Penn State Wrestling Rolls Through Consolation Brackets In Session Five Of NCAA Championships
Penn State wrestling won all of its consolation matches during session five of the NCAA Championships in the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Shayne Van Ness, Beau Bartlett, and Max Dean found themselves battling in the consolation bracket after taking losses earlier this weekend, however, the three Nittany Lions fought hard to earn even more team points for the blue and white.
Dean would take seventh in his last match in the blue and white, while Van Ness and Bartlett both took third place.
In case you missed it, the Nittany Lions also clinched the NCAA National Championship early in the day on Saturday, clinching the title for the 10th time in the last 12 tournaments. Cael Sanderson’s squad has dominated the competition en route to the program’s 11th-ever national title.
Session five comes directly off Penn State winning five of its semifinal matches, sending all the victors to the finals later tonight. Levi Haines and Greg Kerkvliet will later compete for their first taste of championship glory, while veterans Roman Bravo-Young, Carter Starocci, and Aaron Brooks aim to defend their titles.
Session Five — Consolation Semifinals
First up in the session was No. 6 Beau Bartlett taking on No. 11 Clay Carlson of South Dakota State. Bartlett struck early, quickly piling on two takedowns to start the period. Bartlett escaped from bottom position to start the second, extending his lead to 5-1 with a majority of the period on the clock. Bartlett then added another takedown to the stat sheet before the end of the period, extending his lead. More offensive prowess in the third gave Bartlett a comfortable 12-3 win now heading into the third-place match.
Next to the mat was No. 12 Shayne Van Ness staring down No. 4 Caleb Henson of Virginia Tech. Neither wrestler could secure a takedown in the first, keeping the score 0-0. An escape from Henson to start the second would be the first point of the match, however, it was quickly countered by a takedown from Van Ness. Van Ness then escaped from bottom position to start the final period, taking his first lead of the match at 3-2. A final takedown from the Nittany Lion gave him a 5-3 victory and a chance at third place.
Session Five — Seventh-Place Match
No. 9 Max Dean was the only Nittany Lion battling for seventh, taking on No. 10 Jacob Cardenas of Cornell. Dean overcame an initial takedown from Cardenas with a takedown of his own after he escaped, taking a 3-2 lead into the second period. Dean escaped from bottom position to start the period, taking the only point in those two minutes. After starting in a neutral position in the third, Dean stopped any attempt at a takedown from Cardenas, taking a 4-2 victory and seventh place at 197 lbs.
Max Dean, a four-time All-American and national champion in 2022, wrestled his last match in the blue and white after a tremendous career.
Session Five — Third-Place Match
In the first third-place match, Bartlett took on No. 10 Lachlan McNeil of North Carolina. After no points were scored in the first, McNeil took the initial lead with an escape to start the second, matched by an escape from Bartlett to tie the match in the third 1-1. Bartlett secured the only takedown of the match to win 4-1, taking third place in his weight class.
The second third-place match was between No. 12 Shayne Van Ness battling No. 3 Kyle Parco of Arizona State. Van Ness struck first with a takedown early in the period, putting him in front 2-0. An escape from Parco to start the second put him within one, only for a takedown from Van Ness to extend his lead. Two more takedowns in the third from Van Ness gave him the 7-2 win and third place.
What’s Next?
Five Penn State wrestlers will compete in the final session at 7 p.m. in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to try to capture individual national champion honors. All matches will be streamed on ESPN+.
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