Can Penn State Win 8 Titles at the Big Ten Wrestling Championships?

Penn State went 8-0 during the Big Ten regular season and will send eight wrestlers to Sunday's finals at the Big Ten Wrestling Championships in State College. Some symmetry there for the Nittany Lions, who nearly have locked up their fourth straight team title.

Penn State also has qualified its entire lineup to the NCAA Wrestling Championships for the third straight season. The finals begin at 4:30 p.m. ET at the Bryce Jordan Center, where Penn State seeks to set a program record for Big Ten champions. Can they get they get to six or beyond? Here's a preview.

125: No. 1 Luke Lilledahl (Penn State) vs. No. 6 Jore Volk (Minnesota)

Lilledahl, the defending Big Ten champ, should be a healthy favorite over Minnesota's Volk, who nevertheless has put together an impressive tournament run. Volk overwhelmed second-seeded Nic Bouzakis of Ohio State in the semifinals, scoring an 18-2 technical fall. Lilledahl beat Bouzakis 4-1 in sudden victory during the regular season.

Lilledahl (19-0) needs to keep Volk from getting confidently to his offense. The Penn State sophomore allowed just one takedown during the regular season.

133: No. 1 Marcus Blaze (Penn State) vs. No. 3 Ben Davino (Ohio State)

Penn State’s Marcus Blaze kneels during his bout vs. Rutgers' Dylan Shawver at the Big Ten Wrestling Championships. — Penn State’s Marcus Blaze (left) looks to make a move on Rutgers' Dylan Shawver (right) while wrestling in a 133-pound bout during the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Wrestling Championships at Bryce Jordan Center. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Blaze and Davino get a rematch of their February dual, which Blaze won 3-2 in the tiebreaker. That bout underscored how adept Blaze is at getting out of trouble. He reversed Davino late in the second tiebreaker period to sieze the win.

Blaze (21-0) added a sudden-victory win in Saturday's semifinals, getting a takedown vs. Iowa's Drake Ayala. Davino reached the final with an impressive technical fall over Purdue's Blake Boarman, who upset second-seeded Lucas Byrd of Illinois.

149: No. 1 Shayne Van Ness (Penn State) vs. No. 2 Ethan Stiles (Ohio State)

Van Ness has been anything but boring at Big Tens. He gave up the first takedown twice Saturday, putting himself in comeback positions both times. Van Ness (20-0) rallied for an 11-10 semifinal win over Michigan's Lachlan McNeil but doesn't want to give Stiles that edge.

Van Ness did not wrestle Stiles (17-4) in February and hasn't looked sharp early at Big Tens. He'll need to get off the whistle quickly in the final.

157: No. 1 Antrell Taylor (Nebraska) vs. No. 2 PJ Duke (Penn State)

Penn State’s PJ Duke walks on the mat before a bout at 157 pounds during the Big Ten Wrestling Championships. — Penn State’s PJ Duke walks on the mat before a bout at 157 pounds during the Big Ten Wrestling Championships at Bryce Jordan Center. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Should be a gem of a rematch. Taylor, the defending NCAA champ, handed Duke his only loss of the season in January, a 2-1 tiebreaker decision in which neither wrestler could secure a takedown. Duke (18-1) absolutely rolled Ohio State's (injured) Brandon Cannon 20-7 in the quarterfinals and has been pointed squarely at the rematch with Taylor (24-2).

165: No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn State) vs. No. 3 Mikey Caliendo (Iowa)

Caliendo might be pursuing his second straight NCAA title but for Mesenbrink, who has been his three-year foil. Mesenbrink has beaten Caliendo seven times over the past three seasons, including twice in the 2025 Big Ten and NCAA finals.

Caliendo gave Mesenbrink his closest bout of the past two years, falling 4-1 in the 2025 Big Ten final. But Mesenbrink (21-0) has been untouchable this season, winning every bout with bonus points.

174: No. 1 Levi Haines (Penn State) vs. No. 2 Christopher Minto (Nebraska)

Penn State’s Levi Haines grabs the leg of Illinois’ Colin Kelly during the Big Ten Wrestling Championships. — Penn State’s Levi Haines (right) grabs the leg of Illinois’ Colin Kelly (left) while wrestling in a 174-pound bout during the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Wrestling Championships at Bryce Jordan Center. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

This is the expected final, though a third-party platform initially seeded it the other way around. Haines (20-0) defeated Minto 8-6 in January. With a victory in the rematch, Haines would become just the third Penn State wrestler to win four Big Ten championships. Minto has not allowed a takedown yet in the tournament.

184: No. 1 Rocco Welsh (Penn State) vs. No. 2 Max McEnelly (Minnesota)

Welsh gets a tough opponent in McEnelly, who scored a quarterfinal technical fall en route to the final. Welsh (21-0) faced two exhausting tests Saturday, needing overtime to win his quarterfinal and semifinal bouts. He scored a takedown in sudden victory for an 8-5 decision over Michigan's Brock Mantanona.

197: No. 1 Josh Barr (Penn State) vs. No. 2 Camden McDanel (Nebraska)

Penn State's Josh Barr gets his hand raised after a win over Nebraska's Camden McDanel during a Big Ten dual meet. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Barr and Mesenbrink are Penn State's two most unstoppable wrestlers. Barr (18-0) has scored 39 points in two technical falls at the Big Tens, keeping his 100-percent bonus-point streak alive this season. Barr decisioned McDanel 21-9 during their January dual.

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