Penn State's Top Storylines at the NCAA Wrestling Championships

Coach Cael Sanderson's team seeks its third consecutive NCAA wrestling team title.

The 2024 NCAA Wrestling Championships could be a crowning moment for Penn State, which is an overwhelming favorite to win its third consecutive NCAA team title and 11th in the last 13 tournaments. Penn State coach Cael Sanderson can tie Oklahoma State's E.C. Gallagher with 11 titles, second on the all-time list, among other records the program can set.

So here's what we're watching (and how we'll watch it) at the 2024 NCAA Wrestling Championships, which begin Thursday in Kansas City.

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Is Carter Starocci healthy?

Penn State's three-time champ says he's "fully healthy" heading to the tournament, though admitting that his late-season injury remains an issue certainly won't help. Starocci repeated that point Wednesday at a pre-tournament media availability.

"As far as my health, I'm ready to go," Starocci said. "I'm 100 percent."

Still, Starocci did take two injury defaults at the Big Ten Championships, meaning an issue exists. Starocci will let it fly this week, as best he can at least, and accept all challenges. An intriguing one could arrive early.

Starocci defeated Virginia Tech's Mekhi Lewis in last year's 174-pound final and majored him in a December exhibition at the Bryce Jordan Center. Lewis, who has won a national championship and is the weight's top seed, can't be happy with the prospect of wrestling Starocci in Friday morning's quarterfinals instead of Saturday night's final. Or maybe that's a good time to catch Starocci off his game.

Who challenges Aaron Brooks and Greg Kerkvliet?

Penn State's anchors at 197 and 285 pounds are among the tournament's biggest favorites. Few, if any, wrestlers have been more dominant than Brooks this season. He has 16 bonus-point victories on his 17-0 record and won the Big Ten title with two technical falls and a major. Further, Starocci is 15-0 at the NCAA Tournament. He's the tournament's closest thing to a lock.

Kerkvliet (15-0) has been similarly dominant, with 11 bonus-point victories, six over ranked wrestlers. Iowa State's second-seeded Yonger Bastida (24-0) would represent a huge test in the final.

How many titles could Penn State win?

The Nittany Lions went 2-for-5 in last year's finals, so expectations always must be tempered. But two of those finalists, Kerkvliet and Levi Haines (157), are the No. 1 seeds at their weight classes. Haines (18-0) is in an intriguing spot as the only unbeaten wrestler at 157. He maintained that perfect mark with a sudden-victory win over Michigan's Will Lewan in the Big Ten final.

Elsewhere, freshman Braeden Davis (seeded second at 125) and Beau Bartlett (No. 2 at 141) are legitimate contenders with challenging roads. Bartlett, for instance, could have to defeat defending champ Real Woods of Iowa and top-seeded Jesse Mendez of Ohio State to win his first title. A Bartlett-Mendez final would be their third meeting this year; they split the first two bouts.

Is Mitchell Mesenbrink an upset contender?

Mesenbrink, Penn State's undefeated (22-0) redshirt freshman, is seeded second at 165 behind Missouri's Keegan O'Toole, the two-time defending champ. If they meet in the final, a Wisconsin town will be glued to the coverage. Mesenbrink and O'Toole were coached by Ben Askren in Wisconsin and both won state titles in 2020 for Arrowhead High. That potential final is a fascinating subplot at 165, a weight class that's among the tournament's most competitive.

Can Penn State land 10 All-Americans?

Just one team has medaled its entire 10-wrestler roster at the NCAA Championships: Minnesota in 2001. The Gophers won the team title that season without winning an individual title.

Penn State enters the tournament with eight wrestlers seeded as medalists (among the top eight). Starocci is ninth for formula reasons and an All-America lock if he's remotely functioning. Aaron Nagao (133) is seeded 10th and would need to outwrestle his seed to repeat as an All-American (he was fifth last season). So yes, Penn State has a terrific opportunity to put 10 wrestlers on the podium.

How to watch the NCAA Wrestling Championships

ESPN once again has the tournament's broadcast rights and will air every session. Streamers might consider FuboTV (start your free trial). Here's the schedule.

Thursday

Session 1 (12 p.m.): First Round on ESPNU

Session 2 (7 p.m.): Second/consolation rounds on ESPN

Friday

Session 3 (12 p.m.): Quarterfinals and consolation rounds on ESPNU

Session 4 (8 p.m.): Semifinals and consolation rounds on ESPN

Saturday

Session 5 (11 a.m.): Consolation semifinals and medal bouts on ESPNU

Session 6 (7 p.m.): Championship finals on ESPN

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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.