Penn State wrestling sweeps opening round of Big Ten Championships

Penn State wrestling started off the 2024 Big Ten Championships with an impressive showing in Saturday’s opening round. All four competing Nittany Lions won their matches with ease, and Cael Sanderson will have a representative at all 10 weight classes in the quarterfinals as Penn State looks to win back-to-back conference titles for the first time in a decade.

All 10 Penn State wrestlers qualify for quarterfinals

Penn State wrestling will have a representative at all 10 weight classes in this afternoon’s quarterfinals of the Big Ten Championships. The Nittany Lions already had six wrestlers automatically qualify by virtue of being a top two seed in their respective weight classes. Beau Bartlett (141), Levi Haines (157), Carter Starocci (174), Aaron Brooks (197), and Greg Kerkvliet (285) all locked up the top spot at their weight, while Mitchell Mesenbrink was seeded No. 2 at 165.

All four of the wrestlers who competed in the first round of the Big Tens won their matches. At 125, No. 6 Braeden Davis defeated No. 11 Justin Cardani (ILL) via an 11-1 major decision. No. 5 Aaron Nagao jumped out to an early first-period lead and cruised to an 11-0 major decision victory over No. 12 Andrew Hampton (MSU) in the 133-pound weight class.

At 149,  No. 4 Tyler Kasak made quick work of No. 13 Aiden Vandenbush (NU) with a 2:48 first-period fall.  Finally, No. 3 Bernie Truax easily defeated No. 14 Chase Mielnik (MD) with a 20-1 first-period tech fall victory.

Tyler Kasak flashes in opening round

Tyler Kasak entered the tournament with a solid 13-3 record and the No. 4 seed at 149 pounds. The true freshman attacked from the get-go and quickly picked up a few takedowns and near-fall points to sprint out to a double-digit lead in the 1st. As the period was winding down Kasak got Vandenbush to his back and eventually got the pin call with just 12 seconds remaining in the first.

Kasak now improves to 14-3 on the season and will take on No. 5 Dylan D’Emilio in the quarterfinals. It will be the first big test of the tournament for the Penn State true freshman. Earlier this season, Kasak defeated D’Emilio by a 7-1 decision in a dual at Rec Hall.

Big Ten Championships Session 2 set to kick off this evening

All matches of the Big Ten Championships can be found on either the Big Ten Network (BTN) or BTN+. The quarterfinals will follow the conclusion of the first round, and the semifinals will take place at 7:00 p.m. ET Saturday night.

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