Here’s a bout-by-bout preview of Penn State’s wrestling dual with Ohio State
The regular season is coming to a close for Penn State’s wrestling team, with just two duals left.
On Friday night, the No. 1 Nittany Lions host Ohio State in their Big Ten season finale inside the Bryce Jordan Center. The dual will showcase seven No. 1 wrestlers in the country, but had the potential for eight up until a few weeks ago.
The Buckeyes are No. 2 in the country, which sets up a nice battle for the Big Ten regular season team crown.
If Penn State wins, they take the title. If Ohio State wins, it clinches at least a share of the crown, but more than likely earns the title, as it has a dual with Maryland on Sunday.
Here’s how we think the dual could go down:
125 pounds: No. 1 Luke Lilledahl (15-0) vs. No. 2 Nic Bouzakis (12-1)
Nate Cobler: This is the first of six matchups showcasing top-10 wrestlers squaring off against one another. It’s the lone No. 1 vs. No. 2 bout. Should the dual begin at 125 pounds, this will be a good one to watch right away, so don’t be late. This is a clash of styles: Lilledahl’s quickness vs. Bouzakis’ strength. These two haven’t wrestled before, but Bouzakis’ teammate Brendan McCrone pinned Lilledahl in last year’s dual as Bouzakis suffered a loss to Braeden Davis at 133 pounds. Lilledahl looks different than last year. Prediction: Lilledahl by decision.
Jon Sauber: This might be the best matchup of the night and one that could go a long way in deciding the outcome of the dual. Lilledahl has been excellent in his second season in Penn State’s lineup, but Bouzakis only has one loss this season — to fellow Buckeye Brendan McCrone, who also pinned Lilledahl last season. The Nittany Lion will have his hands full and this will be a good test for him ahead of the postseason. This is a true coin flip, but I’ll give the edge to the Buckeye. Prediction: Bouzakis by decision.
133 pounds: No. 4 Marcus Blaze (17-0) vs. No. 2 Ben Davino (22-0)
Cobler: This is one of three matchups featuring top-5 wrestlers hitting the mat at the same time. Someone’s chance of having an unblemished record is going to come to an end on Friday night. These two have a history as they squared off both in freestyle and folkstyle. On the freestyle circuit, Blaze topped Davino three times with the most recent coming in the 2025 US Open consolation finals, 7-0. On the folkstyle circuit, Davino topped Blaze, 3-2, in ultimate tiebreaker in the 2023 Ironman finals. It’ll be interesting to see which wrestler improved the most since that last folkstyle match. Prediction: Blaze by decision.
Sauber: The only matchup between unbeatens of the night features two freshmen — one redshirt in Davino and one in his first year in the program in Blaze. The Buckeye’s only loss of his career came last season when he fell to Dylan Shawver in tiebreaks. It certainly feels like this matchup and the one at 125 pounds are the two biggest coin flips of the night, and it would make sense if each program took one to start the dual. Prediction: Blaze by decision.
141 pounds: No. 12 Braeden Davis (8-2) vs. No. 1 Jesse Mendez (17-0)
Cobler: This weight heavily favors the Buckeyes, and there isn’t too much to say about it. Mendez has been the thorn in Penn State’s side for the past several years. He consistently topped Beau Bartlett, but the matches were always close. And as good as Davis is, he is no Beau Bartlett. The objective for Davis would be to limit the bonus points, and don’t get caught on his back again like against Nebraska’s Brock Hardy. Prediction: Mendez by major decision.
Sauber: There isn’t a lot of competition for the Hodge Trophy this year with Mitchell Mesenbrink destroying everyone in sight, but if anyone is going to take it from him, it could be Mendez. The Buckeye has been one of the best wrestlers in the country, and Davis has been the Nittany Lions’ most inconsistent wrestlers. I could see him notching a takedown early before Mendez lights him up the rest of the way. Prediction: Mendez by technical fall.
149 pounds: No. 1 Shayne Van Ness (16-0) vs. No. 6 Ethan Stiles (13-4)
Cobler: Van Ness was asked during Wednesday’s media day his familiarity with his opponent. He replied that he wasn’t sure who he was wrestling because he’s been focusing on what he does. Van Ness and Stiles, who competed for Oregon State last year, squared off in the consolation semifinals of the 2025 NCAA Championships. The Penn State wrestler pinned Stiles on his way to a third-place finish. Prediction: Van Ness by decision.
Sauber: Van Ness has been excellent this season, even if his performances can be a little bit nervy early on. Still, there’s a big advantage in his favor Friday night, even if Stiles is just outside the top five in the weight class. He’s wrestled one person close to Van Ness in ability this season in Cornell’s Jaxon Joy — and Joy pinned him. This will be a good bonus point opportunity for the Nittany Lions. Prediction: Van Ness by major decision.
157 pounds: No. 4 PJ Duke (14-1) vs. Landon Desselle (6-5)/Daxton Chase (7-6)
Cobler: As this season went on, this bout was going to be another one to watch, and would’ve had another pair of top-5 wrestlers squaring off. However, Ohio State’s Brandon Cannon, who is ranked No. 1, suffered a knee injury three weeks ago against Minnesota that has kept him sidelined since. This opens up the door for Duke to collect some bonus points for the Nittany Lions as Desselle or Chase are not on his level. Prediction: Duke by technical fall.
Sauber: It’s a shame that Brendan Cannon won’t be able to go, because this could’ve been one of the best matches of the dual. Instead, Duke will get bonus points and should do so with relative ease. Odds are he’s going to finish this one before time runs out and get either a technical fall or a fall. Prediction: Duke by fall.
165 pounds: No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (17-0) vs. No. 16 Paddy Gallagher (11-5)
Cobler: These two were supposed to wrestle in the Big Ten quarterfinals last year. However, Gallagher injury defaulted to Mesenbrink, which came as a surprise since the Buckeyes wrestler continued to compete in the tournament and finished seventh. Wrestling fans felt it was Gallagher’s way of ducking — not having to wrestle the Penn State wrestler. There’s no escaping Mesenbrink on Friday night. Prediction: Mesenbrink by major decision.
Sauber: I mentioned the rampage Mesenbrink has been on earlier and that isn’t going to stop when he’s facing a wrestler who pretty clearly dodged him by taking an injury default during Big Tens and then wrestling the rest of the way. I’m sure Mesenbrink remembers that. Prediction: Mesenbrink by technical fall.
174 pounds: No. 1 Levi Haines (16-0) vs. No. 5 Carson Kharchla (14-3)
Cobler: This is the final matchup of top-5 wrestlers battling one another. These two squared off in last year’s dual with Haines coming away with a 6-4 victory. This year, Haines hasn’t been tested too much as he’s only had three bouts where he won by decision — one of them against teammate William Henckel. Kharchla comes into this match off a loss to Iowa’s Patrick Kennedy, who beat him twice this year. Prediction: Haines by decision.
Sauber: Kharchla competed well when these two battled last year, dropping a 6-4 decision to Haines, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he were competitive once again this year. That being said, Haines looks ready to compete for another national title after winning one two years ago at 157 pounds. He should be able to pull off the win here, even if it isn’t all that dominant. Prediction: Haines by decision.
184 pounds: No. 1 Rocco Welsh (15-0) vs. No. 8 Dylan Fishback (14-4)
Cobler: This one will be a battle of transfers, with Welsh taking on his former team. Fishback transferred to the Buckeyes from North Carolina State after Welsh’s departure left a hole in Ohio State’s lineup. Fishback is a two-time NCAA qualifier, as Welsh made the finals — losing to Carter Starocci — as a true freshman two years ago. When it comes to common opponents, Fishback doesn’t have a great record. However, all of Fishback’s losses but one have been in sudden victory or tiebreakers. Prediction: Welsh by decision.
Sauber: Welsh will get to take on his former team for the first time and will do so with an unblemished record at Penn State. Fishback may have four losses, but all four have been by three points are fewer, with three of them taking more than the initial seven minutes to be decided. He’s likely to keep this close, which will give him a chance to earn an upset, but in the end Walsh is still too much better than him. Prediction: Welsh by decision.
197 pounds: No. 1 Josh Barr (14-0) vs. No. 10 Luke Geog (13-4)
Cobler: The final top-10 tilt comes here with Barr and Geog. Barr has been on a tear since coming back from an offseason injury, recording bonus points in all of his victories. Geog is on a three-match winning streak coming into the match with three straight major decisions. All of Geog’s losses this year have come against top-10 opponents. Prediction: Barr by major decision.
Sauber: Barr is rolling this season and has earned bonus points in every match this season, even getting a major against Little Rock’s Stephen Little, the No. 3 wrestler at the weight, according to InterMat. Geog has generally defeated the wrestlers ranked lower than him and lost to the ones above him. This one should be a clean win for Barr, with the only uncertainty centering on how many bonus points he’ll get. Prediction: Barr by major decision.
285 pounds: No. 12 Cole Mirasola (12-4) vs. No. 3 Nick Feldman (18-3)
Cobler: Mirasola has had quite the stretch of opponents over the last month, but particularly over the past two weeks. He suffered losses to Nebraska’s No. 4 AJ Ferrari and Michigan’s No. 5 Taye Ghadiali, which were both close. Mirasola and Feldman squared off last year with Feldman winning, 10-3, as Mirasola used one of his dates during his redshirt campaign to fill in for Greg Kerkvliet. Feldman lost to Ghadiali, 4-1, in sudden victory on Feb. 1, but rebounded by edging Iowa’s Ben Kueter, 3-2, Feb. 6. Prediction: Feldman by decision.
Sauber: Mirasola’s losses to AJ Ferrari (Nebraska) and Taye Ghadiali (Michigan) were encouraging, even if they were defeats. He’s shown he can compete with the top of the class, now it’s just a matter of closing the job and earning a win. I went back and forth on this, but with Penn State clinching the dual at this point, I’ll take the big upset to send the Bryce Jordan Center into a frenzy. Prediction: Mirasola by decision.
Team outlook
Cobler: On paper, this dual looks like it would be really competitive. However, as we’ve seen all season long, Penn State’s wrestlers rise to the occasion in these big duals and blow out these competitive duals. There is the potential that Ohio State could take the first three bouts of the dual as its lightweights are super talented. If that happens, this one will be much closer than expected. Prediction: Penn State 28-7.
Sauber: As odd as it sounds, if Cannon were healthy this dual could go very differently. All it would take is that win to flip what I project to be nine points going from a Penn State fall to an Ohio State decision. Instead, the Nittany Lions should be able to build a big lead from there and never look back. Prediction: Penn State 31, Ohio State 8.
No. 2 Ohio State (17-0, 6-0 Big Ten) at No. 1 Penn State (13-0, 7-0 Big Ten)
Where: Bryce Jordan Center, University Park
Radio: Big Foot Legends (103.7 & 104.3 FM)
TV: Big Ten Network
Online: Streaming, Big Ten+; Radio, Lionvision at GoPSUsports.com
X: @byncobler, @pennstatewrest
This story was originally published February 12, 2026 at 9:47 AM.
