
12/4 285 W, 18-0 #22 Nathan Taylor, Lehigh (TF; 4:01) dual 3-0
12/11 285 W, 18-2 J.J. Dixon, Oregon State (TF; 6:08) dual 4-0
12/19 285 W, 17-1 Brandon Whitman, North Carolina (TF; 4:27) dual 5-0
12/20 285 W, forfeit Win by forfeit, Iowa State dual 6-0
1/6 285 W, 6-2 #11 Trent Hillger, Wisconsin dual 7-0
1/20 285 L, 1-3 #2 Mason Parris, Michigan dual 7-1
1/22 285 W, 19-4 Ryan Vasbinder, Michigan State (TF; 6:15) dual 8-1
1/27 285 W, 3-1 #3 Tony Cassioppi, Iowa dual 9-1
2/3 285 W, 9-0 #18 Tate Orndorff, Ohio State (major) dual 10-1
2/5 285 W, 16-0 #28 Jacob Bullock, Indian (TF; 3:59) dual 11-1
2/10 285 W, 16-0 Kyle Epperly, Rutgers (TF; 2:06) dual 12-1
2/19 285 WBF Austin Chapman, Clarion (5:21) dual 13-1
3/4 285 W, 9-1 #16 Tate Orndorff, Ohio State (major) B1G 14-1
3/4 285 W, 5-0 #3 Tony Cassioppi, Iowa B1G 15-1
3/5 285 L, 3-5 (sv) #1 Mason Parris, Michigan B1G (2nd) 15-2
3/16 285 WBF #30 Hayden Copass, Purdue (0:34) NCAA 16-2
3/16 285 W, 14-2 #14 A.J. Nevills, South Dakota St. (maj.) NCAA 17-2
3/17 285 W, 4-0 #11 Trent Hillger, Wisconsin NCAA 18-2
3/17 285 W, 4-2 #2 Wyatt Hendrickson, Air Force NCAA 19-2
3/18 285 L, 1-5 #1 Mason Parris, Michigan NCAA (2nd) 19-3
2021-22
Date Wt. Result Opponent Place Rec
11/13 285 WBF Mark Blokh, Sacred Heart (3:57) dual 1-0
11/13 285 W, 16-0 #24 Gary Traub, Oregon State (5:58) dual 2-0
11/18 285 W, 14-3 Brandon Phillips, Army (major) dual 3-0
12/20 285 W, 12-1 Tyrell Gordon, Northern Iowa (major) dual 4-0
12/20 285 W, 5-0 #19 Lewis Fernandes, Cornell dual 5-0
12/21 285 W, 9-0 Chad Porter, Arizona State (major) dual 6-0
1/7 285 W, 18-3 #26 Zach Schrader, Maryland (TF) dual 7-0
1/9 285 W, 20-3 Jacob Bullock, Indiana (TF; 4:59) dual 8-0
1/16 285 WBF Alex Esposito, Rutgers (1:45) dual 9-0
1/21 285 W, 8-5 #2 Mason Parris, Michigan dual 10-0
1/23 285 WBF Brad Wilton, Michigan State (1:58) dual 11-0
1/28 285 L, 2-7 #5 Tony Cassioppi, Iowa dual 11-1
2/4 285 W, 10-2 #13 Tate Orndorff, Ohio State (major) dual 12-1
2/6 285 W, 8-2 #12 Christian Lance, Nebraska dual 13-1
2/20 285 WBF David Szuba, Rider (1:11) dual 14-1
3/5 285 WBF Zach Schrader, Maryland (2:13) B1G 15-1
3/5 285 W, 7-1 #11 Christian Lance, Nebraska B1G 16-1
3/5 285 L, 4-6 (sv) #4 Tony Cassioppi, Iowa B1G 16-2
3/6 285 W, 5-3 #10 Lucas Davison, Northwestern B1G 17-2
3/6 285 W, 5-3 #3 Mason Parris, Michigan B1G (3rd) 18-2
3/17 285 WBF #29 Brandon Metz, N. Dakota St.(4:17) NCAA 19-2
3/17 285 W, 10-1 #13 Tate Orndorff, Ohio State (maj) NCAA 20-2
3/18 285 W, 7-1 #12 Christian Lance, Nebraksa NCAA 21-2
3/18 285 L, 3-8 #1 Gable Steveson, Minnesota NCAA 21-3
3/19 285 W, 6-1 #7 Mason Parris, Michigan NCAA (4th) 22-3
2020-21
Date Wt. Result Opponent Place Rec
2/22 285 WBF Garrett Kappes, Maryland (1:12) dual 1-0
2/22 285 WBF Bryan Bones, Maryland (1:18) MD extras 2-0
3/6 285 W, 16-5 Jack Heyob, Northwestern (major) B1G 3-0
3/6 285 L, 3-11 #2 Mason Parris, Michigan B1G 3-1
3/6 285 W, 16-5 Christian Rebottaro, Michigan State B1G 4-1
3/6 285 W, 7-3 #13 Trent Hillger, Wisconsin B1G 5-1
3/7 285 W, 10-2 #12 Christian Lance, Nebraska (major) B1G 6-1
3/7 285 L, 0-9 #3 Tonny Cassioppi, Iowa B1G (4th) 6-2
3/18 285 W, 18-0 #24 Jonathan Birchmeier, Navy (TF) NCAA 7-2
3/18 285 W, 12-2 #8 Jordan Wood, Lehigh (major) NCAA 8-2
3/19 285 L, 4-7 #1 Gable Steveson, Minnesota NCAA 8-3
3/19 285 W, 13-5 #29 Austin Harris, Oklahoma St. (major) NCAA 9-3
3/19 285 L, 8-14 #4 Cohlton Schultz, Arizona State NCAA 9-4
3/20 285 W, 13-1 #21 Tate Orndorff, Ohio State NCAA (7th) 10-4
CAREER STATISTICS
Year Overall Duals (B1G) TRN (B1G/NCAA) F TF M PTS
2019-20 Redshirt season
2020-21 10-4 1-0 (1-0) 9-4 (4-2/4-2) 2-0 1-0 6-0 6
2021-22 22-3 14-1 (7-1) 8-1 (4-1/4-1) 6-0 3-0 5-0 64
2022-23 19-3 13-1 (6-1) 6-2 (2-1/4-1) 3-0 6-0 4-0 66
2023-24 20-0 9-0 (6-0) 11-0 (3-0/5-0) 2-0 4-0 8-0 40
Career 71-10 37-2 (20-2) 34-8 (13-4/17-4) 13-0 14-0 23-0 172