Update, Friday, March 8:

The Big Ten released the matchups for each weight class ahead of the championship’s Saturday start.

The Nittany Lions’ opponents are as follows.

125 lbs. – No. 6 Braeden Davis vs. No. 11 Justin Cardani (Illinois)

133 lbs. – No. 5 Aaron Nagao vs. No. 12 Andrew Hampton (Michigan State)

141 lbs. – No. 1 Beau Bartlett vs. winner of No. 9 Danny Fongaro (Indiana) and No. 8 Jordan Hamdan (Michigan State)

149 lbs. – No. 4 Tyler Kasak vs. No. 13 Aiden Vandenbush (Northwestern)

157 lbs. – No. 1 Levi Haines vs. winner of No. 8 Joey Blaze (Purdue) and No. 9 Trevor Chumbley (Northwestern)

165 lbs. – No. 2 Mitchell Mesenbrink vs. winner of No. 7 Stoney Burell (Purdue) and No. 10 Blaine Brenner (Minnesota)

174 lbs. – No. 1 Carter Starocci vs. winner of No. 8 DJ Washington (Indiana) and No. 9 Andrew Sparks (Minnesota)

184 lbs. – No. 3 Bernie Truax vs. No. 14 Chase Mielnik (Maryland)

197 lbs. – No. 1 Aaron Brooks vs. winner of No. 8 Evan Bates (Northwestern) and No. 9 Ben Vanadia (Purdue)

285 lbs. – No. 1 Greg Kerkvliet vs. winner of No. 8 Bennett Tabor (Minnesota) and No. 9 Josh Terrill (Maryland)

Original Story:

Penn State wrestling is coming off a historic regular season with a perfect 12-0 record and 8-0 conference record. After their regular-season-finale victory over Edinboro, the Nittany Lions are set to appear as the defending champions of the Big Ten Championships on March 9 and 10 in College Park, Maryland.

On Monday night, Penn State received five No. 1 spots and all 10 Nittany Lion wrestlers within the top six seeds.

Here is the list of each Penn State wrestler’s seed.

125 lbs. – No. 6 Braeden Davis

133 lbs. – No. 5 Aaron Nagao

141 lbs. – No. 1 Beau Bartlett

149 lbs. – No. 4 Tyler Kasak

157 lbs. – No. 1 Levi Haines

165 lbs. – No. 2 Mitchell Mesenbrink

174 lbs. – No. 1 Carter Starocci

184 lbs. – No. 3 Bernie Truax

197 lbs. – No. 1 Aaron Brooks

285 lbs. – No. 1 Greg Kerkvliet

The Nittany Lions have been untouchable all season and open as heavy favorites to win the Big Ten for the third straight year.

However, an apparent knee injury to Carter Starocci during the Edinboro dual on February 25 could prove to be a massive loss for Penn State. Starocci posted a 12-0 record with 11 bonus point victories this season. The Hodge Trophy hopeful hasn’t lost since the 2020-21 season and has a career record of 88-2. To qualify for the national championship later this month, Starocci must enter the Big Ten Championships.

If the coaching staff elects he is unfit to wrestle, the Nittany Lion will suffer two losses due to a medical forfeit in the championship bracket and the consolation bracket. This will ultimately damage his seeding in the national championships but keep his hopes alive for a fourth consecutive national title.

The 2024 Big Ten Championships will take place from Saturday, March 9, to Sunday, March 10, at the University of Maryland in College Park. Both days will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network. Saturday will feature three sessions while Sunday will showcase two sessions. Be sure to follow along with Onward State for session recaps all weekend.