[Live Blog] 2022 Big Ten Wrestling Championships
What better way to kick off your spring break than the Big Ten Wrestling Championships?
Penn State wrestling entered this weekend with stars at each weight class in Lincoln, Nebraska, including four No. 1 seeds and two No. 2 seeds. Cael Sanderson’s group remains to be the top-ranked team in the country with a 17-0 overall record, but the Nittany Lions face a long list of challengers from the likes of Ohio State, Michigan, and of course Iowa, among others.
Sunday’s action kicks off at noon with consolation brackets. Brady Berge, Beau Bartlett, and Greg Kerkvliet will all get a chance to earn team points for the Nittany Lions on BTN+. Meanwhile, finals action will start at 4:30 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.
Sunday
Session Four (Finals, Third and Fifth Place Matches)
7:47 p.m. — Thanks for following along this weekend. Catch up on all of Sunday’s action with this recap, and we’ll see you in Detroit.
7:19 p.m. — Solid effort by Kerkvliet, but not enough for a first-place finish.
7:16 p.m. — Quick escape for Kerkvliet puts him up 3-2. 1:40 left.
7:12 p.m. — Kerkvliet, who needs a fall to earn a team title for Penn State, leads 2-1 after one.
7:04 p.m. — A big third-place bout left for Greg Kerkvliet against Michigan’s Mason Parris.
7:01 p.m. — Dean takes down the Cornhusker his home turf in a 4-2 decision! That’s a massive victory to keep the Nittany Lions in the team race.
MAX DEAN SILENCES LINCOLN!
— Onward State (@OnwardState) March 7, 2022
He's your Big Ten Champion at 197 poundspic.twitter.com/NUH14mcH9g
6:58 p.m. — Schultz scores on escape. It’s tied at two after two, but Dean has collected 2:03 of riding time.
6:55 p.m. — Dean’s on the board with a takedown! He leads 2-1 after the first period.
6:49 p.m. — Penn State now needs Max Dean to step up in a big way at 197 pounds. He’s got a huge battle ahead with No. 1 Eric Schultz of Nebraska.
6:46 p.m. — The team race is shaping up to be quite a finish…
6:45 p.m. — Brutal timing for Aaron Brooks’ first loss of the season.
6:43 p.m. — THIS IS CRAZY
6:40 p.m. — Brooks makes an escape in the second and leads 3-1 entering the third period.
6:38 p.m. — Brooks opens things with a takedown and Amine responds with an escape. The Nittany Lion leads 2-1 after one.
6:34 p.m. — Without further ado, it’s time for Aaron Brooks to take on No. 2 Myles Amine of Michigan.
6:32 p.m. — Here’s how Starocci finished his championship bout.
The Nittany Lions are rolling
— Onward State (@OnwardState) March 6, 2022https://t.co/OqwAXzfSap
6:31 p.m. — With Aaron Brooks on deck, all of the momentum is on Penn State’s side.
6:28 p.m. — Starocci keeps Penn State a perfect 4-0 in session four and secures a Big Ten Title over Massa! The Erie, Pa. native used a dominant third period to roll to victory.
6:23 p.m. — An escape for Starocci in the second puts him up 3-1.
6:20 p.m. — Starocci grabs a takedown and leads 2-1 after one.
6:09 p.m. — Iowa’s Alex Marinelli secures the 165-pound crown over Michigan’s Cam Amine. Now on to Carter Starocci against Michigan’s Logan Massa.
5:56 p.m. — Clutch.
5:52 p.m. — Berge secures a takedown in SV! He places third with the 3-1 decision. Meanwhile, Michigan’s Will Lewan loses the 157-pound final to Northwestern’s Ryan Deakin.
5:49 p.m. — Young matches Berge’s escape, and we’re headed to a sudden victory period tied at one.
5:47 p.m. — Berge makes an early escape in the second and leads 1-0 entering the final period.
5:45 p.m. — No score between Berge and Young through the first.
5:34 p.m. — Wisconsin’s Austin Gomez takes down Ohio State’s Sammy Sasso for the Big Ten title at 149 pounds. On to Berge at 157!
5:31 p.m. — Gotta love the tiny mic
5:18 p.m. — Brady Berge’s got next in the 157-pound third place bout against Iowa’s Kaleb Young.
5:17 p.m. — Despite not getting a chance to wrestle this afternoon, Lee’s dominance at 141 pounds is unquestioned.
Nick Lee still had a well-deserved finals entrance in Lincoln
— Onward State (@OnwardState) March 6, 2022pic.twitter.com/6d3ukzROM5
5:14 p.m. — Eierman does in fact forfeit. Nick Lee officially secures his first Big Ten title!
5:09 p.m. — A true legend.
Never a doubt for the Nittany Lion legend
— Onward State (@OnwardState) March 6, 2022https://t.co/0otSssUQow
5:07 p.m. — Nick Lee is scheduled to take on Jaydin Eierman next at 141 pounds, but we’ll see if the Hawkeye does in fact elect to medically forfeit.
5:05 p.m. — That’s two Big Ten titles for RBY and yet another win over the talented Austin DeSanto.
5:04 p.m. — Call confirmed. 3-1 RBY with 20 seconds left.
5:03 p.m. — RBY earns a takedown and leads 3-1 with 20 seconds left, but Iowa challenges the call. We’ll see if that stands…
5:02 p.m. — Tied at one now with a minute left following RBY’s escape.
5:01 p.m. — DeSanto earns an escape and Bravo-Young trails 1-0 into the final period.
4:58 p.m. — No scoring between DeSanto and Bravo-Young through the first.
4:47 p.m. — Michigan’s Nick Suriano the 125-pound title, and now it’s RBY’s turn. He heads to the mat to take on Iowa’s Austin DeSanto.
4:28 p.m. — These are the third-place matches Penn State has left on the mat:
157 lbs. – No. 10 Brady Berge vs. No. 2 Kaleb Young (Iowa)
HWT – No. 3 Greg Kerkvliet vs. No. 4 Mason Parris (Michigan)
4:27 p.m. — Here’s the finals slate for Penn State. Nick Lee is reportedly already the champ at 141 pounds, but there’s no official word on that quite yet:
133 lbs. – No. 1 Roman Bravo-Young vs. No. 2 Austin DeSanto (Iowa)
141 lbs. – No. 1 Nick Lee vs. No. 2 Jaydin Eierman (Iowa)
174 lbs. – No. 1 Carter Starocci vs. No. 2 Logan Massa (Michigan)
184 lbs. – No. 1 Aaron Brooks vs. No. 2 Myles Amine (Michigan)
197 lbs. – No. 2 Max Dean vs. No. 1 Eric Schultz (Michigan)
4:21 p.m. — Team scores are as follows as we enter Session four:
- Michigan (132)
- Iowa (122.5)
- Penn State (121.5)
3:36 p.m. — Session four hasn’t even started yet, but Nick Lee has reportedly been crowned a Big Ten Champion at 141 pounds.
Session Three (Consolations)
2:05 p.m. — About as good of a session three as Cael Sanderson could’ve asked for. We’ll see everyone back for the finals at 4:30 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.
2:03 p.m. — Big-time win for Bartlett.
Beau Bartlett locks up seventh place at 149 pounds and becomes @pennstateWREST’s ninth qualifier for the NCAA Championships
— Onward State (@OnwardState) March 6, 2022
1:58 p.m. — 3-1 win for Bartlett! He locks up seventh place at 149 pounds and a trip to Detroit.
1:57 p.m. — Bartlett is tied at one with Michigan’s Storr with under a minute left in the third.
1:46 p.m. — Beau Bartlett is up next. He’ll wrestle for seventh place at 149 pounds.
1:42 p.m. — Strong performances in the consolation brackets could serve pivotal for the Nittany Lions on the team score…
1:34 p.m. — Kerkvliet completes the comeback and locks up a 5-3 decision! He too now heads to the third-place finals.
1:31 p.m. — Penn State’s Kerkvliet is down 3-0 early.
1:25 p.m. — Kerkvliet is now up in the 285-pound bracket against Northwestern’s Lucas Davison.
1:03 p.m. — That right there is how it’s done.
Brady Berge punches his ticket to the third-place final with this last-second pin
— Onward State (@OnwardState) March 6, 2022
12:59 p.m. — There it is! Berge secures a pin with just a second left in the first period. He punches his ticket to a third-place battle with Iowa’s Kaleb Young.
12:57 p.m. — Brady Berge is now taking on Purdue’s Kendall Coleman as the part of the 157-pound bracket.
12:32 p.m. — Berge and Kerkvliet’s matches are up next.
12:16 p.m. — Following Hildebrandt’s win, here is the rest of the consolation action for Penn State:
- 149 lbs. Seventh-Place Match — No. 7 Beau Bartlett vs. No. 11 Kanen Storr (Michigan)
- 157 lbs. — No. 10 Brady Berge vs. No. 4 Kendall Coleman (Purdue)
- HWT — No. 3 Greg Kerkvliet vs. No. 5 Lucas Davison (Northwestern)
12:09 p.m. — Hildebrandt stays alive in the mini bracket with the 4-0 decision. He also now secures a spot in Detroit for the NCAA Championships.
12:01 p.m. — Drew Hildebrandt is battling Jakob Moran of Indiana in the 9/10th place mini bracket. The 125-pounder is up 2-0 early.
11:53 a.m. — Before action kicks off this morning, here’s where Penn State stands in the team scoring:
- Michigan (116)
- Penn State (111.5)
- Iowa (109)
Saturday
Session Two (Semifinals)
11:03 p.m. — See ya tomorrow, ladies and gentleman.
11:00 p.m. — Catch up on all of Saturday’s action here.
10:39 p.m. — That’s gotta hurt for Kerkvliet.
Tony Cassioppi climbs all the way back and secures a 6-4 decision in sudden victory. Penn State’s heavyweight now heads to the consolation bracket, but the Nittany Lions still have five finalists wrestling tomorrow.
10:37 p.m. — Wow. Cassioppi gets a reversal with just seconds remaining, and we’ll go to sudden victory tied at four.
10:35 p.m. — An early reversal in the second puts Kerkvliet ahead 2-1 entering the final period.
10:30 p.m. — Get one more look before Penn State finishes the night with Greg Kerkvliet.
Maxwell’s Silver Hammer
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) March 6, 2022
is headed to the Big Ten finals 10:29 p.m. — Heavyweight Greg Kerkvliet will finish the night with a rematch against Iowa’s Tony Cassioppi.
10:26 p.m. — Dean secures the 5-2 decision! Yet another finalist for the Nittany Lions.
10:22 p.m. — Hot start! Dean’s also collected 2:15 of riding time.
10:18 p.m. — Max Dean now takes the mat against Michigan State’s Cameron Caffey in the 197-pound semi.
10:17 p.m. — Another one.
AB to the finals
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) March 6, 2022
10:14 p.m. — That’ll do it. Make that four finalists for the Nittany Lions as AB secures the 7-2 decision.
10:11 p.m. — Brooks now holds a 6-1 lead with 3:02 of riding time after two periods.
10:08 p.m. — Brooks leads 4-0 following an early takedown — still has nearly two minutes of riding time.
10:04 p.m. — Top-seeded Aaron Brooks is set to go shortly against No. 4 Taylor Venz of Nebraska.
9:53 p.m. — Never mind, folks. Starocci wins by medical forfeit and automatically moves on to the 174-pound final.
9:48 p.m. — Top-seeded Carter Starocci is just about ready to take on Iowa’s Michael Kemerer at 174 pounds.
9:35 p.m. — That’ll do it. Lewan secures a quick takedown and knocks out Berge with a 3-1 decision.
9:33 p.m. — Tied at one with a minute left now.
9:32 p.m. — An escape for Lewan gives him a 1-0 lead entering the final period.
9:18 p.m. — Brady Berge will try to keep his upset momentum rolling next against No. 3 Will Lewan of Michigan.
9:16 p.m. — Watching RBY and Nick Lee back-to-back will never get old.
9:14 p.m. — That was easy, to say the very least. Lee secures the 16-1 tech fall to move on to the finals. That sets up a rematch with Iowa’s Jaydin Eierman…
9:11 p.m. — Chop wood, carry water.
9:08 p.m. — Nick Lee is rolling early against Minnesota’s Jakob Bergeland.
9:01 p.m. — RBY is as smooth as it gets.
Lighting quick takedown
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) March 6, 2022
9:00 p.m. — Roman Bravo-Young is headed back to the Big Ten Championship. He beats Ragusin 4-0 thanks to riding time.
8:57 p.m. — 2:10 of riding time and still a 2-0 lead for RBY entering the final period.
8:54 p.m. — Late takedown for RBY to close out the first! He’s up 2-0.
8:46 p.m. — Roman Bravo-Young will gets things started in the 133-pound semifinal against Dylan Ragusin of Michigan.
8:39 p.m. — Bartlett falls 2-1 in the tiebreaker period.
8:37 p.m. — Tied at one, a sudden victory period isn’t enough for the Nittany Lion and the Scarlet Knight. On to a tiebreaker period.
8:30 p.m. — Beau Bartlett is now taking on Rutgers’ Mike VanBrill in another consolation bout.
8:17 p.m. — The semifinal bouts for the Nittany Lions are as follows:
133 lbs. – No. 1 Roman Bravo-Young vs. No. 5 Dylan Ragusin (Michigan)
141 lbs. – No. 1 Nick Lee vs No. No. 5 Jakob Bergeland (Minnesota)
157 lbs. – No. 10 Brady Berge vs. No. 3 Will Lewan (Michigan)
174 lbs. – No. 1 Carter Starocci vs. No. 4 Michael Kemerer (Iowa)
184 lbs. – No. 1 Aaron Brooks vs. No. 4 Taylor Venz (Nebraska)
197 lbs. – No. 2 Max Dean vs. No. 3 Cameron Caffey (Michigan)
HWT – No. 3 Greg Kerkvliet vs. No. 2 Tony Cassioppi (Iowa)
Session Two (Consolations)
7:39 p.m. —
7:24 p.m. — Edsell falls 3-2 to Minnesota’s Carlson, and that’ll do it for his tournament.
7:22 p.m. — Edsell is now down 3-2 into the third period.
7:19 p.m. — Carlson jumps out to a lead with an early takedown, but Edsell’s escape makes it 2-1 entering the second.
7:15 p.m. — Creighton Edsell is up now against Minnesota’s Cael Carlson at 165 pounds.
7:05 p.m. — Beau!
6:59 p.m. — Beau Bartlett is now up against Illinois’ Christian Kanzler.
6:40 p.m. — That’ll do it for Penn State’s 125-pounder.
6:34 p.m. — Hildebrandt falls behind 2-1 to McKee.
6:27 p.m. — Here we go!
Session One (Opening Bouts and Quarterfinals)
3:31 p.m. — Catch up on all of Saturday afternoon’s action here:
3:05 p.m. — Stick with @OnwardStSports and this live blog for updates of tonight’s action!
3:00 p.m. — Dean and Kerkvliet both do their jobs. Make that seven (!!!) semifinalists for Cael Sanderson’s team.
2:51 p.m. — Penn State’s final quarterfinal bouts are both underway.
2:47 p.m. — Dean grabs a quick takedown, but it’s now under review.
2:45 p.m. — Dean and Bulsak now take the mat.
2:36 p.m. — Still some action to come in session one.
2:26 p.m. — That was a lot. Here’s how Penn State’s pair of top-ranked studs advanced to the semis:
It’s just too easy sometimes for the Nittany Lions
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) March 5, 2022
2:24 p.m. — That was fast.
2:22 p.m. — Hello!
2:20 p.m. — 8-2 is the final score for Iowa’s Marinelli in a win over Creighton Edsell. Starocci currently leads Solis 4-2 at 174 pounds, however.
2:19 p.m. — While Edsell trails Marinelli, top-ranked Carter Starocci is ready to roll against Maryland’s Dominic Solis.
2:18 p.m. — Marinelli has locked up riding time on Edsell and leads 5-2 with a minute left.
2:12 p.m. — On to 165 pounds, where Creighton Edsell quickly falls behind 2-0 to Iowa’s Alex Marinelli.
2:11 p.m. — A couple clutch takedowns for Berge, and he secures a massive 5-3 upset of Young to advance to the semifinals at 157 pounds.
2:08 p.m. — Bartlett falls, but Berge leads No. 2 Kaleb Young 3-2 in the third period.
2:06 p.m. — No score between Berge and Young after one, while Bartlett trails 9-3 entering the final period against Gomez.
2:04 p.m. — Bartlett is down 6-2 after two periods, while Berge is now underway against Young of Iowa.
2:01 p.m. — Bartlett is quickly down 4-1 to Wisconsin’s Gomez.
1:52 p.m. — No. 7 Beau Bartlett and No. 10 Brady Berge are now set for their opportunities at upsets. Bartlett will take on No. 2 Austin Gomez of Wisconsin at 149 pounds, while Berge has Iowa’s Kaleb Young at 157.
1:47 p.m. — Keep it rolling! Lee grabs the 16-0 tech fall to advance to the semis with ease.
1:43 p.m. — RBY secures an 11-3 major decision to move on to the semifinal round. As for Nick Lee, he’s already up 8-0 after one period.
1:41 p.m. — RBY is still rolling against Purdue’s Ramos. On mat one, it’s now No. 1 Nick Lee against Wisconsin’s Joe Zargo.
1:40 p.m. — Hildebrandt is upset by DeAugustino. The seventh-ranked Wildcat managed a quick takedown early in the sudden victory period, and secures a 5-3 decision.
1:38 p.m. — RBY now flexes his muscle and stretches the lead to 6-2. Meanwhile, Hildebrandt is headed to a sudden victory period against DeAugustino.
1:37 p.m. — A reversal! That ties things up at two for Hildebrandt — along with riding time — while RBY is up 3-2.
1:35 p.m. — Hildebrandt has 1:31 of riding time but trails 2-0 entering the final period. RBY is down 2-1 early still against Ramos
1:33 p.m. — Hildebrandt is in a tight battle with DeAugustino while RBY is just about to get started against Purdue’s Matt Ramos.
1:29 p.m. — As Hildebrandt gets started, here’s Penn State’s full schedule of quarterfinal bouts:
125 lbs. – No. 2 Drew Hildebrandt vs. No. 7 Michael DeAugustino (Northwestern)
133 lbs. – No. 1 Roman Bravo-Young vs. No. 9 Matt Ramos (Purdue)
141 lbs. – No. 1 Nick Lee vs No. 8 Joseph Zargo (Wisconsin)
149 lbs. – No. 7 Beau Bartlett vs. No. 2 Austin Gomez (Wisconsin)
157 lbs. – No. 10 Brady Berge vs. No. 2 Kaleb Young (Iowa)
165 lbs. – No. 10 Creighton Edsell vs. No. 2 Alex Marinelli (Iowa)
174 lbs. – No. 1 Carter Starocci vs. No. 9 Dominic Solis (Maryland)
184 lbs. – No. 1 Aaron Brooks vs. No. 8 Kyle Cochran (Maryland)
197 lbs. – No. 2 Max Dean vs. No. 7 Greg Bulsak (Rutgers)
HWT – No. 3 Greg Kerkvliet vs. No. 6 Christian Lance (Nebraska)
1:27 p.m. — Now it’s Drew Hildebrandt in the 125-pound quarterfinal against No. 7 Michael DeAugustino (Northwestern).
1:26 p.m. — Easy.
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) March 5, 2022
1:21 p.m. — On to the quarterfinals! Drew Hildebrandt and Roman Bravo-Young are both up shortly.
1:15 p.m. — Uh, that was easy. A first-period pin for Kerkvliet, and he too is on to the quarters.
1:13 p.m. — Kerkvliet is up 2-0 quickly with a takedown.
12:59 p.m. — The big fella has his mat assignment.
12:40 p.m. — Nine wrestlers now set to go in the quarterfinals for Penn State. If heavyweight Greg Kerkvliet takes care of business against Maryland’s Zach Schrader, it’ll be a perfect 10 all to the next round for Cael Sanderson’s team.
12:37 p.m. — Edsell’s quick takedown earns him 3-1 decision in the sudden victory period. Iowa’s Alex Marinelli awaits him in the 165-pound quarterfinals.
12:36 p.m. — Let’s do that sudden victory! Still tied at one after three periods.
12:35 p.m. — A penalty point puts this one tied at one entering the final minute.
12:33 p.m. — Edsell had a takedown but an official review reversed it, so he’s up 1-0 entering the final period against Lohrey.
12:27 p.m. — No score between the Boilermaker and Nittany Lion after one.
12:19 p.m. — Two bouts, two wins for the Nittany Lions. Now it’s Creighton Edsell’s turn against Hayden Lohrey of Purdue.
Not a lot of weak spots in this lineup
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) March 5, 2022
12:18 p.m. — Well, that was pretty easy. Four takedowns, an escape, and plenty of riding time give Berge the 10-2 major decision.
He now has No. 2 Kaleb Young of Iowa in the quarterfinals.
12:14 p.m. — Berge draws closer to an early upset. He leads 6-2 and has racked up 1:55 of riding time entering the final period.
12:12 p.m. — Lighting quick. A smooth takedown late in the first period makes it 4-1 Berge.
12:10 p.m. — Berge makes the first move with a quick takedown.
12:08 p.m. — No. 10 Brady Berge is up next at 157 pounds. He’ll go for the upset against Wisconsin’s No. 7 Garrett Model.
12:05 p.m. — A textbook takedown for Bartlett to get things going for the Nittany Lions.
Hot start in Lincoln!
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) March 5, 2022
12:03 p.m. — Following a review, Bartlett survives Blockhus 3-2. He moves on to the quarterfinal at 149 pounds and will take on No. 2 Austin Gomez of Wisconsin.
12:00 p.m. — Bartlett is now up 3-1 with an escape and a takedown.
11:58 a.m. — Bartlett falls behind 1-0 on an escape by Blockhus in the second period.
11:54 a.m. — Here we go! Bartlett now takes the mat against Blockhus of Minnesota.
11:40 a.m. — Beau Bartlett will wrestle shortly!
11:39 a.m. — No. 1 Nick Lee will take on No. 8 Joseph Zargo in the 141-pound quarterfinal.
11:29 a.m. — Two of Penn State’s wrestlers now have quarterfinal assignments after this morning’s opening action:
125 lbs. — No. 2 Drew Hildebrandt vs. Michael DeAugustino (Northwestern)
133 lbs. — No. 1 Roman Bravo Young vs. No. 9 Matt Ramos (Purdue)
11:23 a.m. — Still nothing doing just yet, but here is the order of Penn State’s opening bouts:
11:07 a.m. — No action for the Nittany Lions just yet as the first couple of bouts get underway. Beau Bartlett is still up first at 149 pounds, however.
10:42 a.m. — Each weight-class bracket can be found here on the Big Ten’s website.
10:34 a.m. — Here’s the first round slate for Sanderson’s team. All No. 1 and No. 2 wrestlers have byes, while Beau Bartlett will get the action going against Michael Blockhus of Minnesota.
125 lbs. – No. 2 Drew Hildebrandt vs. BYE
133 lbs. – No. 1 Roman Bravo-Young vs. BYE
141 lbs. – No. 1 Nick Lee vs BYE
149 lbs. – No. 7 Beau Bartlett vs. No. 10 Michael Blockhus (Minnesota)
157 lbs. – No. 10 Brady Berge vs. No. 7 Garrett Model (Wisconsin)
165 lbs. – No. 10 Creighton Edsell vs. No. 7 Hayden Lohrey (Purdue)
174 lbs. – No. 1 Carter Starocci vs. BYE
184 lbs. – No. 1 Aaron Brooks vs. BYE
197 lbs. – No. 2 Max Dean vs. BYE
HWT – No. 3 Greg Kerkvliet vs. No. 14 Zach Schrader (Maryland)
10:03 a.m. — Live action doesn’t get started until 11 a.m., but January’s Penn State-Iowa dual is currently being re-aired on the Big Ten Network. Remember that?
10:01 a.m. — There will be a lot to keep up with this weekend, so get yourself prepped by checking out the seeding and brackets. Along with that, check out our preview for the Nittany Lions here.
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