What to look for in each of Penn State wrestling’s final matches in the Big Ten tournament
Penn State bounced back from a slow start in Day 1 of the 2021 Big Ten Wrestling Championships on Saturday at the Bryce Jordan Center to finish the day strong.
The Nittany Lions are in second place in the team standings with 111.5 points, behind first-place Iowa, which has 126.5 points. Penn State advanced four wrestlers to Sunday’s Big Ten finals and qualified nine wrestlers for the NCAA Championships in St. Louis later this month.
No. 1-seeded junior Roman Bravo-Young (133 pounds), No. 2-seeded senior Nick Lee (141 pounds), No. 3-seeded redshirt freshman Carter Starocci (174 pounds) and No. 1-seeded sophomore Aaron Brooks (184 pounds) will all compete for Big Ten titles on Sunday. Bravo-Young, Lee, Starocci, Brooks, freshman Robert Howard (125 pounds), junior Brady Berge (157 pounds), redshirt freshman Joe Lee (165 pounds), redshirt freshman Michael Beard (197 pounds) and redshirt freshman Greg Kerkvliet (285 pounds) all qualified for NCAAs.
The Big Ten Championships continue Sunday with consolation matches starting at noon (streamed live on the Big Ten Network+) and the finals taking place at 4 p.m. (airing live on the Big Ten Network).
Here’s what to look forward to in Penn State’s championship matchups on Sunday:
133-POUND FINAL
No. 1 Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) vs. No. 2 Austin DeSanto (Iowa)
Bravo-Young had a first-round bye before he defeated Purdue’s Jacob Rundell in the quarterfinals, 9-3. The junior then went on to beat Northwestern’s Chris Cannon 8-3 in Session II’s semifinals round.
Now, Bravo-Young — in his second consecutive Big Ten finals appearance — must face Iowa’s DeSanto.
DeSanto also had a first-round bye before he easily beat Nebraska’s Tucker Sjomeling, 4-1, in the quarterfinals. In Session II’s semifinals round, DeSantos edged by Illinois’ Lucas Byrd, 5-4.
The two wrestlers are 2-2 against each other, with Bravo-Young owning the two most recent wins. The Nittany Lion topped the Hawkeye 3-2 in the Big Ten semifinals last year, and won by injury default in that year’s dual.
141-POUND FINAL
No. 2 Nick Lee (Penn State) vs. No. 1 Jaydin Eierman (Iowa)
Lee opened his day with a first-round bye before he crushed Ohio State’s Dylan D’Emilio in a 16-1 technical fall in the quarterfinals. The senior had a tougher test in Session II’s semifinals round, where he needed the sudden victory period to beat Rutgers’ Sebastian Rivera, 8-6.
Now, Lee will take on Iowa’s top-seeded Eierman in the finals.
Eierman also had a first-round bye before he pinned Purdue’s Parker Filius in 3:59. In Session II’s semifinals round, Eierman easily defeated Nebraska’s Chad Red, 7-1.
The final between these two wrestlers will be one of the most anticipated on Sunday. Eierman beat Lee by a 12-4 major decision at the 2018 NCAA Championships, when Eierman wrestled for Missouri. But Lee owns the most recent win between the pair, topping Eierman 10-6 in freestyle at the 2019 Senior Nationals.
174-POUND FINAL
No. 3 Carter Starocci (Penn State) vs. No. 1 Michael Kemerer (Iowa)
Starocci started his day by taking on Maryland’s Phillip Spadafora in the first round. The redshirt freshman beat Spadafora by sticking him after building up an 11-2 advantage. In the quarterfinals, Starocci slipped by Ohio State’s Kaleb Romero for a 2-0 victory. And in Session II’s semifinals round, Starocci needed the sudden victory period to beat Nebraska’s Mikey Labriola, 3-1.
Starocci will take on Iowa’s top-seeded Kemerer in the finals.
Kemerer enjoyed a first-round bye before he pinned Wisconsin’s Jared Krattiger in just a minute and a half. In Session II’s semifinals round, Kemerer defeated Michigan’s Logan Massa, 4-2.
While Starocci and Kemerer have never wrestled against each other, the Hawkeye senior has a long history of losing to Nittany lions in the Big Ten finals. The Hawkeye fell in the championship bout last year to Mark Hall at 174 pounds, and was denied a title at 157 pounds in 2017 by Jason Nolf.
184-POUND FINAL
No. 1 Aaron Brooks (Penn State) vs. No. 6 Taylor Venz (Nebraska)
Brooks had a first-round bye before beating Iowa’s Nelson Brands, 14-8, after coming back from a 7-5 deficit to start the third period. The sophomore faced Rutgers’ John Poznanski in Session II’s semifinal round and went on to dominate Poznanski in a 10-2 major decision.
Brooks will now take on Nebraska’s Venz — who will be considered a heavy underdog despite having handed Brooks his only collegiate loss — in the finals.
Venz opened his day by pinning Maryland’s Kyle Cochran in 3:41 in the first round. Then, he went on to handily defeat Michigan State’s Layne Malczewski, 13-6, in the quarterfinals. And he ended the day with a huge 10-3 upset over Wisconsin’s Christopher Weiler.
While the only blemish on Brooks’ record came from Venz last season, the Nittany Lions got revenge in the 2020 Big Ten semifinals by pinning the Cornhusker in four minutes.
CONSOLATIONS
The championship bouts won’t be the only exciting matchups to watch on Sunday. While Iowa has a comfortable lead, the team title is still mathematically in reach for the Nittany Lions. Also on the line is seeding for the NCAA Championships.
Here’s who each Nittany Lion is facing in the first round of Session III on Sunday:
CONSOLATION SEMIFINALS
125 POUNDS
No. 11 Robert Howard (Penn State) vs. No. 3 Malik Heinselman (Ohio State)
157 POUNDS
No. 5 Brady Berge (Penn State) vs. No. 3 Brayton Lee (Minnesota)
197 POUNDS
No. 7 Michael Beard (Penn State) vs. No. 4 Cameron Caffey (Michigan State)
285 POUNDS
No. 7 Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) vs. No. 5 Christian Lance (Nebraska)
SEVENTH-PLACE MATCHES
165 POUNDS
No. 6 Joe Lee (Penn State) vs. No. 12 David Ferrante (Northwestern)
