On a chilly Thursday night in State College, Pennsylvania, the Bryce Jordan Center was buzzing with anticipation as No. 2 Ohio State rolled in to take on the top-ranked Penn State wrestling squad. The February 13, 2026, Big Ten dual had been circled on calendars for months—wrestling fans everywhere eager to see if the Buckeyes could challenge the Nittany Lion juggernaut. But by the time the final whistle blew, there was no doubt which program reigns supreme: Penn State flexed its depth and dominance, cruising to a 36-5 victory in front of a raucous home crowd and a national television audience on the Big Ten Network.
From the opening whistle, Penn State looked every bit the powerhouse that’s made them the envy of college wrestling. The Nittany Lions claimed victory in nine of ten bouts, with Ohio State’s lone bright spot coming at 141 pounds courtesy of Jesse Mendez. The rest? Well, let’s just say it was a long night for the scarlet and gray.
The dual began at 125 pounds, where top-ranked Luke Lilledahl of Penn State squared off against Ohio State’s Nic Bouzakis. The match was a chess match early, both wrestlers feeling each other out through a scoreless first period. Bouzakis notched an escape to open the second, but Lilledahl answered in the third. With the score tied 1-1 after regulation, the bout went to sudden victory, and Lilledahl wasted little time, shooting in and finishing a takedown for the 4-1 win. The Bryce Jordan Center crowd erupted, and Penn State was off to the races.
Next up at 133 pounds, Penn State’s Marcus Blaze and Ohio State’s Ben Davino—longtime rivals—put on a tactical clinic. After trading escapes, the bout remained deadlocked through regulation and sudden victory. In the tiebreaker, Davino managed a quick escape, but Blaze’s relentless pursuit paid off as he scored a reversal and rode out the period for a 3-2 win, giving Penn State a 6-0 team lead just two matches in.
Ohio State’s hopes for an early spark rested on Jesse Mendez at 141 pounds, and the Buckeye delivered in style. Facing Penn State’s Braeden Davis, Mendez controlled the action from the outset, racking up takedowns and near falls en route to a dominant technical fall victory, 18-2. His performance was a rare highlight for the visitors—"A dominant showing from No. 1 at 141 lbs Jesse Mendez," the Big Ten Wrestling account posted, and rightfully so. With the team score at 6-5, it looked like Ohio State might have a shot to make things interesting.
But Penn State slammed the door shut in a hurry. At 149, Shayne Van Ness, ranked No. 1, overwhelmed Ohio State’s Brogan Fielding with a 20-5 technical fall, restoring the Nittany Lions’ momentum. Then, at 157, Penn State’s PJ Duke wasted no time dispatching Daxton Chase, pinning him at 3:28 of the second period. The team score ballooned to 17-5, and the Buckeyes were suddenly staring at a mountain to climb.
Things didn’t get any easier at 165 pounds, where Penn State’s Mitchell Mesenbrink—another top-ranked Lion—took on Ohio State’s Paddy Gallagher. Mesenbrink’s relentless pace and riding time piled up points, and he rolled to a 12-2 major decision. The Nittany Lions were now up 21-5, and the Bryce Jordan Center crowd was loving every minute of it.
At 174, Penn State’s Levi Haines put on a clinic against T.J. Schierl, storming to an 8-1 lead in the first period before finishing the bout with a 16-1 technical fall. With the team score at 26-5, it was clear the Buckeyes were in damage control mode.
Ohio State nearly notched another win at 184 pounds, where Dylan Fishback jumped out to a 4-0 lead over Penn State’s Rocco Welsh. But Welsh, ranked No. 1 in the country, clawed back with escapes and takedowns, eventually securing a hard-fought 7-6 decision to keep Penn State’s run going.
At 197 pounds, Penn State’s Josh Barr faced Ohio State’s Luke Geog. Barr, yet another No. 1-ranked Lion, methodically built an early lead and never looked back, winning 11-2 by major decision. The Nittany Lions had now won eight of nine matches, the team score sitting at a lopsided 33-5.
The heavyweight match capped the night, with Penn State’s Cole Mirasola taking on Nick Feldman of Ohio State. Both wrestlers traded escapes in regulation, but in sudden victory, Mirasola struck with a swift takedown to secure a 4-1 win and put an exclamation point on a dominant night for the Nittany Lions.
"It was honestly an embarrassing night for the Buckeyes," one report from Buckeyes Wire noted, summing up the frustration on the Ohio State sideline. The Buckeyes managed just a single win—Mendez’s technical fall at 141—while dropping several close matches and getting overpowered in the upper weights. The final tally: Penn State 36, Ohio State 5.
For Penn State, the victory wasn’t just another feather in the cap—it was a statement to the rest of the country. The Nittany Lions showcased their remarkable depth, with No. 1-ranked wrestlers up and down the lineup, and bonus points coming in bunches. From Lilledahl’s clutch overtime win at 125, to Duke’s pin at 157, to Haines’s and Van Ness’s technical falls, Penn State left no doubt about its championship aspirations.
Ohio State, meanwhile, will need to regroup quickly. The Buckeyes close out their dual season on Sunday at Maryland, with the match set for 2 p.m. and streaming live on B1G+. There’s still plenty of talent in the Buckeye lineup, but Thursday night’s result was a stark reminder of the gap that remains between Ohio State and the nation’s elite.
For fans, the dual was a showcase of college wrestling at its highest level—a reminder of why the Big Ten remains the sport’s gold standard. As the postseason looms, all eyes will be on Penn State to see if they can maintain this torrid pace and add another national title to their storied history. For Ohio State, the journey continues, but there’s no sugarcoating it: on this night, the Nittany Lions were simply a class apart.