Takeaways: Penn State wrestling overcomes individual upsets, drama to roll Ohio State

Penn State wrestling (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten) continues to roll through its 2023-24 schedule unphased, securing a 28-9 victory over Ohio State (12-2, 4-1) on Friday night. The Nittany Lions controlled the contest from start to finish, only surrendering three takedowns and winning eight of 10 bouts on the evening. However, the dual was not without drama, as several controversial calls and surprise upsets will provide plenty of fodder as Penn State prepares for another marquee match at Iowa next weekend.

Davis escapes with controversial call

Braeden Davis entered the week ranked No. 3 in the country and the lone unbeaten at 125 with a 13-0 record. His record will remain unblemished for at least another week, but it isn’t without controversy. Up 4-3 late in the third, Davis appeared to give up a takedown to Vinny Kilkeary, but the referee didn’t award the points.

Honestly, it could have even been a near fall, and the general consensus both on the broadcast and social media thought it was a takedown. Even Penn State wrestling fans on X seemed to accept that it should have been a takedown resulting in a Braeden Davis defeat.

In what world is this not a takedown? 🤔 https://t.co/geEIeM4czL pic.twitter.com/TNGE7Hhisn

— The Wrestling Room (Pat Mineo) (@MrPatMineo) February 2, 2024

A loss could have been good for the true freshman when looking at the long-term arc of his career. We have seen plenty of Penn State wrestlers lose in a dual or in the Big Ten Tournament and still go on to win a national title. With the parody this season at 125, it may be more of when, not if, Davis loses. The freshman sensation will have another tough matchup next week at Iowa against No. 5 Drake Ayala.

Transfers prove to be weak links of loaded Penn State lineup

The 2024 Penn State wrestling lineup has been one of the most dominant in the Cael Sanderson coaching tenure. However, there is a recurring theme that has popped up in the dual schedule. The transfers that came in during the offseason have been the weak links in this loaded lineup.

The Nittany Lions brought in three wrestlers from the portal this offseason. Mitchell Mesenbrink only wrestled two matches his freshman year at Cal Baptist and used last year as a redshirt. He has been dominant this year and is undefeated and looking like a contender at 165 pounds.

Where Penn State has struggled at times is at 133 with Aaron Nagao and 184 with Bernie Truax. Nagao technically only used one year of eligibility while at Minnesota, where he finished fifth in the NCAA Tournament last season. However, he was in the program from 2021-2023. Truax spent five seasons at Cal Poly and finished fourth place in three different weight classes from 2021-23.

So far, outside of Beau Bartlett beating Kasak in the Black Knight Invite at 141, Nagao and Truax are the only two wrestlers who have lost so far this season. Nagao sits at 8-3 with losses to No. 1, 4, and 12. Truax holds an 8-2 record with losses to No. 4 and a pin on Friday night by Ryder Rogotzke.

Nagao got down big early to Bouzakis and ultimately couldn’t battle all the way back, losing 13-7. Truax was up 9-4 in the second period but was caught in a bad position by Rogotzke and pinned at the 3:59 mark. While it certainly isn’t the end of the world that both wrestlers aren’t dominating like the rest of the lineup, it may be time to lower the expectations for these two from national title contenders to potential All-Americans.

Bartlett wins top-three matchup in sudden victory

This was the marquee match heading into this dual. Beau Bartlett entered 13-0 and ranked No. 2, while Jesse Mendez entered ranked No. 3 with a 19-1 record. It came down to sudden victory, where Bartlett got the takedown and the 4-1 win. However, this was another call that many in the wrestling community didn’t necessarily agree with.

Friday showed another instance of Bartlett displaying patience and waiting for the right opportunity without leaving himself vulnerable. Next week will be his biggest test, and one of the obstacles we have been waiting to see if he can overcome. Real Woods entered this week ranked No. 1, but was upset 14-2 by No. 19 Sergo Lemley of Michigan on Friday

Bartlett beat Lemley earlier this season and will most likely enter next week’s dual ranked No. 1 at 141 pounds. It will be a good test to see if he can overcome the wrestler who bested him last year. While Bartlett and Woods may end up meeting in the Big Ten or NCAA Tournament in the future, it will certainly give us an idea of how far the Penn State wrestler has progressed.

Kasak demonstrates physicality in upset win

The debate about whether Tyler Kasak or David Evans would start the rest of the season has raged on into February. During media availability this past week, Cael Sanderson was asked about the competition and mentioned how there was still time for both to win the job.

But Tyler Kasak made another statement on Friday night against Ohio State. The No. 12 ranked Kasak took down senior and No. 9 ranked Dylan D’Emilio in a 7-2 decision. The true freshman held a 2-1 lead heading into the third period before a flurry of scoring ultimately got him the win. While the score isn’t a massive margin, Kasak physically dominated D’Emilio. It did not look like a true freshman against a senior by any stretch.

What will this do for the competition? Many have been clamoring for Tyler Kasak to be the starter moving forward, as he does have the most upside. However, Cael Sanderson has been patient and wants to let this play out. Kasak looks the part of an all-American and possibly more, but it remains to be seen whether he will get the chance this year.

Brooks and Kerkvliet cruise

The consistency from the back half of the Penn State wrestling lineup has been what makes this team great. Mesenbrink, Carter Starocci, Aaron Brooks, and Greg Kerkvliet have raced to a combined 42-0 record this year. Friday, the spotlight was on the heavier weights of those four wrestlers, as Brooks and Kerkvliet looked just about unstoppable.

Aaron Brooks picked up the tech fall of No. 22 Luke Geog 22-6 at the 6:21 mark. He now has scored bonus points in all 10 of his matches this season and looks to be a frontrunner for the Hodge Trophy.

Greg Kerkvliet took care of No. 12 Nick Feldman with ease in a 12-0 major decision. The speed and strength of Kerkvliet overpowered Feldman multiple times throughout the match and demonstrated just how athletic the heavyweight is. Kerkvliet has gotten close the past few years with a fourth-place finish in 2022 and a runner-up finish last season. It is looking more and more like 2024 might finally be the year he breaks through and wins the national title.

Not every dual is going to be flawless

The dominance of the Penn State wrestling program can make it easy to forget just how upset-laden the sport can be at times. Heading into the dual, I predicted a 36-3 win for the Nittany Lions, with the only loss coming at 149. Kasak ended up proving that wrong, but Nagao and Truax were both upset.

But ultimately, we saw multiple top 10 wrestlers across the country upset on Friday night. It is bound to happen, and if everyone was undefeated, the sport wouldn’t be that entertaining.

The way the 2024 season has gone, it may feel like Penn State wrestling should win every single weight class in these duals. But that isn’t necessarily a realistic expectation. While the Nittany Lions will once again be heavy favorites at Iowa on Friday, there will surely be some more upsets that nobody predicts.

As Cael Sanderson has shown throughout his coaching tenure, dual meets are a learning experience to help prepare wrestlers for nationals. If there ever is a time to lose, do it now with fewer consequences.

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