Penn State wrestling's quest for history: Day 3 Live updates from NCAA Championships
Frank Bodani
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Penn State wrestling’s potential domination of another NCAA Championships could make history.
Coach Cael Sanderson’s Nittany Lions are primed to do even more than usual as they attempt to win their 11th national title in 13 years here at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. This time they are expected to make runs at all-time collegiate records, from most All-Americans in an NCAA tournament to the number of finalists, champions and even team points.
All eyes, in particular, will be on upper-weights Carter Starocci (174 pounds) and Aaron Brooks (197), who both can become exclusive four-time NCAA champs.
All of the action begins Thursday at noon, with two sessions each day through Saturday night's finals.
When is Penn State wrestling in the NCAA Wrestling Championships?
- Thursday: opening round, noon; second round and consolations, 7 p.m.
- Friday: quarterfinals and consolations, noon; semifinals and blood round, 8 p.m.
- Saturday: medal round, 11 a.m.; finals, 7 p.m.
NCAA Wrestling championship live Penn State updates
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History-makers?How to watch Penn State wrestling at NCAA Championships
Aaron Brooks ends historic night for Penn State wrestling
Aaron Brooks won his historic fourth national title − and gave Penn State the all-time team points record in the process.
Brooks' 6-1 victory in the NCAA Championships last finals match at 197 pounds ended quickly enough.
The national championship Lions finished the tournament with 172.5 points, breaking Iowa's record of 170 set in 1997.
Brooks picked his spots early in this one. Though he did hit a takedown just before the end of the first period, picking up Trent Hidlay and tossing him to the mat.
He extended the lead to 5-0 entering the third period thanks to an escape and a second stalling warning on Hidlay.
157 pounds: Biglerville's Levi Haines wins first national crown
Levi Haines never really gave his finals opponent a chance.
Haines, the sophomore from Biglerville High in the YAIAA, felt out the style of Arizona State's Jacori Teemer early. But he leveled him with a strong takedown in the third period and then suffocated him from there.
Haines wins his first title at 157 pounds and stays undefeated in the process.
Penn State, meanwhile, creeps closer to the all-time teams points record of 170. They now have 164.5.
141 pounds: Beau Bartlett drops heartbreaking final
Beau Bartlett looked primed to win his first national title and avenging his only defeat of the season.
Instead, Ohio State's Jesse Mendez hit a quick takedown in the final seconds of their 141-pound bout to win the title.
Bartlett, a third-place finisher last year, lost this finals, 4-1.
Heavyweight: Greg Kerkvliets starts PSU rolling with first national title
It didn't take long for the Penn State senior heavyweight to take control of his second finals match.
This time, he would dominate on the way to his first national title.
Kerkvliet, last year's NCAA runner-up, hit Michigan's Lucas Davison with two early takedowns and never relented on his way to the smooth, major decision victory.
The 13-4 victory pushed Penn State's near NCAA-record point total to 160.5 for the tournament. The record is Iowa's 170 in 1997.
The Lions now lead the field by 89.5 points, which would earn them the title for "most dominant" national champion ever. Iowa's 1986 winner beat the field by 73.25 points.
CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS
Penn State enters tonight's round with a chance to make history.
The Nittany Lions can still break the record for individual national champions (five) and team points (170). They've already clinched their 11th national title in 13 years and have tied the NCAA record of six finalists.
Penn State also can set the standard as "most dominant" NCAA Championship winner. The 1986 Iowa team beat the field by 73.25 points.
The finals round begins with Penn State heavyweight Greg Kerkvliets against Michigan's Lucas Davison.
SATURDAY'S CONSOLATION SEMIFINALS
149 pounds: Tyler Kasak wins 7th straight, takes 3rd place
Tyler Kasak just accomplished one of the most unlikely feats of the tournament − winning seven straight matches after an opening loss.
This final 3-2 victory over West Virgnia's Ty Watters means that Kasak rallied to finish in third place at 149 pounds. He's a Penn State freshman All-American.
He finishes his first Penn State season at 24-5 after subbing for injured All-American Shayne Van Ness.
Kasak's victory pushes Penn State's national championship point total to 155.5 points − more than double second-place Michigan (71) and third-place Cornell (68.5).
The all-time record is 170.
And that could fall during tonight's finals round.
184 pounds: Bernie Truax hits special career-closing win
Penn State's Bernie Truax, up-and-down all season, finished his career the strongest way possible.
In his final collegiate match, he slammed a 12-0 major decision upon No. 2 seed Isaiah Salazar of Minnesota in these consolations. Truax, an All-American for a fourth time, earned fifth place in his final NCAA tournament.
184 pounds: Bernie Truax knocked down quickly in semis
Bernie Truax, the senior transfer, gets just one more shot in his final NCAA Championships.
Truax saw his quest for third place extinguished quickly by Oregon State's Trey Munoz in these morning semifinals. Munoz scored the takedown and got Truax on his back and finished the pin at just 2:29.
He will wrestle for fifth place at 184 pounds later in this session.
149 pounds: Tyler Kasak stays alive for 3rd place
Tyler Kasak continued to pound his way toward a stunning third-place finish on Day 3 of these NCAA Championships.
Kasak started Saturday by dominating his consolation semifinal match against the No. 1 seed at 149 pounds, Nebraska's Ridge Lovett.
Kasak was relentless, hitting one takedown after another in rolling to the 10-1 major decision.
It's the freshman's sixth straight victory in wrestlebacks since his opening-tournament defeat.
Heavyweight: Greg Kerkvliet makes record-tying sixth finalist
Greg Kerkvliet ruled the evening's final bout, shutting out Arizona State's Cohlton Schultz, 8-0.
The victory ensured that the Nittany Lions' tied the NCAA record for finalists with six.
They head into tomorrow's consolation and national finals with 148 team points − more than doubling second place Michigan (64.5). The record, by the way, is Iowa's 170 points in 1997.
Penn State has already clinched its 11th national championship in 13 years under Cael Sanderson.
184 pounds: Aaron Brooks rolls into history-making final
Aaron Brooks proved, once more, he's the most dominant wrestler at these NCAA Championships.
He rocked yet another opponent, this time Missouri's Rocky Elam, on his way to his historic fourth finals. He hopes to join teammate Carter Starocci as just the sixth and seventh wrestlers ever to win four individual NCAA Championships tomorrow evening.
Brooks overwhelmed Elam from the start of this semifinal, scoring at will. He finished off the 17-2 technical fall to improve his season record to 21-0.
Penn State wrestling locks up national championship
How powerful is this Penn State wrestling team?
Cael Sanderson's Nittany Lions locked up their 11th national title in the past 13 years tonight − with a couple of matches left in the semifinal round.
With another day of the NCAA Wrestling Championships still remaining.
The Lions' 129 team points more than doubled second-place Iowa (60) even before undefeated Aaron Brooks and Greg Kerkvliet wrestled tonight at 197 pounds and heavyweight.
174 pounds: Carter Starocci, another shutout. He's a 4-time finalist
Carter Starocci did it again tonight, winning with his second shutout of the day on his bad right knee.
He took out two dominant adversaries along the way, too.
Earlier, it was former national champ Mekhi Lewis. Tonight it was Michigan's Shane Griffiths, 2-0.
His stunning dream to be a four-time national champ lives on for another day.
165 pounds: Another PSU finalist, Mitch Mesenbrink rolls again
The Lions' high-scoring freshman did it yet again.
Mitch Mesenbrink shook off a slow start to riddle Iowa's Mikey Caliendo with scoring moves on his way to the 17-9 victory and a spot in the finals.
184 pounds: Bernie Truax is a 4-time All-American
The Penn State transfer at 184 recovered from the apparent leg injury earlier in the day to take care of business in his first consolation match.
Truax shut down and shut out N.C. State's Dylan Fishback, 5-0. That guarantees that the senior will earn All-America status for the fourth time in his career.
157 pounds: Levi Haines with dramatic pin to advance
Levi Haines will get his second shot at a national title, after all.
The sophomore from Biglerville trailed for much of his semifinal match with Virginia Tech's Bryce Andonian. The big underdog then forced sudden victory with a late escape.
But Haines, a national runner-up as a freshman, worked Andonian quickly in the extra period, getting him on his back and registering the dramatic fall.
He's Penn State's second finalist of the night, joining Beau Bartlett.
PSU now leads the points race over Arizona State, 109.5 to 59.5.
141 pounds: Beau Bartlett drives into the finals
Beau Bartlett steadily drilled his way into the finals − the first Nittany Lion to secure his spot tomorrow night − with his typical methodical victory.
Bartlett got a third-period takedown to breathe easier in the 5-1 victory over North Carolina's Lachlan McNeil.
The Penn State senior's victory increased Penn State's team lead. The Lions' 97 points leads second-place Iowa (52), Arizona State (51.5) and the rest of the field.
149 pounds: Tyler Kasak breaks the ice, earns All-America status
Tyler Kasak earned Penn State's first win of the night, edging N.C. State's Jackson Arrington, 5-4, in the blood round.
He's now an All-American.
The impressive freshman won for the fourth time since his opening loss in the tournament.
133 pounds: Aaron Nagao can't rally in consolations
Sophomore Aaron Nagao sees his season end with a 11-4 defeat to N.C. State's formidable Kai Orine, the No. 3 seed.
He can't quite match his All-America effort as a freshman in 2022-23. Nagao's overall record will stand at 16-7.
The Lions can now do no better than eight All-Americans for the tournament.
125 pounds: Braedan Davis loses 2nd heartbreaker
Braeden Davis, the No. 1 seed at 125 pounds, just got eliminated from the tournament in sudden victory.
He went into the overtime period with No. 5 Jore Volk of Wyoming, tied 1-1 in the blood round.
Davis, who lost his quarterfinals earlier today on riding time, rolled through possible points only to get caught on his back midway through the period. He fought gallantly but finally couldn't hold off Volk any longer.
He lost 4-1. His rookie season ends with an impressive 22-4 record and a Big Ten title.
FRIDAY SEMIFINALS AND 'BLOOD ROUND'
Penn State has six wrestlers in tonight's national semifinals at the T-Mobile Center − each securing All-America status. All 10 of head coach Cael Sanderson’s Nittany Lions are still alive at the tournament.
149 pounds: Tyler Kasak dominates for 3rd straight time
He continues an impressive run for a Penn State freshman backup.
Tyler Kasak dominated his third straight opponent in the consolation bracket, earning a 13-1 major decision over Indiana's Graham Rooks.
Kasak quickly pinned Cornell's Ethan Fernandez earlier in the day.
Kasak improves to 20-5 this season in replacing injured All-American Shayne Van Ness at 149 pounds.
His victory improves Penn State's points lead (86.5) on the field: Michigan remains in second place with 50.5.
133 pounds: Aaron Nagao wins second of the day
Aaron Nagao punched his place in tonight's "blood round" with a stifling 3-0 victory over Nick Bouzakis of Ohio State.
It was Nagao's second consolation victory of the day at 133 pounds. He improved to 17-6 on the season and still owns All-America possibilities for the second time.
Heavyweight: Greg Kerkvliet edges into semis − barely
Undefeated heavyweight Greg Kerkvliet had already beaten Ohio State's Nick Feldman twice this year.
This time was much more difficult.
The now four-time Nittany Lion All-American used an early escape and then fended off Feldman the rest of the way in a timid defensive struggle.
Kerkvliet did have to fend off Feldman's deep charge late in the third period but handled it well enough to preserve the 1-0 victory − and a trip to tonight's semifinals.
197 pounds: Aaron Brooks beasts his way into semis
Aaron Brooks, the Hodge Trophy favorite, overwhelmed yet another NCAA Championships opponent in quick fashion.
This time it was Stephen Buchanan Oklahoma, the No. 8 seed.
Brooks easily stayed undefeated (20-0) by working relentlessly for points from the start, finally throwing Buchanan to his back and quickly rolling him.
Brooks earned the pin with 19 seconds left in the first period.
He increased Penn State's points lead (77.5) on the rest of the field. Michigan remains in a distant second with 43.
184 pounds: Bernie Truax injured, loses big
The Nittany Lion three-time All-American already facing an uphill drive against No. 3 Dustin Plott of Oklahoma State.
Then he appeared to injure his leg part-way through this quarterfinal match.
Truax was ahead 3-1 when he got taken down hard, forcing a match stall. The Penn State coaches called for illegal or dangerous move but to no avail.
From then on, Truax couldn't muster any offense and Plotts piled up one scoring move after another in the 16-6 major decision.
174 pounds: Carter Starocci drives on for 4th national title
Penn State's injured superstar got a quick, early takedown and rode it into the semifinals.
His quest for a fourth national title is still alive and well.
Carter Starocci tied up Virginia Tech No. 1 seed Mekhi Lewis for much of the second and into the third periods in this dynamic 174-pound quarterfinal match.
Starocci controlled the match even with that bad right knee that's braced and sleeved. He took away Lewis' offense, overpowering him for the 4-0 victory.
165 pounds: Mitch Mesenbrink plows into semis
Mitch Mesenbrink stays undefeated (24-0) with a numbing victory over Michigan's No. 10 seed, Cameron Amine.
The super freshman from Wisconsin hit a takedown in the second period to get breathing room and then rode-out Amine to take control of the match.
He won 6-1 to head to tonight's semifinals.
157 pounds: Levi Haines becomes a 2-time All-American
Biglerville's Levi Haines won his quarterfinal match in suffocating fashion over Peyton Robb of Nebraska.
The No. 1 PSU sophomore never let Robb even crack an offensive opportunity.
Haines won 8-0 to cement his second All-America honors and push on toward winning his first national title.
The Lions' leading team point update: 54.5 over second-place Arizona State (37.5)
149 pounds: Tyler Kasak gaining steam
Penn State's Tyler Kasak appears on a consolation mission.
The PSU redshirt freshman dominated his first conso match Thursday night (14-5 major decision) only to follow up even stronger today.
Kasak made lightning work of Cornell's Ethan Fernandez, pinning him in just 36 seconds.
The win increases Penn State's team points lead, 46.5 to 36 over second place Michigan.
141 pounds: Beau Bartlett reigns at the end
It took a while for Penn State's one-loss stud at 141 pounds to find his stride in his quarters.
But the senior rocked Minnesota's Vance Vombaur when he finally did. He turned a tight, third-period match into a rousing victory. He scored to take a 4-1 lead before pinning Vombaur with 12 seconds remaining.
He's the Lions' first semifinalist for tonight's action.
133 pounds: Aaron Nagao works it again in consolations
Sophomore Aaron Nagao got it done late in his second straight consolation victory − but it was far from easy.
The Penn State 133-pounder appeared to pour on points in the third period against Arizona State's Justin Chlebove, turning a 1-0 deficit into a 6-1 lead with a takedown and near-fall points.
An Arizona State challenge delayed the match with three seconds remaining. But after a long review, Nagao was awarded the 5-1 victory.
125 pounds: Braeden Davis takes tough loss to start quarters
Penn State freshman star Braeden Davis couldn't find his offense to start Friday's quarterfinals here at the T-Mobile Center.
And he paid for that, in the end, against Arizona State's No. 8 seed Richard Figueroa.
Tied at 2-2 late, Davis desperately tried to scramble and lock up Figuero with the third period winding away.
He couldn't find a scoring move and lost, 3-2, on a riding time point, in front of a raucous Arizona State fan contingent.
The No. 1-seeded Davis will wrestle in consolations tonight and is still alive for third place and All-America status.
FRIDAY QUARTERFINALS UPDATES
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THURSDAY
▶ Carter Starocci's true test arrives as Penn State wrestling rolls in NCAA Championships
▶ Penn State wrestling struggles? How dynasty takes early hits in NCAA Championships
Heavyweight Greg Kerkvliet, Penn State wrestling dominates opening
The Nittany Lions' undefeated heavyweight toyed with Navy's Grady Griess, the No. 17 seed.
Greg Kerkvliet controlled the entire match − the last of the evening's opening round for Penn State − with Griess offering little offensive effort. The PSU senior earned the 9-1 major decision with a stunning 4:30 in riding time.
The victory means the Lions won all 10 second-session bouts, advancing eight wrestlers into Saturday's quarterfinals.
The Lions lead the team race after the first day with 34.5 points − 10 better than second-place Iowa and Iowa State.
Penn State's Aaron Brooks, Bernie Truax advance to quarters
Nittany Lions Bernie Truax (184 pounds) and Aaron Brooks (197) took different paths to move to Friday's quarterfinal round.
Truax labored to put away Missouri's No. 11 Colton Hawks, holding on for the 4-2 victory.
Meanwhile, the ever-powerful Brooks registered PSU's second pin of the evening, crushing Wyoming's Joseph Novak in just 2:20.
174 pounds: Carter Starocci survives. Is he struggling to recover?
Penn State's Carter Starocci may be vulnerable, after all, in his quest for a fourth national title.
It was one thing for the senior to allow an early takedown in his opening match, his first since injuring his right knee nearly a month ago.
But he also fell behind by yielding another takedown in Thursday evening's second round, this time to Cal-Poly's Adam Kemp, a huge underdog.
While Starocci rebounded quickly to take the lead, he never could press and score and put the match out of hand. Instead, he hung on to win 5-3.
His ultimate tests comes during tomorrow's early quarterfinals against No. 1 seed, Mekhi Lewis of Virginia Tech.
165 pounds: Penn State's Mitch Mesenbrink slowed, still wins
Mitch Mesenbrink alsmost seemed frustrated by not being able to dismantle yet another opponent in his typical rapid, high-point scoring means.
Rather, the super frosh steadily earned points through the first two periods than gave way to No. 15 Brevin Cassella of Binghamton, who rode the undefeated Lion for most of the third period.
He still won 11-3, the fourth Lion to advance to Friday's quarterfinals.
149 pounds: Tyler Kasak rebounds big to push on
Just like teammate Aaron Nagao earlier tonight, Tyler Kasak looked like a different wrestler from the first session.
Kasak rallied from a disappointing opening loss to pounce on Minnesota's Drew Roberts in the 149-pound consolation match. And he never relented. The PSU freshman nearly got the pin to end the first period, then simply rode out Roberts for most of the rest of the way.
Only a late Roberts takedown ruined the technical fall. Still, Kasak advanced with a 14-5 major decision − improving Penn State's tournament lead over second-place Nebraska, 25.5 to 19.
Big Ten teams own the top five spots in the point standings so far − Iowa (18.5), Michigan (18) and Ohio State (17.5) following.
157 pounds: Undefeated Levi Haines blasts into quarterfinals
Levi Haines stayed perfect on the season with his 20th victory, crushing Oklahoma State's Teague Travis.
Haines, the No. 1 sophomore at 157 pounds, steadily piled up scoring moves and points until he earned the 19-4 technical fall near the end of the third period.
Haines overwhelmed both of his opening Thursday opponents to advance to the quarterfinals.
141 pounds: How No. 2 Beau Bartlett advances
Beau Bartlett blasted his way into the quarterfinal round with one lightning move.
It came in the second period, in a 1-1 tie, with Rutgers' Mitch Moore. Bartlett, the nation's No. 2 man at 141 pounds, spun Moore while engaged and got the pin − the Lions' first on opening day of these NCAA Championships.
It took Bartless just 3:49 to earn victory over the 15th-seeded Moore.
133 pounds: Aaron Nagao dominates in consolation survival
Aaron Nagao rebounded from an ugly opening defeat to dominate Missouri's Kade Moore in this evening's survival consolation match.
The Penn State sophomore put on a takedown seminar in finishing the 133-pound match through just two periods − 16-1.
His victory pushed Penn State's early team lead in points to 18.5. Ohio State has moved into second (17).
125 pounds: Braeden Davis squeezes into quarterfinals
No. 1 Braeden Davis starts Session Two with a tight victory over No. 17 Brett Ungar of Cornell, moving on to tomorrow's early quarterfinals.
The two wrestlers worked to nearly a stalemate through two periods, Davis only able to score an escape point.
The Penn State freshman pressed hard from the end of the second through the third period but just couldn't quite connect on a scoring move. Though Ungar finally mustered a late escape, Davis won, 2-1, with 1:41 of riding time.
Heavyweight: Greg Kerkvliet surges, keeps Penn State rolling
The nation's No. 1-ranked heavyweight dispatched his first-round opponent with ease − earning Penn State's fifth technical fall in its final six bouts.
Kerkvliet led 16-3 over Indiana's No. 32 seed Nick Willham at the end of two periods. He closed out Penn State's opening round by finished off his victory quickly in the third, winning 19-3.
Penn State wrestling piles on points: Bernie Truax, Aaron Brooks
Despite two upset defeats, Penn State certainly is pouring on the first-round points.
The latest was Bernie Truax (184 pounds) and Aaron Brooks (197).
The two upper-weights dominated their first-round opponents quickly, particularly Truax. He shelled Clarion's Cameron Pine with a 9-1 lead after just three minutes.
He went on to win by technical fall, 18-3, in a tidy 5:09.
Meanwhile, Brooks, Penn State's other three-time national champ, almost earned the identical result. He beat Northwestern's Evan Bates, 19-4, in just 5:24 to advance toward that elusive fourth title.
165 pounds: Mitch Messenbrink continues high-scoring assault
The most dynamic, fast-paced scorer on this No. 1 Penn State team blitzed yet another opponent.
This time it was No. 31 seed Maxx Mayfield of Northwestern in the opening round here − rolling to victory at the same time as teammate Carter Starocci.
Messenbrink led 15-2 after two periods and finished with the 18-2 technical fall shortly after. The undefeated freshman is now 23-0 on the season.
174 pounds: Carter Starocci makes believers in return to action
Carter Starocci's injured knee certainly held up well enough so far.
Penn State's three-time national champ dominated Minnesota's Andrew Sparks this afternoon in an opening-round match − Starocci's first mat work since injuring his right knee at the end of his final regular-season victory in February.
Starocci, seeded just ninth after injury defaulting from the Big Ten Championships, gave up early points to the No. 24 Sparks, then wreaked havoc. He nearly ended it early with a pin but still earned a flourish of points to lead, 8-3, after the first period.
He went on to win 12-6.
157 pounds: Biglerville's Levi Haines opens impressively
Levi Haines, the sophomore from Biglerville High, avalanched his opening-round opponent, Ohio State's Isaac Wilcox.
Haines, seeded No. 1 and looking for his first national title, led 6-1 after one period before piling on.
He ended with the 17-2 technical fall victory in just seven minutes.
149 pounds: Tyler Kasak falls, PSU's second upset defeat
Tyler Kasak, another impressive Penn State freshman, dropped his opening match in upset fashion.
Kasak, the No. 7 at 149 pounds, lost to Standford's Jaden Abas (26th seed), 4-2. He trailed 3-1 after two periods and couldn't rally.
He and Aaron Nagao must now work through tonight's consolation bracket.
141 pounds: No. 2 Beau Bartlett smothers Kal Miller in opener
Penn State's one-loss Beau Bartlett started slowly but persevered for a dominating victory in the end to start his tournament run.
Bartlett, the No. 2 seed at 141 pounds, led just 1-0 after two periods against Maryland's big underdog, Kal Miller, in the opening round here Thursday.
Bartless used a late takedown to surge to the 6-1 victory.
125 pounds: Penn State rebounds, Braedan Davis wins big
Freshman sensation Braeden Davis dominated Michigan State's Tristan Lujan for a second time this season, this time rolling to an easy 8-1 victory.
The victory was Penn State's first of these NCAA Championships, following Aaron Nagao's surprising defeat at 133 pounds to open things up.
Davis, the No. 1 seed at 125, had beaten Lujan earlier this season, 7-3.
Davis, the Big Ten champ, improved to 21-2 this season.
133 pounds: Aaron Nagao struggles continue, drops opening match
Sophomore Aaron Nagao started this potential historic Penn State championships with a surprising upset defeat in the opening round.
Nagao, the No. 10 seed at 133 pounds, trailed from the start loss decisively to No. 23 Marlon Yarborough of Virginia. Nagao looked sluggish and never truly cracked Yarborough's aggressive moves, losing by major decision, 13-5.
He falls to into consolation bracket.
Penn State begins NCAA Wrestling Championships action
The opening session of the NCAA Wrestling Championships here at the T-Mobile Center just got underway − complete with "We Are" chants from a vocal Nittany Lion fan contingent.
No Lion will partake in the very first matches on the eight-mat set-up. Soon enough, though.
Here are Penn State's 10 wrestlers, all seeded in the Top 10 of the tournament.
▶ Braeden Davis, freshman, 125 pounds: No. 1 seed, 20-2 season record (Big Ten champ)
▶ Aaron Nagao, sophomore, 133 pounds: No. 10 seed, 14-5 (returning All-American)
▶ Beau Bartlett, senior, 141 pounds: No. 2 seed, 19-1 (third at Big Ten's)
▶ Tyler Kasak, freshman, 149 pounds: No. 7 seed, 17-4 (backup for injured All-American Shayne Van Ness)
▶ Levi Haines, sophomore, 157 pounds: No. 1 seed, 18-0 (undefeated since losing in 2023 national finals)
▶ Mitch Messenbrink, freshman, 165 pounds, No. 2 seed, 22-0 (Big Ten champ)
▶ Carter Starocci, senior, 174 pounds, No. 9 seed, 12-2 (65-match win streak stopped by injury defaults at Big Ten's)
▶ Bernie Truax, senior, 184 pounds, No. 6 seed, 14-4 (three-time All-American)
▶ Aaron Brooks, senior, 197 pounds, No. 1 seed, 17-0 (four-time Big Ten champ; three-time NCAA champ)
Warming up for nationals with Penn State wrestling
▶ How Penn State wrestling can dominate the NCAA Championships: From 1 to 2026
▶ Carter Starocci stoked for Penn State wrestling, NCAA's: 'I'll take them all on in 3 days'
▶ Penn State wrestling in the NCAA Championships: How it's preparing to make history
