Penn State sends six wrestlers into NCAA quarterfinals, leads team race by 5.5 points
With the first day of the NCAA wrestling championships over on Thursday evening, Penn State is in prime position.
The Nittany Lions sent six wrestlers to the quarterfinals to lead the way in the team race.
“The rounds just get bigger. It’s the same thing every year. We got to go get these quarters,” Penn State coach Cael Sanderson said. “So far so good, we got a lot of wrestling left. We’ll keep rolling. A big day tomorrow.”
The Nittany Lions went 15-3 on the day with bonus points in 10 of those wins. They had three pins, six major decisions and a technical fall.
Penn State ended the day with 27.5 team points — 5.5 ahead of Arizona State, which sits in second. North Carolina State rounds out the top three with 21.5 points.
Former State College wrestler Cole Urbas also got to compete in his first NCAA Championships for Penn. In his rookie campaign, Urbas made the championships in 2020, but those were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Thursday, Urbas suffered a 15-6 defeat to Nebraska’s Eric Schultz in his opener. He stayed alive with a 7-1 decision over Chattanooga’s Matt Wadell in the consolation preliminary round.
Urbas saw his first NCAA Championships come to a close as he suffered an 11-2 loss to Cornell’s Jacob Cardenas in the consolation first round.
“It’s awesome to be out there. I’m really lucky and fortunate for everyone that supports me,” Urbas said. “I’m feeling really grateful to be wrestling. I wrestled at Fargo. I wrestled at PA states. This is just tougher.”
Here’s a look at the Nittany Lions’ performances:
Drew Hildebrandt, 125 Pounds
Record after day: 1-1
Current round: Consolation Second Round
Recap: It was not a very good start to the day for Hildebrandt.
It also didn’t help that he got Lock Haven’s Anthony Noto, who was 29-1, in the first round.
Neither wrestler scored in the first period as they tried to find the opening. In the second period, Noto felt comfortable on his feet, so he chose neutral.
The choice paid off as Noto secured a takedown on Hildebrandt with 50 seconds remaining. Hildebrandt escaped to be down 2-1 after two.
In the third period, Hildebrandt started from the bottom position and escaped early to tie the bout. Hildebrandt was in on a late shot looking for the winning points, but ran out of time, sending the bout to sudden victory.
Noto snapped off the winning score from his feet with a takedown of Hildebrandt 46 seconds into the period for the 4-2 win.
Hildebrandt rebounded to keep his tournament alive. He used a late takedown in the third period to secure a 3-1 win over Stanford’s Logan Ashton.
Roman Bravo-Young, 133 Pounds
Record after day: 2-0
Current round: Quarterfinals
Recap: Penn State fans got to see something they usually don’t see out of RBY on Thursday night.
The senior took on Navy’s Josh Koderhandt in the second round. RBY got out to a 4-0 lead after one period with a takedown and nearfall points.
In the second period, RBY used his top game to his advantage on Koderhandt. He was riding Koderhandt and late in the period, RBY put Koderhandt on his back and picked up a fall in 4:45.
RBY had no problems in his opener against Cornell’s Dominic LaJoie. In fact, the result was the same when the two squared off during the Collegiate Duals at the end of December — RBY with a major decision.
In the first period, the senior had three takedowns with ease to lead 6-2. RBY had a reversal in the second period, and LaJoie gave up a stalling point, to make it 9-2 after two periods.
RBY added three more takedowns in the third period, and added riding time for the the 16-4 win.
Nick Lee, 141 Pounds
Record after day: 2-0
Current round: Quarterfinals
Recap: Lee had a familiar foe in his second round match in Rider’s Quinn Kinner, who was the last wrestler Lee faced in the regular season. Kinner used an impressive full period rideout in that dual bout.
On Thursday night, Lee made it known this match wouldn’t be as close. The champ tallied two takedowns one minute apart in the first period for a 4-1 lead.
In the second period, Lee opened with a reversal, and tacked on a takedown of Kinner to lead 8-2. Lee started on his feet in the third period, but couldn’t get the takedown for a major decision, and settled for a 9-2 win.
Like RBY, Lee cruised in his first round match against Bloomsburg’s Josh Mason with bonus points.
Lee took Mason down to his back quickly to start the match to go up 6-0. The second period began with the same score, but Lee on the bottom as Mason took the top position.
Lee snapped off a reversal 21 seconds into the period, and again put Mason on his back for nearfall points. The NCAA champ opened the third period with a 12-0 lead.
Lee started on his feet in the third period, and earned a takedown for his choice. He did give up a takedown late to Mason, but ultimately won, 15-3.
Beau Bartlett, 149 Pounds
Record after session: 1-1
Current round: Consolation Second Round
Recap: Remember when Bartlett nearly topped Ohio State’s Sammy Sasso inside the Bryce Jordan Center at the beginning of February?
He got another shot at the Buckeye on Thursday night, and it was a close one again. Sasso got the first points with a takedown just over one minute left in the first period.
In the second period, Bartlett secured a reversal 30 seconds in. Sasso escaped before the period ended to lead 3-2 going to the final period.
A stalling point and a Sasso escape gave the OSU wrestler a 5-2 with just over 1.5 minutes left. Bartlett picked up a takedown with 40 seconds remaining. The sophomore gave Sasso an optional start, which Sasso escaped with ease and kept Bartlett from scoring again in a 6-4 win.
Bartlett had quite the debut in his NCAA first round match against Northern Iowa’s Colin Realbuto.
Neither wrestler scored in the first period as they looked for an opening. In the second period, Bartlett started from the bottom, but struggled to get out from under Realbuto.
With 17 seconds left in the second period, Bartlett was finally able to escape. He led 1-0 to start the third, but Realbuto quickly escaped to keep riding time in his advantage.
Realbuto snapped off a takedown with just over one minute remaining to lead 3-1, so Bartlett had work to do. Bartlett earned a stall point from Realbuto with 45 seconds remaining. Again, struggling to escape, the Nittany Lion escaped with 23 seconds left.
Bartlett picked up a takedown with nine seconds remaining and kept Realbuto from escaping to hang on for a 5-4 win.
Brady Berge, 157 Pounds
Record after session: 1-1
Current round: Consolation Second Round
Recap: Berge said after the Big Ten Championships, the reason he came back to wrestle was to compete in the Big Tens and NCAAs. He’ll have work to do if he wants his NCAA Championships to be longer.
Oregon State’s Hunter Willits used an early escape in the second period as the lone points of the bout through two periods of wrestling. In the third period, Berge struggled to get out from under Willits as the Beavers’ wrestler built up riding time.
Berge did escape with 40 seconds remaining, but needed a takedown to earn the win. Willits stayed in a strong defensive stance, and did just enough not to give up a stall call, to top Berge, 2-1, with the riding time point.
Berge stayed alive with a solid outing against Northern Iowa’s Derek Holschlag. The senior snapped off two takedowns in each period to secure a 15-7 major decision.
Carter Starocci, 174 Pounds
Record after day: 2-0
Current round: Quarterfinals
Recap: Starocci was dominant to start his run toward defending his NCAA crown.
He finished his night off by taking on Cal Poly’s Adam Kemp, and went to work right away with a takedown 40 seconds into the bout. Kemp escaped before the end of the period to make it 2-1.
Starocci extended his lead in the second period with an escape and a takedown to have a 5-1 lead going to the final period. The champ poured it on in the third period with two takedowns a minute a part to secure a 10-4 win.
“I just got to keep building off of today, and score more bonus points. We came with nine so we need some bonus points,” Starocci said. “I’m just staying focused and having fun. I thank God for everything.”
He took on Rutgers’ Connor O’Neill, who he ran up a 19-2 technical fall on during the teams’ dual earlier in the year, in the first round. Starocci’s performance on Thursday was just as impressive.
He ran out to an 8-2 lead thanks to three takedowns and nearfall points. Starocci added a takedown and picked up a stall point from O’Neill to lead 11-4 after two periods.
In the third period, Starocci poured it on O’Neill to the tune of a reversal and three takedowns, before sticking O’Neill on his back in 6:38.
Aaron Brooks, 184 Pounds
Record after day: 2-0
Current round: Quarterfinals
Recap: Brooks looked solid in his start to defending his NCAA crown.
He had what appeared to be a tough second round match with Virginia Tech’s Hunter Bolen. Instead, Brooks made it look easy.
His constant pressure forced a stall call on Bolen late in the first period. Brooks tallied a takedown right after the call was made.
The second period opened with Brooks leading 2-0, and he had a quick escape to make it 3-0. He tacked on a takedown shortly after the escape, and picked up a stall point to lead 6-0 after two.
In the third period, Brooks added one more takedown and had riding time to secure a 9-1 major decision.
“Bolen is a returning All-American, and he went out there and scored bonus points on him,” Sanderson said of Brooks. “He wrestled well.”
He took on Lehigh’s AJ Burkhart in the first round, and went to work early scoring points. He tallied two first-period takedowns one minute apart to jump out to a 4-1 lead.
Brooks added two more takedowns in the second period, and an escape to hold a 9-2 lead to start the third period. The champ poured it on in the final frame with five takedowns in a span of 1.5 minutes to secure a 21-7 major decision.
Max Dean, 197 Pounds
Record after session: 2-0
Current round: Quarterfinals
Recap: Dean has had to miss the last two seasons after finishing as a runner-up in 2019.
He nearly became the second No. 1 seed to lose on the night, when he took on Virginia’s Jay Aiello. Aiello tallied the first points of the bout with a reversal late in the second period.
He looked to have put Dean on his back for nearfall points, but nothing was scored. The Cavaliers coaches challenged the nearfall points, but review came up empty.
In the third period, Dean opened with an escape 17 seconds in. With one minute remaining, he was awarded a takedown. He had built up enough riding time to secure a 4-1 comeback over Aiello.
“We knew that would be a tricky match. Max has won a few matches like that this year,” Sanderson said. “Hopefully, he can not have any more of those. It was a great match. He kept his composure and poise like he always does.”
Dean didn’t take too long to be on the mat in his opener with Clarion’s Will Feldkamp.
Dean had two takedowns about 30 seconds apart, and on the second one, he cranked Feldkamp to his back with his patented bow-and-arrow for nearfall points. Dean led 8-1 after the period closed.
In the second period, Dean had one takedown and added two sets of nearfall points to secure a 16-1 technical fall in 4:40.
Greg Kerkvliet, 285 Pounds
Record after session: 2-0
Current round: Quarterfinals
Recap: Thursday night saw Kerkvliet continue his cruise to the quarterfinals as he took care of Ohio State’s Tate Orndorff.
Kerkvliet led 4-0 after two periods, thanks to a takedown and reversal in the first and second period, respectively. When he was on top, the sophomore suffocated the Buckeye with a solid top game.
In the third period, Kerkvliet recorded two takedowns, got some help from Orndorff with a stall point, and had a riding time point to secure a 10-1 major decision.
Kerkvliet didn’t take long to score in his opening match of the NCAA Championships with North Dakota State’s Brandon Metz. It took the Nittany Lion just 19 seconds, and from there, he just rode Metz for the rest of the period.
Kerkvliet led 2-0 and had 2:41 in riding time after one period. In the second period, the sophomore took Metz to his back, and pinned the Bison’s wrestler in 4:17.
NCAA Championships
Thursday at Detroit
Team key: Air Force (AF), Appalachian State (AS), Arizona State (ASU), Army West Point (A), Binghamton (BH), Bloomsburg (BB), Bucknell (BN), Buffalo (B), Cal Poly (CP), Campbell (CB), Central Michigan (CM), Chattanooga (CT), Clarion (C), Cleveland State (CS), Columbia (CU), Cornell (CN), Cal State Bakersfield (CSB), Drexel (DX), Duke (D), Edinboro (E), Franklin & Marshall (FM), Gardner-Webb (GW), George Mason (GM), Harvard (HV), Hofstra (H), Illinois (ILL), Indiana (IND), Iowa (I), Iowa State (ISU), Kent State (K), Lehigh (L), Lock Haven (LH), Maryland (MD), Michigan (MICH), Michigan State (MSU), Minnesota (MINN), Missouri (M), Navy (N), Nebraska (NEB), North Carolina (NC), North Carolina State (NCSU), North Dakota State (NDSU), Northern Colorado (NCU), Northern Illinois (NI), Northern Iowa (NIU), Ohio (O), Ohio State (OSU), Oklahoma (OK), Oklahoma State (OKSU), Oregon State (OS), Penn State (PSU), Pennsylvania (PENN), Pittsburgh (PITT), Princeton (PT), Purdue (P), Rider (RD), Rutgers (R), Sacred Heart (SH), SIU Edwardsville (SIE), South Dakota State (SDSU), Stanford (S), The Citadel (TC), Utah Valley (UV), Virginia (V), Virginia Tech (VT), West Virgina (WV), Wisconsin (W), Wyoming (WY)
Team scores: 1. Penn State 27.5, 2. Arizona State 22, 3. North Carolina State 21.5, 4. Michigan 21, 5. Iowa 20.5, 6. Northern Iowa 15, T7. Nebraska 14.5, T7. Virginia Tech 14.5, T9. Cornell 14, T9. Oregon State 14.
Second Round
133: Roman Bravo-Young, PSU, pinned Josh Koderhandt, N, 4:45; 141: Nick Lee, PSU dec. Quinn Kinner, RD, 9-2; 149: Sammy Sasso, OSU, dec. Beau Bartlett, PSU, 5-4; 174: Carter Starocci, PSU, dec. Adam Kemp, CP, 10-4; 184: Aaron Brooks, PSU, major dec. Hunter Bolen, VT, 9-1; 197: Max Dean, PSU, dec. Jay Aiello, V, 4-1; 285: Greg Kerkvliet, PSU, major dec. Tate Orndorff, OSU, 10-1
Consolation First Round
125: Drew Hildebrandt, PSU, dec. Logan Ashton, S, 3-1; 157: Brady Berge, PSU, major dec. Derek Holschlag, NIU, 15-7; 197: Jacob Cardenas, CN, major dec. Cole Urbas, PENN, 11-2
Consolation Preliminary Round
197: Urbas, PENN, dec. Matt Waddell, CT, 7-1
First Round
125: Anthony Noto, LH, dec. Hildebrandt, PSU, 4-2 (SV); 133: Bravo-Young, PSU, major dec. Dominic LaJoie, CN, 16-4; 141: Lee, PSU, major dec. Josh Mason, BB, 15-3; 149: Bartlett, PSU, dec. Colin Realbuto, NIU, 5-4; 157: Hunter Willits, OS, dec. Berge, PSU, 2-1; 174: Starocci, PSU, pinned Connor O’Neill, R, 6:38; 184: Brooks, PSU, major dec. AJ Burkhart, L, 21-7; 197: Dean, PSU, tech. fall Will Feldkamp, C, 16-1 (4:40), Eric Schultz, NEB, major dec. Urbas, PENN, 15-6; 285: Kerkvliet, PSU, pinned Brandon Metz, NDSU, 4:17.
