Penn State wins all first-round matches at Championships

PHILADELPHIA — Penn State had a strong start at the NCAA Wrestling Championships, winning all 10 of their first-round matches on Thursday at the Wells Fargo Center. Lehigh University also showed promise, with three wrestlers advancing to the round of 16. Among the Nittany Lions, Tyler Kasak secured his spot in the next round with a quick pin against Northern Illinois’ Landen Johnson at 157 pounds. He had a challenging time last year, losing his first match but coming back to finish third overall. Four-time NCAA champion Carter Starocci made headlines by achieving his 100th career win with an impressive technical fall victory over Lehigh’s Caden Rogers. Penn State leads the team standings with 24 points, followed by Oklahoma State, Michigan, Nebraska, and Ohio State. Lehigh is currently in 12th place. For Lehigh, Sheldon Seymour, Michael Beard, and Owen Trephan all performed well in their first matches, each winning decisively. In a disappointing outcome, Stroudsburg's Lenny Pinto lost his first-round match against Army’s Dalton Harkins. Pinto, a notable competitor last year, struggled to find his rhythm and will need to win his next match to remain in the tournament. Other noteworthy matches included Mahanoy Area's Colin Fegley, who lost, and Ryan Miller from the University of Pennsylvania, who advanced with a solid win. The competition continues tonight at 7 p.m. with more matches set for Friday and the tournament culminating in the finals on Saturday evening.