Looks like we made it! Four months of the regular season, one weekend of conference championships, and here we are, in the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City getting ready for the culmination of the most excellent tournament of the world’s oldest and greatest sport.
Match Notes: First Round | Second Round | Quarterfinals | Semis + Bloodround | Medal Round
We’re at the 2024 NCAA D1 Wrestling Championships, and we’ll have an account of all the action here for you in real time!
2024 NCAA Championships Watch Party
Have some time to kill before the wrestling starts? Might I recommend spending an hour watching the latest FloSports Original: Spencer & Austin? I’m admittedly biased but in my humble opinion it rules.
Where Are Brackets?
I’m hoping you came here for the live blog but if you just want the brackets I understand as well. We all crave brackets. Here is the link to the D1 NCAA Championship event page on Trackwrestling. Brackets are very easy to find from there. Sweet sweet brackets.
What About the Schedule?
Sure, right here.
Saturday, March 23
Session 5 – 11:00 am (Placing Matches)
Session 6 – 7:00 pm (Championship Finals)
And that is the very last time I will cut and paste that information into the live blog. Now, they’re finally here, live from KC and in prime time on ESPN, the 2024 NCAA Championship finals!
MATCHUPS FINALS
Using NCAA rankings, not seeds. Finals are starting at 285 and going in weight class order.
285: #1 Greg Kerkvliet, Penn State vs #8 Lucas Davison, Michigan
Kerkvliet beat Davison at the 2022 Big Tens and in a dual meet this season. Kerkvliet had a brief stint at Ohio State before transferring to Penn State his freshman season. He is a four-time All-American (7th, 4th, 2nd, ?) with one more season of eligibility remaining. Davison qualified for four NCAAs at Northwestern and earned two All-American honors (6th & 5th) before transferring to Michigan for his final year of eligibility.
Davison comes sauntering out to Slipknot’s Duality. Nice. I don’t recognize Kerkvliet’s song which is not surprising as I get further and further out of touch with popular music with each passing day. Sounds cool though!
1st period: Fierce handfighting. Neither of these guys have a lot of extra pounds on them for heavyweights. Kerk taking ground, picks and ankle, collects the other leg and gets a takedown on the boundary for the early 3-0 lead. Davison stands and is out quickly to make it 3-1. In short time, Kerkvliet short drags an arm and grabs another leg, the strength he must have to stop Davison from kicking free is incredible. Another takedown, though Davison escapes before the period ends. 6-2.
2nd period: Davison chooses down. Again no trouble getting out. That’s no small feat given how Kerkvliet has ridden Manny All-Americans this season. Kerkvliet fires off a shot, Davison reattacks, is in on Kerkvliet’s legs but Kerk defends and then counters with his own leg attack. He finishes for three more. Incredible speed and precise timing by Kerkvliet and he leads 9-3 going into the third.
3rd period: Kerk gets a turn on bottom. Church sits and is free. 10-3, Davison in a deep hole, though on the plus side riding time isn’t a factor. One minute to go, Davison unable to get through Kerk’s hand and hands defense. He shoots anyway but Kerkvliet down blocks and goes behind for three more, 13-3. One more escape is all Davison will get. It’s a 13-4 major decision as Kerkvliet completes a perfect 20-0 season!
I don’t think Kerkvliet gave up anything but escapes all season. He’s in the running for the Hodge, with only a couple of people who can challenge him (looking at you, 197-pound final).
125: #2 Drake Ayala, Iowa vs #11 Richard Figueroa, Arizona State
This is the first collegiate meeting between Ayala and Figueroa, although Ayala did beat Figueroa in high school at 2020’s Who’s Number One. This is Ayala’s first All-American honor. He has two more years of eligibility. The same can be said for Figueroa.
I forgot to pay attention to what they walked out too, sorry. 2nd match and already I’m slipping. By the way the smoke machine keeps pumping out fog after the walk outs and the lights are on. Looks like someone is hitting a massive vape. Anyway.
1st period: Ayala in on the first shot after a couple of slide by attempts. He gets Difueroa’s leg but FIgs kicks free.
133: #2 Vito Arujau, Cornell vs. #3 Daton Fix, Oklahoma State
This is a rematch of last year’s NCAA semifinals, won by Vito 11-3. Both Arujau and Fix graduated high school in 2017. Arujau is a four-time All-American, Fix is a five-time All-American. Both also have senior world medals in freestyle at 61kg, Fix a silver and Vito a gold.
141: #1 Jesse Mendez, Ohio State vs #2 Beau Bartlett, Penn State
These two have met twice this season. Bartlett beat Mendez in overtime in a dual meet and Mendez won in the Big Ten finals 4-1. Mendez is a true sophomore who finished 6th at NCAAs last season. Bartlett is now a two-time All-American who finished 3rd last season and has one year of eligibility remaining.
149: #4 Caleb Henson, Virginia Tech vs #5 Austin Gomez, Michigan
Henson is a true sophomore from Georgia who finished 5th at least year’s NCAA. Austin Gomez finished in the round of 12 in 2019 while at Iowa State. He later transferred to Wisconsin where he was a two-time qualifier and 2022 All-American. He is using his final year of eligibility at Michigan. He’s also represents Mexico in international freestyle competitions and ahs qualified for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. These two have ever wrestled each other in college.
157: #1 Levi Haines, Penn State vs. #2 Jacori Teemer, Arizona State
Haines is a true sophomore who finished runner-up at last year’s NCAAs, losing to North Carolina’s Austin O’Connor. Teemer is a redshirt senior who may or may not have another year of eligibiuty remaining depending on if he got a medical redshirt for last year (I think he does but am not sure). He’s a three-time All-American and has never before wrestled Haines in college.
165: #2 David Carr, Iowa State vs #4 Mitchell Mesenbrink, Penn State
Carr is a five-time NCAA qualifier and four-time All-American (1st, 3rd, 2nd, ?). He has never wrestled redshirt Mitchell Mesenbrink before, who transferred to Penn State last summer after a brief stint at California Baptist.
174: #1 Carter Starocci, Penn State vs #6 Rocco Welsh, Ohio State
Starocci is a redshirt senior with one more year of eligibility that he may or may not use. He’s a three-time NCAA champion seeking to become the sixth four-time in NCAA history (the other five are Pat Smith, Cael Sanderson, Logan Steiber, Kyle Dake. and Yianni Diakomihalis). Starocci beat true freshman Welsh in a dual meet 4-2. Welsh was pressed into service when teammate and All-American Carson Kharchla went down with a season-ending injury. Starocci was injured in the final dual meet of the year and injury defaulted in two matches at Big Tens, but is showing little difficulty wrestling at this tournament.
184: #1 Parker Keckeisen, Northern Iowa vs #2 Dustin Plott, Oklahoma State
Keckeisen is a redshirt senior with one more year of eligibility remaining. He’s a four-time All-American (3rd, 3rd, 2nd, ?). He’s beat Plott twice this season, 12-6 in a dual and 14-5 at Big 12s. Plott is a true junior with one more year of eligibility. He’s a three-time All-American (6th, 6th, ?).
197: #1 Aaron Brooks, Penn State vs #2 Trent Hidlay, NC State
Brooks is a five-time qualifier and four-time All-American seeking his fourth NCAA title. Whether he could be the 6th or 7th four-timer depends on what his teammate Starocci does earlier in the finals. He is the current Hodge Trophy Award front runner and in his final year of eligibility. Hidlay is a redshirt senior and also a five-time qualifier and four-time All-American (2nd, 5th, 4th, ?) and in his final year of eligibility. Brooks defeated Hidlay once in each of the last three seasons, though they have not met this year. They are also both bumped up from 184 to 197 and are undefeated on the season.
