Three takeaways from Penn State wrestling’s Big Ten title-clinching win
In what was supposed to be a highly-contested dual, Penn State’s wrestling team crushed an injury-riddled Ohio State, 36-5, on Friday night inside the Bryce Jordan Center.
The dual win was the 85th in a row for the Nittany Lions, who claimed their sixth straight Big Ten dual title. They did so in front of a new NCAA indoor and program record of 16,006 fans.
“We’re really thankful. We really like to thank everyone that showed up. A record crowd tonight was awesome,” Penn State coach Cael Sanderson said. “I don’t think the tickets were very cheap either. We appreciate the loyalty and support. It’s awesome to be able to have our guys go have some fun, exciting matches in front of a big crowd like that.”
Here are three takeaways from Penn State’s victory:
Blaze-Davino delivers
The Nittany Lions’ Marcus Blaze and the Buckeyes’ Ben Davino last faced off in the 2023 Ironman finals as high school wrestlers.
It was a Davino victory in tiebreakers, so fans were excited for the matchup in college.
Friday night’s bout was similar to the Ironman finals in that it went to the tiebreakers again, but the result wasn’t the same.
After Davino collected an escape in the first rideout period, Blaze needed an escape of his own while not losing his nine seconds riding time advantage.
Blaze lost the riding time, but earned a reversal, and held Davino down the rest of the way for a 3-2 win in ultimate tiebreaker.
“You got to find a way. Obviously, going into that last period for Marcus against one of the top guys in the country, he didn’t have a lot of riding time to work with,” Sanderson said. “He still found a way. It shows that he’s got a huge heart. It’s fun to see.”
Van Ness looks set to claim first titles
Shayne Van Ness has only seen the postseason twice in his Penn State career.
He hasn’t hit the top of the podium at either the Big Ten or NCAA Championships. In fact, the highest he’s finished is third in both championships.
This season, Van Ness looks like the guy to beat in the Big Ten — even after having a scare against Maryland’s Carter Young.
When it comes to the NCAA Championships, there’s a little bit of uncertainty, even though the Nittany Lions wrestler is ranked No. 1. Cornell’s freshman phenom Jaxon Joy could keep Van Ness from the top.
However, on Friday night Van Ness recorded six takedowns in his 20-5 technical fall of Brogan Fielding to show the country he’s not afraid of the Big Red’s freshman.
“He’s got great composure. Seven minutes for him is a long time for his opponents,” Sanderson said of Van Ness. “His confidence and everything just continues to improve. He’s a big match guy, bigger the match, the better he wrestles.”
Could we see co-Hodge Trophy winners again?
Five years ago, Iowa’s Spencer Lee and Minnesota’s Gable Steveson were both named Hodge Trophy winners — the award’s first co-winners.
Lee had a 92% bonus ratio that season as Steveson was at 88%, and they both were undefeated.
It’s quite possible that Penn State’s Mitchell Mesenbrink and Ohio State’s Jesse Mendez accomplish that feat this year.
Both wrestlers are undefeated and the clear-cut favorites to defend their NCAA titles.
Mesenbrink has a perfect 100% bonus ratio in his 18 wins after securing a 12-2 major decision on Friday night. Mendez threw Braeden Davis around on his way to an 18-2 technical fall, which was his 16th bonus point victory on the season. The Buckeyes wrestler has nearly an 89% bonus ratio.
“Mendez is a two time national champ already, and seems to have been really dominant throughout the year. ... He had a tech fall in a big match against us,” Sanderson said. “I love great wrestling. I love kids that are locked in, dedicated and committed, in whatever uniform they wear. We all play the same sport and love the same things.”
No. 1 Penn State 36, No. 2 Ohio State 5
Friday at University Park
125: No. 1 Luke Lilledahl, PSU, dec. No. 2 Nic Bouzakis, 4-1 (SV)
133: No. 4 Marcus Blaze, PSU, dec. No. 2 Ben Davino, 3-2 (UTB2)
141: No. 1 Jesse Mendez, OSU, tech. fall No. 12 Braeden Davis, 18-2 (5:49)
149: No. 1 Shayne Van Ness, PSU, tech. fall Brogan Fielding, 20-5 (6:17)
157: No. 4 PJ Duke, PSU, pinned Daxton Chase, 3:28
165: No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink, PSU, major dec. No. 16 Paddy Gallagher, 12-2
174: No. 1 Levi Haines, PSU, tech. fall TJ Schierl, 16-1 (4:15)
184: No. 1 Rocco Welsh, PSU, dec. No. 8 Dylan Fishback, 7-6
197: No. 1 Josh Barr, PSU, major dec. No. 10 Luke Geog, 11-2
285: No. 12 Cole Mirasola, PSU, dec. No. 3 Nick Feldman, 4-1 (SV)
Takedowns: OSU 5, PSU 25
Records: Ohio State (17-1, 6-1 Big Ten), Penn State (14-0, 8-0 Big Ten)
Next match: Princeton at Penn State, Friday, 7 p.m.
This story was originally published February 13, 2026 at 9:19 PM.
