No. 1 Penn State wrestling (14-0, 8-0) won nine of 10 bouts against No. 2 Ohio State (17-1, 7-1) to run away with a 36-5 victory on Friday night before a program-record crowd of 16,006 in the Bryce Jordan Center.
The win secured the Nittany Lions’ 12th Big Ten regular season title in 17 seasons under head coach Cael Sanderson and sixth in a row.
Despite the lopsided score against a somewhat depleted Buckeye team missing three top-three starters, the night several electrifying bouts, all won by the Nittany Lions.
No. 1 Luke Lilledahl opened the night with a takedown in sudden victory for a 4-1 decision over No. 2 Nic Bouzakis. No.4-ranked freshman 133-pounder Marcus Blaze followed that with a reversal in the second tiebreaker against No. 2 Ben Davino for a 3-2 decision.
Top-ranked Rocco Welsh trailed late against No. 8 Dylan Fishback but got a takedown in the final seconds for a 7-6 decision at 184, No. 12 Cole Mirasola ended the night with a takedown of No. 3 Nick Feldman in sudden victory for a 4-1 upset decision at heavyweight.
No. 4 PJ Duke (157) recorded his eighth pin of the season, while No. 1 Shayne Van Ness (149) and No. 1 Levi Haines (174) won by tech fall and No.1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (165) and No. 1 Josh Barr (197) scored major decisions.
Ohio State’s only team points of the night came from No. 1-ranked Jesse Mendez, who won by an 18-2 tech fall over No. 12 Braeden Davis.
Penn State extended its NCAA-record dual meet victory streak to 85 and surpassed Iowa and Oklahoma State for consecutive meets without a loss (the Hawkeyes and Cowboys had ties during their 84-match stretches).
The Nittany Lions now will wrap up the dual meet season with senior night against Princeton at 7 p.m. on Feb. 20 in Rec Hall.
HOW IT HAPPENED
No. 1 Luke Lilledahl and Ohio State’s No. 2-ranked Nic Bouzakis, both products of Wyoming Seminary, battled to an action-filled but scoreless first period that included a tremendous scramble with neither wrestler able to gain control for a takedown. Bouzakis got the bout’s first point with an escape 15 seconds into the second period and took a 1-0 lead into the third. Lilledahl answered with a quick escape at the start the third period and nearly had a takedown in the final two seconds but ran out of time as the bout went to sudden victory tied 1-1.
Thirty seconds into the extra time, Lilledahl shot in on a single leg and fought through Bouzakis’ defense to get behind for a takedown and a 4-1 decision victory. Lilledahl improved to 18-0 on the year, while Bouzakis moved to 22-1 following his first loss.
Penn State 3, Ohio State 0
133 Pounds
After a scoreless first period, Ohio State’s No. 2-ranked Ben Davino got on the board with an escape early in the second period against No. 4 Marcus Blaze. The Nittany Lion freshman responded with an escape in the third and fought off a strong single leg attack from Davino to keep the bout tied at the end of seven minutes. For the second consecutive bout, action moved to sudden victory, but this time neither wrestler could break through and the match went tiebreakers,
Davino managed to escape nine seconds into the first 30-second tiebreaker, giving Blaze a tough task to beat. But in the second tiebreaker Blaze got a reversal and kept Davino on the mat for the final seconds to claim a 3-2 decision. Blaze improved to 18-0 while dealing Davino (22-1) his first loss and all but ending Ohio State’s hopes for a dual meet upset.
Penn State 6, Ohio State 0
141 Pounds
Ohio State’s top-ranked Jesse Mendez shot in on a single and switched off to a double for a takedown late in the first period against No. 12 Braeden Davis. The Buckeye opened the second with an escape then countered a Davis shot for a takedown and three back points to extend his lead to 10-0. After a Davis escape, Mendez used a powerful high double for another takedown and two more near fall points to take a 15-1 lead into the final period. Davis escaped to start the third, but Mendez got a final takedown for an 18-2 tech fall at 5:$9.
Penn State 6, Ohio State 5
149 Pounds
No. 1 Shayne Van Ness drove through on a nifty double for a takedown with 1:13 left in the first period against Ohio State’s Brogan Fielding, who filled in for No. 6 Ethan Stiles. Fielding escaped to start the second and Van Ness went to work, scoring three takedowns and adding a stall point to carry a 13-3 lead into the third. Van Ness escaped early in the third, then took Fielding to the mat for a takedown and nearly had back points before going off the mat. Van Ness cut the Buckeye loose and got the final take down for a 20-4 tech fall at 6:17.
Penn State 11, Ohio State 5
157 Pounds
Ohio State was without another starter at 157, with Daxton Chase stepping in for injured No. 1 ranked Brandon Cannon against No. 4 PJ Duke. The Nittany Lion freshman got a fast takedown off an ankle pick to take the early lead and cut Chase loose. Duke quickly got control for a takedown to open up a 6-1 lead less than a minute into the first period. The catch and release game continued Duke tacked on three more takedowns for a 15-4 lead after one. Out of a neutral start to the second, Duke circled in for a takedown then put Chase on his back with an assassin for a pin at 3:28. Duke improved to 15-1 with his eighth fall of the season.
Penn State 17, Ohio State 5
165 Pounds
Out of the intermission, No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink got an early take down and stayed in control for nearly the entire first period against No. 16 Paddy Gallagher, picking up a stall point along the way to take a 4-0 lead into the second. Mesenbrink opened the second with an escape and, after fending off one good Gallagher shot, countered another for a late takedown and an 8-0 lead after two. Mesenbrink allowed a Gallagher escape with 1:10 remaining, shot in on a single leg and tripped Gallagher to the mat for a takedown. Mesenbrink cut Gallagher loose again, looking for a tech fall but couldn’t connect and with a riding time point took a 12-2 major decision. Mesenbrink improved to 18-0 with his 16th bonus point victory.
Penn State 21, Ohio State 5
174 Pounds
No. 1 Levi Haines got the initial takedown 40 seconds into his bout with Ohio State’s T.J. Schierl, who filled in for No. 5 Carson Kharchla. Schierl escaped after a minute, but Haines was right back in on a high single for another takedown and used an arm bar two get two back points for an 8-1 lead heading into the second. After escaping to start the second, Haines drove through on a double and turned Schierl to his back. Haines couldn’t get the pin, but four near fall points ended the bout with a 16-1 tech fall at 4:16. Haines moved to 17-0 with his ninth tech fall and 14th bonus point win of the year.
Penn State 26, Ohio State 5
184 Pounds
Ohio State’s No. 8-ranked Dylan Fishback used a single leg and tripped No. 1 Rocco Welsh to the mat for a takedown to take a 3-0 lead midway through the first period. Fishback maintained control and took the lead along with 1:32 in riding time into the second. The Buckeye escaped to a 4-0 lead for the only point of the middle period. Welsh escaped 30 second into the third then countered a Fishback shot for his first takedown to tie it 4-4. Fishback escaped to regain the lead but after a furious attack, Welsh got the decisive takedown at the edge of the mat with 10 seconds remaining and stayed on top to overcome Fishback’s riding time point. Welsh took a 7-6 decision to improve to 16-0.
Penn State 29, Ohio State 5
197 Pounds
No. 1 Josh Barr powered through on a double for a takedown of Ohio State’s No. 10-ranked Luke Geog with 40 seconds left in the first period to take a 3-0 lead into the second. Barr escaped early in the second period and got a takedown at the edge of the mat late for a 7-0 lead going into the final two minutes. Barr let Geog escape to start the third and countered a shot for his third takedown of the night. Geog escaped late, but Barr added a riding time point and claimed an 11-2 major decision. Barr improved to 15-0 on the season, all bonus point victories.
Penn State 33, Ohio State 5
285 Pounds
No. 12 Cole Mirasola and Ohio State’s No. 3-ranked Nick Feldman battled to a scoreless first period before Feldman opened the second with an escape for a 1-0 lead. Mirasola then appeared to have a go-ahead takedown on a counter, but it was not awarded on the mat or on review after a challenge, and Feldman took his 1-0 lead into the third. Mirasola quickly escaped in the third to tie the bout 1-1, and the score stayed that way through the end of the period. Ten seconds into sudden victory, Mirasola countered a Feldman shot with a double leg for a takedown to win a 4-1 upset decision to end the night.
Penn State 36, Ohio State 5
