Penn State Takes Control at Big Ten Wrestling Championships

The Lions tied a program record with six finalists. Four are top seeds.

Penn State tied a program record with six finalists and raced past Iowa during Saturday's semifinals at the Big Ten Wrestling Championships, setting the stage for a huge final round.

Penn State's six finalists tied the record they set in 2019, which also marked the program's last Big Ten tournament team title. The Lions have qualified nine wrestlers for the NCAA Division I Championships, scheduled for March 16-18 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This marks the 10th time in coach Cael Sanderson's 14 seasons that Penn State has qualified at least nine wrestlers to nationals.

Roman Bravo-Young, Carter Starocci, Aaron Brooks and Max Dean seek to become multiple-time Big Ten champions. Freshman Levi Haines and Greg Kerkvliet will wrestle for their first conference championships.

In addition to their six semifinalists, the Lions also advanced Beau Bartlett (141), Shayne Van Ness (149) and Alex Facundo (165) to nationals. Gary Steen (125) must win his ninth-place bout Sunday to be eligible for an at-large bid to NCAAs.

Penn State took a 120-105.5 lead over Iowa in the team standings after the semifinals. Iowa qualified 10 wrestlers to nationals but has an uphill climb to catch Penn State with three finalists.

The finals of the Big Ten Wrestling Championships will begin at 4:30 p.m. ET at Michigan's Crisler Center. Big Ten Network will televise.

133: Roman Bravo-Young dec. Dylan Ragusin (Michigan) 8-2

Bravo-Young needed 12 seconds to score his first takedown en route to his 50th consecutive victory and third Big Ten final. He has been by far the most dominant wrestler at his weight class this season, scoring bonus points in 12 of his 15 wins.

Bravo-Young (15-0) will get upset-minded Aaron Nagao of Minnesota in the final. Nagao, the sixth seed, defeated second-seeded Jesse Mendez in overtime in the semifinals. This will be the first meeting between Bravo-Young and Nagao (18-3) Bravo-Young hasn't lost a bout since the 2020 Big Ten final.

141: Brock Hardy (Nebraska) dec. Beau Bartlett 7-3

Bartlett, the second seed seeking to reach his first Big Ten final, faltered against the third-seeded Hardy. After taking a 2-1 lead, Bartlett gave up a go-ahead takedown in the second period and another takedown in the final minute of the third. Hardy also grabbed a sizable riding-time advantage to claim the final spot against Iowa's Real Woods. Bartlett will compete for third in the consolation bracket.

157: Levi Haines dec. Kendall Coleman (Purdue) 3-2

Haines improved to 20-1 and reached the Big Ten final as a freshman, a remarkable achievement from a wrestler who was on the potential redshirt list for this season. Haines has won 19 straight since a November loss and is a perfect 10-0 against Big Ten opponents.

Against Coleman, Haines scored an adroit takedown in the second period, then avoided a reversal with an athletic roll out of trouble. He will face undefeated top-seed Peyton Robb of Nebraska in the final.

174: Carter Starocci dec. Bailee O'Reilly (Minnesota) 8-2

Starocci (18-0) didn't wrestle an overwhelming semifinal yet was in control throughout. Like most wrestlers, O'Reilly presented little threat to score on Starocci, whose defensive speed and ability to counter are superb.

Starocci, the top seed, will face a familiar opponent in his third conference final. Nebraska's Mikey Labriola, who reached his first final, is 0-2 vs, Starocci but wrestled him close in the 2021 Big Ten Tournament (a 3-1 overtime Starocci win). Starocci also defeated Labriola 6-1 at the 2022 NCAA Tournament.

184: Aaron Brooks dec. Matt Finesilver (Michigan) 18-6

Brooks had not been on the mat since Feb. 10 and competed economically during the regular season, wrestling just 10 bouts. But he showed little rust Saturday, scoring 18 points in each of his bouts (a technical fall and major decision) to reach his fourth Big Ten final.

Brooks now seeks to reclaim the title he lost to Michigan's Myles Amine last season. The top-seeded Brooks will meet Ohio State's Kaleb Romero, whom he defeated 3-2 in February.

197: Max Dean dec. Jacob Warner (Iowa) 3-1

Dean's decision proved a small but important moment in the team race, which Iowa led until the Lions' heavyweights took the mat. Dean capitalized on a second-period escape with an aggressive single-leg takedown to beat Warner for the fourth time in his career.

Dean will wrestle Nebraska's Silas Allred for his second Big Ten title.

Hwt: Greg Kerkvliet dec. Tony Cassioppi (Iowa) 5-0

Cassioppi prevented Kerkvliet from wrestling for a Big Ten title last season. Kerkvliet flipped that script Saturday, dominating the Iowa heavyweight in a 5-0 victory. Kerkvliet scored two takedowns and rode Cassioppi for the entire third period in an impressive performance.

Kerkvliet (15-1) gets a chance for more revenge Sunday, when he faces Michigan's Mason Parris in the final. Kerkvliet lost to Parris 3-1 in January when the two were ranked 1-2 in the country. That remains Kerkvliet's only loss this season, and now their 1-2 rankings have flipped. Kerkvliet and Parris will be wrestling not only for the Big Ten title but also the top seed at NCAAs.

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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.