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By Andy Elder
For the Mirror
TULSA, Okla. -- After the first day of the 2023 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, Penn State looked well positioned to defend its championship.
The Nittany Lions pushed seven wrestlers -- Roman Bravo-Young (133), Beau Bartlett (141), Shayne Van Ness (149), Levi Haines (157), Carter Starocci (174), Aaron Brooks (184) and Greg Kerkvliet (285) -- into this morning's quarterfinals at the BOK Center.
Max Dean (197) is alive in the wrestlebacks. Alex Facundo (165) lost his first two bouts and was eliminated.
"Overall, we're fine. I mean, tomorrow's a big day, and then after tomorrow, Saturday is gonna be the big day. So, we just gotta keep rolling," Penn State coach Cael Sanderson said.
Penn State was in front in the team race with 26 points. Iowa was in second with 21.5 and Missouri in third with 17.5.
Bravo-Young cruised into the quarterfinals with a pair of solid wins. In the opening round he majored Ethan Oakley of Appalachian State, 12-3. Then, in the Round of 16, he made two first-period takedowns and a point for 2:36 in riding time stand up for a 5-2 decision over Chattanooga's Brayden Palmer. Bravo-Young faces a rematch with Minnesota's Aaron Nagao, who RBY defeated in the Big Ten finals, 5-2.
Bartlett picked up a pair of decisions to get into the quarterfinals. He started with a solid 8-2 win over Shannon Hanna of Campbell. Then, in the second round, he escaped and scored a takedown in the second period and then hung on for a 3-2 win over Clay Carlson of South Dakota State. Bartlett earned a quarterfinal bout with Pitt's Cole Matthews.
Van Ness provided dramatics in both of his matches as he marched into the semifinals. In the opening round, Van Ness trailed Maryland's Ethen Miller 9-1 at one point before he roared back for a win. He closed within 12-7 when he scored a takedown and took Miller to his back and pinned him in 6:26 as the assembled Penn State faithful roared their approval.
Then, in the second round, Van Ness avenged a 3-2 loss to Iowa State's Paniro Johnson in December at the Collegiate Duals. Van Ness took Johnson down to his back in the first period for a 6-0 lead. He held off a couple scoring bursts from Johnson and posted a 14-8 win. Van Ness will face Indiana's Graham Rooks of Indiana, who upset Virginia Tech's Caleb Henson. Van Ness owns 17-5 and 12-4 wins over Rooks.
"He was down something like 9-1 heading into the third and ended up getting the fall, just a gutsy performance," Sanderson said. "He wrestled great obviously in the second round against one of the top kids in the country."
Haines made it 4-for-4 for the Nittany Lions as the precocious freshman looked right at home in his first NCAA tournament. Haines kicked off his tournament with a 10-3 win over Lock Haven's Ashton Eyler. He came right back in the second round with another controlling win, 8-2 over Wyoming's Jacob Wright. Haines will meet Virginia Tech's Bryce Andonian.
Starocci gave the Nittany Lions a fifth quarterfinalist with a pair of dominating wins. He started with a quick pin of John Worthing of Clarion in 1:21. Then, in the second round, he won yet another battle with Indiana's Donnell Washington, 4-0. A first-period takedown, second-period escape and a point for a riding time gave Starocci the win.
Brooks picked up bonus points for the Nittany Lions with two convincing wins. He opened with a 13-4 major decision over Matthew Waddell of Chattanooga. In the second round he was locked in a relatively tight battle with Will Feldkamp of Clarion when he caught the Golden Eagle in a headlock and pinned him in 5:00. He meets Ohio State's Kaleb Romero in the semifinals.
Dean started his day with a measured 6-1 win over Levi Hopkins of Campbell. But in the second round, he ran into Silas Allred of Nebraska who had beaten him in the Big Ten finals. The Cornhusker repeated the win over the defending NCAA champion, 7-2. Dean was dropped into the consolation bracket.
Kerkvliet looked dominant in his two wins. He pinned Purdue's Hayden Copass in just 34 seconds before dominating South Dakota's A.J. Nevills, 14-2, in the second round. Kerkvliet will meet Wisconsin's Trent Hillger in the quarterfinals.
Wrestling resumes at noon eastern time. Friday night's semifinals start at 7 p.m.
Murin advances
Central Cambria High School graduate Max Murin of Iowa advanced to the quarterfinals at 149 by decisioning Caleb Tyus of SIU-Edwardsville, 6-3, and Jaden Abas of Stanford, 3-1.