Penn State Sports Magazine
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F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 4 4 9 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M The duo is joined by the nation's No. 8 overall prep wrestler and No. 1-ranked 157-pounder, PJ Duke, and Pennsylvania natives Dalton Perry (No. 10 nationally at 138 pounds) and Asher Cunningham (No. 14 at 157 pounds) in the Lions' junior verbal commitment group. Senior Nationals Recap Penn State had a light dual meet sched- ule in 2023. That's mostly because so many Nittany Lions wanted to participate in Senior Nationals. The top five finishers in each weight class advanced to the U.S. Olympic Team trials, which will be held April 19-20 at the Bryce Jordan Center. From the current team, senior Beau Bartlett and sophomore Alex Facundo both qualified for the trials. Bartlett was 3-1 at 65 kilograms and finished sec- ond in that weight class after losing to 2023 NCAA champion Andrew Alirez of Northern Colorado in the finals. Facundo was 5-1 overall in the 74-kilogram bracket and finished third. Other current members of the team who participated but did not advance to the team trials include senior Terrell Barraclough (4-3 at 74 kilograms), sopho- more Gary Steen (3-2 at 57 kilograms), freshman Josh Barr (3-2 at 86 kilograms), junior Timothy Levine (2-2 at 65 kilo- grams) and senior Donovan Ball (1-1 at 86 kilograms). From the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club, Max Dean was 5-1 at 86 kilograms to qualify for the team trials. Former Penn State wrestlers Nico Megaludis and Mark Hall also earned spots in the team trials. ■ Three Best Wrestlers Mitchell Mesenbrink | R-Fr. | 165 Mesenbrink earned his first signature victory as a Nittany Lion to start the 2024 portion of the Penn State wrestling schedule. The Cal Baptist transfer scored early and often en route to an upset victory over No. 10 Matthew Olguin of Oregon State on Jan. 5, winning by technical fall, 17-3, in just 3:44. Mesenbrink accrued 4 takedowns on his way to the lopsided win in Corvallis, Ore. Then, against Indiana on Jan. 14, Mesenbrink was winning 10-1 early in the first period before No. 23 Tyler Lillard injury defaulted out of the match. Greg Kerkvliet | Sr. | 285 The nation's No. 1-ranked heavyweight showed in early January why he is the favorite to win his first national title. Kerkvliet kicked off the new year by stomping No. 12 Boone McDermott of Oregon State by technical fall, 21-5, in 5:17. That victory featured 7 takedowns before it was stopped. Then, in Penn State's dual meet against the Hoosiers, Kerkvliet controlled the pace throughout a 14-2 triumph over unranked Nick Willham. Tyler Kasak | 149 | Fr. Kasak did not arrive at Penn State expecting to be the starting 149-pound wrestler by the time January arrived. But after sophomore Shayne Van Ness was lost for the season with an injury in early December, the true freshman from Doylestown, Pa., won the job. Now, we see why. Kasak upset Oregon State's 12th-ranked Nash Single- ton, 4-1, in his first dual meet of the season in early January. A week later, Kasak manhandled No. 14 Graham Rooks of Indiana. The first-year Lion used a 7-point first-period throw to help set up a dominating 15-0 techni- cal fall victory in 6:59. Key Moment Did a freshman movement begin for the Nittany Lions during their trip to the Pacific Northwest? At this point, the evidence says that it did. Penn State rolled past the No. 18 Beavers, 36-3. First-year wrestler Braeden Davis started at 125 pounds during the Lions' trip to Corvallis, and he pulled off an 11-6 win over No. 15 Brandon Kaylor. Then, against Indi- ana, Davis rolled over Michael Spangler, 16-3. Meanwhile, Davis' classmate Kasak scored an upset of his own at 149 pounds when he topped No. 12 Nash Singleton by decision. He then produced another upset when he overcame No. 14 Graham Rooks by technical fall. There's every reason to believe those two newcomers will be key factors in the Nittany Lions' bid for Big Ten and national championships in the months to come. Best Highlight This is an easy choice. Mesenbrink's dominating 17-3 technical fall over Oregon State's No. 10 Matthew Olguin was his official announcement to the college wrestling world that he means business in 2024. The transfer wrestler came to PSU with just two college matches under his belt but plenty of prep accolades. In short order, he has shown that he can compete at a high level and will be a player at the national tournament. His win over Olguin was just the loudest example of that fact so far. Bold Prediction Davis will be an All-American when his first national tournament con- cludes. The four-time Michigan state champ looks very comfortable at the college level. No stage appears to be too big for the freshman. Davis tries to endlessly score, which is a trait that has taken wrestlers a long way under Cael Sanderson. Combine that with the 125-pound weight class being chaotic lately in terms of upsets, and you can expect the Nit- tany Lion to hit the top-eight podium at the NCAA Championships. — Greg Pickel PENN STATE WRESTLING SUPERLATIVES DEC. 10-JAN. 14 Greg Kerkvliet amassed 7 takedowns against 12th-ranked Boone McDermott of Oregon State on his way to a 21-5 technical fall. PHOTO BY DANIEL ALTHOUSE