Five Things to Watch on Day 1 of Big Ten Wrestling Championships
Penn State locked in a strong seeding profile at the Big Ten Wrestling Championships, with eight of its 10 wrestlers seeded among the top 2 at their weight classes. Five Nittany Lions earned No. 1 seeds, including three returning champs. In all, Penn State’s 10 qualifiers are seeded among the top 4, an overwhelming advantage for the Nittany Lions at the two-day tournament.
Action begins at 11 a.m. ET on Saturday from Northwestern’s Welsh-Ryan Arena. Here’s what to watch on day 1 of the Big Ten Wrestling Championships.
Penn State will ease into competition
The eight Nittany Lions seeded first or second have first-round byes, meaning they won’t wrestle until later in Session 1. That includes No. 1 seeds Beau Bartlett (141), Shayne Van Ness (149), Mitchell Mesenbrink (165), Josh Haines (174) and Carter Starocci (184) and No. 2 seeds Tyler Kasak (157), Josh Barr (197) and Greg Kerkvliet (285).
The only two wrestlers who don’t have first-round byes are Luke Lilledahl (No. 4 at 125) and Braeden Davis (No. 4 at 133). Lilledahl (15-2) opens against Illinois’ 13th-seeded Caelan Riley (4-13). Lilledahl score a 19-3 technical fall over Riley in February. Davis (8-3) begins the tournament against 13th-seeded Andrew Hampton (6-13) of Michigan State. Davis scored a 20-5 technical fall over Hampton in January.
Luke Lilledahl faces a tough route to the final
In his first Big Ten Tournament, the Penn State freshman likely will have to score a major upset to get to the final. Lilledahl is bracketed with top-seeded Matt Ramos of Purdue, who brings a 23-0 record to the Big Ten Championships. Lilledahl would face Ramos in Saturday night’s semifinals if both advance.
How does Braeden Davis look Saturday?
Davis wrestled just 11 bouts this season because of injuries and has not competed since a Feb. 16 los to Illinois’ Lucas Byrd. To reach the semifinals, Davis could have to face a rematch with Rutgers’ Dylan Shawver, whom he beat 2-1 in a January dual. With two wins Saturday, Davis likely would meet top-seeded Drake Ayala of Iowa in the semifinals. Davis did not wrestle in the Penn State-Iowa dual at the Bryce Jordan Center.
Shayne Van Ness returns to the postseason
Van Ness (17-1) has put together a phenomenal season, with 14 bonus-point wins that includes five falls. But this is his first postseason tournament in two years. Van Ness wrestled just three bouts last season, missing the remainder due to injury. In 2023, he placed fourth at Big Tens and third at NCAAs. The top seed has not lost to anyone in his half of the bracket. His only loss was to third-seeded Ridge Lovett of Nebraska, whom he could see again in Sunday’s final.
How many points will Mitchell Mesenbrink score?
The top seed at 165 pounds is one of the nation’s most dominant wrestlers who has scored technical falls over eight Big Ten wrestlers this season. No Big Ten opponent has come within nine points of Mesenbrink, including No. 2 seed Mikey Caliendo of Iowa. Mesenbrink is 4-0 in his career vs. Caliendo with two technical falls and a major decision. That’s the most likely final at 165.
Greg Kerkvliet’s fascinating postseason begins
Kerkvliet was the overwhelming favorite to repeat as the NCAA heavyweight champ until Minnesota’s Gable Steveson decided to return to college wrestling after two years away. Both are undefeated, Steveson is the No. 1 seed and Kerkvliet is No. 2. Saturday is about smart wrestling for both, setting up the first of two potentially epic finals.
