Four Penn State wrestlers will have No. 1 seeds at next week’s NCAA Championships and none of the 10 Nittany Lions in the tournament are seeded lower than eighth in the brackets revealed on Wednesday night.
Luke Lilledahl, Tyler Kasak, Mitchell Mesenbrink and Carter Starocci will head to Philadelphia March 20-22 with top seeds. The Nittany Lions also have two No. 2 seeds, two No. 3 seeds, one No. 4 and one No. 8.
This year marks the fourth time Penn State will take all 10 to the national tourney and 12th time under coach Cael Sanderson with at least nine.
Penn State is seeking its 13th team national title and 12th under Sanderson in the last 14 seasons.
Luke Lilledahl – No. 1 seed at 125
Coming off a Big Ten title, freshman Luke Lilledahl heads to the NCAA Championships as the top seed at 125 pounds. He will face the winner of No. 32 Caleb Weiand of Michigan State and No. 33 Marcello Milani of Cornell in the opening round. Lilledahl is 19-2 on the season and 7-2 against the tournament field.
Braeden Davis – No. 8 seed at 133
Sophomore Braeden Davis heads to his second championships as the No. 8 seed with a 12-5 record. He claimed a fourth-place finish at last weekend’s Big Ten Championships and will face No. 25 Kurt Phipps of Bucknell in the first round of the national tournament. Davis is 6-4 vs. the field this season.
Beau Bartlett – No. 2 seed at 141
Fifth-year senior Beau Bartlett takes the No. 2 seed in a loaded 141-pound bracket. Bartlett finished third at the Big Ten Championships and is 21-1 on the season, with the only loss coming in the conference quarterfinals. Entering his fourth and final NCAA Championships, the four-time All-American and last year’s runner-up is 11-1 against the field. He will meet No. 31 Jordan Titus of West Virginia in the opening round. Big Ten champ Brock Hardy of Nebraska earned the No. 1 seed.
Shayne Van Ness – No. 3 seed at 149
Sophomore Shayne Van Ness heads to his second NCAA tournament with the No. 3 seed at 149 pounds and will take on No. 30 Gabe Willochell of Wyoming in the first round. Van Ness, who took third at Big Tens, is 20-2 on the year and 11-2 against the field. He was an All-American with a third-place finish last season.
Tyler Kasak – No. 1 seed at 157
After rolling to his first Big Ten title last weekend, sophomore Tyler Kasak is the No. 1 seed at 157 pounds and will face the winner of No. 33 Richard Fadelan of Columbia and No. 32 Landen Johnson of Northern Illinois in the first round round. Kasak is 17-1 on the season and 10-1 against the field. He was an All-American last year with a third-place finish.
Mitchell Mesenbrink – No. 1 seed at 165
One of two undefeated Penn State wrestlers, sophomore Mitchell Mesenbrink has the No. 1 seed after winning his second consecutive Big Ten title. He will meet the winner of No. 33 Chandler Amaker of Central Michigan and No. 32 Jared Keslar of Pittsburgh in the opening round. At 22-0 on the season and 10-0 against the field, Mesenbrink will be seeking his first national title after finishing as the runner-up as a redshirt freshman last season.
Levi Haines – No. 2 seed at 174
Seeking his second consecutive national title, junior Levi Haines holds the No. 2 seed at 174 pounds and will take on No. 31 Avery Bassett of Lock Haven in the first round. Haines, who is fresh off his third straight Big Ten title, is 20-1 on the year and 9-1 against the field. His only loss was against to No. 1 seed Keegan O’Toole of Missouri in December. Haines is a three-time All-American, winning the championship at 157 pounds last year and finishing as runner-up at that weight as a freshman.
Carter Starocci – No. 4 seed at 184 pounds
Big Ten Wrestler of the Year Carter Starocci is the No. 1 seed at 184 pounds as he takes aim at an unprecedented fifth national title. He’ll meet the winner of No. 32 Caden Rogers of Lehigh and No. 33 TJ McDonnell of Oregon State in the first round. Starocci is 21-0 on the season and 9-0 against the field. He holds a 21-0 career record in the NCAA Championships, where he won the 174 pound title each of the last four years.
Josh Barr – No. 4 seed at 197 pounds
Redshirt freshman Josh Barr enters his first NCAA Championships with the No. 4 seed at 197 pounds and will open against No. 29 Tucker Hogan of Lock Haven. Barr lost to No. 1 seed Jacob Cardenas of Michigan in sudden victory of the semifinals at last weekend’s Big Ten Championships then suffered an injury in the consolation semifinals before finishing sixth. He is 16-3 on the season and 7-3 against the field.
Greg Kerkvliet – No. 3 seed at 285 pounds
Greg Kerkvliet has the No. 3 seed at heavyweight as he looks for his second consecutive national title. He will face No. 30 Sam Mitchell of Wyoming in the opener. Kerkvliet, a four-time All-American, is 18-1 on the year and 8-1 against the field, with his only loss coming to No. 1 seed Gable Steveson of Minnesota in last weekend’s Big Ten final.
