Takedown Report

Starocci stakes claim to 184 with sudden victory win over Keckeisen to cap eventful NWCA All-Star Classic

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Round one to Carter Starocci. The four-time NCAA champion for Penn State defeated returning NCAA champion Parker Keckeisen of Northern Iowa in sudden victory overtime to punctuate an eventful night of wrestling at the 2024 NWCA All-Star Classic.
The 184-pound showdown at Rec Hall was a match of positioning and patience. Starocci and Keckeisen dueled to a 1-1 stalemate at the end of regulation, both men earning an escape point. The only difference in the match to that point was negligible, Starocci escaping in seven seconds compared to Keckeisen’s 35-second escape time.
In the two-minute sudden victory period, it was Starocci who controlled the center of the mat, doing well with his underhook tie. Starocci fought through a lengthy finish from an outside single leg attempt to end the match, 4-1, with 27 seconds left in overtime and send the Penn State faithful home on a positive note. Starocci bumped up from 174 pounds where he has won the last four NCAA tournaments and came into the season ranked No. 1 at 184 pounds. Keckeisen is the reigning 184-pound national champion and has finished in the top three of the weight class the past four years.
Another Nittany Lion made the decision to bump up in weight and declared themselves a top contender with an impressive win on Saturday night. Levi Haines, last year’s NCAA champion at 157 pounds, took out No. 3 Cade Devos of South Dakota State, 7-0, to solidify his No. 2 ranking at 174 pounds. Haines looked every bit his normal self up two weight classes.
Also picking up wins for the top-ranked Nittany Lions were No. 2 Shayne Van Ness at 149 pounds and No. 4 Tyler Kasak at 157 pounds, both of whom are past third-place finishers at the NCAAs. Van Ness put it on No. 3 Ty Watters of West Virginia with a 16-4 major decision win. Kasak emerged with a controlled, 4-2, win against No. 5 Peyten Kellar of Ohio. The 141-pound NCAA finals rematch between Ohio State’s Jesse Mendez and Penn State’s Beau Bartlett had a similar tenor to their previous matches. … more at … https://www.themat.com/news/2024/november/16/starocci-stakes-claim-to-184-with-sudden-victory-win-over-keckeisen-to-cap-eventful-nwca-all-star-classic?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

November 20, 2024 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | ncaa, sports