Penn State wrestling leads NCAA Championships after opening round

Penn State wrestling began its chase for a third consecutive national title with the first round of the NCAA Championships Thursday afternoon. Cael Sanderson and the Nittany Lions got things going early in Kansas City, advancing eight wrestlers to the second round on Thursday evening and leading the tournament after session one. Which Penn State wrestlers made strong opening statements in the marquee event of the college wrestling season?

Penn State wrestling advances eight to second round of NCAA Championships

It was a dominant start for Penn State wrestling at the NCAA Championships, with eight of the program’s competitors moving on to the round of 16. Five Penn State wrestlers, Levi Haines, Mitchell Mesenbrink, Bernie Truax, Aaron Brooks, and Greg Kerkvliet, secured tech fall victories in Thursday afternoon’s opening round.

However, there were some shocking upsets despite every Nittany Lion being ranked inside the top 10 of their weight class and heavy favorites to advance. No. 10 Aaron Nagao (133) and No. 7 Tyler Kasak (149) both were both upset in their opening round matches. Even with these upset losses, Penn State still leads the team standings after session one.

Aaron Nagao and Tyler Kasak upset in opening round

Aaron Nagao entered the tournament ranked No. 10 at 133, but was expected to at least advance to the second round based on seeding. However, he seemed to come out flat early and was thoroughly dominated, failing to score a takedown the entire match. Marlon Yarbrough (UVA) seemed faster than Nagao, and whenever the Nittany Lion would take a shot, it just wasn’t quick enough to secure a takedown. Nagao will now head to the consolation bracket and will have a long road to try and reach the podium.

Tyler Kasak was an even bigger shock to see fall in the opening round. The true freshman gave up a takedown with two seconds remaining in the second period, and wasn’t able to get any offense of his own in the third. He eventually fell 4-2 to Jaden Abas of Stanford. Kasak will have to win at least five consecutive matches to have a chance at making All-American status this year.

Round one recap:

125: No. 1 Braeden Davis def No. 32 No. 33 Tristan Lujan (MSU) by 8-1 decision

133: No. 23 Marlon Yarbrough (UVA) def No. 10 Aaron Nagao (PSU) by 13-5 major decision

141: No. 2 Beau Bartlett (PSU) def No. 31 Kal Miller (MD) by 6-1 decision

149: No. 26 Jaden Abas (STAN) def No. 7 Tyler Kasak (PSU) by 4-2 decision

157: No. 1 Levi Haines def No. 32 Isaac Wilcox (OSU) by 17-2 tech fall

165: No. 2 Mitchell Mesenbrink def No. 31 Maxx Mayfield (NW) by 19-2 tech fall

174: No. 9 Carter Starocci def No. 24 Andrew Sparks (MINN) by 12-6 decision

184: No. 6 Bernie Truax def No. 27 Cameron Pine (CLAR) by 19-3 tech fall

197: No. 1 Aaron Brooks def No. 33 Evan Bates (NW) by 19-4 tech fall

285: No. 1 Greg Kerkvliet def No. 32 Nick Willham (IND) by 19-3 tech fall

Team score standings:

No. 1: Penn State — 15.5

No. 2: Nebraska — 14

No. 3: Michigan — 13.5

No. 4: Iowa State — 13

No. 5: Ohio State — 12.5

The second session of the NCAA Championships begins Thursday evening at 7 p.m. on ESPN.

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