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Penn State punches seven into semifinals, to secure strong 30-point lead over Iowa at NCAA Championships
by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
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Penn State semifinalist Beau Bartlett (141) with coach Cody Sanderson. Photo by Justin Hoch.
TULSA, Okla. – Penn State came into Friday with seven quarterfinalists and pushed all seven into the 2023 NCAA Wrestling Championships semifinals, taking a strong 30-point lead over Iowa in the team standings after session III on Friday at BOK Center.
The Nittany Lions finished the session with 78 points, with Iowa at 48 points. Rounding out the top five were Cornell at 45.5 points, Nebraska at 44 points and Michigan at 39 points.
Included in the Nittany Lion quarterfinal run were a pair of big-time comeback wins, which fired up the Penn State faithful and helped keep the momentum going.
At 149 pounds, No. 12 Shayne Van Ness fell behind No. 20 Graham Rooks of Indiana, trailing 7-3 after the second period. Van Ness rallied with seven points, including riding time in the third period for a 10-7 victory.
In similar fashion, No. 2 Levi Haines found himself down early, losing 6-1 after the first period to No. 7 Bryce Andonian of Virginia Tech. Haines scored two takedowns in the second period and closed the gap. In the third period, after a takedown, Haines secured a pin at 6:12, to the delight of the Nittany Lion faithful.
The other Penn State semifinalists are two-time NCAA champions Roman Bravo-Young (133), Carter Starocci (174) and Aaron Brooks (184), plus No. 6 seed Beau Bartlett (141) and No. 3 seed heavyweight Greg Kerkvliet.
Iowa which finished the session with three moving into the semifinals: top seed and three-time NCAA champion Spencer Lee (125), plus No. 1 seed Real Woods (141) and No. 4 seed Tony Cassioppi (285). Two Hawkeyes were defeated in the quarterfinals, which was a factor in Penn State being able to stretch its lead.
In addition to Bravo-Young, Starocci, Brooks and Lee, other past NCAA champions who moved onto the semifinals were three-time NCAA champion Yianni Diakomihalis of Cornell (149), plus Keegan O’Toole of Missouri (165), Austin O’Connor of North Carolina (157), David Carr of Iowa State (165), and Mekhi Lewis of Virginia Tech (174).
Diakomihalis won a tight match in his quarterfinal, edging No. 8 Max Murin of Iowa, 8-7.
Carr won a close quarterfinal battle against another past NCAA champion, Shane Griffith of Stanford, by a 2-1 margin.
In spite of some upsets in the first three sessions at some weight classes, five weight classes had all four of the top four seeds advance to the semifinals: 125, 133, 174, 184 and 285. At No. 12, Penn State’s Van Ness was the lowest seed to reach the semifinals, with No. 11 Cameron Amine of Michigan at 165 as the next lowest seed to advance.
The semifinals are set for 7:00 p.m. Central time, and will be broadcast live on ESPN and ESPN+
NCAA DIV. I MEN’S WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Tulsa, Okla., March 17
Semifinal pairings
125
No. 1 Spencer Lee (Iowa) vs. No. 4 Matt Ramos (Purdue)
No. 2 Pat Glory (Princeton) vs. No. 3 Liam Cronin (Nebraska)
133
No. 1 Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) vs. No. 4 Michael McGee (Arizona State)
No. 2 Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 3 Vito Arujau (Cornell)
141
No. 1 Real Woods (Iowa) vs. No. 4 Brock Hardy (Nebraska)
No. 2 Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado) vs. No. 6 Beau Bartlett (Penn State)
149
No. 1 Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) vs. No. 12 Shayne Van Ness (Penn State)
No. 2 Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) vs. No. 3 Kyle Parco (Arizona State)
157
No. 1 Austin O`Connor (North Carolina) vs. No. 5 Josh Humphreys (Lehigh)
No. 2 Levi Haines (Penn State) vs. No. 3 Peyton Robb (Nebraska)
165
No. 1 David Carr (Iowa State) vs. No. 5 Quincy Monday (Princeton)
No. 2 Keegan O`Toole (Missouri) vs. No. 11 Cameron Amine (Michigan)
174
No. 1 Carter Starocci (Penn State) vs. No. 4 Chris Foca (Cornell)
No. 2 Mikey Labriola (Nebraska) vs. No. 3 Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech)
184
No. 1 Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) vs. No. 4 Trey Munoz (Oregon State)
No. 2 Trent Hidlay (NC State) vs. No. 3 Aaron Brooks (Penn State)
197
No. 1 Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh) vs. No. 4 Ethan Laird (Rider)
No. 3 Rocky Elam (Missouri) vs. No. 7 Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State)
285
No. 1 Mason Parris (Michigan) vs. No. 4 Tony Cassioppi (Iowa)
No. 2 Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force) vs. No. 3 Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State)
Quarterfinals results
125
No. 1 Spencer Lee (Iowa) maj. dec. No. 8 Anthony Noto (Lock Haven), 14-4
No. 4 Matt Ramos (Purdue) dec. No. 28 Killian Cardinale (West Virginia), 8-7
No. 3 Liam Cronin (Nebraska) dec. No. 27 Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech), 3-1, SV
No. 2 Pat Glory (Princeton) dec. No. 10 Brandon Courtney (Arizona State), 8-4
133
No. 1 Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) dec. No. 8 Aaron Nagao (Minnesota), 4-1
No. 4 Michael McGee (Arizona State) dec. No. 5 Kai Orine (NC State), 8-2
No. 3 Vito Arujau (Cornell) dec. No. 6 Sam Latona (Virginia Tech), 8-5
No. 2 Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) dec. No. 10 Lucas Byrd (Illinois), 3-2
141
No. 1 Real Woods (Iowa) maj. dec. No. 8 Allan Hart (Missouri), 9-0
No. 4 Brock Hardy (Nebraska) dec. No. 12 Parker Filius (Purdue), 7-0
No. 6 Beau Bartlett (Penn State) dec. No. 3 Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh), 3-1, TB1
No. 2 Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado) dec. No. 10 Lachlan McNeil (North Carolina), 6-4
149
No. 1 Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) dec. No. 8 Max Murin (Iowa), 8-7
No. 12 Shayne Van Ness (Penn State) dec. No. 20 Graham Rooks (Indiana), 10-7
No. 3 Kyle Parco (Arizona State) dec. No. 6 Brock Mauller (Missouri), 4-3
No. 2 Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) dec. No. 7 Yahya Thomas (Northwestern), 2-1
157
No. 1 Austin O`Connor (North Carolina) maj. dec. No. 9 Will Lewan (Michigan), 10-2
No. 5 Josh Humphreys (Lehigh) dec. No. 4 Jared Franek (North Dakota State), 5-2
No. 3 Peyton Robb (Nebraska) dec. No. 6 Daniel Cardenas (Stanford), 6-4
No. 2 Levi Haines (Penn State) pin No. 7 Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech), 6:12
165
No. 1 David Carr (Iowa State) dec.No. 9 Shane Griffith (Stanford) , 2-1
No. 5 Quincy Monday (Princeton) dec. No. 29 Caleb Fish (Michigan State), 10-4
No. 11 Cameron Amine (Michigan) dec. No. 3 Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin), 3-2
No. 2 Keegan O`Toole (Missouri) tech. fall No. 10 Carson Kharchla (Ohio State), 19-4
174
No. 1 Carter Starocci (Penn State) dec. No. 8 Bailee O`Reilly (Minnesota), 5-2
No. 4 Chris Foca (Cornell) pin No. 5 Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State), 1:54
No. 3 Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech) dec. No. 11 Nelson Brands (Iowa), 2-0
No. 2 Mikey Labriola (Nebraska) dec. No. 7 Peyton Mocco (Missouri), 4-3
184
No. 1 Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) dec. No. 9 Isaiah Salazar (Minnesota), 3-2
No. 4 Trey Munoz (Oregon State) dec. No. 5 Marcus Coleman (Iowa State), 3-1 SV
No. 3 Aaron Brooks (Penn State) dec. No. 6 Kaleb Romero (Ohio State), 4-1
No. 2 Trent Hidlay (NC State) dec. No. 7 Hunter Bolen (Virginia Tech), 5-0
197
No. 1 Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh) dec. No. 8 Silas Allred (Nebraska), 5-3
No. 4 Ethan Laird (Rider) dec. No. 12 Zac Braunagel (Illinois), 3-2
No. 3 Rocky Elam (Missouri) dec. No. 11 Jaxon Smith (Maryland), 6-3
No. 7 Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) dec. No. 2 Bernie Truax (Cal Poly), 6-4 SV
285
No. 1 Mason Parris (Michigan) maj.dec. No. 9 Lucas Davison (Northwestern), 10-1
No. 4 Tony Cassioppi (Iowa) dec. No. 5 Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State), 3-1 SV
No. 3 Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) dec. No. 11 Trent Hillger (Wisconsin), 4-0
No. 2 Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force) maj. dec. No. 10 Zach Elam (Missouri), 17-8
Team Standings after session three
1 Penn State 78.0
2 Iowa 48.0
3 Cornell 45.5
4 Nebraska 44.0
5 Michigan 39.0
6 Missouri 34.0
7 Ohio State 31.0
8 NC State 29.0
9 Iowa State 28.0
10 Arizona State 27.0
11 Lehigh 22.5
12 Northern Iowa 22.0
12 Princeton 22.0
14 Virginia Tech 21.0
15 Air Force 20.0
15 South Dakota State 20.0
17 Minnesota 18.0
17 North Carolina 18.0
17 Oklahoma State 18.0
20 Wisconsin 17.5
Penn State semifinalist Beau Bartlett (141) with coach Cody Sanderson. Photo by Justin Hoch.
TULSA, Okla. – Penn State came into Friday with seven quarterfinalists and pushed all seven into the 2023 NCAA Wrestling Championships semifinals, taking a strong 30-point lead over Iowa in the team standings after session III on Friday at BOK Center.
The Nittany Lions finished the session with 78 points, with Iowa at 48 points. Rounding out the top five were Cornell at 45.5 points, Nebraska at 44 points and Michigan at 39 points.
Included in the Nittany Lion quarterfinal run were a pair of big-time comeback wins, which fired up the Penn State faithful and helped keep the momentum going.
At 149 pounds, No. 12 Shayne Van Ness fell behind No. 20 Graham Rooks of Indiana, trailing 7-3 after the second period. Van Ness rallied with seven points, including riding time in the third period for a 10-7 victory.
In similar fashion, No. 2 Levi Haines found himself down early, losing 6-1 after the first period to No. 7 Bryce Andonian of Virginia Tech. Haines scored two takedowns in the second period and closed the gap. In the third period, after a takedown, Haines secured a pin at 6:12, to the delight of the Nittany Lion faithful.
The other Penn State semifinalists are two-time NCAA champions Roman Bravo-Young (133), Carter Starocci (174) and Aaron Brooks (184), plus No. 6 seed Beau Bartlett (141) and No. 3 seed heavyweight Greg Kerkvliet.
Iowa which finished the session with three moving into the semifinals: top seed and three-time NCAA champion Spencer Lee (125), plus No. 1 seed Real Woods (141) and No. 4 seed Tony Cassioppi (285). Two Hawkeyes were defeated in the quarterfinals, which was a factor in Penn State being able to stretch its lead.
In addition to Bravo-Young, Starocci, Brooks and Lee, other past NCAA champions who moved onto the semifinals were three-time NCAA champion Yianni Diakomihalis of Cornell (149), plus Keegan O’Toole of Missouri (165), Austin O’Connor of North Carolina (157), David Carr of Iowa State (165), and Mekhi Lewis of Virginia Tech (174).
Diakomihalis won a tight match in his quarterfinal, edging No. 8 Max Murin of Iowa, 8-7.
Carr won a close quarterfinal battle against another past NCAA champion, Shane Griffith of Stanford, by a 2-1 margin.
In spite of some upsets in the first three sessions at some weight classes, five weight classes had all four of the top four seeds advance to the semifinals: 125, 133, 174, 184 and 285. At No. 12, Penn State’s Van Ness was the lowest seed to reach the semifinals, with No. 11 Cameron Amine of Michigan at 165 as the next lowest seed to advance.
The semifinals are set for 7:00 p.m. Central time, and will be broadcast live on ESPN and ESPN+
NCAA DIV. I MEN’S WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Tulsa, Okla., March 17
Semifinal pairings
125
No. 1 Spencer Lee (Iowa) vs. No. 4 Matt Ramos (Purdue)
No. 2 Pat Glory (Princeton) vs. No. 3 Liam Cronin (Nebraska)
133
No. 1 Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) vs. No. 4 Michael McGee (Arizona State)
No. 2 Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 3 Vito Arujau (Cornell)
141
No. 1 Real Woods (Iowa) vs. No. 4 Brock Hardy (Nebraska)
No. 2 Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado) vs. No. 6 Beau Bartlett (Penn State)
149
No. 1 Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) vs. No. 12 Shayne Van Ness (Penn State)
No. 2 Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) vs. No. 3 Kyle Parco (Arizona State)
157
No. 1 Austin O`Connor (North Carolina) vs. No. 5 Josh Humphreys (Lehigh)
No. 2 Levi Haines (Penn State) vs. No. 3 Peyton Robb (Nebraska)
165
No. 1 David Carr (Iowa State) vs. No. 5 Quincy Monday (Princeton)
No. 2 Keegan O`Toole (Missouri) vs. No. 11 Cameron Amine (Michigan)
174
No. 1 Carter Starocci (Penn State) vs. No. 4 Chris Foca (Cornell)
No. 2 Mikey Labriola (Nebraska) vs. No. 3 Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech)
184
No. 1 Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) vs. No. 4 Trey Munoz (Oregon State)
No. 2 Trent Hidlay (NC State) vs. No. 3 Aaron Brooks (Penn State)
197
No. 1 Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh) vs. No. 4 Ethan Laird (Rider)
No. 3 Rocky Elam (Missouri) vs. No. 7 Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State)
285
No. 1 Mason Parris (Michigan) vs. No. 4 Tony Cassioppi (Iowa)
No. 2 Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force) vs. No. 3 Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State)
Quarterfinals results
125
No. 1 Spencer Lee (Iowa) maj. dec. No. 8 Anthony Noto (Lock Haven), 14-4
No. 4 Matt Ramos (Purdue) dec. No. 28 Killian Cardinale (West Virginia), 8-7
No. 3 Liam Cronin (Nebraska) dec. No. 27 Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech), 3-1, SV
No. 2 Pat Glory (Princeton) dec. No. 10 Brandon Courtney (Arizona State), 8-4
133
No. 1 Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State) dec. No. 8 Aaron Nagao (Minnesota), 4-1
No. 4 Michael McGee (Arizona State) dec. No. 5 Kai Orine (NC State), 8-2
No. 3 Vito Arujau (Cornell) dec. No. 6 Sam Latona (Virginia Tech), 8-5
No. 2 Daton Fix (Oklahoma State) dec. No. 10 Lucas Byrd (Illinois), 3-2
141
No. 1 Real Woods (Iowa) maj. dec. No. 8 Allan Hart (Missouri), 9-0
No. 4 Brock Hardy (Nebraska) dec. No. 12 Parker Filius (Purdue), 7-0
No. 6 Beau Bartlett (Penn State) dec. No. 3 Cole Matthews (Pittsburgh), 3-1, TB1
No. 2 Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado) dec. No. 10 Lachlan McNeil (North Carolina), 6-4
149
No. 1 Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) dec. No. 8 Max Murin (Iowa), 8-7
No. 12 Shayne Van Ness (Penn State) dec. No. 20 Graham Rooks (Indiana), 10-7
No. 3 Kyle Parco (Arizona State) dec. No. 6 Brock Mauller (Missouri), 4-3
No. 2 Sammy Sasso (Ohio State) dec. No. 7 Yahya Thomas (Northwestern), 2-1
157
No. 1 Austin O`Connor (North Carolina) maj. dec. No. 9 Will Lewan (Michigan), 10-2
No. 5 Josh Humphreys (Lehigh) dec. No. 4 Jared Franek (North Dakota State), 5-2
No. 3 Peyton Robb (Nebraska) dec. No. 6 Daniel Cardenas (Stanford), 6-4
No. 2 Levi Haines (Penn State) pin No. 7 Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech), 6:12
165
No. 1 David Carr (Iowa State) dec.No. 9 Shane Griffith (Stanford) , 2-1
No. 5 Quincy Monday (Princeton) dec. No. 29 Caleb Fish (Michigan State), 10-4
No. 11 Cameron Amine (Michigan) dec. No. 3 Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin), 3-2
No. 2 Keegan O`Toole (Missouri) tech. fall No. 10 Carson Kharchla (Ohio State), 19-4
174
No. 1 Carter Starocci (Penn State) dec. No. 8 Bailee O`Reilly (Minnesota), 5-2
No. 4 Chris Foca (Cornell) pin No. 5 Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State), 1:54
No. 3 Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech) dec. No. 11 Nelson Brands (Iowa), 2-0
No. 2 Mikey Labriola (Nebraska) dec. No. 7 Peyton Mocco (Missouri), 4-3
184
No. 1 Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) dec. No. 9 Isaiah Salazar (Minnesota), 3-2
No. 4 Trey Munoz (Oregon State) dec. No. 5 Marcus Coleman (Iowa State), 3-1 SV
No. 3 Aaron Brooks (Penn State) dec. No. 6 Kaleb Romero (Ohio State), 4-1
No. 2 Trent Hidlay (NC State) dec. No. 7 Hunter Bolen (Virginia Tech), 5-0
197
No. 1 Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh) dec. No. 8 Silas Allred (Nebraska), 5-3
No. 4 Ethan Laird (Rider) dec. No. 12 Zac Braunagel (Illinois), 3-2
No. 3 Rocky Elam (Missouri) dec. No. 11 Jaxon Smith (Maryland), 6-3
No. 7 Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) dec. No. 2 Bernie Truax (Cal Poly), 6-4 SV
285
No. 1 Mason Parris (Michigan) maj.dec. No. 9 Lucas Davison (Northwestern), 10-1
No. 4 Tony Cassioppi (Iowa) dec. No. 5 Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State), 3-1 SV
No. 3 Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) dec. No. 11 Trent Hillger (Wisconsin), 4-0
No. 2 Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force) maj. dec. No. 10 Zach Elam (Missouri), 17-8
Team Standings after session three
1 Penn State 78.0
2 Iowa 48.0
3 Cornell 45.5
4 Nebraska 44.0
5 Michigan 39.0
6 Missouri 34.0
7 Ohio State 31.0
8 NC State 29.0
9 Iowa State 28.0
10 Arizona State 27.0
11 Lehigh 22.5
12 Northern Iowa 22.0
12 Princeton 22.0
14 Virginia Tech 21.0
15 Air Force 20.0
15 South Dakota State 20.0
17 Minnesota 18.0
17 North Carolina 18.0
17 Oklahoma State 18.0
20 Wisconsin 17.5