Penn State Wrestling Scores Another Big Ten Shutout
The No. 1 Penn State wrestling team juggled its lineup slightly against Michigan State on Sunday, though that didn't matter. The Nittany Lions won all 10 bouts, two by technical fall, to shut out Michigan State 35-0 in a Big Ten wrestling match. With the victory, top-ranked Penn State won its 50th consecutive dual dating to 2020 and continued surging toward its fourth straight unbeaten season.
Penn State (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) followed its 27-9 rout of Michigan on Friday with another sharp performance. The Nittany Lions went a combined 18-2 in the weekend road trip, scoring bonus points in five of those wins. Penn State also held a combined takedown edge of 41-4 against the Spartans and Wolverines.
Penn State coach Cael Sanderson didn't wrestle a full-strength lineup against the Spartans on Sunday. Top-ranked Carter Starocci (174) and Greg Kerkvliet (285) sat out the match, as did freshman Tyler Kasak, who is ranked 14th at 149 pounds, according to InterMat Wrestling. Starocci and Kasak did not wrestle either match of the weekend road swing through Michigan. Starocci told FloWrestling after the Michigan match that he was day-to-day.
The match's top bouts came back-to-back at 157 and 165. Levi Haines, the defending national runnerup, ran into quite a test against No. 21 Chase Saldate. Haines rallied from a third-period deficit, tying the bout 5-5 with a takedown, then reversed Saldate in the second tiebreaker for a 7-6 victory. It was another wild win for Haines (9-0), who also clung to a 10-8 win against Oregon State's Isaiah Crosby in early January.
At 165, redshirt freshman Mitchell Mesenbrink followed his exceptional 12-1 win against Michigan's three-time All-American Cameron Amine with an 18-9 victory over the Spartans' 10th-ranked Caleb Fish. Mesenbrink (13-0) actually trailed early but turned on his offense in the third, scoring seven points for another convincing major. Mesenbrink ultimately majored a pair of top-10 wrestlers on a satisfying road trip.
Terrell Barraclough (174) once again filled in for Starocci, scoring an 8-1 decision. At 149, David Evans subbed for Kasak to score a 4-2 victory. Aaron Brooks (197) continued his march toward a fourth NCAA title, scoring his fifth technical fall of the season. Freshman Braeden Davis (125) remained unbeaten with a 7-3 decision.
Starters Aaron Nagao, Beau Bartlett and Bernie Truax chipped in victories as well. At heavyweight, Lucas Cochran filled in for Kerkvliet, clinching the shutout with a 5-0 victory.
Penn State continues its road swing Jan. 28 at Maryland before returning home Feb. 2 against Ohio State in Rec Hall.
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