By: Pat Donghia

ANN ABROR, Mich. – The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team (5-0, 2-0 B1G) rolled over No. 5 Michigan (4-2, 2-2 B1G) in a Big Ten dual meet showdown on the road. Penn State won eight of ten bouts in a 27-9 win Friday night in a Big Ten Network national telecast from Ann Arbor, Mich.

The Nittany Lions controlled the action throughout, forcing eleven stall warnings out of the home team while winning eight of ten matches.

The dual began at 157. Sophomore Levi Haines, ranked No. 1 at 157, controlled the tempo and picked up a hard-fought 2-1 win over No. 9 Will Lewan, giving the Nittany Lions an early 3-0 lead. Redshirt freshman Mitchell Mesenbrink, ranked No. 9 at 165, dominated No. 7 Cameron Amine in the next bout. Mesenbrink forced four stalls, had two takedowns and riding time, to roll to a convincing 12-1 major decision.

With No. 1 Carter Starocci not competing at 174, senior Terrell Barraclough moved up from 165 for Penn State. Barraclough battled Griffith tough and nearly pulled off the upset. But Griffith used a second period reversal to counter Barraclough’s riding time point and post the hard-fought 2-1 win for Michigan. Graduate Bernie Truax, ranked No. 5 at 184, took countless shots over 7:00 to grab a 4-1 win over No. 15 Jaden Bullock. Truax’s final shot connected late in the third period for the win. Senior+ Aaron Brooks, ranked No. 1 at 197, ripped off six takedowns in less than two periods to roll to a 20-5 technical fall over No. 32 Bobby Striggow at the 4:16 mark. Brooks’ win gave Penn State a 15-3 lead at intermission.

Senior Greg Kerkvliet, ranked No. 1 at 285, kept Penn State rolling to start the second half. He notched two takedowns and added 1:36 in riding time to roll to an 8-3 win to give the Lions an 18-3 lead. Nittany Lion true freshman Braeden Davis, ranked No. 14 at 125, returned to his home state of Michigan and posted a thrilling 5-1 win over No. 5 Michael DeAugustino. Davis used an escape, a late takedown and riding time to down the Michigan graduate student.

Sophomore Aaron Nagao, ranked No. 4 at 133, battled No. 6 Dylan Ragusin evenly for 7:00. Each wrestler notched a takedown and the bout moved to sudden victory tied 5-5. Nagao forced a scramble and was moving towards a takedown in extra time when a fall was called for Ragusin at the 7:28 mark. Senior Beau Bartlett, ranked No. 2 at 141, upped Penn State’s lead to 24-9 with a 7-5 win over No. 25 Sergio Lemley. With No. 12 Tyler Kasak not wrestling, junior David Evans got the call at 149. Evans used five third period points off an escape, a takedown and riding time, to notch a 5-2 win to close out the dual meet. Evans’ win sent Penn State off with a 27-9 victory.

The Nittany Lions owned a 15-2 takedown edge, winning eight of ten bouts. Penn State grabbed three bonus points off a tech fall (Brooks) and a major (Mesenbrink).

Penn State is now 5-0 on the year, 2-0 in Big Ten duals. Michigan falls to 4-2, 2-1 B1G. Penn State continues its conference road weekend on Sunday, Jan. 21, when they invade East Lansing, Mich., to battle Michigan State at 1 p.m. on B1G+.

The 2023-24 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by the Family Clothesline. Penn State Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via X/twitter at @pennstateWREST, on Penn State Wrestling’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/pennstatewrest. This is PENN STATE. WRESTLING lives here.

1 Penn State 27, #5 Michigan 9

January 19, 2024 – Ann Arbor, Mich.

157: #1 Levi Haines PSU dec. #9 Will Lewan MICH, 2-1 3-0
165: #9 Mitchell Mesenbrink PSU maj. dec. #7 Cameron Amine MICH, 12-1 7-0
174: #4 Shane Griffith MICH dec. Terrell Barraclough PSU, 2-1 7-3
184: #5 Bernie Truax PSU dec. #15 Jaden Bullock MICH, 4-1 10-3
197: #1 Aaron Brooks PSU tech fall #32 Bobby Striggow MICH, 20-5 (TF; 4:16) 15-3
285: #1 Greg Kerkvliet PSU dec. #4 Lucas Davison MICH, 8-3 18-3
125: #14 Braeden Davis PSU dec. #5 Michael DeAugustino MICH, 5-1 21-3
133: #6 Dylan Ragusin MICH WBF (SV) #4 Aaron Nagao PSU, WBF (7:28, SV) 21-9
141: #2 Beau Bartlett PSU dec. #25 Sergio Lemley MICH, 7-5 24-9
149: David Evans PSU dec. Fidel Mayora MICH, 5-2 27-9
Attendance: 6,522
Records: Penn State (5-0, 2-0 B1G); Michigan (4-2, 2-1 B1G)
Up Next for Penn State: at Michigan State, Sunday, Jan. 21, 1 p.m. (B1G+)

DUAL MEET BOUT-BY-BOUT:

157: Sophomore Levi Haines, ranked No. 1 at 157, met No. 9 Will Lewan. Haines and Lewan worked the center of the mat for the opening minute-plus. Action remained in neutral on the Michigan logo through the 1:00 mark. Both wrestlers got called for stalling at :45 and Haines took a quick high shot that Lewan was able to defend as the period wound down. Tied 0-0, Haines chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Haines nearly connected on another high single, but Lewan defended the shot as he backed away to the outside circle. Haines pressed the Wolverine through the 1:00 mark, looking for an opening or a stall point. Lewan was able to back away from Haines’ pressure and the bout moved to the second period with Haines up 1-0. Lewan chose down to start the third period and escaped to a 1-1 tie with 1:37 on the clock. Haines shot, Lewan defended and countered, and Haines worked through the scramble as the clock hit :55. Haines forced Lewan into a second stall at :20 to take a 2-1 lead and held it to the end of the match.

165: Freshman Mitchell Mesenbrink, ranked No. 9 at 165, battled No. 7 Cameron Amine. Mesenbrink came out pressuring Amine backwards from the opening whistle. Mesenbrink looked to maintain contact with Amine as the Wolverine backed away from his pressure as the clock hit 1:30. Mesenbrink forced a first stall warning with 1:10 left in the opening period. Mesenbrink continued to look for shots and took a 1-0 lead on a second Amine stall. Trailing 1-0, Amine chose down to start the second stanza and escaped to a 1-1 tie. Amine continued to back away from Mesenbrink through the 1:00 mark and Mesenbrink took a 2-1 lead on another Amine stall. Mesenbrink then worked his way into control of the Wolverine’s legs, taking him down at the :25 mark to open up a 5-1 lead. He finished the period on top and carried that lead into the third period. Mesenbrink chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 6-1 lead. He then pressured Amine into a fourth stall for two points and led 8-1 with 1:40 on the clock. Mesenbrink worked his way behind Amine for a second takedown and an 11-1 lead. He built his riding time point up over 1:00. He finished the bout on top and, with riding time, rolled to the 12-1 major decision.

174: With No. 1 Carter Starocci not wrestling, Terrell Barraclough moved up from 165 and met No. 4 Shane Griffith. Barraclough battled the Wolverine evenly through the first minute-plus, with neither wrestler finding an opening to score through. Barraclough paced the middle of the mat, keeping Griffith with his back to the outside circle. Griffith took a quick shot at Barraclough’s right foot, but the Lion stepped away and the bout moved to the second stanza tied 0-0. Griffith chose down to start the second period. Barraclough controlled the action for over a minute but gave up one stall warning. The Nittany Lion senior maintained control until the :20 mark when Griffith was able to reverse the Lion to a 2-0 lead. Trailing by two, Barraclough chose neutral to start the third period, holding a 1:10 riding time advantage. Barraclough gained control of Griffith’s right ankle and nearly connected but the Wolverine moved out of bounds and was able to maintain neutral, managing a hard-fought 2-1 win as Barraclough got a riding time point.

184: Graduate Bernie Truax, ranked No. 5 at 184, took on No. 15 Jason Bullock. Truax worked a low single into a near takedown, but Bullock was able to react quickly, and a takedown was not awarded, all in the first :45. Truax took a shot and Bullock countered with his first as the clock moved through the period’s midway point. Truax continued to take low singles as Bullock backed away and the opening period ended in a 0-0 tie. Truax chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Bullock nearly connected on a low double, but action moved out of bounds, forcing a reset at 1:35. Truax used a low shot to gain control of Bullock’s left ankle, finishing off the takedown. But the officials went to review and waved the takedown off, and the second period ended with Truax leading 1-0. Bullock chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 1-1 tie. Truax continued to shoot from neutral while Bullock stepped away as the clock moved through 1:00. Truax piled up the shots while Bullock worked on defense. Truax forced a stall warning and then turned a quick single into a takedown to lead 4-1. He finished the period on top and walked away with the 4-1 win.

197: Senior+ Aaron Brooks, ranked No. 1 at 197, battled No. 32 Bobby Striggow. Brooks took an early 3-0 lead with a takedown in the opening seconds. Brooks controlled action on top, building up a riding time edge while looking for a chance to turn Striggow for back points. Brooks cut Striggow loose after a reset at 1:20 and quickly took him down again to lead 6-2 after another cut. Brooks finished off the third period with a third takedown at :18 and led 9-2 after one. Brooks chose down to start the second period and quickly rolled through a reversal to up his lead to 11-2. Brooks cut Striggow loose, took him down to lead 14-3, and cut him once more. Brooks took a 17-4 lead with a takedown at the 1:04 mark. He cut Striggow loose one more time and ended the match with a final takedown with :44 on the clock, posting the 20-5 technical fall at the 4:16 mark.

285: Senior Greg Kerkvliet, ranked No. 1 at 285, faced No. 4 Lucas Davison. Kerkvliet controlled the center of the mat and nearly connected on a lows single at 2:00. Davison skipped away and the bout continued in neutral with no score. Kerkvliet used a single leg to gain control of Davison and lift him to the mat for a 3-1 lead at with 1:00 on the clock. Kerkvliet carried that lead into the second period. Kerkvliet chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 4-1 lead. He then bulled his way through a high double for a second takedown and a 7-1 lead seconds later. Davison managed an escaped with 1:02 left and Kerkvliet forced him into a stall warning shortly thereafter. Kerkvliet controlled the action from neutral as the clock hit :25, fought off a slight Davison shot, and killed the clock to lead 7-2 after two. Davison chose down to start the third period. Kerkvliet was able to break the Wolverine down and built his riding time edge up over 1:00. Davison escaped to a 7-3 score with :45 left in the bout. Kerkvliet worked for a final takedown, but the clock hit 0:00 and the Nittany Lion settled for the strong 8-3 win with 1:36 in riding time.

125: True freshman Braeden Davis, ranked No. 14 at 125, took on grad student No. 5 Michael DeAugustino. Davis took an early shot off the whistle that the Wolverine was able to back away from, setting a quick tempo early. He took a second with 2:00 on the clock, forcing DeAugustino into defense as the clock moved through the 1:30 mark. Davis continued to shoot, forcing DeAugustino into defense for the entire first period but the match was scoreless after one. DeAugustino chose down to start the second period. Davis controlled action on top, breaking DeAugustino down at the 1:10 mark and nearly turning him for back points. The Wolverine fought off his back but Davis’ riding time moved up over 1:00 as the clock hit :50. Davis was hit for stalling at :31 but maintained his top position until a DeAugustino escape with :16 on the clock. Trailing 1-0 but holding 1:46 in riding time, Davis chose down to start the third period. Davis worked the first minute for a reversal and nearly finished off the effort. With his riding time point disappearing, the Nittany Lion scrambled his way to an escape, tying the bout at 1-1 while holding 1:00 in riding time with 1:00 left to wrestle. Davis fought off DeAugustino through the :30 mark and then took a high shot at :20. Augustino defended, tried to shoot late, and Davis finished off the bout with a takedown in the final seconds. The Lion freshman added a riding time point and notched a strong 5-1 win.

133: Sophomore Aaron Nagao, ranked No. 4 at 133, met No. 6 Dylan Ragusin. The duo traded offensive bursts in the opening minute with Nagao working through a scramble to take an early 3-0 lead. Ragusin escaped to cut into the Lion lead and then notched Michigan’s first takedown of the bout to take a 4-3 lead. Nagao escaped quickly to tie the bout in the final minute and action moved to the second stanza tied 4-4. Nagao chose down to start the second period. He worked for a reversal early, but Ragusin maintained position and control through the 1:00 mark. Ragusin was hit with stalling but worked his riding time edge up to nearly 2:00. Ragusin was hit with locked hands and Nagao led 5-4 after two periods, but Ragusin had 1:51 in riding time. Ragusin chose neutral to start the third period and Nagao shot quickly, nearly connecting on a high single. The duo battled through the first minute in neutral before Ragusin shot low, forcing a scramble. Nago worked his way around and out of trouble at :20 and the bout moved to sudden victory tied 5-5. The duo scrambled their way to the mat and Nagao nearly ended the bout with a takedown, but during the scramble, Ragusin was awarded a fall while Nagao was scrambling to the takedown, with the Wolverine’s pin coming at 7:28 in sudden victory.

141: Senior Beau Bartlett, ranked No. 2 at 141, battled No. 25 Sergio Lemley. Bartlett was steady to start the bout, working his way through early Lemley defense for a takedown and a 3-0 lead with just over 1:00 on the clock. The Nittany Lion maintained his top position for the rest of the period and carried the 3-0 lead with 1:09 in riding time into the second stanza. Leading by three, Bartlett chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 4-0 lead. Bartlett fought off a Lemley shot at :30 and carried the 4-0 lead into the third. Lemley chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 4-1 score. Bartlett took a slight shot, Lemley countered and then turned a single into a takedown to tie the bout 4-4. Lemley was called for locked hands and then Bartlett rolled through a reversal with :28 left. Lemley added a final escape, but Bartlett posted the hard fought 7-5 win.

149: With No. 12 Tyler Kasak not competing at 149, junior David Evans faced off against Michigan’s Fidel Mayora. The duo battled through an even first minute with Evans holding position on the Michigan logo. The clock moved through the 1:00 mark with both wrestlers holding their positions and the first period ended in a 0-0 tie, but Evans forced Mayora into a first stall. Mayora chose down to start the second stanza. Evans went to work on top. The Nittany Lion junior controlled the action until the :58 mark before Mayora escaped to a 1-0 lead. Evans worked a single into a chance to score in the final seconds, but Mayora was able to defend the move and kill the clock. Trailing 1-0, Evans chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 1-1 tie. He moved in on a high single and finished off the takedown to open up a 4-1 lead with over 1:00 in riding time. Evans worked his time edge up as the clock moved through the 1:00 mark, using a strong ride to hold his top position. Mayora escaped to a 4-2 score with :35 left but Evans had clinched riding time. The Nittany Lion junior fought off one late shot and walked away with a strong 5-2 win.