Day one is in the books, folks

For the second time on Friday, Penn State wrestling went a perfect 10-0 in all of their second-round bouts, collectively moving into the quarterfinals, taking place in session III.

The Nittany Lions remain in front of the team score with a new total of 39.5 points, in front of second-place Nebraska with 29.0 points, and third-place Oklahoma State with 27.0 points.

Highlighting the dual were tech falls from Luke Lilledahl, Mitchell Mesenbrink, and Carter Starocci, winning by a combined point margin of 56-9.

How It Happened

125 pounds

Kicking off the first of 10 second-round championship bouts was No. 1 Lilledahl taking on No. 16 Blake West of Northern Illinois. After a handful of decent shots from both wrestlers, Lilledahl snagged the bout’s first takedown with just under 20 seconds remaining in the first period, carrying a 3-0 lead into the second. A second takedown from Lilledahl late in the middle period increased his lead to 6-1 moving into the final period of action. Another pair of takedowns and a four-second near-fall for the true freshman awarded the Nittany Lion a 19-3 tech fall victory at 6:52.

133 pounds

Next up was No. 8 Braeden Davis facing off against No. 9 Braxton Brown of Maryland. Davis struck first with an ankle-pick inside the first 60 seconds to jump in front 3-0. An escape from Brown was the only point scored in the remainder of the period with Davis still in front 3-1 heading into the second. Similarly, a quick escape from Davis out of bottom position was the only point scored in the second, extending his lead to 4-1 entering the final two minutes. After giving up a reversal to start the third, Davis escaped to put his lead back at two points, now 5-3 with 60 seconds remaining in the bout. Davis held on for the remainder of the third to win via a 5-3 decision.

141 pounds

The next Nittany Lion in action was No. 2 Beau Bartlett battling against No. 18 Julian Tagg of South Dakota State. No points were scored in the first period as Tagg took bottom position to start the second. After an escape from Tagg, an impressive scramble and roll-through from Bartlett saw the Nittany Lion secure the bout’s first takedown to take a 3-1 lead with just over 60 seconds of riding time into the final period. With no more action tallying points in the third, Bartlett took the 4-1 decision victory after riding time.

149 pounds

Moments later, No. 3 Shayne Van Ness took on No. 19 Andrew Clark of Rutgers. After a tugging match on the edge of the mat, Van Ness finally hauled his first takedown to take a 3-0 lead with just under 120 seconds left in the first. A second takedown from Van Ness to end the first period extended his lead to 6-1 entering the second. Van Ness rode out Clark for the entire second period, amassing over 180 seconds of riding time as the score remained 6-1 heading into the third. After a third takedown and stalling call against Clark, Van Ness took the 12-1 major decision victory after riding time.

157 pounds

Up next we saw No. 1 Tyler Kasak and No. 16 Cody Chittum of Iowa State. Kasak grabbed the opening takedown just seconds into the bout to take an early 3-1 lead after an escape from the Cyclone. After a brief headgear issue, the bout resumed and the first period concluded with Kasak remaining in front by two. A quick reversal from Kasak then an eventual escape from Chittum pushed the bout score to 5-2 midway through the second. Kasak fought hard for his second takedown of the bout to extend his lead to 8-2 heading into the final period. With no pivotal moments in the third, Kasak took home the 8-3 decision victory.

165 pounds

Shortly thereafter, No. 1 Mesenbrink stared down No. 16 Kyle Mosher of Hofstra. Mesnebrink struck first with an early takedown, however, a fall opportunity was thwarted after a potentially dangerous stoppage. A second takedown and four-second near fall aided Mesenbrink in increasing his lead to 12-2 after one. Endless offensive pressure in the second period gave Mesenbrink the 22-6 tech fall at 4:15.

174 pounds

After the tech fall, No. 2 Levi Haines challenged No. 18 Gavin Sax of Oklahoma. A deep shot from Haines resulted in the blue and white wrestler’s first takedown, carrying a 3-0 lead with just over 60 seconds of riding time into the middle period. After starting the second in top position, Haines escaped midway through the period to increase his lead to 4-0, which would hold for the remainder of the second. No more points were scored in the final period, giving Haines the 4-0 decision victory.

184 pounds

Simultaneously, No. 1 Starocci faced off against Shane Cartegena-Walsh of Rutgers. Starocci grabbed an immediate takedown to go ahead 3-0 early into the bout. Following up the takedown, the Nittany Lion hauled in a two four-second near falls to extend his lead to 11-0 after one. A second takedown and stalling point granted Starocci the 15-0 tech fall at 4:23.

197 pounds

After some time, No. 4 Josh Barr walked to the mat to take on No. 13 Trey Munoz of Oregon State. Despite some threatening shots from both wrestlers, no points were scored in the first as Munoz took bottom position to begin the second. Munoz scored a quick reversal to start the second, leading Barr 2-1 entering the third period after the Nittany Lion’s escape. Barr started the third in bottom position, quickly escaping to tie up the bout 2-2. No points were scored in the rest of the third period, pushing the bout into sudden victory.

Barr fought hard to finish the double leg, marking the first takedown of the bout and granting the Nittany Lion the 5-2 decision.

285 pounds

Finishing up the night for the Nittany Lions was No. 3 Greg Kerkvliet taking on No. 14 Gavin Hoffman of Lock Haven. Kerkvliet perfectly executed a trip to wrap up his first takedown and a 3-0 lead heading into the second period. Kerkvliet began the middle period in top position, riding out Hoffman for the entire two minutes. No more points were scored in the third as Kerkvliet took the 4-0 decision victory after riding time.

After session II, the Nittany Lions remained in front with 39.5 points.

What’s Next?

All ten Nittany Lions will be in action again once the NCAA Championships resume at noon Saturday with session III. All bouts will be broadcast on ESPNU and ESPN +.