Where Penn State stands heading into finals of Big Ten Wrestling Championships
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Penn State got all 10 wrestlers NCAA berths and kept the team lead.
- Penn State led with 147.5 points; Ohio State had 136.5.
- Lilledahl, Blaze and Van Ness all advanced to the finals.
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2026 Big Ten Wrestling Championships
Penn State wrestling has claimed another Big Ten Championship, and this time Cael Sanderson’s squad did so at home. Below is a look at all of our coverage from the March 7-8 Big Ten Wrestling Championships at the Bryce Jordan Center.
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Penn State’s wrestling team had limited action during the third session of the Big Ten championships on Sunday afternoon.
However, it was able to get all 10 wrestlers qualified for the NCAA championships in Cleveland in two weeks.
The Nittany Lions kept their team lead as they got up to 147.5 points. Ohio State still sits in second with 136.5 points.
Here’s where things stand before the final matches of the tournament get underway at 4:30 p.m.:
125 pounds: Luke Lilledahl
Current round: Finals
Record after session: 2-0
Recap: Lilledahl is one win away from repeating as the Big Ten champ. He just has to get past Minnesota’s Jore Volk later Sunday.
133 pounds: Marcus Blaze
Current round: Finals
Record after session: 2-0
Recap: Blaze takes on Ohio State’s Ben Davino for a shot at his first conference title. Blaze edged Davino, 4-1, in sudden victory during the February dual.
141 pounds: Braeden Davis
Finish: 7th
Record for tournament: 3-2
Recap: While Davis has had a rough tournament, he still was able to secure himself an automatic NCAA bid.
Davis took on Northwestern’s Billy DeKraker in the seventh place match and came out determined to win by collecting a takedown 13 seconds into the bout. In the second period, Davis rode the Wildcats wrestler for the entire period to build up riding time.
Davis got an escape to open the third period, added a takedown and got more riding time for a point to win 8-1.
149 pounds: Shayne Van Ness
Current round: Finals
Record after session: 2-0
Recap: Van Ness takes on Ohio State’s Ethan Stiles for a shot at his first conference crown. The pair didn’t wrestle during the February dual as Stiles didn’t compete.
157 pounds: PJ Duke
Current round: Finals
Record after session: 2-0
Recap: Duke gets to take on Nebraska’s Antrell Taylor in the finals. Taylor handed Duke his lone loss of the season, 2-1, in ultimate tiebreakers during the January dual.
165 pounds: Mitchell Mesenbrink
Current round: Finals
Record after session: 2-0
Recap: Mesenbrink takes on a familiar opponent in Iowa’s Michael Caliendo for the title. This will be the eighth time the pair has squared off in their collegiate careers — Mesenbrink has won every match.
174 pounds: Levi Haines
Current round: Finals
Record after session: 2-0
Recap: Haines takes on Nebraska’s Christopher Minto, who was the No. 1 preseed, which sparked an outrage. Haines defeated Minto during the January dual, 8-6.
184 pounds: Rocco Welsh
Current round: Finals
Record after session: 2-0
Recap: Welsh takes on Minnesota’s Max McEnelly in the finals. McEnelly nearly topped former Penn State wrestler Carter Starocci in the conference finals last year.
197 pounds: Josh Barr
Current round: Finals
Record after session: 2-0
Recap: Barr faces Nebraska’s Camden McDanel in the finals. Barr amassed a 21-9 major decision on McDanel in the January dual.
285 pounds: Cole Mirasola
Current round: 5th Place Match
Record after session: 2-2
Recap: Mirasola took on Iowa’s Ben Kueter in the consolation semifinals early Sunday afternoon. Mirasola topped Kueter in the January dual, but Kueter got his revenge.
After a scoreless first period, Kueter got an escape to hold a one-point lead. The Hawkeyes wrestler then rode the Penn State wrestler for the entire third period to add a riding time point for a 2-0 win.
Mirasola takes on Wisconsin’s Braxton Amos for fifth later Sunday.
Big Ten Championships
Sunday at University Park
Team key: Illinois (IL), Indiana (IN), Iowa (I), Maryland (M), Michigan (Mich.), Michigan State (MSU), Minnesota (Minn.), Nebraska (N), Northwestern (NW), Ohio State (OSU), Penn State (PSU), Purdue (P), Rutgers (R), Wisconsin (W)
Team scores: 1. Penn State 146.5, 2. Ohio State 115, 3. Nebraska 112, 4. Iowa 70, T5. Illinois 69.5, T5. Minnesota 69.5, 7. Michigan 68.5, 8. Rutgers 56.5, 9. Wisconsin 43.5, 10. Indiana 33
Consolation Semifinals
285: Ben Kueter, I, dec. Mirasola, PSU, 2-0
7th Place Match
141: Braeden Davis, PSU, dec. Billy DeKraker, N, 8-1
This story was originally published March 8, 2026 at 2:48 PM.
