Four Nittany Lions were in action during session III of the 2025 Big Ten Championships, competing in the consolation bracket semifinals for a chance to finish as high as third place at the top of the consolation bracket. No. 1 Beau Bartlett, No. 1 Shayne Van Ness, and No. 2 Josh Barr dropped their first match in the semi-finals of session II, while No. 4 Braeden Davis was downed back in session I and is already 2-0 in the consolation bracket.
As every Nittany Lion wrestler has already automatically qualified for nationals, this year’s Big Ten team title is once again in their sights.
Highlighting the brief session of action was a rematch victory for Davis, taking care of business against No. 3 Braxton Brown of Maryland, an opponent who defeated the Nittany Lion in the regular season.
How It Happened
133 Pounds – Braeden Davis
Davis, already 2-0 in the consolation bracket, kicked off the consolation semifinals for the Nittany Lions when he took on Brown.
Davis collected the bout’s first takedown after an unsuccessful roll-through attempt from Brown. Another takedown from Davis helped extend his lead to 8-2 after one. An escape from Brown in the third helped the Terrapin claw back some of the lead, with the score at 9-4 in favor of Davis headed into the final two minutes.
Davis then escaped to start the third and put himself back further in front 9-4. After an earlier third-period takedown was overturned, Brown scrambled for his first takedown of the bout to go only two points back of Davis. However, the Maryland wrestler didn’t score any points in the top position, granting Davis the 9-7 decision victory and a spot in the third place match.
141 Pounds – Beau Bartlett
After his loss last night, Bartlett took on No. 6 Joseph Oliveri of Rutgers in the consolation semifinals. An early takedown from Bartlett put the Nittany Lion in front 3-1 after the conclusion of the first period. Bartlett then escaped to start the second, extending his lead to 4-1, scoring the only point in the entire middle period of action.
Olivieri matched Bartlett with an escape of his own to start the third and once again, no other points were scored in the rest of the period as Bartlett took the 4-2 decision victory, securing a spot in the third-place match.
149 Pounds – Shayne Van Ness
In action next, Van Ness battling against No. 6 Andrew Clark of Rutgers. Van Ness struck first with the bout’s opening takedown to carry a 3-0 lead into the second. Van Ness began the middle period in bottom position where he fought for the quick escape and turned it into a second takedown to extend his lead to 7-0.
Clark escaped with 30 seconds remaining in the third to earn his first point of the bout, however, the success was shortlived as Van Ness finished the second period with a double-leg on the edge of the circle to extend his lead to 10-1. Clark rode out Van Ness for the majority of the third period until the Nittany Lion eventually escaped after a stalling call, taking the 12-1 major decision victory and earning a spot in the third place bout later tonight.
197 Pounds – Josh Barr
Wrapping up session III for the Nittany Lions was Barr facing off against No. 4 Isaiah Salazar. However, just over 60 seconds into the match, Barr took the defeat via injury default after an apparent lower-body injury. If he can continue tonight, he will wrestle for fifth place.
What’s Next?
All 10 Nittany Lions will be in action tonight for session four starting at 5:30 p.m. in Evanston, Illinois. Six Nittany Lions will compete for individual titles, three will compete for third place, and one will compete for fifth place. You can watch all the action on the Big Ten network or streaming on BTN+.
