Penn State wrestling (4-0) won eight of 10 bouts, scoring bonus points in six, en route to a nonconference dual meet road victory at Wyoming on Saturday.
Marcus Blaze, Shayne Van Ness, Mitchell Mesenbrink and PJ Duke each won by fall, while Luke Lilledahl and Levi Haines scored technical falls in the win.
It marked Penn State’s 75th consecutive dual meet win, now one shy of Oklahoma State’s record 76 set between 1937 and 1951.
The Nittany Lions return to action on Saturday, Dec. 20, at the Journeymen Duals in Nashville, where they’ll take on North Dakota State at 5 p.m. and Stanford at 7 p.m.
HOW IT HAPPENED
125 Pounds
No. 2-ranked Luke Lilledahl opened up a 6-1 lead with a pair of first period takedowns against Wyoming’s Sefton Douglass. After cutting Douglass loose to start the second, Lilledahl got in on his third takedown and turned the Cowboy twice for four and two near fall points. After a Douglass escape, Lilledahl finished it off with a fourth takedown for an an 18-3 technical fall at 3:26.
133 Pounds
Freshman Marcus Blaze, ranked No. 10, fell behind early against Wyoming’s No. 22-ranked Luke Willochell, who notched the bout’s opening takedown. After escaping, Blaze took the lead with a takedown and added another at the edge of the mat late in the period for a 7-4 advantage. Following a Willochell escape to start the second, Blaze used a high double for a takedown then turned the Cowboy to his back for the pin at 3:39.
141 Pounds
Freshman Nate Desmond, who won the Black Knight Invitational at 125 pounds in November, got the call to fill in for Aaron Nagao at 141 against Wyoming’s John Alden. Desmond came out aggressive and turned a low double into a takedown with with 1:11 left in the first for a 3-0 lead..The Nittany Lion expanded his lead with a reversal early in the second, but Alden rallied with an escape and a last second takedown to narrow the deficit to 5-4. Out of a neutral start to the third, Desmond fought through an Alden takedown attempt, and later countered a shot for a takedown of his own with less than a minute remaining. Desmond worked Alden for two back points and added a riding time point for an 11-4 decision.
149 Pounds
No. 1-ranked Shayne Van Ness gave up an early takedown to No. 30 Gabe Willochell but escaped and responded with one of his own. Van Ness then locked up a cradle and pinned Willochell at 2:54.
157 Pounds
P.J. Duke, ranked No. 8, scored two first-period takedowns for a 6-1 lead against Wyoming’s No. 23-ranked Jared Hill heading into the second. Hill escaped to start the second period, but Duke went right back to work with a nifty adjustment on a low shot for a takedown. Following Hill’s escape, Duke notched final takedown and turned Hill for the fall at 4:09.
165 Pounds
No. 1-ranked Mitchell Mesenbrink overwhelmed Wyoming’s Sloan Swan. Mesenbrink scored two first period takedowns and on the second turned Swan for four near fall points and a 10-1 lead. The Nittany Lion adjusted on top and put Swan to his back again, this time for a fall at 2:00.
174 Pounds
Top-ranked Levi Haines Wyoming’s No. 28 Riley Davis. Two first period takedowns and a second-period escape opened up a 6-1 lead for Haines, who escaped to start the second and immediately took down Davis again. Haines turned Davis for four back points, then did it again late in the second for an 18-1 tech fall at 4:50.
184 Pounds
Rocco Welsh, ranked No. 4, tripped No. 12 Eddie Neitenbach to the mat for a takedown late in the first and rode out the period to take a 3-0 lead into the second. The two wrestlers traded escapes in the second and third, and that would be it for the scoring as Welsh fended off Neitenbach for a 4-1 decision.
197 Pounds
Redshirt freshman Connor Mirasola, ranked No. 8, and Wyoming’s No. 4-ranked Joey Novak battled evenly through a scoreless first two periods. Novak quickly escaped to start the third, then countered a Mirasola shot for a takedown and a 4-0 lead. After injury time for Mirasola, Novak chose the down position and escaped to a 5-0 lead. Another takedown with under a minute left opened up an 8-0 lead for the Cowboy. Mirasola reversed Novak, but Novak answered with a reversal of his own and came away with a 10-2 major decision.
285 Pounds
No. 11-ranked redshirt freshman Cole Mirasola escaped to start the second and break a scoreless tie against Wyoming’s 10th-ranked Christian Carroll. The Cowboy, though got the bout’s first takedown, and after a Mirasola escape, Carroll took a 3-2 lead into the third. Carroll escaped to start the third and countered a Mirasola shot out of a scramble for his second takedown. Mirasola escaped, and Carroll countered another shot for a takedown. The Nittany Lion escaped once more, but Carroll took the 10-4 decision.
