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Penn State Wrestling Cruises to 3rd Straight Big Ten Wrestling Title

The Nittany Lions crown five Big Ten champions and qualify their entire lineup for the NCAA Wrestling Championships.

Mark Wogenrich

Penn State’s Carter Starocci is introduced before wrestling Iowa's Angelo Ferrari in their 184-pound bout at the Bryce Jordan Center.
Penn State’s Carter Starocci is introduced before wrestling Iowa's Angelo Ferrari in their 184-pound bout at the Bryce Jordan Center. / Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Penn State won its third straight team title at the Big Ten Wrestling Championships on Sunday, claiming five individual titles and qualifying its entire roster for the NCAA Championships. However, the Nittany Lions had a few tense moments on the final day of Big Tens.

Most notably, Josh Barr, the No. 2 seed at 197 pounds, sustained a leg injury in the consolation round and was forced to take two injury defaults to close the tournament. His status for the NCAA Wrestling Championships in two weeks remains unknown. And then, four-time NCAA champ Carter Starocci gave up his first takedown of the season and needed overtime to win his third Big Ten title.

Among the championship highlights:

  • Penn State finished with 181.5 team points, 11.5 more than last year, in cruising to the team title. Nebraska (137) was second, and Iowa (111) was third.
  • Luke Lilledahl became the second straight Penn State true freshman to win the 125-pound title.
  • Levi Haines (174) became a three-time Big Ten champ after winning the past two at 157 pounds.
  • Mitchell Mesenbrink (165) became a two-time Big Ten champion.
  • The Big Ten title was Penn State's ninth under head coach Cael Sanderson, tied for second with former Michigan coach Cliff Keen in conference history. Sanderson was named Big Ten coach of the year for the eighth time.
  • Carter Starocci was named Big Ten wrestler of the year after winning his third conference title.

A look at Penn State wrestling's Sunday at the Big Ten Wrestling Championships.

125: Luke Lilledahl (Penn State) dec. Caleb Smith (Nebraska) 4-3

The true freshman, seeded fourth at Big Tens, completed a marvelous tournament in which he went 4-0 and beat the first- and second-seeded wrestlers. That included a win over Purdue's Matt Ramos, who entered the tournament unbeaten and ranked No. 1 in the country. In the final vs. Smith, Lilledahl scored the bout's only takedown in the first period, grabbing an ankle on a quick move. "I knew these guys can't keep up with my pace," Lilledahl said in an interview with Big Ten Network. He made the takedown stand up despite getting called twice for stalling in the third period.

Lilledahl (19-2) became the second straight Penn State true freshman to win the Big Ten title at 125, following teammate Braeden Davis. Lilledahl entered the Big Ten Championships ranked eighth nationally but should climb significantly in seeding for the NCAA Chanmpionships.

133: Third place — Nic Bouzakis (Ohio State) pin Braeden Davis (Penn State) 2:23

Davis, the Penn State sophomore, had a wild second Big Ten Tournament. After winning the 125-pound title last year, Davis placed fourth, getting pinned in the first period by Bouzakis in the third-place bout. Davis rebounded from a 3-1 quarterfinal loss to Rutgers' Dylan Shawver to score 36 points in three consolation bouts.

The rally ended in the third-place bout, as Bouzakis reversed Davis and turned that into the fall over Davis (12-5). Davis had defeated Bouzakis 8-5 in their February dual.

141: Third place — Beau Bartlett (Penn State) dec. Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) 4-2

The anticipated fifth meeting between Bartlett and Mendez happened on a side mat Sunday night. Bartlett and Mendez, the weight class' top two wrestlers nationally, both lost in Saturday's semifinals, setting up a third-place bout for seeding and perhaps foreshadowing. Bartlett (21-1) scored his second straight win over the defending national champ, countering a Mendez shot in the third period for a takedown.

Ohio State threw the challenge brick 25 seconds after Bartlett's takedown, seeking an escape. The challenge was denied, and Bartlett used the break to catch his breath and finish the win. Bartlett now has four Big Ten medals: seventh, third, second and fourth. He also improved his record to 3-2 over Mendez.

149: Third place — Shayne Van Ness (Penn State) dec. Kyle Parco (Iowa) 13-0

Van Ness, the weight class' No. 1 seed, rebounded from his semifinal loss to Illinois' Kannon Webster with a pair of dominant major decisions Sunday. He outscored two opponents 25-1, including the shutout of second-seeded Parco. Van Ness (20-2) put Parco on his back for a seven-point move in the first period and scored one more takedown in the second.

Van Ness improved his career record vs. Parco to 3-0. The nation's second-ranked wrestler entering Big Tens, Van Ness returns to his first NCAA Championships since 2023, when he finished third. Van Ness did not compete last season due to injury.

157: Tyler Kasak (Penn State) dec. Brandon Cannon (Ohio State) 12-2

It wouldn't be a Kasak bout without the Penn State wrestler hitting his head. In the final vs. Cannon, Kasak banked his forehead off Cannon's neck, briefly pausing action. But the nation's top-ranked wrestler, who was seeded second at Big Tens, quickly overcame that for an impressive major decision.

Kasak (17-1) scored a first-period takedown before taking control of the bout in the third. Kasak threw Cannon, the eighth seed, into a seven-point move for the final margin of victory. Kasak won his first Big Ten title with a decision, pin and major. Asked on Big Ten Ten Network about his NCAA plans, Kasak said, "Gold, gold."

165: Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn State) dec. Mikey Caliendo (Iowa) 4-1

Mesenbrink (22-0) won his second Big Ten title with his lowest-scoring bout of the season. The Nittany Lions' leader in takedowns managed just one against Caliendo, whom he had beaten four times previously by scoring an average 17.8 points in those bouts. This time, Caliendo scrapped with Mesenbrink — "I like that he fights," Mesenbrink told BTN after the bout — and didn't let the Penn State star get into his offensive rhythm.

Mesenbrink got his only takedown with 15 seconds left in the first period, then fought with Caliendo for two periods. The returning NCAA runnerup heads to nationals as the clear favorite at 165.

174: Levi Haines (Penn State) dec. Lenny Pinto (Nebraska) 12-1

Haines won his third Big Ten title with a remarkably dominant performance in the final. The nationally second-ranked Haines nearly pinned Pinto in the second period, putting the Nebraska wrestler on his back for a seven-point move and an 11-1 lead. Haines (20-1) then rode out Pinto for the entire third period, relentlessly preventing Pinto from a late escape in the last 30 seconds.

Haines went 3-0 at Big Tens with a pin, decision and major decision. Next up: a potential rematch with Missouri's Keegan O'Toole, who handed Haines his only loss of the season.

184: Carter Starocci (Penn State) dec. Max McEnelly (Minnesota) 8-5 SV

This was a bout between unbeaten wrestlers, and McEnelly proved his worth. The Minnesota redshirt freshman became the first Big wrestler to score a takedown against Starocci this season. He also scored the first takedown, an even more rare occurrence, vs. the four-time national champ. It resonated that Minnesota assistant coach Michael Kemerer, the last wrestler to beat Starocci in the 2021 Big Ten final, sat matside.

But Starocci (21-0) won his 99th career bout with a mix of strength and savvy. He held McEnelly inbound to score his first takedown late in the second period and take a 5-3 lead. After McEnelly escaped twice, with an impressive move as the second period expired, Starocci caught McEnelly pressing in sudden victory. McEnelly shot, which Starocci countered with 21 seconds left for the dramatic win. McEnelly (20-1) became the first wrestler to take Starocci to overtime since Virginia Tech's Mekhi Lewis in the 2022 NCAA final.

285: Gable Steveson (Minnesota) dec. Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) 9-3

Steveson returned to college wrestling after two years away, during which he competed in WWE and spent time in Buffalo Bills training camp. The Olympic freestyle champ asserted himself as the alpha once again in the heavyweight class, taking down Kerkvliet three times for the win. Kerkvliet had not allowed a takedown during the dual-meet season.

Steveson won his fourth Big Ten title with his third college win over Kerkvliet, who will have some film to watch before potentially facing Steveson again at the NCAA Championships.

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Mark Wogenrich
MARK WOGENRICH

Mark Wogenrich is Editor and Publisher of AllPennState, the site for Penn State news on SI's FanNation Network. He has covered Penn State sports for more than two decades across three coaching staffs and three Rose Bowls.

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