Trio of Penn State wrestlers have a perfect night in the NWCA All-Star Classic
Most of the Penn State wrestlers were able to get their Thanksgiving break started early, but three Nittany Lions had to wait.
Aaron Brooks, Carter Starocci and Greg Kerkvliet all took part in FloWrestling’s NWCA All-Star Classic on Tuesday night in Austin, Texas. They were part of a 15-match card that included four women’s freestyle matches.
All three wrestlers took on familiar foes, and all three came away with a win.
Kerkvliet was the first to hit the mat for Penn State as he took on Iowa’s Tony Cassioppi. The duo faced off three other times before Tuesday, with all going in favor of Cassioppi.
Tuesday night saw Kerkvliet shake off the ghosts of the past. The Nittany Lions wrestler snapped off a blast double just under midway through the first period, but gave up an escape for a 2-1 lead.
Kerkvliet opened the second period with a quick escape, but again hit another double leg takedown midway through the period. Cassioppi collected a reversal before the period’s end to make Kerkvliet’s lead 5-3 to start the third period.
Cassioppi used an escape to get within one, but Kerkvliet collected a late takedown and added a riding time point for an 8-5 victory.
Brooks faced off with Northern Iowa’s Parker Keckeisen for the eighth time in their collegiate careers. After the bout was over, the two-time defending NCAA champ kept a perfect mark against Keckeisen.
Brooks hit a nice ankle pick for a takedown just over 30 seconds into the bout. He added another takedown before the period ended to hold a 4-2 lead.
In the second period, Brooks went to the ankle pick again, and countered a Keckeisen shot for a second takedown. The Penn State wrestler had an 8-5 advantage after two periods.
Brooks had an escape and takedown in the third period, but gave up a takedown late. He tacked on a riding time point for a 12-8 win.
Starocci got to face off with Virginia Tech’s Mehki Lewis, which was a rematch of the 2022 NCAA final at 174 pounds, in the main event of the evening. The pair were rather defensive in the first period, with Starocci nearly tallying a score with 40 seconds left, but he had no luck.
The two-time defending NCAA champion escaped in five seconds to open the second period. He attempted to record a takedown again with 1:37 on the clock, but Lewis’ defense was too much.
In the third period, Starocci rode Lewis out for the entire frame to tack on a riding time point in a 2-0 victory.
Big Ten goes 7-4
In the 11 men’s bouts contested, the Big Ten had half of the wrestlers competing. Those 11 athletes went a combined 7-4, but two of those bouts had Big Ten foes square off against one another.
The Big Ten winners along with Kerkvliet, Brooks and Starocci were: Minnesota’s Pat McKee (pin of Iowa State’s Kysen Terukina), Illinois’ Lucas Byrd (3-2 win over Arizona State’s Michael McGee), Michigan’s Will Lewan (3-1 win over Virginia Tech’s Bryce Andonian) and Wisconsin’s Austin Gomez (10-8 winner over Ohio State’s Sammy Sasso).
NWCA All-Star Classic
Tuesday at Austin, Texas
125: No. 4 Pat McKee (Minnesota) pinned No. 19 Kysen Terukina (Iowa State), 4:00
133: No. 6 Lucas Byrd (Illinois) dec. No. 4 Michael McGee (Arizona State), 3-2
157: No. 3 Will Lewan (Michigan) dec. No. 5 Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech), 3-1
197: No. 4 Rocky Elam (Missouri) dec. No. 2 Jacob Warner (Iowa), 8-6 (SV)
285: No. 2 Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) dec. No. 4 Anthony Cassioppi (Iowa), 8-5
191: Sydnee Kimber (McKendree) dec. Kelani Corbett (Missouri Valley), 6-0
170: Yelena Makoyed (North Central) tech. fall Jessie Lee (Life), 10-0
184: No. 1 Aaron Brooks (Penn State) dec. No. 2 Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa), 12-8
141: No. 4 Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado) dec. No. 1 Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh), 4-2 (SV)
143: Adaugo Nwachukwu (Iowa Wesleyan) dec. Alara Boyd (McKendree), 6-0
109: Emily Shilson (Augsburg) dec. Peyton Prussin (Life), 8-4
165: No. 3 David Carr (Iowa State) dec. No. 1 (157 pounds) Quincy Monday (Princeton), 2-1
165: No. 1 Keegan O’Toole (Missouri) dec. No. 5 Dean Hamiti Jr. (Wisconsin), 7-1
149: No. 2 Austin Gomez (Wisconsin) dec. No. 3 Sammy Sasso (Ohio State), 10-8
174: No. 1 Carter Starocci (Penn State) dec. No. 2 Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech), 2-0
This story was originally published November 22, 2022 at 11:33 PM.
