What We Learned From Penn State Wrestling's Win Over Drexel

The Nittany Lions roll to their 73rd consecutive victory before hosting Lehigh.

Luke Lilledahl of Penn State wrestles Marcello Milani of Cornell during day one of the NCAA Wrestling championships at Wells Fargo Center. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The No. 1 Penn State wrestling team rolled to its second dual win of the season Friday, defeating Drexel 43-3 in a sold-out match in Philadelphia. The Nittany Lions won nine bouts, all with bonus points, during the first of two weekend matches.

Here's what we learned about Penn State wrestling during its win over the Dragons.

Penn State closes in on national win-streak record

Penn State wrestling coach Cael Sanderson walks onto the mat during a Nittany Lions match. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Nittany Lions (2-0) won their 73rd consecutive match dating to 2000, currently the nation's longest active win streak in Division I men's wrestling. Oklahoma State holds the Division I men's record with 76 consecutive victories, a streak Penn State could break later this month.

Penn State hosts No. 13 Lehigh on Sunday at Rec Hall and visit Wyoming on Dec. 13. With wins in those matches, Penn State could break Oklahoma State's win streak at the Collegiate Duals on Dec. 20 in Nashville, where it is schduled to wrestle Stanford and North Dakota State.

Coach Cael Sanderson's team went 15-0 last season on its way to a fourth consecutive NCAA team title. The Nittany Lions have not lost a dual match since falling to then-No. 1 Iowa 19-17 on Jan. 31, 2020, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

The freshmen have arrived

Penn State freshmen Marcus Blaze and PJ Duke made their debut in the same duals lineup Friday, likely a sign of what's to come. Both wrestlers delivered falls as they begin their climbs in the national rankings.

Blaze won by fall in 4:33 to improve to 6-0 on the season. Blaze, who won the 133-pound title at the Army West Point Invitational, is ranked 11th at his weight class, according to InterMat Wrestling. Blaze won at U20 world freestyle this year.

Duke made his Penn State duals debut after an exceptional freestyle season in which he made three U.S. teams and won a world title at the U20 championships in August. Duke who needed just 1:15 to clinch the pin against Drexel redshirt senior Luke Nichter.

Duke improved to 4-0 after winning the Army West Point title at 157 pounds. He has moved to No. 15 in the InterMat rankings, and Penn State expects him to wrestle at the weight class this season in place of two-time All-American Tyler Kasak, who is redshirting. Duke faces an intriguing bout Sunday against tenth-ranked Logan Rozynski of Lehigh.

Luke Lilledahl remains unbeaten, technically

Luke Lilledahl of Penn State wrestles Marcello Milani of Cornell during day one of the NCAA Wrestling Championships at Wells Fargo Center. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Lilledahl, the nation's second-ranked wrestler at 125 pounds, cruised to a 19-7 major decision at Drexel to improve his official record to 4-0. However, Lilledahl entered the match coming off a loss — to a teammate.

Penn State's Nate Desmond, part of the top-ranked freshman recruiting class, defeated Lilledahl 5-3 in the final of the Army West Point Invitational. However, according to NCAA rules, matches against teammates in tournaments do not count as official wins or losses. So tecnically, Lilledahl remains undefeated.

He'll test that record Sunday against Lehigh's Sheldon Seymour, ranked fifth by InterMat. Seymour (5-0 this season) placed sixth at the 2025 NCAA Championships and defeated Lilledahl in the quarterfinals. Lilledahl won their regular-season bout last year 4-1.

Two Nittany Lions still out

Aaron Nagao (No. 8 at 141) and Josh Barr (No. 1 at 197) did not wrestle at Drexel due to injuries. Nagao, who missed last season because of an injury, was hurt at the Army West Point Invitational. Barr has not wrestled yet this season after sustaining an injury at the U23 world championships in October.

Connor Mirasola improved to 5-0 competing in Barr's place at 197. Cael Nasdeo lost 8-5 in the 141-pound bout at Drexel.

Penn State otherwise rolls

Mitchell Mesenbrink of the Penn State Nittany Lions celebrates win against Iowa's Michael Caliendo during the NCAA Wrestling Championships. | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

The Nittany Lions nine of the 10 bouts with bonus points and outscored Drexel 38-2 in takedowns. Shayne Van Ness (149), Mitchell Mesenbrink (165) and Connor Mirasola (197) scored technical falls.

Mesenbrink, the top-ranked defending NCAA champ at 165 pounds, ia 6-0 with three falls and three technical falls this season.

Top-ranked Levi Haines (174), fourth-ranked Rocco Welsh (184) and tenth-ranked Cole Mirasola (285) scored major decisions against the Dragons.

Up next

No. 1 Penn State hosts No. 13 Lehigh on Sunday for their annual dual, which begins at 1 p.m. at Rec Hall. Lehigh (3-3) lost to Pitt 21-15 on Friday. The Mountain Hawks likely will be without two of their top wrestlers in Ryan Crookham (133) and Luke Stanich (141) who have yet to wrestle this season.

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