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Penn State Wrestling Breaks NCAA Record With Shutout of Rutgers

The No. 1 Nittany Lions won their 78th consecutive match, the longest win streak in NCAA wrestling history.
Mark Wogenrich|
Penn State Nittany Lions wrestling coach Cael Sanderson watches a match during the NCAA Wrestling Championships.
Penn State Nittany Lions wrestling coach Cael Sanderson watches a match during the NCAA Wrestling Championships. | Brett Rojo-Imagn Images

Top-ranked Penn State set an NCAA wrestling record Saturday, defeating Rutgers 46-0 for its 78th consecutive victory. With the victory, Penn State set the all-time NCAA wrestling record for longest win streak, breaking Division II St. Cloud State's former mark.

Penn State (7-0) set a win-streak mark for the second consecutive match. With its last victory, over Stanford at the Journeymen Collegiate Duals in December, Penn State broke Oklahoma State's NCAA Division I record for consecutive victories.

The win over Rutgers gave the Nittany Lions the longest win streak of any team in NCAA wrestling history. Penn State has won four straight NCAA championships and 12 under head coach Cael Sanderson, who is in his 17th season with the Nittany Lions.

Jason Bryant of Mat Talk Online has compiled an exhaustive list of records at his site, including the top win streaks in college wrestling history. Here's a look at where Penn State stands.

Team

Consecutive Wins

Years Recorded

Division

Grand View

117

2013-22

NAIA

SUNY Delhi

92

1979-83

NJCAA

Penn State

78

2020-present

NCAA Divisioin I

St. Cloud State

77

2017-22

NCAA Division II

Oklahoma State

76

1937-51

NCAA Division I

Oklahoma City

76

2008-12

NAIA Women

Iowa

69

2007-11

NCAA Division I

Oklahoma State

69

1996-99

NCAA Division I

Penn State, which has not lost a dual match since 2020, won its 72nd consecutive home dual and improved to 27-0 against Rutgers. The Nittany Lions also scored their third straight shutout and fourth of the season. Here's a bout-by-bout recap of Saturday's match at Rec Hall.

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No. 1 Penn State 46, No. 14 Rutgers 0

125: No. 2 Luke Lilledahl (PS) dec. No. 28 Ayden Smith 8-3

Lilledahl (9-0) scored takedowns in the first and third periods, the second with 20 seconds remaining in the bout. Those are hallmarks of Penn State wrestling: scoring first and scoring last. Lilledahl, who placed third at NCAAs as a freshman, improved his career record at Penn State to 34-3.

133: No. 5 Marcus Blaze (PS) dec. No. 24 Dylan Shawver 12-2

Blaze (11-0) has been electric in his freshman debut, winning every bout with bonus points. After a scoreless first period, Blaze took charge against Shawver for his third major decision of the season.

Shawver held off Blaze's offense in the first period and escaped midway through the second to take a 1-0 lead. But Blaze patiently waited for his move, circling Shawver into an athletic takedown by grabbing an ankle as Shawver tried to spin out of trouble.

Blaze hit another ankle early in the third period to begin separating himself in the bout. The win was Blaze's fourth straight over a top-30 opponent, which included a pin of seventh-ranked Tyler Knox of Stanford.

141: Braeden Davis (PS) dec. Tahir Parkins 18-7

Davis made his dual-meet debut for Penn State this season with Aaron Nagao injured and looked crisp. He went straight at Parkins, scoring two takedowns within the first minute en route to the victory. Davis (5-0) won an open tournament in early January and likely will have the weight class if Nagao's injury continues long term.

Davis' return to the lineup also underscores Penn State's lineup depth. A 2025 All-American at 133, Davis was scheduled to redshirt this season. Sanderson said. Instead, he might chase another medal at a new weight class.

149: No. 1 Shayne Van Ness pin Devon Magro 4:53

Van Ness (10-0) has been dominant, winning nine of his bouts with bonus points. On Saturday, Van Ness overpowered the Rutgers freshman for his fourth fall of the season.

The two-time All-American took control early, turning a four-point move into a 12-3 lead after one period. Magro escaped the pin in that moment but could not avoid it in the third period. Van Ness' victory gave the Nittany Lions a 17-0 lead in the match.

157: No. 4 PJ Duke (PS) tech. fall Easton Doster 19-4 in 3:18

Another unstoppable freshman in Penn State's lineup, Duke made quick work of Doster. He scored the first takedown 10 seconds into the bout and rolled from there. Duke scored five first-period takedowns and finished the technical fall with an ankle pick in the second.

Duke (9-0) scored his seventh bonus-point win of the season and first technical fall. Duke beat four ranked opponents before Saturday and could face another next week at Iowa in No. 12 Jordan Williams.

165: No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (PS) pin Ryan Ford 2:28

Perhaps the most surprising moment of the match occurred when Ford, a freshman, scored a first-period takedown vs. the unbeaten defending NCAA champ. Mesenbrink recalibrated from there, scoring 12 straight points before finishing his sixth fall of the season in the first period.

Mesenbrink (11-0) improved his career record to 66-1 and scored his 51st bonus-point victory. He also clinched the record-setting 78th straight victory.

174: No. 1 Levi Haines (PS) pin Jordan Chapman 4:49

Haines, the 2024 national champ at 157 pounds, continues to be the most dominant wrestler at his weight class this year. Haines (10-0) scored his fourth fall and 10th bonus-point win by turning his fourth takedown into the pin.

Haines is scheduled to face his highest-ranked opponent at Iowa, taking on third-ranked Patrick Kennedy. Haines beat Kennedy three times last season, including an 11-3 major decision in the third-place bout.

184: No. 4 Rocco Welsh (PS) dec. No. 15 Shane Cartagena-Walsh 13-3

Welsh (9-0) remained unbeaten in his first season at Penn State by turning three first-period takedowns into his third major decision. An Ohio State transfer who redshirted last season, Welsh has assimilated well at the bottom of Penn State's lineup by scoring six bonus-point victories. Cartagena-Walsh was the third top-25 wrestler Welsh has faced.

197: No. 1 Josh Barr (PS) tech. fall No. 18 Remy Cotton 18-3 in 6:00

During the week, Sanderson said that Barr has responded well following an October injury at the U23 World Championships that kept him off the mat until late December. Barr since has gone 8-0, scoring bonus points in every bout. The technical fall was his fifth of the season.

285: No. 15 Cole Mirasola (PS) dec. No. 21 Hunter Catka 4-2

In the closest bout of the match, Mirasola scored a takedown with one minute left in the third period to clinch the Nittany Lions' third consecutive shutout. Mirasola and Catka dueled tightly through two periods before Mirasola caught an opening for the winning takedown.

Mirasola, who weighed in at 226 pounds, scored the decision over his highest-ranked opponent of the season to move to 8-2 on the season.

Up next

Penn State visits sixth-ranked Iowa for a Friday-night Big Ten marquee matchup Jan. 15 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The match begins at 7 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network.

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Mark Wogenrich
MARK WOGENRICH

Mark Wogenrich is the editor and publisher of Penn State on SI, the site for Nittany Lions sports on the Sports Illustrated network. He has covered Penn State sports for more than two decades across three coaching staffs, three Rose Bowls and one College Football Playoff appearance.

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