BREAKING: Multiple Penn State wrestling stars get top seeds at Big Ten Championships

Penn State wrestling begins its postseason push this weekend at the Big Ten Championships in College Park, Maryland. The Nittany Lions are looking for their second consecutive tournament title and eighth under head coach Cael Sanderson.

On Monday evening, the Big Ten released its seeding for the conference tournament. Penn State dominated the field in this preliminary postseason placement, with five wrestlers securing the top seed in their respective weight classes and six Nittany Lions earning first-round byes. Where is each Penn State wrestler seeded heading into this weekend?

Penn State wrestling locks up five No. 1 seeds in conference tournament

Penn State wrestling has multiple national title hopefuls heading into the Big Ten Championships. Four Nittany Lions, including Levi Haines, Carter Starocci, Aaron Brooks, and Greg Kerkvliet, have been ranked No. 1 nationally wire-to-wire this regular season. While the injury status of Starocci is still a little uncertain, he would be a heavy favorite if he gets the green light for the conference or the NCAA Tournament.

With a 14-wrestler field in each weight class, the top two seeds get a bye to the quarterfinals. This can be a key factor for rest and avoiding injuries as the postseason progresses. Penn State wrestling will have a total of six wrestlers earning byes, with Beau Bartlett, Levi Haines, Carter Starocci, Aaron Brooks, and Greg Kerkvliet all locking up No. 1 seeds. Redshirt freshman Mitchell Mesenbrink secured the No. 2 at 165.

Big Ten Championships projected matchups:

125: No. 6 Braeden Davis (PSU) vs No. 11 Justin Cardani (ILL)

133: No. 5 Aaron Nagao (PSU) vs No. 12 Andrew Hampton (MSU)

141: *No. 1 Beau Bartlett (PSU) vs No.8 Jordan Hamdan (MSU)/No. 9 Dan Fongaro (IND)

149: No. 4 Tyler Kasak (PSU) vs No. 13 Aiden Vandenbush (NW)

157: *No. 1 Levi Haines (PSU) vs No. 8 Joey Blaze (PUR)/No. 9 Trevor Chumbley (NW)

165: *No. 2 Mitchell Mesenbrink (PSU) vs No. 7 Stoney Buell (PUR) /No. 10 Blaine Brenner (MINN)

174: *No. 1 Carter Starocci (PSU) vs No. 8 DJ Washington (IND)/No. 9 Andrew Sparks (MINN)

184: No. 3 Bernie Truax (PSU) vs No. 14 Chase Mielnik (MD)

197: *No. 1 Aaron Brooks (PSU) vs No. 8 Evan Bates (NW)/No. 9 Ben Vanadia (PUR)

285: *No. 1 Greg Kerkvliet (PSU) vs No. 8 Bennett Tabor (MINN)/No. 9 Josh Terrill (MSU)

*Wrestler begins in Quarterfinals

You can watch Penn State wrestling in the Big Ten Championships starting Saturday morning. Session 1 begins at 10 a.m., and Session 2 starts at 5 p.m. Sessions 3-4 will be held on Sunday at 12 and 4:30 p.m., respectively. All sessions will be aired live on the Big Ten Network.

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