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What We Learned From Penn State Wrestling's Dominant Win Over Wyoming

The top-ranked Nittany Lions won their 75th consecutive match, defeating the Cowboys 40-7.
Mark Wogenrich|
Shayne Van Ness of Penn State wrestles Gabe Willochell of Wyoming at the NCAA Wrestling Championships at Wells Fargo Center.
Shayne Van Ness of Penn State wrestles Gabe Willochell of Wyoming at the NCAA Wrestling Championships at Wells Fargo Center. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Penn State moved one match closer Saturday to setting a major college wrestling record, defeating Wyoming 40-7 in a non-conference road match in Laramie. A record-setting Wyoming crowd of 4,686 filled the nation's highest college venue (at 7,220 feet) to watch top-ranked Penn State win its 75 consecutive match.

The Nittany Lions scored four pins and two technical falls and made an interesting lineup move at 141 pounds. Here's what we learned from Penn State's fourth win of the year.

A record is in sight

Penn State Nittany Lions wrestling coach Cael Sanderson takes a selfie with fans during the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Trials.
Penn State Nittany Lions Wrestling head coach Cael Sanderson takes a selfie with young fans during the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Team Trials at Bryce Jordan Center at Penn State University. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

With its 75th consecutive duals win, Penn State moved within two matches of the Division I men's wrestling record for most consecutive victories. Penn State can break Oklahoma State's record of 76 when it returns to action Dec. 20 at the Journeymen Collegiate Duals in Nashville.

Penn State will wrestle a pair matches at the event. The Nittany Lions take on Stanford at 5 p.m. ET Saturday and then North Dakota State at 7 p.m. With two wins, Penn State will set the new Division I win-streak record.

Penn State has not lost a dual match since falling 19-17 to No. 1 Iowa on Jan. 31, 2020. Since then, the Nittany Lions have gone undefeated over four consecutive seasons and have won four straight NCAA team titles.

An intriguing move at 141 pounds

With Aaron Nagao, ranked seventh nationally according to InterMat, still out with an injury, Penn State turned to a talented true freshman at 141 pounds. Nate Desmond, who is listed on Penn State's roster as a 125-pounder, moved up two weight classes to compete against Wyoming.

Desmond, who weighed in at 138 pounds according to Penn State wrestling broadcaster Jeff Byers, made a terrific debut at 141, scoring an 11-4 win over Wyoming's John Alden. Desmond, from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, scored a first-period takedown and a second-period reversal to take a 5-0 lead.

Alden took down Desmond late in the second period, cutting his deficit to 5-4, but Desmond hit a takedown and back points in the third period for the decision. Desmond (4-0) has been another standout of Penn State's freshman class, having defeated teammate Luke Lilledahl (the nation's second-ranked 125-pounder) in the final of the Army West Point Invitational.

Penn State's top-ranked wrestlers look dominant

Shayne Van Ness of Penn State wrestles Gabe Willochell of Wyoming during the NCAA Wrestling Championships.
Shayne Van Ness of Penn State wrestles Gabe Willochell of Wyoming during the NCAA Wrestling Championships at Wells Fargo Center. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Shayne Van Ness, ranked No. 1 at 148 pounds, got a rematch vs. Wyoming's Gabe Willochell, whom he defeated at the 2025 NCAA Championships. Van Ness (7-0) scored one of Penn State's three falls, pinning Willochell in 2:54.

Top-ranked Mitchell Mesenbrink (8-0 at 165) scored his fourth fall of the season, pinning Sloan Swan in 2:00. And No. 1 Levi Haines (7-0 at 174) needed just 4:50 to score an 18-1 technical fall.

PJ Duke looks unstoppable

Duke, the Penn State freshman who moved up to eighth nationally at 157 pounds, pinned returning NCAA qualifier Jared Hill in 4:09. The fall was Duke's fifth in six bouts this season. In his other victory, Duke was leading 14-3 before his opponent was forced to take an injury default.

Fellow freshman Marcus Blaze (8-0) pinned 22nd-ranked Luke Willochell in 3:29. Blaze has scored bonus points in all eight of his victories.

Noteworthy Nittany Lions

Penn State's fourth-ranked Rocco Welsh (184) made his first-period takedown stand up in a 4-1 win over No. 12 Eddie Neitenbach. The victory gave the Nittany Lions a 40-0 lead in the match.

Wyoming won the last two bouts with its two highest-ranked wrestlers. No. 4 Joey Novak scored a 10-2 major decision over Penn State's eighth-ranked Connor Mirasola. And at heavyweight, No. 10 Christian Carroll defeated No. 11 Cole Mirasola 10-4.

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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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