A Penn State Freshman Shines at NCAA Wrestling

Shayne Van Ness made a thrilling debut at the NCAA championships, where the Lions lead early.

Penn State's Shayne Van Ness upstaged the defending champs on his roster Thursday at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, delivering a Day 1 performance to remember.

Van Ness, a redshirt freshman wrestling in his first NCAA championships, rallied from an 8-0 deficit to score a fall in his opener, turning that momentum into a trip to the quarterfinals.

Meanwhile, Max Dean won't defend his 197-pound title after falling in the second round to a new nemesis.

The Nittany Lions methodically began their march to a 10th NCAA team title in 12 years, qualifying seven wrestlers to Friday's quarterfinals. Penn State went 15-2 overall in Thursday's championship bracket in taking the early team lead over Iowa (26-21.5).

NCAA wrestling resumes at noon ET Friday with the quarterfinals on ESPNU. The semifinals and blood round to determine All-Americans begins at 8 p.m. on ESPN.

The medal rounds begin at 11 a.m. ET Saturday, with the championship finals starting at 7 p.m. ESPN again will televise the finals.

Thursday's Standouts

149: Shayne Van Ness

The redshirt freshman, who entered NCAAs as the 12th seed, compiled one of the best one-two punches of opening day. Van Ness scored a dramatic pin in his opening bout, then nearly added another in the second round before clinching a 14-8 win over Iowa State's Paniro Johnson.

Van Ness' first-round pin of Maryland's Ethan Miller was among Thursday's most dramatic moments. Miller, the 21st seed, led 8-0 after one period on the strength of a takedown and six near-fall points. But Van Ness aggressively fought back, scoring four consecutive takedowns and turning the last into a pin.

The win over Johnson was nearly as impressive. Van Ness, who lost to the fifth-seeded Johnson 3-2 in December, shot out of the whistle to a near pin. He built on that offense to scored 14 points and cap an impressive day.

Van Ness also might have caught a bracket break, as Indiana's 20th-ranked Graham Rooks upset fourth-seeded Caleb Henson of Virginia Tech. Van Ness has beaten Rooks three times this season, with two major decisions.

Completing the comeback... #PSUwr pic.twitter.com/SsgoTUSb6A

— Penn State WRESTLING (@pennstateWREST) March 16, 2023

141: Beau Bartlett

Bartlett, a sixth-seeded junior, advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time with a 3-1 victory over San Diego State's Clay Carlson in the second round. Bartlett (24-2) scored a pair of strong decisions Thursday to earn a quarterfinal date with Pitt's Cole Matthews, the bracket's third seed. This will be the first bout between Bartlett and Matthews this season.

At the top of Bartlett's bracket, top-seeded Real Woods survived a 3-2 scare against Ohio State's Dylan D'Emilio, whose challenge of an uncalled takedown at the third-period buzzer was denied.

157: Levi Haines

The second-seeded freshman evidently came to wrestle. Leading 6-2 late in his second-round bout, Haines decided he wasn't finished, hitting a takedown for the 8-2 victory. That kind of edge usually propels Penn State wrestlers far.

Haines, who opened his first NCAA tournament with a 10-3 decision, will meet seventh-seeded Bryce Andonian in the quarters. Haines (23-1) brings a 22-bout win streak to Saturday.

184: Aaron Brooks

The two-time champ was seeded third, largely because of his low bout total and one loss, but appears thoroughly unfazed. Brooks scored a major decision and pin on Day 1 to make an easy return trip to the quarterfinals.

There, Brooks gets a Big Ten-title rematch against Ohio State's Kaleb Romero, whom he majored 12-2. He's on a semifinal collision course with North Carolina State's Trent Hidlay, the second seed.

One Repeat Denied

197: Max Dean

Dean will not win his second consecutive NCAA title at 197, thanks to a difficult draw that included a second-round pairing with Nebraska's Silas Allred. Dean gave up the first takedown in falling to Allred 6-4 in the Big Ten final.

In Thursday's second round, Allred once again scored the first takedown en route to a 7-2 victory that dropped the ninth-seeded Dean into the consolations. 

Doing Their Thing

133: Roman Bravo-Young

Penn State's two-time defending champ worked methodically through his first two bouts, outscoring his opponents 17-5. In the second round, Bravo-Young scored the first two takedowns and remained in control for an energy efficient 5-2 win over Chattanooga's Brayden Palmer.

The top-seeded Bravo-Young (18-0) gets Big Ten final rematch against Minnesota's eighth-seeded Aaron Nagao in the quarterfinals. Bravo-Young won that bout 5-2.

174: Carter Starocci

The two-time defending national champ wasn't tested Saturday. He won by fall in his opening bout, then scored a reserved 4-0 victory over Indiana's DJ Washington, whom Starocci majored during the regular season.

Starocci (18-0) meets eighth-seeded Bailee O'Reilly of Minnesota in the quarters.

Hwt: Greg Kerkvliet

The third seed rolled up two bonus-point wins with a pin and a major against outmatched opponents. In the quarters, Kerkvliet will meet Wisconsin's 11th-seeded Trent Hilger, whom he defeated 6-2 in January.

Until Next Season 

165: Alex Facundo

Redshirt freshman Alex Facundo went 0-2 in his first NCAA tournament appearance, losing 5-3 and 12-2. Facundo, who started the season 9-0, ran into a stiffer schedule for the remainder of the season and finished 19-6.

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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.