Penn State on the Doorstep of 11th NCAA Wrestling Title
Penn State essentially has the team title wrapped at the NCAA Wrestling Championships. Now, the Lions will chase a team scoring record at nationals.
Five Penn State wrestlers will compete for five national championships, and eight have clinched All-America status, giving the Lions an outside chance to break their NCAA scoring record. The 2017 team totaled 146.5 points, with six All-Americans and five national champs.
Penn State closed Saturday's action with 116.5 points, distancing itself from second-place Iowa (77), and is on the verge of winning its 11th NCAA team title and 10th in 12 years. With eight All-Americans, the Lions have tied their high mark under head coach Cael Sanderson. They can do the same by winning five NCAA individual titles for the second consecutive year.
Roman Bravo-Young (133 pounds), Levi Haines (157), Carter Starocici (174), Aaron Brooks (184) and heavyweight Greg Kerkvliet will wrestle in Saturday's 7 p.m. ET finals on ESPN. Beau Bartlett (141), Shayne Van Ness (149) and Max Dean (197) will be in action during Saturday morning's medal round.
Dean became a four-time All-American and will wrestle for seventh after losing 8-6 in the sudden-victory period in the consolations.
After a dramatic quarterfinal session, Penn State delivered fewer theatrics in the semis, though Bravo-Young and Haines scored gritty victories. A recap of Penn State's semifinals.
133: Roman Bravo-Young dec. Michael McGee (Arizona State) 6-4 SV
Bravo-Young, a master escape artist, did it again. He scored a critical third-period takedown to force sudden victory, then delivered the winner 20 seconds in to reach his third consecutive NCAA final.
The sudden-victory win was Bravo-Young's second in his NCAA Tournament career. He defeated Oklahoma State's Daton Fix for the 2021 title on a similar move. But this year, there won't be a third final between Bravo-Young and Fix, who was upset by Cornell's Vito Arujau.
With the victory, and Iowa's Spencer Lee's stunning loss at 125, Bravo-Young took over the nation's longest active win streak (56).
141: Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado) dec. Beau Bartlett 6-2
Alirez, the bracket's unbeaten second seed, controlled the pace against Bartlett, ending the junior's run short of his first final. Bartlett, who has clinched All-America status, continues in the consolation round.
149: Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) dec. Shayne Van Ness 8-3
Van Ness, the superb story of Penn State's tournament, led the three-time national champ 3-2 in the third. But Diakomihalis used his remaining minute wisely, spinning Van Ness for back points to avoid the upset.
Van Ness, a redshirt freshman wrestling in his first NCAA Tournament, became an All-American as the 12th seed. He'll continue in the consolations.
157: Levi Haines dec. Peyton Robb (Nebraska) 5-3
Haines, once a candidate to redshirt this season, instead reached the NCAA final as a true freshman. Haines won his 24th consecutive bout, defeating Robb for the second consecutive week. Robb has just two losses this season, both to Haines.
Haines (25-1) gets the chance to end another undefeated season in the final. He'll meet top-seeded Austin O'Connor (23-0), a five-time All-American and 2021 national champion.
174: Carter Starocci dec. Chris Foca (Cornell) 6-0
The nation's second-longest win streak (51), behind Bravo-Young's, now belongs to Starocci. The two-time defending champ faced little resistance against Foca, whom he defeated 3-2 last season.
Starocci (23-0) will face a very familiar opponent in the final. Nebraska's Mikey Labriola defeated Virginia Tech's Mekhi Lewis in overtime to reach his first NCAA final. Starocci has beaten Labriola twice, most recently in the Big Ten final (6-1).
184: Aaron Brooks dec. Trent Hidlay (North Carolina State) 6-3
Brooks, seeded third, "upset" the second-seeded Hidlay, at least in strict bracket terms. In reality, Penn State's two-time defending champ remains the favorite here despite slipping in the seeds because of his limited record (16-1) and regular-season loss.
Brooks will wrestle for his third NCAA title against Northern Iowa's Parker Keckeisen, whom he has defeated twice before by a combined total of three points. Brooks last beat 6-4 Keckeisen in the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
Hwt: Greg Kerkvliet dec. Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force) 4-2
Game 7 calls Saturday night. Kerkvliet will meet Michigan's Mason Parris for the heavyweight crown. The two have wrestled six times in their careers, winning three bouts apiece. Should be the exclamation point of the NCAA Tournament.
Kerkvliet (17-2) advanced to his first final with a 4-2 decision that included a strong third-period ride. Parris won their two matchups this season, including one in sudden victory in the Big Ten final.
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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.