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Nittany Lions extend dual meet streak with resounding victory

Penn State wrestler Beau Bartlett. Photo by Aidan Conrad | Onward State

Andy Elder, Centre County Gazette


PISCATAWAY, N.J. — When the Penn State wrestling team finally settled on what appears to be a final starting 10, many fans wondered which of the two newcomers to the lineup would stand out.

Would it be 125-pounder Luke Lilledahl, he of impeccable prep and freestyle credentials? Or would it be 197-pounder Josh Barr, who for a time was thought to be the heir apparent at 184, only to have to shift up a weight when Carter Starocci bumped up?

Most thought Lilledahl would be the top performer among the two since he was at his natural weight, and Barr would have to adjust to bigger, stronger opponents. Friday night’s dual against Rutgers told a different story.

The No. 1 Nittany Lions (9-0, 3-0 B1G) throttled No. 14 Rutgers 35-3 at Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway, New Jersey.

While Lilledahl absorbed his first loss of the season, Barr put on a tour de force that put the rest of the nation on alert that he is a serious All-American, if not national champion, contender, if he wasn’t in consideration already.

Barr was tied with 2021 All-American John Poznanski 0-0 through two periods at 197 pounds. Barr had the choice to start the third and took bottom. Over the course of the next 1:19, the Nittany Lion redshirt freshman quickly escaped and then proceeded to seemingly break Poznanski, scoring seven takedowns in rapid succession to roll up a 22-6 technical fall in 6:19.

It was a stunning display of speed, athleticism and domination in front of a national television audience and a sellout crowd of 8,057 from a redshirt freshman who has seen a meteoric rise to No. 4 in the rankings.

“What Josh did,” Mitchell Mesenbrink said to the Big Ten Network with a smile. “That was sweet!”

It was Penn State’s 65th consecutive dual meet win and 36th straight Big Ten conquest. The Nittany Lions ran their record against Rutgers to 25-0 all-time.

Penn State did it with four technical falls — from Shayne Van Ness (141), Mesenbrink (165), Starocci (184) and Barr — and five decisions. Braden Davis (133), Beau Bartlett (141), Tyler Kasak (157), Levi Haines (174) and Greg Kerkvliet (285) earned those.

The Nittany Lions once again displayed almost total domination on their feet, amassing a 24-1 advantage in takedowns. On the season, the team has compiled 274 takedowns and allowed just nine.

The 10 starters in the Penn State lineup improved their collective record to 109-5. Six Nittany Lions — Bartlett, Kasak, Mesenbrink, Starocci, Barr and Kerkvliet — remained undefeated.

Rutgers revved up the near-record crowd right out of the blocks with an upset win at 125 pounds. With the match between Lilledahl and Dean Peterson tied at 1-1 and fewer than 30 seconds left, Peterson snagged Lilledahl’s ankle and eventually captured both for the decisive takedown in a 4-1 win. It was the Nittany Lion true freshman’s first collegiate loss.

The Scarlet Knights made a bid for two upsets in a row at 133, but Davis rebounded from his upset loss Friday, Jan. 24, with a scintillating 2-1 win over 2024 All-American Dylan Shawver. Davis rode Shawver the entire second period but was hit with two stalling calls, so the match went into the third tied 1-1.

Davis escaped 20 seconds into the third and was in deep on a takedown attempt late in the match when Shawver tried to counter with a takedown of his own. Time ran out and Davis prevailed 2-1 with 1:40 in riding-time advantage for the decisive point.

Bartlett gave Penn State its first lead of the night, and its first two takedowns, in the first and second periods, in a 7-3 win over Joseph Olivieri at 141 pounds.

Like Davis before him, Van Ness rebounded from a loss, his first of the season, last week against Nebraska. Van Ness, however, left no doubt as he used four takedowns and a 4-point near-fall for a 17-2 technical fall in 5:26 to extend the Nittany Lions lead to 11-3 through four bouts.

Kasak ran Penn State’s lead to 14-3 at the mid-point of the match with a 4-0 shutout of Conner Harer at 157. Kasak scored a takedown in the first period and rode Harer the entire third period for 3:42 in riding-time advantage and a point.

Kasak told the Penn State Sports Network after the match that his work on top wrestling is starting to pay dividends.

“It’s a lot of working with Coach Casey and just understanding little things, putting your pinky toe here, putting your thumb there, and evolving off that, and then making it kind of your own,” he said.

“So, it’s a multiple-step process. I mean, I’ve been working on this the entire year, and it’s now starting to come together a little bit, and I’m starting to like what I’m seeing, and I’m starting to feel and understand and read the positions and where I’m at and where the guys are at. So, it’s nice to see it starting to come together.”

Mesenbrink ran his record to 13-0 with his 11th technical fall of the season, a 19-3 win over Anthony White in 6:30. Mesenbrink has received two forfeits to go with those 11 tech falls. In this one, Mesenbrink used five takedowns and a two-point near-fall to keep his bonus rate at 100 percent on the season.

He told the Big Ten Network that attacking opponents that may not want to mix it up with him has been a point of emphasis.

“It’s always good to keep on thinking about what you’ve got to keep improving on and getting better at, that’s what makes the sport fun. For me, obviously, I want to keep attacking. I think that’s pretty apparent,” he said with a broad smile.

“I want to continue to improve on the way I’m getting into these attacks and getting into these shots. It’s not bad to say that some guys are going to try to keep me at bay, keep me at distance. [I’ve been working on] kind of closing that gap and continuing to score and really pinpoint how to enter into those exchanges to be able to get those takedowns.”

Mesenbrink said he enjoys the constant pursuit of improvement.

“I think that’s what makes this sport fun; there is never an ‘I made it’ moment. My dad was really good at pushing that on me when I was younger. Even when you’re an Olympic champion, there is always more. It’s always very fun to just keep that in mind to keep getting better,” he said.

Haines sealed the win for Penn State with a workmanlike 5-2 decision over Jackson Turley at 174. Haines’ first-period takedown, second-period escape and another point for 1:58 in riding time was the difference for the Nittany Lion. Penn State led 22-3 with three bouts remaining.

Carter Starocci posted his 90th career win, against just four losses, as he dispatched Shane Cartagena-Walsh 17-2 in 6:57 to keep his bonus rate at 100 percent on the season. Starocci piled up four takedowns and earned four penalty points for stall calls against the Scarlet Knight.

Kerkvliet had his 100 percent bonus rate snapped as he had to settle for a 2-0 decision over All-American Yaraslau Slavikouski. Kerkvliet escaped quickly in the second and coaxed a second stall call against Slavikouski in the third for the only two points of the bout.

Penn State will finally return home to wrestle in front of the home fans at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 31, when the Iowa Hawkeyes invade the Bryce Jordan Center.

Kasak wasn’t shy about expressing how excited he was for that dual meet.

“I mean, yeah, there’s no denying it. You know, I’ve had this marked on my calendar since the schedule came out. I love competing against guys that like to compete, and I think Iowa brings that,” he said.

“And I’m looking forward to just the tough, tough guys versus the technique guys. Really, that’s what it is to me, and it’s gonna be fun; it is every time we wrestle them. And I’m looking forward to it. It’s gonna be a really, really good time.”

No. 1 Penn State 35

No. 14 Rutgers 3

(Friday at Piscataway, N.J.)

125: No. 19 Dean Peterson, R, dec. No. 6 Luke Lilledahl, PSU, 4-1.

133: No. 7 Braeden Davis, PSU, dec. No. 9 Dylan Shawver, 2-1.

141: No. 3 Beau Bartlett, PSU, dec. No. 14 Joseph Olivieri, 7-3.

149: No. 4 Shayne Van Ness, PSU, won by tech. fall over Alex Nini, 17-2 (5:26).

157: No. 3 Tyler Kasak, PSU, dec. No. 31 Conner Harer, 4-0.

165: No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink, won by tech. fall over PSU, No. 26 Anthony White, 

174: No. 2 Levi Haines, PSU, dec. No. 22 Jackson Turley, 5-2.

184: No. 1 Carter Starocci, PSU, won by tech. fall over No. 18 Shane Cartagena-Walsh, 17-2 (6:57).

197: No. 4 Josh Barr, PSU, won by tech. fall over No. 16 John Poznanski, 22-6 (6:19).

285: No. 2 Greg Kerkvliet, PSU, No. 7 Yaraslau Slavikowski, 

Ernie Lucas Award winner: Josh Barr.

Referees: Nick Grosso, Jim Rivello.

Attendance: 8,057.

Takedowns: Penn State 24; Rutgers 1.

Records: Rutgers 10-4, 2-2 B1G; Penn State 9-0, 3-0 B1G.

Next match: Iowa at Penn State, 7 p.m. Friday in the Bryce Jordan Center.