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Penn State Wrestling Ties Record, Nears Title at NCAA Championships

The Nittany Lions continue their march toward a fifth straight NCAA wrestling team title.
Mark Wogenrich|
Penn State’s Shayne Van Ness celebrates a victory at the NCAA Wrestling championships at Rocket Arena.
Penn State’s Shayne Van Ness celebrates a victory at the NCAA Wrestling championships at Rocket Arena. | Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

CLEVELAND | Penn State tied an NCAA record with six finalists and closed in on its fifth straight team title at the NCAA Wrestling Championships, which nevertheless included two controversial losses in Friday's semifinals.

Penn State freshmen Marcus Blaze (133) and PJ Duke (157) both lost tiebreaker bouts involving disputed takedowns that set Rocket Arena on tilt. The matches prevented Penn State from setting an NCAA record for championship finalists.

Still, Penn State tied the NCAA record with six finalists, done by Iowa three times and the Nittany Lions once. And the team can break the tournament record of five champions Saturday night. Blaze and Duke are guaranteed to be All-Americans and will compete for third.

Penn State finished the semifinals with 153 team points, just 25 from breaking its scoring record of 2025. Oklahoma State (111.5) is a distant second with four finalists. Nebraska (90.5) is third.

Wrestling resumes at 11 a.m. ET Saturday with the consolation finals, and the championships are set for 8 p.m. on ESPN. Check out the complete broadcast and streaming schedule.

Josh Barr returns to the final

Barr (197) rolled through Wyoming's Joey Novak for a 14-3 major decision, his fourth bonus-point win of the season. Barr (23-0) can complete a 100-percent bonus-rate season Saturday in the championship final vs. Oklahoma State's seventh-seeded Cody Merrill.

Rocco Welsh makes his second final

Welsh (184) grinded out a 4-3 decision over Michigan's Brock Mantanona to make his second NCAA final. He scored a third-period takedown and let that stand.

Welsh wrestled his first final for Ohio State against Penn State, falling to Carter Starocci in a tight 2-0 final in 2024. Welsh, who transferred to Penn State last spring, hasn't lost since and enters Saturday's final at 24-0.

"He's a Penn State wrestler, and he's part of the family," Sanderson said of Welsh earlier this season.

Welsh gets a tricky opponent in Minnesota's Max McEnelly, who he beat in a 2-1 tiebreaker in the Big Ten final.

Levi Haines makes it four for Penn State

Haines, Penn State's only senior kept up his relentless offense, dominating fifth-seeded Patrick Kennedy of Iowa for an 18-3 technical fall at 174. Haines scored 11 points in the third period, including a seven-point move for his fourth bonus-point win of the tournament.

Haines (25-0) has owned his No. 1 seed, with three technicals and a pin. He'll wrestle for his second national championship against Nebraska's Christopher Minto. Minto has wrestled Haines closer than anyone this season, losing a two- and one-point decisions.

Mitchell Mesenbrink leaves no doubt

After the drama at 157, Mesenbrink restored order to become Penn State's third finalist. The top seed at 165 needed just 4:11 to score two seven-point moves in a 15-0 win over Columbia's Cesar Alvin. And Mesenbrink restarted his bonus-point streak after a 6-0 decision in the quarterfinals.

Mesenbrink (26-0) will wrestle for his second national championships Saturday night against a very familiar opponent. Iowa's Mikey Caliendo scored a sudden-victory takedown to beat Purdue's Joey Blaze (Marcus' brother) in the other semi. Mesenbrink has beaten Caliendo eight times, including in last year's NCAA final.

PJ Duke loses a controversial semifinal

Penn State's freshmen phenoms both fell in semifinal tiebreakers after some officiating controversy. Oklahoma State's Landon Robideau, the fifth seed, reversed Duke (157) in the tiebreaker for a significant 3-1 upset. Duke (22-2) finished his first season with two losses, both in tiebreakers.

This one hinged on a pivotal moment in sudden victory, when Duke was awarded a takedown and appeared to have a cradle and potential back points. But Oklahoma State coach David Taylor, a two-time national champ for Sanderson at Penn State, challenged the takedown. It was overturned, sending the match to the tiebreakers.

But Duke, who looked unbeatable during the first three rounds, could not score against Robideau and labored in the tiebreaker. Robideau gets defending national champ Antrell Taylor of Nebraska in the final.

Shayne Van Ness steamrolls to the final

Van Ness, who won two comeback bouts at the Big Ten Tournament, looks reborn. The top seed at 149 scored his third bonus-point win of the tournament, overwhelming Nebraska's 20th-seeded Chance Lamer of Nebraska 22-1. Van Ness scored a high-drama win in the semis but left no doubt against Lamer, hitting back points twice in a 22-point outburst.

Van Ness (25-0) advanced to his first NCAA final, where he'll meet Stanford's Aden Valencia. Van Ness defeated Valencia 10-4 in a December dual in Nashville.

Marcus Blaze falls in controversial semifinal

At 133, Ohio State's Ben Davino rode out Blaze in the second 30-second tiebreaker, winning a dramatic 3-2 decision in what quickly has become one of the Big Ten's great rivalries. Blaze and Davino went to the tiebreaker three times this season. Davino won twice in rideouts. Neither wrestler scored a takedown in any of the bouts.

Davino, however, appeared exceptionally close to one in sudden victory, seemingly gaining control with 14 seconds remaining. The officials did not award a takedown, Ohio State challenged and its coaching staff spent the review urging the crowd to boo louder. No takedown was forthcoming, and Rocket Arena erupted.

Blaze rode Davino for 21 seconds in the first tiebreaker but couldn't get out in the second. He came awfully close, and Sanderson challenged for stalling at the end. That didn't work, either, and Davino advanced to the final vs. Oklahoma State's Jax Forrest.

"They came out with a strong gameplan, but at the end of the day winners win, like I heard on the internet a couple weeks ago when I lost to him," Davino said. "But winners win. I found a way."

Luke Lilledahl gets it started

Lilledahl (125) made his first NCAA final with a superb 8-3 decision over Oklahoma State's Troy Spratley. Lilledahl (24-0) pushed the pace early, scoring a takedown 30 seconds into the bout and taking an 8-0 lead after one period. He hit a five-point move with a minute left in the first. After that, Lilledahl wrestled a smart bout, staying low and out of trouble, without giving Spratley room to score. He had a good look at a third takedown late in the third but oculdn't keep Spratley inbound.

After placing third last season, Lilledahl will wrestle for his first NCAA title Saturday night. He'll face 10th-seeded Marc-Anthony McGowan of Princeton, who beat the seventh and second seeds to the final. Lilledahl and McGowan wrestled a unique bout in February. McGowan was disqualified after being called for stalling five times. "I don’t remember seeing anything quite like that before," Penn State coach Cael Sanderson said.

Cole Mirasola, Braeden Davis fall in consolations

Penn State Nittany Lions' Cole Mirasola (left) wrestles Iowa Hawkeyes Ben Kueter at the Big Ten Wrestling Championships.
Penn State Nittany Lions' Cole Mirasola (left) wrestles Iowa Hawkeyes Ben Kueter at the Big Ten Wrestling Championships at Bryce Jordan Center. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Penn State won't finish with 10 All-Americans after Davis (141) and Mirasola (285) were eliminated Friday afternoon. Penn State's impressive redshirt freshman heavyweight lost a 9-6 decision to Wyoming's Christian Carroll and was eliminated. Mirasola led 5-3 in the second period, but Carroll converted a takedown and was awarded a stalling point in the third. It was Carroll's second win over Mirasola this season. Mirasola capped his first season in the starting lineup at 19-8.

Davis (141) fell 5-2 in the consolations to two-time All-American CJ Composto of Penn, ending his season and Penn State's chance to roster 10 All-Americans for the second straight year. Davis gave up a reversal and takedown in the first period and could not rally from the deficit.

Davis, a 2024 Big Ten champion and 2025 All-American at 133, ended his junior season at 14-7. Penn State had planned to redshirt Davis this season until former 141-pound starter Aaron Nagao ended his season (and ultimately his career) due to a shoulder injury. Davis pulled his redshirt in January and started his season 5-0. But he struggled against the bigger 141-pounders in the Big Ten.

Josh Barr is inevitable

Though Mitchell Mesenbrink's bonus-points streak ended, Barr's continues. He scored an easy 19-3 technical fall over Stanford's Angelo Posada to maintain his 100-percent bonus rate on the season. The technical was Barr's fifth in six postseason bouts and 12th of the year. He's an underrated Hodge Trophy candidate.

Barr, a two-time All-American, also pushed Penn State's points total to 103.5 and completed the team's 8-0 quarterfinal run.

Levi Haines is a four-time All-American

Haines generated no drama in the quarters, scoring an 18-3 technical fall over Michigan's Beau Mantanona. Haines took first-period control of the bout, scoring five with two back points. He finished with five takedowns in his third bonus-point win of the tournament.

Haines became a four-time All-American with the win, having placed in the top 3 in the past three seasons. Haines won the 157-pound NCAA title in 2024.

The streak ends for Mitchell Mesenbrink

Mesenbrink (165) wrestled through an unnerving injury stoppage in his 6-0 decision over North Carolina's Bryce Hepner. The ninth-seeded Hepner was on his back for several minutes getting checked for a potential head injury. At one point, medical personnel wheeled a stretcher onto the mat for him.

But Hepner waved it off and continued wrestling. Mesenbrink, starting the second period on top, turned Hepner for a four-point near fall. But that was the extent of his offensive scoring, save for the final riding-time point.

And with that, Mesenbrink's 100-percent bonus-point streak this season ended. Hepner was the first wrestler not to give up at least a major decision to Mesenbrink, now a four-time All-American.

PJ Duke rolls into the semifinals

Duke, the top seed at 157, looked like the best wrestler on the mat Thursday. He gave no ground Friday, steamrolling Ohio State's Brandon Cannon for a 21-5 technical fall in 5:24. Cannon was the first wrestler to get out of the first period vs. Duke at NCAAs, though it was never close. Duke (22-1) scored three first-period takedowns (his first at the 27-second mark), added three more in the second and clinched the technical early in the third.

Duke's win gave Penn State a 23-point lead (70.5-47.5) over Oklahoma State in the team race. He'll face a Cowboy in the semifinals in fifth-seeded Landon Robideau.

Spectacular finish for Shayne Van Ness

The No. 1 seed at 149 sent Penn State's fan base through the Rocket Arena roof with a high-stakes 5-2 decision over Oklahoma State's Casey Swiderski in sudden victory. Van Ness (24-0) took down Swiderski as the 2-minute period was about to expire, chasing the eighth-seeded Cowboy through multiple spins and counterattacks. Van Ness clinched the winning takedown with 1 second remaining, looking like he hit him with a taser.

Van Ness was terrific in sudden victory and looked close to a takedown in the final 40 seconds, but his attack was stopped by blood time. Van Ness raised the pace upon the restart, finishing Penn State's second OT victory of the quarterfinals.

Marcus Blaze is an All-American

Penn State's third-seeded freshman at 133 met a duel from a familar Iowa wrestler in Drake Ayala. Blaze, who won their regular-season bout, got to his offense quickly this time, scoring a takedown midway through the first period en route to a gritty 5-3 decision. Blaze didn't score an offensive point after that, and gave up a stalling penalty in third, but had riding time to seal the victory.

Blaze (24-1) now enters a spectacular final four at the weight class. He gets a fascinating rematch in the semifinals with Ohio State's Ben Davino. They split two matches this season, with Davino winning in the Big Ten final. In the other semifinal, freshmen Jax Forrest (Oklahoma State) and Aaron Seidel (Virginia Tech) renew their rivalry.

High drama for Luke Lilledahl

Penn State's top seed at 125 wrestled another high-wire quarterfinal, though he won this time. Lilledahl beat Iowa's Dean Peterson 2-1 in a dramatic match that went to the second tiebreaker, had a potential takedown denied and required Lilledahl to outride Peterson.

Lilledahl beat Peterson twice during the regular season, but the Iowa wrestler certainly was more strategic this time. Lilledahl (23-0) was the consistent aggressor but couldn't find takedown room. He nearly had one at the end of sudden victory, when both wrrestlers scrambled through each other and Lilledahl appeared to have control. The no-takedown call was confirmed.

Lilledahl escaped within 12 seconds of the first tiebreaker and rode out Peterson in the second. Last year, Lehigh's Sheldon Seymour beat Lilledahl in a quarterfinal rideout. Lilledahl learned from that experience.

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Published | Modified
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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