Skip to main content
All Penn State

Bout-by-Bout Recap of Penn State Wrestling's Shutout Win Over Princeton

The Nittany Lions concluded their sixth straight undefeated season with a dominant win over the Tigers.
Mark Wogenrich|
Penn State Nittany Lions wrestler Marcus Blaze defeats Ohio State's Ben Davino at 133 pounds during a Big Ten wrestling match at the Bryce Jordan Center.
Penn State Nittany Lions wrestler Marcus Blaze defeats Ohio State's Ben Davino at 133 pounds during a Big Ten wrestling match at the Bryce Jordan Center. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The top-ranked Penn State wrestling team punctuated another perfect season Friday, shutting out Princeton 50-0 in the regular-season finale at Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions completed their sixth consecutive unbeaten season and extended their NCAA-record win streak to 86 consecutive matches.

Penn State (15-0) also shut out its eighth opponent of the season by scoring three pins, three technical falls and one strange disqualification victory.

The recap of Penn State's latest dominant victory, in which the team covered as a 47.5-point favorite.

RELATED: What Senior Day tells us about Penn State wrestling's future

125: No. 1 Luke Lilledahl (PS) by disqualification over No. 12 Marc-Anthony McGowan

Two high-end prep wrestlers (Lilledahl at Wyoming Seminary, McGowan at Blair Academy) met in the highest-ranked match of the night, which never got off the ground. Lilledahl (17-0) capped a perfect regular season with a frustrating bout that ended with McGowan being disqualified.

McGowan was called for stalling four times in the first two periods, giving Lilledahl a 4-1 lead. Lilledahl attempted to pressure the Princeton sophomore, who consistently backed out of the center and away from his opponent. McGowan also received a technical violation for grabbing Lilledahl's headgear.

Lilledahl led 5-1, with all five points coming via penalties, when McGowan received his fifth warning for stalling as he tried to evade a shot late in the third period. McGowan received his fifth stall warning with 6 seconds left in the third. The bout ended in confusion over how many stalling calls were made, but Lilledahl ultimately gave the Nittany Lions a 6-0 lead without scoring a takedown.

133: No. 2 Marcus Blaze (PS) dec. No. 32 Ethan Rivera 11-3

Blaze also capped a perfect regular season but with a bit more scoring than Lilledahl was given room to muster. Blaze (19-0) scored takedowns in the first and second periods for a 7-2 lead, then cut Rivera to set up his shot for the major decision.

Blaze patiently waited for his opportunity, which came with 20 seconds left in the third period. He took advantage, hitting the takedown and added to his riding time for an 11-3 major decision. The bonus-point win was Blaze's 16th in a masterful first year.

141: No. 12 Braeden Davis (PS) dec. Matthew Martino 11-8

Davis wrestled a nerve-rattler in which he needed a late takedown to secure the decision. Davis was called for stalling three times, giving up two points, and allowed a takedown in the second period as Martino kept the bout close. But Davis (9-3) scored a takedown late in the third period to seal the decision.

Martino grabbed Davis' attention early, having scored three ranked wins, including a 5-3 decision over ninth-ranked CJ Composto of Penn. But Davis asserted himself, scoring the opening takedown early in the first period. He added a second as time expired in the first, grinding down Martino's defensive position over the last 10 seconds.

Still, Davis labored through the second and third periods, and Martino had a riding-time advantage at one point as well. It was a hectic way for Davis to end the regular season.

149: No. 1 Shayne Van Ness (PS) dec. No. 14 Eligh Rivera 15-6

Van Ness actually trailed 4-3 early in the first period after giving up a takedown to the athletic Rivera, who won two bouts at the NCAA Championships last year. But Van Ness calmly took control from there to finish an undefeated regular season at 18-0.

Van Ness capped the first period with the go-ahead takedown and worked to roll Rivera for back points midway through the second. The Penn State junior spent the third period pursuing bonus points, though Rivera backed away from Van Ness' offensive pressure.

With 13 seconds left in the third, Van Ness took his final shot, which prompted a stall warning and penalty point against Rivera. With more than 2 minutes of riding time, Van Ness had a frustrating major decision.

157: No. 4 PJ Duke (PS) tech. fall Gavin Hawk 24-8 in 6:08

Duke wasted little time taking control, scoring three takedowns in the first half of the first period. Duke nearly turned his fourth takedown into back points, ultimately taking a 12-4 lead into the second.

Duke (16-1) got momentarily loose in the second period, giving Hawk a chance for a counter takedown, but skillfully sidestepped trouble and scored his sixth takedown. Despite some apparent fatigue, Duke finished the technical fall with two third-period takedowns.

Duke score eight takedowns to punctuate a regular season in which he was among Penn State's most consistent bonus-point producers. The freshman led the team with eight falls (until Mesenbrink wrestled) and has three technical falls. Duke's win gave Penn State a 22-0 lead at intermission.

RELATED: How Penn State wrestling remains dominant in the NIL era

No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (PS) pin No. 19 Ty Whalen 3:31

The nation's most dominant wrestler completed a regular season in which he scored bonus points in every bout. Mesenbrink (19-0) couldn't allow Duke to finish with the regular-season pins title, tying him with a second-period fall Friday.

Mesenbrink won 18 bouts via bonus points, with eight pins, seven technical falls and three majors. He also received a forfeit at Northwestern. Mesenbrink right leads the Hodge Trophy race ahead of Ohio State's Jesse Mendez.

174: No. 1 Levi Haines (PS) pin Cody Tavoso 4:05

Haines stamped his Penn State home career with a second-period fall that brought Rec Hal to its its feet. Sanderson this week called Haines a "fierce competitor" and "everybody's friend," traits that likely will keep him connected to the program for the long term.

"We did our best to take good care of him, and obviously he’s taken very good care of us," Sanderson said. ... "You don't let a guy like that leave. We'll do everything we can to keep him here and keep him part of the program and training."

Haines finished his dual-meet career with a phenomenal 52-1 record and improved to 18-0 on the season. He will begin the postseason as a major favorite to win the 174-pound NCAA title.

184: No. 1 Rocco Welsh (PS) tech. fall Xavier Giles 21-6 in 4:11

Welsh scored four first-period takedowns en route to his fifth technical fall of the season. The redshirt sophomore methodically worked on scoring positions and kept up relentless pressure in scoring seven takedowns.

Welsh (17-0) has proven a sharp portal addition (from Ohio State) and a fine fit for the Penn State lineup. In fact, before wrestling the Buckeyes, Sanderson said of Welsh that "he's part of the family."

197: No. 1 Josh Barr (PS) pin Conor McCoskey 1:29

Barr completed Penn State's Fab Four row from 165-197 with a first-period fall. The Nittany Lions scored three pins and a technical fall in that dominating stretch.

Barr (16-0) scored his fifth takedown of the season and also completed a perfect bonus-point season. Barr added seven technical falls and four majors.

285: No. 6 Cole Mirasola (PS) tech. fall Sebastian Garibaldi 21-6 in 3:46

Mirasola finished the shutout with an exclamation-point victory despite a 26-pound weight disadvantage, Mirasola weighed in at 226, Garibaldi at 252. And yet Mirasola scored five first-period takedowns en route to his seventh technical fall of the season.

Mirasola (14-4) enters the postseason with some confidence. He followed a 4-1 sudden-victory win over Ohio State's Nick Feldman with the dominant performance Friday.

What happens next for Penn State? Stay on top of all the Nittany Lions news by subscribing to the Penn State on SI Daily Digest. The newsletter is your free daily window into Penn State sports.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

More Penn State Sports

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.

Home/Wrestling