NCAA Championships: Penn State wrestling looks to clinch team title during semifinals

Penn State wrestling continued to pick up momentum in the 2024 NCAA Championships with a strong quarterfinal round Friday afternoon. The Nittany Lions advanced six wrestlers to Friday night’s semifinals and are pulling away from the field heading into the night session.

Penn State wrestling advances six to NCAA Championships semifinals

Penn State wrestling picked up right where it left off Thursday during day two of the NCAA Championships, sending six wrestlers to Friday night’s semifinals. The Nittany Lions have extended their lead in the team standings to 40 points, and will have an opportunity to clinch the National Championship Friday before even reaching day three of the tournament.

Both Beau Bartlett and Aaron Brooks picked up pins in the quarterfinals, while Levi Haines won a major decision via a shutout. Carter Starocci took down No. 1 seed Mekhi Lewis to advance to the semifinals after questions about his health heading into the round.

Penn State also found success in the consolation brackets, with Aaron Nagao winning his match 4-1 to stay alive at 133, while Tyler Kasak picked up a fall in just 36 seconds to advance in the 149-pound bracket.

Aaron Brooks shines in quarterfinals

Aaron Brooks pinned his opponent for the second consecutive match and is off to the semifinals for the fourth straight year. Brooks dominated Buchanan of Oklahoma from the start before ending the match with a fall at the 2:44 mark.

Before the start of the NCAA Championships, when ranking the Penn State wrestlers with the best chance to win a title, Brooks was at the top of the list. He has continued to dominate every opponent he has faced and has picked up 5.5 bonus points for Penn State through three rounds. He will next face No. 12 Rocky Elam of Missouri tonight in the semifinals.

Quarterfinal recap:

125: No. 8 Richard Figueroa (ASU) def No. 1 Braeden Davis by 3-2 decision

141: No. 2 Beau Bartlett (PSU) def No. 26 Vance Vombaur (MINN) by fall (6:48)

157: No. 1 Levi Haines (PSU) def No. 8 Peyton Robb (NEB) by 8-0 major decision

165: No. 2 Mitchell Mesenbrink (PSU) def No. 10 Cameron Amine (MICH) by 6-1 decision

174: No. 9 Carter Starocci (PSU) def No. 1 Mekhi Lewis (VT) by 4-0 decision

184: No. 3 Dustin Plott (OKST) def No. 6 Bernie Truax (PSU) by 16-6 major decision

197: No. 1 Aaron Brooks (PSU) def  No. 8 Stephen Buchanan (OU) by fall (2:44)

285: No. 1 Greg Kerkvliet (PSU) def  No. 9 Nick Feldman (OHST) by 1-0 decision

Team standings following the quarterfinals:

No. 1: Penn State – 84.5

No.2: Arizona State- 44.5

No. 3: Michigan – 43.5

No. 4: Iowa State – 41.5

No. 5: Iowa – 40.5

The semifinals of the NCAA Championships begin Friday at 8:00 pm on ESPN.

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