Starocci & Brooks become four-time NCAA DI champions, Carr wins his second, Penn State is team champ again

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – It was a night for history during the finals of the NCAA Div. I Wrestling Championships on Saturday night in the T-Mobile Center.

Penn State stars Carter Starocci (174) and Aaron Brooks (197) joined an exclusive club of four-time NCAA Div. I champions. Starocci became the sixth to reach this amazing feat, and two matches later, Brooks became the seventh. It was the first time that two athletes won their fourth NCAA title during the same tournament. They were the first two four-timers for Penn State.

Starocci defeated freshman Rocco Welsh of Ohio State, 2-0 in the finals. Starocci received a point in the first period when Welsh was penalized for stalling. In the second period, a Starocci escape made it 2-0. Welsh took neutral in the third period, and there was no more scoring.

Starocci suffered an injury late in the regular season. At the Big Ten Championships, he took a pair of defaults. Starocci was awarded a No. 9 seed based upon those conference losses. He beat the No. 8, No. 1, No. 4 and No. 6 seeds in order to make history.

In the final match of the evening, Brooks beat Trent Hidlay of NC State, in a battle of the top two seeds, 6-1. Brooks scored a takedown in the final seconds of the first period to lead 3-0. He added an escape in the second period and Hidlay was penalized for stalling, making it 5-0. Brooks rode Hidlay almost the entire third period, before Hidlay got a late escape. Add in riding time points, and Brooks won 6-1. Brooks was named Outstanding Wrestler of the Tournament by the NWCA.

The previous four-time champions were Pat Smith of Oklahoma State (1990, 1991, 1992, 1994), Cael Sanderson of Iowa State (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002), Kyle Dake of Cornell (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013), Logan Stieber of Ohio State), 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015) and Yianni Diakomihalis of Cornell (2018, 2019, 2022, 2023).

Winning an NCAA title for the second straight year was Vito Arujau of Cornell at 133 pounds. He defeated four-time finalist and five-time All-American Daton Fix of Oklahoma State, 5-3.

The match was extremely delayed with blood time for Arujau and a number of challenges and officials reviews. There were no points scored in the first period. In the second period, Arujau was penalized for locking hands, giving Fix a 1-0 lead. Fix added an escape and led 2-0 at the end of the second period. An Arujau challenge for a takedown was denied. In the third period, Arujau escaped and Fix was hit for stalling, tying it at 2-2. An Arujau takedown was overturned on challenge, keeping it at 2-2. Arujau responded with a quick takedown for a 5-2 lead. After a Fix escape made it 5-3, Arujau scored another takedown, but it was overturned on challenge. Arujau hand fought in the final seconds to keep his 5-3 win.

This was a battle between Senior World men’s freestyle medalists, as Arujau waa a 2023 World champion and Fix was a 2021 World silver medalist.

Winning a second career NCAA title was senior No. 4 seed David Carr of Iowa State, who stopped No. 2 Mitchell Mesenbrink of Penn State in a wild 9-8 bout, decided by riding time. Carr’s previous NCAA title came in 2021.

Carr scored a quick low double leg takedown for a 3-0 lead, and rode Messenbrink most of the period, getting considerable riding time. Carr added to the lead with an escape and a spin behind takedown for a 7-1 lead. While on top, Carr was penalized for stalling and allowed an escape, making it 7-3 going into the third period. Messenbrink made a furious comeback, with an escape, a second stall against Carr and a takedown, for an 8-7 lead. Carr escaped to tie it up at 8-8. Messenbrink could not score late and Carr’s 2:06 in riding time was the difference, 9-8.

To reach the finals, Carr defeated longtime rival and two-time NCAA champion Keegan O’Toole of Missouri, 8-6. O’Toole beat Carr in the 2023 NCAA finals.

On Friday night, Penn State clinched the team title, its third straight NCAA title and 11th title in the last 13 years. Penn State put a team record six athletes into the finals and finished the night with four champions, Starocci, Brooks, Levi Haines (157) and Greg Kerkvliet (285).  

Penn State finished with 172.5 points, an impressive 100 points ahead of runner-up Cornell with 72.5 points. It was a new tournament record for the most team points.

Placing third was Michigan with 71 points, and finishing fourth with 68.5 points was Iowa State.

Based upon wins in the finals, Cornell passed Michigan for second place, and Iowa State moved up past Iowa for fourth place.

Besides Starocci, Brooks and Carr, all of the other individual champions won their first national crown.

The competition started at 285 pounds. Top seed Greg Kerkvliet of Penn State scored a 13-4 major decision over Lucas Davison of Michigan. Kerkvliet scored a pair of first-period leg attack takedowns, followed by Davison escapes, to lead 6-2 after the first period. Kerkvliet added a takedown in each of the second and third period to stretch his lead.

At 125 pounds, Richard Figueroa of Arizona State scored the only two takedowns in the match to defeat Drake Ayala of Iowa, 7-2. There was no takedown in the first period. Figueroa opened the scoring with an escape in the second period, then he scored a takedown on the edge at the end of the period for a 4-0 lead. Iowa challenged the call, which was upheld. Figueroa added the other takedown with only seconds left in the third period to close out the win.

Top seeded Jesse Mendez of Ohio State scored a takedown with three seconds left to break a tie and defeat second seed Beau Bartlett of Penn State, 4-1 at 141 pounds. There were no first-period scores. In the second, Mendez escaped for a 1-0 lead. After a Bartlett escape in the third, as time was running down, Bartlett got in deep on a double leg shot. Mendez hit a standing roll as a counter and came out with a takedown with three seconds left to lead 4-1. The takedown was upheld in challenge.

No. 4 seed Caleb Henson of Virginia Tech had a scoring spree in the first period, and went on to defeat No. 6 seed Austin Gomez in a 15-7 major decision. Gomez scored the first takedown, but after a Henson escape, Henson scored a takedown to Gomez’s back for two more backpoints and a 6-3 lead. Henson turned Gomez over for four more backpoints to lead 10-3. Gomez escaped and Henson got a takedown for a 13-4 lead after one period. In the second period, Henson escaped and Gomez got his only takedown, closing it to 15-7. Gomez chose neutral for the third period and there was no more scoring.

After placing second as a freshman, No. 1 seed Levi Haines of Penn State won the national title this season, stopping No. 2 seed No. 2 Jacori Teemer of Arizona State, 5-0. There were no first period takedowns. In the second, Haines went down and got a quick escape for a 1-0 lead and there was no more scoring. Teemer took neutral in the third period, and Haines got a clean takedown for a 4-0 lead. Haines rode him the rest of the period and got a riding time point for the 5-0 triumph. Haines went undefeated for the season.

No. 1 Parker Keckeisen of Northern Iowa finished an undefeated season with a 14-5 major decision over No. 3 seed Dustin Plott of Oklahoma State, showing his dominance on his feet.  Keckeisen scored a pair of first-period takedowns, answered by Plott escapes, for a 6-2 lead after the first period. Plott escaped to make it 6-3 and Keckeisen answered with another takedown for a 10-3 lead after two. In the third period, Keckeisen got another takedown, added riding time, and closed out the 14-5 major decision.

Champions at the 2024 NCAA Div. I Championships have qualified for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Wrestling at Penn State, April 19-20. If one of the NCAA champions has already qualified, there will be nobody from that weight class who will advance.

Based upon the finals results, eight of the champions have punched their ticket for the Olympic Trials: Figueroa, Mendez, Henson, Haines, Carr, Starocci, Keckeisen and Kerkvliet.

The NCAA Div. I awards went to Aaron Brooks of Penn State (most dominant), Wyatt Hendrickson of Air Force  (most falls) and Michael Beard of Lehigh (most technical falls)

NCAA DIV. I CHAMPIONSHIPS

At Kansas City, Mo., March 23

Finals results

285 - Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) maj. dec. Lucas Davison (Michigan), 13-4

125 - Richard Figueroa (Arizona State) dec. Drake Ayala (Iowa), 7-2

133 - Vito Arujau (Cornell) dec. Daton Fix (Oklahoma State), 5-3

141 - Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) dec. Beau Bartlett (Penn State), 4-1

149 - Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech) maj. dec. Austin Gomez (Michigan), 15-7

157 - Levi Haines (Penn State) dec. Jacori Teemer (Arizona State), 5-0

165 - David Carr (Iowa State) dec. Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn State), 9-8

174 - Carter Starocci (Penn State) dec. Rocco Welsh (Ohio State), 2-0

184 - Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) maj. dec. Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State), 14-5

197 - Aaron Brooks (Penn State) dec. Trent Hidlay (NC State), 6-1

Qualifiers for U.S. Olympic Team Trials at Penn State, April 19-20

(must select an Olympic weight class)

125 - Richard Figueroa (Arizona State)

141 - Jesse Mendez (Ohio State)

149 - Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech)

157 - Levi Haines (Penn State)

165 - David Carr (Iowa State)

174 - Carter Starocci (Penn State)

184 - Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa)

285 - Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State)

Final Team Standings

1             Penn State            172.5

2             Cornell 72.5

3             Michigan              71.0

4             Iowa State            68.5

5             Iowa       67.0

6             Arizona State       64.5

7             Virginia Tech       64.0

8             Ohio State            62.0

9             Nebraska              60.5

10           Oklahoma State   56.0

11           Missouri               49.5

11           NC State               49.5

13           South Dakota State            48.5

14           Northern Iowa     39.5

15           Lehigh   36.5

16           Stanford               34.0

17           West Virginia       31.5

18           Wisconsin            24.5

19           Little Rock           24.0

20           Rutgers 22.5

21           Air Force              21.5

22           Minnesota            21.0

23           Oklahoma            20.0

23           Oregon State        20.0