Penn State wrestling: Breaking down the Lions' chances at Big Tens from 165-285 pounds

The Big Ten Wrestling Championships are almost here. No. 1 Penn State, which is led by legendary competition and coach Cael Sanderson, has five No. 1 seeds and 10 entrants total at the annual conference event, which will be held Saturday and Sunday in College Park, Md. Big Ten Network and BTN+ will televise and stream the sessions.

Blue-White Illustrated is previewing the conference championships all week long. Yesterday, we started with the early outlook for the Lions at 125-157 pounds (Click here to read it). Today, we’ll take a look at 165-285 pounds. Friday, we’ll have predictions. And, there will be complete coverage from start to finish Saturday and Sunday.

Without any further ado, let’s dive into the final five weight classes.

165 pounds: Redshirt freshman Mitchell Mesenbrink

Seed: No. 2

Expected opening opponent: A first-round bye means Mesenbrink gets the winner of No. 7 Stoney Burell vs. No. 10 Blaine Brenner of Minnesota in the quarterfinals.

Weight class breakdown: Redshirt freshman Mitchell Mesenbrink has been a shining star for the Lions this season. His aggressive style is beloved by the coaching staff and fans. He finished the Big Ten season 8-0, and while his resume is worthy of the top line, he’s No. 2 behind No. 1 Dean Hamiti of Wisconsin, who has 10 wins against Big Ten foes this season. All signs point to the two meeting in the finals for an epic showdown that would shape the seeding at nationals. 

Penn State prediction: The most anticipated final of the tournament takes place as expected and in a high-scoring, high-flying affair, Mesenbrink clips Hamiti in a close match to win his first Big Ten title.

174 pounds: Penn State senior Carter Starocci

Seed: No. 1

Expected opening opponent: A first-round bye means he’ll face the winner of No. 8 DJ Washington of Indiana vs. No. 9 Andrew Sparks of Minnesota in the quarterfinals.

Weight class breakdown: Senior Carter Starocci was tracking to add to his already monstrous collection of hardware at the NCAA level as he aims to win his fourth NCAA title. But, a knee injury suffered in the regular season finale against Edinboro has thrown a wrench into things. As of the time of this writing, there was no solidified update on Starocci’s availability for Big Tens or nationals. He would, however, have to at least show up, step on the mat, forfeit at the conference tournament to be eligible for the NCAA Tournament. Sanderson said this week that Starocci’s plan is still to “seek and destroy” his opponents. Whether or not he’ll be able to, however, won’t be know until Saturday.

Penn State prediction: If Starocci is healthy enough to wrestle the four matches needed to win a title, he will do so. If not, Shane Griffith and Michigan becomes the favorite in this weight class.

184 pounds: Graduate senior Bernie Truax

Seed: No. 3

Expected opening opponent: Chase Mielnik of Maryland

Weight class breakdown: Graduate senior Bernie Truax has been a bit of an enigma for Penn State fans during his first and only year in a blue and white singlet. The multi-time All-American at Cal Poly has had matches where he looks unbeatable and others where his offense is next to non-existent. Which wrestler will show up at Big Tens? That’s up to him, of course, but if the best version does, he’ll have no issue grabbing one of the conference’s eight available allotments for the national tournament. Minnesota’s Isaac Salazar is the No. 1 seed. Nebraska’s Lenny Pinto, who beat Truax in February, is No. 2 here. And, Ohio State’s Ryder Rogotzke, who pinned Truax during the dual meet season, is No. 4.

Penn State prediction: Will the real Truax show up? If so, he will make his way to the semifinals but lose there to Pinto once again before wrestling back to finish third and match his seed.

197 pounds: Penn State graduate senior Aaron Brooks

Seed: No. 1

Expected opening opponent: After a first-round bye he will face the winner of No. 8 Evan Bates of Northwestern vs. No. 9 Ben Vanadia of Purdue in the quarters.

Weight class breakdown: No one has threatened Brooks this season despite the fact he now resides in a new class after dominating earlier in his career at 184 pounds. The Nittany Lion is head and shoulders above this field.

Penn State prediction: Brooks returns to the Big Ten tournament as a massive favorite in yet another year. No other member of the field is undefeated against Big Ten competition as Brooks is. He should roll to another conference crown, which would be his first at 197.

285 pounds: Senior Greg Kerkvliet

Seed: No. 1

Expected opening opponent: After a first-round bye, he will face the winner of No. 8 Bennett Tabor of Minnesota vs. No. 9 Josh Terrill of Maryland.

Weight class breakdown: Senior Greg Kerkvliet is now the top dog in the Big Ten and country at heavyweight. He beat up No. 2 seed Nick Feldman of Ohio State by major decision, 12-0, in early February. It’s hard to find a challenger who can hang with Kerkvliet.