Another night of celebration for Penn State wrestlers

KANSAS CITY, Mo., March 23, 2024 – These are heady days for the Penn State wrestling program. A dynasty in progress continued to dominate at the NCAA Division I national championships on Saturday night at the T-Mobile Center.

The Nittany Lions won their 11th championship in the last 13 tournaments hosted by the NCAA with six finalists and four individual champions, including two – Carter Starocci (174) and Aaron Brooks (197) – that won their fourth individual NCAA title.

It came 22 years to the day that Nittany Lion head coach Cael Sanderson won his fourth NCAA title when he was a collegian at Iowa State in 2002.

With eight All-Americans out of 10 weight classes, Penn State set a new NCAA tournament record with 172½ points and the largest margin of victory (100 points). Cornell was second with 72½ points with Michigan finishing third with 71 points. Just 12 points separated the second nine teams from each other.

“It just shows generations that are coming. It’s cool to see. The sport is evolving and the future is bright for American wrestling, not just Penn State,” Brooks said.
Along with Starocci and Brooks, sophomore Levi Haines (157) and senior Greg Kerkvliet (285) won national titles for the Lions with freshman Mitchell Mesenbrink (165) and senior Beau Bartlett (141) each finishing second.

“Just proud of our guys. Great effort by 10 kids, and then the whole crew of 37 or whatever our roster is. Super grateful to be a part of this and them. Our coaching staff are the best, and it’s great to be a part of things. Just happy to be here,” Sanderson said.

Starocci, who has been dealing with an undisclosed injury, was seeded ninth and had to beat previous NCAA champions Mekhi Lewis of Virginia tech in the quarterfinals and Shane Griffith of Michigan in the semifinals. Starocci (17-2) used a pair of escapes to beat Ohio State’s Rocco Welsh, 2-0.

“I chose to come out here and wrestle. With that, the mindset is you can’t really have excuses,” Starocci. And for me even talking about it really doesn’t do any justice because that’s in the past. I’m moving forward. I’m focusing on healing. We made a lot of progress. Like I said it was a long road. Twelve days ago, I wasn’t even walking.”

Brooks (22-0) had two pins and two technical falls on his way to the final where he dominated North Carolina State’s previously undefeated Trent Hidlay with a 6-0 decision.

“I am very blessed tonight played out the way it did, it was fun,” said Brooks, who was named the tournament’s outstanding wrestler.

“As a coach, every year you just want to see your kids smile at the end of the season and seeing them reaching their goals, “Sanderson said. “Obviously in situations with, like, Carter (Starocci) and Aaron (Brooks), the pressure mounts. But they both are competitors, and that’s what they live for, that’s what they were born for. And just happy for them.”

Brooks and Starocci became the sixth and seventh wrestlers to win four NCAA championships in their careers. Previous four-time champions included Sanderson (1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002), Oklahoma State’s Pat Smith (1990-92, 94), Cornell’s Kyle Dake (2010-13), Ohio State’s Logan Stieber (2012-15) and Cornell’s Yianni Diakomihalis (2018-19, 2022-23).

There were a few feisty matches in the finals.

Ohio State’s Jessie Mendez (30-2) got a takedown in the final two seconds of the match to beat Penn State’s Bartlett, 4-2 in the final at 141 pounds.

At 133 pounds, Cornell’s Vito Arujau outlasted Oklahoma State’s Daton Fix, 5-3, in a match that was slowed by both wrestlers bleeding after cuts and three coaches reviews.

Bartlett (23-2) had a 1-0 lead late in the third period thanks to an escape with 1:22 remaining and was driving to get a takedown in the final seconds of the match. But Mendez didn’t yield and kept a scramble going to get his championship-winning takedown.

“I put too much work into not wrestling to my full capability,” Mendez said. “I said it in an earlier interview, I fear no man. Regardless, if he’s got a Penn State singlet on. Whatever singlet, I’ve got to wrestle the same. So that’s what I’ve been saying.”

At 133, Fix was making his fourth appearance in an NCAA final and was looking to win his first championship. It was a physical match with plenty of hands flying from both wrestlers trying to distract the other wrestler for a takedown opportunity.

Fix (21-1) had a 2-0 lead after two periods due to an escape and Arujau getting called for locking hands. In the third period, Arujau escaped early to cut the lead to one. Four seconds after Fix was called for stalling, Arujau swooped in with a quick single leg shot and got the takedown with 1:16 remaining for a 5-2 lead.

But the call was overturned on review. No matter. When Fix tried for a takedown with 1:10, one of his feet slipped and Arujau pounced for the takedown and a 5-2 lead. Fix escaped with 50 seconds left to cut the lead to two, 5-3.

Another potential takedown by Arujau (18-2) was reversed by an official review but he hung on to win his second straight NCAA title.

“I stayed resilient and through call (after) call and lost takedown, lost takedown, I just kept my foot on the gas and said, no, I’m not going to let this slip away from me.” Arujau said. “So I slammed my foot down even further on the gas and continued to push until I finally found a takedown that the refs were comfortable with.”

Fix had a few stiches over his right eye after the match when meeting with the media.

Iowa State’s David Carr won his second NCAA championship and first since 2021 with a 9-8 victory over Mesenbrink at 165 pounds thanks to riding time. Carr led 7-2 at one point before Mesenbrink rallied to make it close down the stretch.

It gets harder when you win. People wrestle you harder,” Carr said. “They try to get you — so I think this one took a lot of grit, took a lot of heart. Both my (final two) matches came down to the wire, and I had to really wrestle hard.”

Carr beat top seeded Keegan O’Toole of Missouri in the semifinals, 8-6 with a three-point takedown with 10 seconds remaining.

Northern Iowa’s Parker Keckeisen (184), Virginia Tech’s Calen Henson (149) and Arizona State’s Richard Figueroa (125) also won individual titles.

Cheshire official Nick Gross was selected to officiate during the tournament for the seventh time and was the lead official for the match at 165 pounds in the finals.

The championship finals began at 285 pounds.

---

2024 NCAA Division I championships
At Kansas City, Mo.
Team results – Penn State 172½, 2. Cornell 72½, 3. Michigan 71, 4. Iowa State 68½, 5. Iowa 67, 6. Arizona State 64½, 7. Virginia Tech 64, 8. Ohio State 62, 9. Nebraska 60½, 10. Oklahoma State 56
Individual results
125
Final: Richard Figueroa (Arizona State) dec. Drake Ayala, Iowa, 7-2
3. Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) dec. Eric Barnett (Wisconsin) 7-3
5. Luke Stanich (Lehigh) dec. Caleb Smith (Nebraska) 5-1
7. Jore Volk (Wyoming) dec. Tanner Jordan (South Dakota State) 4-0
133
Final: Vito Arujau (Cornell) dec. Daton Fix (Oklahoma State), 5-3
3. Ryan Crookham (Lehigh) dec. Nasir Bailey (Little Rock) 4-3
5. Dylan Ragusin (Michigandec. Evan Frost (Iowa State) 17-6
7. Dylan Shawver (Rutgers) dec. Kai Orine (NC State) 10-5
141
Final: Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) dec, Beau Bartlett (Penn State), 4-1
3. Brock Hardy (Nebraska) dec. Real Woods (Iowa) 7-6
5. Anthony Echemendia (Iowa State) medical forfeit from Lachlan McNeil (North Carolina
7. Ryan Jack (NC State) dec. Vance Vombaur (Minnesota) 4-3
149
Final: Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech) dec. Austin Gomez (Michigan), 15-7
3. Tyler Kasak (Penn State) dec. Ty Watters (West Virginia) 3-2
5. Kyle Parco (Arizona State) dec. Ridge Lovett (Nebraska) 3-1
7. Casey Swiderski (Iowa State) dec. Quinn Kinner (Rider) 19-8
157
Final: Levi Haines (Penn State) dec. Jacori Teemer (Arizona State), 5-0
3. Meyer Shapiro (Cornell) dec. Daniel Cardenas (Stanford) 10-4
5. Peyten Kellar (Ohio) pin Bryce Andonian (Virginia Tech) 3:23
7. Peyton Robb (Nebraska) dec. Jared Franek (Iowa) 11-2
165
Final: David Carr (Iowa State) dec. Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn State), 9-8
3. Keegan O`Toole (Missouri) dec. Mike Caliendo (Iowa) 12-8
5. Izzak Olejnik (Oklahoma State) dec. Hunter Garvin (Stanford) 3-0
7. Peyton Hall (West Virginia) dec. Antrell Taylor (Nebraska) 2-1
174
Final: Carter Starocci (Penn State) dec. Rocco Welsh (Ohio State), 2-0
3. Shane Griffith (Michigan) dec. Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech) 4-0
5. Cade DeVos (South Dakota State) dec. Lennox Wolak (Columbia) 5-0
7. Edmond Ruth (Illinois) dec. Benjamin Pasiuk (Army West Point) 16-6
184
Final: Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) dec. Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State), 14-5
3. Trey Munoz (Oregon State) dec. Bennett Berge (South Dakota State) 9-7
5. Bernie Truax (Penn State) dec. Isaiah Salazar (Minnesota) 12-0
7. Thomas Stewart Jr (Virginia Tech) tech fall David Key (Navy) 20-4, 6:50
197
Final: Aaron Brooks (Penn State) dec. Trent Hidlay (NC State), 6-0
3. Stephen Buchanan (Oklahoma) dec. Jacob Cardenas (Cornell) 9-4
5. Tanner Sloan (South Dakota State) dec. Rocky Elam (Missouri) 7-0
7. Stephen Little (Little Rock) dec. Michael Beard (Lehigh) 10-3
285
Final: Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) dec. Lucas Davison (Michigan), 13-4
3. Wyatt Hendrickson (Air Force) dec. Zach Elam (Missouri) 14-2
5. Nick Feldman (Ohio State) dec. Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State) 11-4
7. Yaraslau Slavikouski (Rutgers) dec. Taye Ghadiali (Campbell) 4-3
Outstanding wrestler: Aaron Brooks, Penn State (197)
2024 NCAA Division I championships brackets and results (Track Wrestling.com)