PREVIEW: Penn State wrestling looks to follow up record night with Big Ten Championships title

Cael Sanderson and Penn State wrestling are looking to wrap up a second consecutive Big Ten Championships title Sunday in College Park, Maryland. The Nittany Lions had an extremely successful day one of the tournament, ultimately sending a program record seven wrestlers to the final round. While many of the usual suspects are looking to get back to the winner’s circle Sunday afternoon, there are a few surprise matchups that could help to clarify the national title picture for Penn State wrestling when it arrives in Kansas City at the end of the month.

Big Ten Championships: Final round preview

125: No. 4 Patrick McKee (MINN) vs No. 9 Braeden Davis (PSU)

The 125-pound weight class has been chaotic all over college wrestling this season. That was evident again after the top three seeds went down in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Championships Saturday morning. Patrick Mckee and Braeden Davis benefited from the chaos, and will have a chance to position themselves for top seeds in the NCAA Championships.

Patrick McKee enters ranked No. 4 nationally with a 15-5 record and a bonus percentage of 60%. He defeated Tommy Capul (UMD) with a 19-4 tech fall in the first round, No. 8 Caleb Smith (NEB) by a 5-2 decision in the quarterfinals, and No. 22 Dean Peterson (RUT) by a 6-3 decision in sudden victory.

Braeden Davis enters ranked No. 9 nationally with a 19-2 record and a 52.38% bonus percentage. He defeated Justin Cardani (ILL) by an 11-1 major decision in the first round, No. 16 Michael DeAugustino (MICH) with a 5-2 sudden victory decision, and No. 5 Eric Barnett (WISC) by 8-7 sudden victory decision.

The two wrestlers have not faced each other this season, but have many common opponents. Both lost to Drake Ayala of Iowa, but defeated Eric Barnett of Wisconsin. While McKee avenged his regular season loss to Dean Peterson in the semifinals, Davis defeated Peterson when they met at the BJC last month.

Davis lost handily to Nebraska’s Caleb Smith when he faced him in the regular season, but McKee has taken down the Husker both in the regular season and in the Big Ten Championships. The point is that this one truly could go either way; both wrestlers have beaten opponents that the other has lost to, and vice versa. Expect this one to stay close into the third period.

Prediction: No. 4 Patrick McKee by decision

141: No. 1 Beau Bartlett (PSU) vs No. 3 Jesse Mendez (OSU)

Beau Bartlett enters the finals ranked No. 1 nationally with a 20-0 record and a 40% bonus percentage. After a bye in the first round, he defeated No. 26 Jordan Hamdan (MSU) by a 4-2 decision in the quarterfinals and No. 10 Sergio Lemley (MICH) by a 5-4 decision in the semifinals.

Jesse Mendez enters ranked No. 3 nationally with a 23-2 record and a 76% bonus percentage. After also receiving a first-round bye, he defeated No. 21 Mitch Moore (RUT) in the quarterfinals and No. 2 Real Woods (IOWA) by a 6-3 decision in the semifinals.

The two wrestlers have been on a collision course since Bartlett defeated Mendez via a 4-1 sudden victory decision back in early February at Rec Hall. This is a finals match that Penn State wrestling will enter as a favorite. But it wouldn’t be surprising if Ohio State pulls off the upset. Regardless of the outcome, these two wrestlers are likely to meet again in the NCAA semifinals or finals.

Prediction: No. 1 Beau Bartlett by decision

157: No. 1 Levi Haines (PSU) vs No. 16 Will Lewan (MICH)

Levi Haines enters ranked No. 1 nationally with a 17-0 record and a 64.7% bonus percentage. Haines received a first-round bye and then defeated Trevor Chumbley (NU) by a 12-0 major decision in the quarterfinals and No. 5 Jared Franek (IOWA) by a 5-0 decision in the semifinals.

Will Lewan enters ranked No. 16 nationally with a 12-6 record and a 22.2% bonus percentage. He defeated No. 15 Brayton Lee (IU) by a 4-1 sudden victory decision in the first round, pinned No. 4 Michael Blockhus (MINN) in the quarterfinals, and defeated No. 29 Isaac Wilcox (OSU) by a 2-1 decision in overtime.

This is another match we saw during the regular season, with Haines picking up a 2-1 victory thanks to a stall point in the third period. This one will all depend on whether or not Haines can get scoring early. Lewan is perfectly happy grinding out duals and sending them to sudden victory. If Haines can get a single takedown, that might be all he needs to pull out the win.

Prediction: No. 1 Levi Haines by decision

165: No. 4 Dean Hamiti (WISC) vs No. 5 Mitchell Mesenbrink (PSU)

Dean Hamiti enters ranked No. 4 nationally with a 26-1 record and an 85.19% bonus percentage. After receiving a bye in the first round, he defeated No. 18 Tyler Lillard (IU) by a 17-2 tech fall in the quarterfinals and pinned No. 12 Antrell Taylor (NEB) in just 1:04 during his semifinal match.

Mitchell Mesenbrink is ranked No. 5 nationally with a 21-0 record and a 76.19% bonus percentage. After also receiving a first-round bye, he defeated No. 31 Blain Brenner (MINN) by fall in the quarterfinals and No. 6 Michael Caliendo (IOWA) by a 23-7 tech fall in the semifinals.

This is one of the most highly anticipated matches in this final round of the Big Ten Championships. Hamiti’s only loss of the season came as a 2-0 decision to No. 2 David Carr of Iowa State. Mitchell Mesenbrink enters this match as one of just two undefeated wrestlers left at 165 pounds.

The winner of this match will have an opportunity to add another signature win to their resume ahead of the NCAA Championships. Expect this one to be high-octane from the start and possibly a shootout.

Prediction: No. 5 Mitchell Mesenbrink by decision

184: No. 5 Isaiah Salazar (MINN) vs No. 6 Bernie Truax (PSU)

Isaiah Salazar enters ranked No. 5 nationally with a 20-1 record and a 57.14% bonus percentage. After receiving a first-round bye, he defeated No. 31 Troy Fisher (NU) by a 4-2 decision in the quarterfinals and No. 19 Jaden Bullock (MICH) by a 4-1 decision in the semifinals.

Bernie Truax is ranked No. 6 nationally with a 14-3 record and a 47.06% bonus percentage. He defeated Chase Mielnik (UMD) by a 19-1 tech fall in the first round, No. 17 Layne Malczewski (MSU) by a 7-2 decision in the quarterfinals, and No. 3 Lenny Pinto (NEB) by a 4-2 decision in the semifinals.

This is another matchup in which it wouldn’t be a huge shock if either wrestler wins. Salazar entered the Big Ten Championships as the No. 1 seed, so he is the favorite. But in the national rankings, the two are as close as it gets. A win for either wrestler would help improve their RPI and possibly move them up when NCAA seeding is announced.

Bernie Truax has had an up-and-down season based on expectations. All three of his losses were against respectable opponents, but he hasn’t shown the level of dominance many expected when he transferred from Cal Poly. Maybe the defeat of Lenny Pinto Saturday night was the momentum boost he needed to get back into the solid postseason form we have seen the past three seasons.

Prediction: No. 6 Bernie Truax by decision

197: No. 1 Aaron Brooks (PSU) vs No. 11 Zach Glazier (IOWA)

Aaron Brooks enters ranked No. 1 nationally with a 16-0 record and a 93.75% bonus percentage. After receiving a bye in the first round, he defeated Evan Bates (NU) by a 19-3 tech fall in the quarterfinals and No. 13 Silas Allred (NU) by a 14-2 major decision in the semifinals.

Zach Glazier enters ranked No. 11 nationally with a 24-1 record and a 68% bonus percentage. He defeated Joshua Otto (WISC) via a 14-3 major decision in the first round, No. 21 Luke Geog (OSU) in the quarterfinals, and No. 4 Jaxson Smith (UMD) by a 4-1 sudden victory in the semifinals.

Simply put, Aaron Brooks has been an unstoppable machine this year. Glazier’s only loss this season was a 5-1 home defeat to Aaron Brooks in early February. It was a match that Brooks controlled from start to finish and the only one this season where he didn’t pick up bonus points.

This one could be a little different this time, as Brooks is looking to win his fourth Big Ten title and make a statement heading into NCAAs. Expect the Penn State wrestling star to come out attacking early and often and possibly pick up some bonus points.

Prediction: No. 1 Aaron Brooks by major decision

285: No. 1 Greg Kerkvliet (PSU) vs No. 7 Nick Feldman (OSU)

Greg Kerkvliet is ranked No. 1 nationally, 14-0 on the season with a 78.57% bonus percentage. After receiving a bye in the first round, he defeated No. 30 Tabor Bennett (MINN) by a 15-0 tech fall decision in the quarterfinals and No. 12 Yaraslau Slavikouski (RUT) by a 9-0 major decision in the semifinals.

Nick Feldman is ranked No. 7 nationally with a 24-4 record and a 64.29% bonus percentage. After receiving a first-round bye, he defeated No. 29 Bradley Hill (IOWA) by injury default in the quarterfinals and No. 6 Lucas Davison (MICH) by an 8-6 decision in the semifinals.

Kerkvliet has been the undisputed heavyweight in the country since the preseason. He previously defeated Feldman by 12-0 major decision at Rec Hall back in early February. This one should be closer, but don’t be surprised if the Penn State heavyweight picks up bonus points.

Prediction: Greg Kerkvliet by major decision

How to watch Penn State wrestling in the Big Ten Championships

Penn State wrestling will finish the Big Ten Championships with the first, third, and fifth-place matches starting Sunday at 4:30 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.

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