The Bryce Jordan Center was buzzing with anticipation on Friday night as No. 1 Penn State hosted No. 2 Ohio State in a dual meet that had wrestling fans across the country glued to their screens. But what many thought would be a tightly contested battle between the nation’s top two teams quickly turned into a showcase of Penn State’s dominance, as the Nittany Lions rolled to a commanding 36-5 victory over the Buckeyes, clinching their sixth consecutive Big Ten regular-season championship.
Ohio State entered the matchup shorthanded, missing several key starters. The Buckeyes were already without the services of Brandon Cannon, the top-ranked wrestler at 157 pounds, who was still recovering from a knee injury sustained in late January against Minnesota. Just hours before the meet, it was confirmed that No. 6 Ethan Stiles would also not compete, and perhaps most significantly, Carson Kharchla—ranked No. 5 at 174 pounds—was ruled out after suffering an injury in the Buckeyes’ previous win over Iowa. This forced Ohio State to reshuffle its lineup, moving T.J. Schierl, usually at 157, up to face No. 1 Levi Haines at 174.
Despite these setbacks, Ohio State did get a boost with the return of No. 2 Nic Bouzakis at 125 pounds. Bouzakis, who had been questionable after a lower back injury against Iowa, was cleared to compete and set up a marquee matchup with Penn State’s No. 1 Luke Lilledahl. The bout lived up to its billing, with both wrestlers locked in a scoreless struggle through the first period. Bouzakis managed an escape to take a 1-0 lead, but Lilledahl responded in the third, tying it up and sending the match to sudden victory. In the extra frame, Lilledahl struck with a decisive takedown, earning a 4-1 decision and setting the tone for the night.
At 133 pounds, another thriller unfolded between Penn State’s Marcus Blaze (No. 4) and Ohio State’s Ben Davino (No. 2). The two wrestlers were deadlocked through regulation and sudden victory, trading escapes but little else. In the tiebreaker, Davino escaped quickly, but Blaze turned the tables with a reversal, clinching a 3-2 win for the Nittany Lions. According to one report, “Blaze reversed the Buckeye to put the Nittany Lion in front for the 3-2 decision victory.”
Ohio State found its lone bright spot of the evening at 141 pounds, where Jesse Mendez, the top-ranked wrestler in the country and two-time defending national champion, dominated Penn State’s Braeden Davis. Mendez racked up takedowns and near-falls en route to a technical fall victory, 19-2. As Big Ten Wrestling noted, it was “a dominant showing from No. 1 at 141 lbs Jesse Mendez.”
But that was as good as it got for the Buckeyes. At 149 pounds, Penn State’s Shayne Van Ness, also ranked No. 1, put on a takedown clinic against Brogan Fielding, notching a 20-5 technical fall. The Nittany Lions kept the pressure on at 157, where PJ Duke, ranked No. 4, overwhelmed Daxton Chase with a flurry of takedowns before pinning him at 3:28. By halftime, Penn State had built a commanding 17-5 lead.
The onslaught continued after the break. At 165 pounds, top-ranked Mitchell Mesenbrink of Penn State jumped out to an early lead over Ohio State’s Paddy Gallagher (No. 16) and never looked back, cruising to a 12-2 major decision. Then at 174, with Kharchla sidelined, Schierl stepped in against Levi Haines. Haines wasted little time, racking up points with takedowns and near-falls before sealing a 16-1 technical fall.
Ohio State’s Dylan Fishback (No. 8) gave Penn State’s Rocco Welsh (No. 1) all he could handle at 184 pounds, opening up an early lead and building significant riding time. But Welsh rallied late, tying the match with an escape and takedown before eking out a 7-6 decision with a clutch score in the final moments.
At 197 pounds, Penn State’s Josh Barr (No. 1) methodically pulled away from Ohio State’s Luke Geog (No. 10), using takedowns and escapes to secure an 11-2 major decision and add to the Nittany Lions’ growing advantage.
The night concluded with a dramatic heavyweight showdown between Penn State’s Cole Mirasola (No. 12) and Ohio State’s Nick Feldman (No. 3). The match was a tactical chess match, with neither wrestler able to gain the upper hand in regulation. Feldman escaped to take a 1-0 lead, but Mirasola answered in the third to tie it. In sudden victory, it was Mirasola who came through, scoring a takedown to win 4-1 and cap off Penn State’s emphatic team performance.
By the final whistle, Penn State had secured 25 takedowns to Ohio State’s five, and the 36-5 score reflected the Nittany Lions’ command of nearly every weight class. The win not only improved Penn State’s record to 14-0 overall and 8-0 in Big Ten competition, but also extended their dual-meet winning streak to an astounding 85 matches. As reported, “Top-ranked Penn State wrestling (14-0, 8-0 Big Ten) defeated the No. 2-ranked Buckeyes (17-1, 6-1 Big Ten) 36-5 on Friday night in a sold-out Bryce Jordan Center to claim its sixth straight Big Ten regular-season championship.”
For Ohio State, the defeat marked their first of the season, dropping them to 17-1 overall and 6-1 in the conference. The Buckeyes, battling injuries and forced to juggle their lineup, simply couldn’t keep pace with a Penn State squad firing on all cylinders. The loss, however, does little to diminish Ohio State’s strong season, and they’ll look to bounce back as they close out their dual schedule at Maryland on Sunday, February 15, with the match set for 2 p.m. on B1G+.
Penn State, meanwhile, will turn its attention to its final dual of the regular season, hosting Princeton at Rec Hall on February 20. With their Big Ten title secured and momentum on their side, the Nittany Lions appear poised for another deep postseason run.
In a night full of high-level matchups and electric moments, Penn State once again demonstrated why they’re the standard-bearers of college wrestling. The Bryce Jordan Center crowd witnessed a performance for the ages, and with the postseason looming, all eyes will remain on the Nittany Lions as they chase even more history.