No. 1 Penn State wrestling (12-0, 8-0 Big Ten) steamrolled Edinboro (2-12) 55-0 in Rec Hall on senior night in the 2023-24 regular-season finale. Penn State wrestling greats Aaron Brooks, Carter Starocci, and Greg Kerkvliet participated in the senior night ceremony before the dual began.

Highlighting the dual were bonus point victories from all 10 Nittany Lions, including pins from Beau Bartlett, Tyler Kasak, Levi Haines, and Greg Kerkvliet. Starocci, who won his bout with a tech fall, was injured in the process.

How It Happened

125 Pounds

Kicking off the dual was No. 8 Braeden Davis taking on Caleb Edwards. Two takedowns from Davis in the first would perfectly summarize the Nittany Lions’ dominance in the initial period, taking a 7-1 lead with over two minutes of riding time into the middle two minutes. A reversal from bottom position paired with another flurry of takedowns gave Davis the 19-3 tech fall at 4:02.

133 Pounds

In action next were No. 11 Aaron Nagao and Eamonn Jimenez. Four takedowns and three back-points from Nagao opened up a 15-3 lead for the blue and white wrestler heading into the second. A final takedown from Nagao would extend his lead to 18-3 for a tech fall at 3:33.

141 Pounds

After a short break, No. 1 Bartlett walked to the mat to challenge Jacob Brenneman. A trio of takedowns from Bartlett paired with over two minutes of riding time created a 9-2 lead after one. Bartlett kept the pressure on in the second, eventually rolling Brenneman onto his back for the fall at 4:11.

Another day, another pin. pic.twitter.com/CLqQrXEfo0

— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) February 25, 2024

The dual score read 16-0 in favor of the Nittany Lions after three bouts.

149 Pounds

Following up the fall, No. 9 Kasak took on Colin Roberts. Similarly, Kasak secured three takedowns to start the bout, carrying a 9-3 lead into the second period. In almost identical fashion to Bartlett, Kasak continued his offensive showcase, leveling Roberts’ shoulders to the mat for the second fall of the night at 3:20.

157 Pounds

After another quick break, No. 1 Haines took to the mat to wrestle against Gannon Jaquay. One-upping his teammates, Haines grabbed four takedowns in the first three minutes, taking a 12-2 lead with over 120 seconds of riding time into the second. Keeping the streak alive, Haines took control over Jaquay, flattening him out for the third fall in a row at 4:38.

Penn State then led the dual 28-0 heading into the intermission.

165 Pounds

After the intermission, No. 6 Mitchell Mesenbrink was given a win by medical forfeit.

174 Pounds

The first true action after the intermission was No. 1 Starocci against Joey Arnold. Six takedowns and a handful of back points would secure Starocci the win 22-5 by tech fall at 2:45. Shortly after securing the winning point, Starocci’s leg would be trapped in an awkward position, leading to what appeared to be a knee injury.

After a short time down on the mat, Starocci was assisted off the wrestling surface with the help of the athletic trainers.

184 Pounds

After the injury to Starocci, No. 6 Bernie Truax took on Bordy Evans. Truax started his offensive attack early, shooting for a handful of quick takedowns to take an 11-1 lead after the first three minutes. Two more takedowns and three back points extended Truax’s lead to 21-3 after riding time for a tech fall victory at 5:00.

After Truax’s match, the dual score was 44-0 in favor of the Nittany Lions with two bouts left in the dual.

197 Pounds

Wrestling next was No. 1 Brooks and Jack Kilner. A trio of takedowns from Brooks in the first period opened up the scoring in the fashion of a 9-2 lead after the first period. Another collection of takedowns from Brooks in the second grew the Nittany Lions’ lead to 19-4 for a tech fall at 3:55.

Heavyweight

Closing off the dual was No. 1 Kerkvliet taking on Nick Lodato. Two quick takedowns from Kerkvliet and a four-second near fall would blossom into a beautiful cradle and fall at 1:27 from the senior on senior night.

The Nittany Lions won the dual 55-0.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will be back in action starting Saturday, March 9, when the team travels to College Park, Maryland, to partake in the Big Ten Championships. The first session of the tournament begins at 10 a.m. and it will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network and BTN+.