Penn State Wrestling Preview: Will the Nittany Lions Dominate Big Tens?
Penn State wrestling this weekend begins what could be epic postseason. First stop: the Big Ten Wrestling Championships at the University of Maryland, which serve as a qualifier for the 2024 NCAA Wrestling Championships.
The top-ranked Nittany Lions have been gearing for this postseason since last summer, when Carter Starocci and Aaron Brooks solidified their returns and the roster projected as one of coach Cael Sanderson's best. "The bigger the match, the more excited they are," Sanderson said.
As Penn State prepares for the Big Ten Championships, here's what we're watching.
What's up with Carter Starocci?
The three-time defending NCAA champion heads to Maryland with the same "search-and-destroy" mission he's had all season, Sanderson said, despite sustaining an injury in the last regular-season match. We don't truly know the extent of Starocci's injury and won't know his status until he is scheduled to step onto the mat for the quarterfinals early Saturday afternoon.
Though Starocci's injury might prevent him from actually wrestling at Big Tens, the tournament's top seed at 174 pounds still can qualify for nationals by weighing in and using an injury-default strategy. He likely wouldn't get seeded among the top 6 at NCAAs, which also likely wouldn't matter. As Sanderson said, the priorities are getting Starocci to NCAAs, and then making sure he's healthy enough to pursue a fourth national championship.
Can Penn State qualify its entire lineup to NCAAs?
The Nittany Lions have not sent all 10 wrestlers to the NCAA Championships in 10 years (they have qualified nine for the seven of the past eight seasons). Recently, 125 pounds has been a weight class where Penn State struggled. This year, freshman Braeden Davis was pre-seeded sixth at the class and should make nationals. In fact, Sanderson believes Davis could be "in the mix" to win an NCAA title.
Otherwise, no Penn State wrestler was pre-seeded lower than sixth at Big Tens, and five are No. 1s. This is a full lineup waiting to qualify for nationals together.
How does Levi Haines look headed into the postseason?
Penn State's exceptional sophomore, who made a run to the NCAA final last year, hit a lull early in the season. Though undefeated (15-0) at 157, Haines wrestled some tense bouts, notably back-to-back decisions (one in overtime) at Michigan and Michigan State in January. On the Penn State Coaches Show recently, Sanderson said that an early season injury limited Haines, as did something else.
"I think he was trying to be perfect in how he was wrestling instead of just getting out there and hustling," Sanderson said. But lately, Sanderson continued, Haines "just keeps getting better and better." Since the Michigan trip, Haines is 6-0 with a major decision over fourth-seeded Jared Franek of Iowa and a 10-3 win over fifth-seeded Peyton Robb of Nebraska. He's a significant favorite this weekend.
How many Big Ten titles will Penn State win?
Suspecting that Starocci takes a measured approach and doesn't wrestle a full tournament, Penn State still could top the four titles it won last season. Haines, Beau Bartlett (141), Aaron Brooks (197) and Greg Kerkvliet (285) are big favorites to win. Then second-seeded Mitchell Mesenbrink (21-0) is a major contender in his first Big Ten tournament; he's 11-0 in conference bouts this year. Bernie Truax has a tough road at 184 but could pull an upset.
We'll say Penn State wins five Big Ten titles this weekend.
How to watch the 2024 Big Ten Wrestling Championships
The 2024 Big Ten Wrestling Championships are scheduled for March 9-10 at the Xfinity Center in College Park, Maryland. Big Ten Network will carry the key sessions live beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday, while BTN+ will stream some consolation rounds. Here's the schedule (all times EST):
Saturday
- 10 a.m.: First round, quarterfinals and consolations (Big Ten Network)
- 5 p.m: Consolations (BTN+)
- 7 p.m.: Semifinals (Big Ten Network)
Sunday
- Noon: Consolation semifinals, seventh-place bouts (BTN+)
- 4:30 p.m.: Championship/medal bouts (Big Ten Network)
More Penn State Wrestling
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Penn State clinches fourth straight Big Ten regular season title
Penn State continues to headline the college wrestling rankings
Penn State demonstrates its dominance in milestone win over Rutgers
Penn State routs Iowa on a landmark night for Cael Sanderson
Penn State turns up the volume at 'awkwardly quiet' Rec Hall
Penn State tops Ohio State, but not without a struggle
Penn State routs Maryland 42-6 for 51st consecutive victory
Penn State sets dates for 2024 U.S. Olympic Wrestling Trials
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.