Penn State Chases History at 2024 NCAA Wrestling Championships
Penn State has produced some dynamic championship performances under head coach Cael Sanderson, from its five-title team in 2016 to its epic 5-0 finals run (in placing second) in 2022. But this year's team is different. The Nittany Lions have a chance to make history at the 2024 NCAA Wrestling Championships.
All 10 of Penn State's wrestlers are seeded among the top 10 at their weight classes for the tournament, scheduled for March 21-23 in Kansas City. Four Nittany Lions are No. 1 seeds, including three-time champion Aaron Brooks at 197 pounds. And then there's Carter Starocci, the three-time defending champ at 174 pounds who was seeded ninth after taking two injury defaults at the Big Ten Championships. Not that he cared.
"Don’t even have me seeded," Starocci told reporters in State College on Wednesday. "Just have me wrestle every single kid in the bracket one by one and I’ll take them all out inside three days. That’s the same plan. I think it’s more enjoyable this way."
Penn State was the nation's most dominant team this season. The Nittany Lions went 12-0 in dual matches, winning eight in the Big Ten by an average margin of 27.3 points. The team crowned five champions at the Big Ten tournament, finished with nine medalists and won the team title by 47 points — all without Starocci. If he's healthy for NCAAs, Penn State could put up historic numbers.
Only one team in NCAA wrestling history, Minnesota in 2001, has finished with 10 All-Americans. But the Gophers won the NCAA team title that season without an individual champion. Penn State has two wrestlers, Starocci and Aaron Brooks (197), competing for their fourth national championships. It also features two top seeds (Levi Haines at 157 and Greg Kerkvliet at 285) who were NCAA runners-up last season.
Iowa set the NCAA team scoring record in 1997, winning five national championships and scoring 170 points. With 10 All-Americans, multiple champs and a pool of bonus-point wins, the Nittany Lions could surpass that. Penn State certainly has a penchant for bonus-point wins this season. The Lions produced bonus points in 14 of their 29 wins at the Big Ten Championships. And they generated bonus points in 62 percent of their regular-season wins.
The NCAA tournament record for champions is five. Penn State (twice), Iowa (twice) and Oklahoma State are the only teams to accomplish that. The 2024 Nittany Lions enter the NCAA Tournament with six wrestlers seeded first or second at their weight classes. And, of course, Starocci.
Penn State wrestling seeds for the 2024 NCAA Wrestling Championships
125: Braeden Davis (20-2) earned the top seed as a true freshman after winning the Big Ten title. According to Penn State, Davis beat four opponents with a combined 23 years of college experience.
133: Aaron Nagao, an All-American at Minnesota last season, is Penn State's lowest-seeded wrestler at No. 10. He's 4-5 against the NCAA field.
141: Beau Bartlett, ranked No. 1 nationally for the last month of the season, is seeded second after falling to Ohio State's Jesse Mendez in the Big Ten final. The loss was Bartlett's first this season. Mendez is the No. 1 seed; Bartlett won their regular-season bout.
149: Freshman Tyler Kasak is seeded seventh after placing third at the Big Ten tournament. Kasak (17-4) has seven wins vs. the NCAA field.
157: Returning NCAA runner-up Levi Haines (18-0) earned the top seed after rolling through the season and winning his second Big Ten tournament title.
165: Redshirt freshman Mitchell Mesenbrink (22-0) is among Penn State's most intriguing wrestlers. He rallied from a five-point, third-period deficit to win the Big Ten title and remain unbeaten. He is seeded behind only Keegan O'Toole of Missouri, the weight class' two-time defending champ.
174: Carter Starocci's ninth seed is a decision of math, not an eye test. He's the weight class' most dominant athlete but lost seed points by not competing at Big Tens and by wrestling a short schedule. The seed also set up a potential quarterfinal rematch with Virginia Tech's Mekhi Lewis, whom Starocci beat in last year's NCAA final and in the November NWCA All-Star Classic.
184: Bernie Truax, a three-time All-American at Cal Poly, is seeded sixth. Truax (14-4) made a run to the Big Ten final last weekend.
197: Three-time NCAA champ Aaron Brooks seeks his first title at 197, where he's the top seed. He has wrecked his schedule this season, generating bonus points in 16 of his 17 wins.
285: Greg Kerkvliet, the weight class' returning runner-up, is the clear No. 1 this season. He's 15-0 with 10 wins against the field.
More Penn State Wrestling
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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.