NCAA Wrestling Championships 2026: Penn State sends 6 into finals, lead team race
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2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships
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Penn State’s wrestling team has been tying or setting records for the program and the NCAA all season long.
After Day 2 of the NCAA Wrestling Championships were complete on Friday, coach Cael Sanderson’s team tied a NCAA mark and a program mark.
They had eight semifinalists to become just the second team ever to accomplish that feat — joining Iowa, who did it twice. The eight semifinalists is the most in the Nittany Lions’ history.
Six Penn State wrestlers moved into the finals, which was the second time the program has had that many finalists.
When it came to the team race, the Nittany Lions finished with 153 points, and have a chance of breaking the team point record for a third straight year. They lead Oklahoma State by 41.5 points.
“The guys wrestled really well, obviously, scored a lot of points. We had a couple of really tough heartbreakersfrom two true freshmen, who have long careers ahead of them,” Sanderson said. “Those guys just need to bounce back and finish strong and then go wrestle well in the finals.”
Here’s how things shook out for the individuals:
125 pounds: Luke Lilledahl
Current round: Finals
Record for tournament: 4-0
Recap: Lilledahl was the No. 1 seed last season, and suffered a loss in the quarterfinals.
He was the No. 1 seed again this season, but this time he made sure to make his first finals.
The Penn State wrestler took on Oklahoma State’s Troy Spratley in the semifinals Friday night, and came out scoring right away. Lilledahl had a pair of takedowns and added some nearfall points to hold a six-point lead after the first period.
Spratley’s escape was the lone point in the second period, and neither wrestler scored in the third period, which gave Lilledahl an 8-3 victory.
He’ll face Princeton’s Marc-Anthony McGowan, who is the No. 10 seed, in the finals. Lilledahl nearly stalled McGowan out during the February dual.
“It’s been a tough couple days with matches I’ve had. A lot of exchanges, getting kind of beat up, it doesn’t really matter,” Lilledahl said. “It’s part of it. I’m excited to wrestle (Saturday) night and go showcase my skills to the best of my ability.”
The sophomore had his hands full in the quarterfinals against Iowa’s Dean Peterson. The duo traded escapes in regulation and went to rideout periods.
In the first rideout period, Lilledahl picked up an escape. He then rode Peterson for the entire second rideout period for the 2-1 win in ultimate tiebreakers.
133 pounds: Marcus Blaze
Current round: Consolation Semifinals
Record for tournament: 3-1
Recap: Blaze looked poised to make the NCAA finals in his first shot at the tournament, but he had to go through a familiar foe in Ohio State’s Ben Davino.
Friday night’s matchup was the third of their young careers, and it was the same as the others.
The pair traded escapes in regulation and went to rideouts after no score in sudden victory. Blaze was on defense first and built up 21 seconds of riding time before Davino escaped. In the second rideout period, Davino rode Blaze out, but gave up a stall point to keep it tied.
However, since the Buckeyes wrestler had a full period rideout, he amassed eight seconds of riding time to get the 3-2 win in ultimate tiebreakers.
Blaze reached the semifinals by topping Iowa’s Drake Ayala for a third time this season. Blaze used a four-point second period to get a 5-3 victory.
141 pounds: Braeden Davis
Current round: Eliminated
Record for tournament: 2-2
Recap: Davis’ session started out well, but it didn’t end that way.
The Penn State wrestler secured a 10-6 victory over West Virginia’s Jordan Titus to stay alive in the consolation bracket. In the next round, he took on Penn’s CJ Composto.
After no score in the first period, Composto opened the second period with a reversal. Davis escaped, but Composto tacked on a takedown before the period ended.
Davis got an escape in the third period, but couldn’t get a winning score in a 5-2 defeat to end his season.
149 pounds: Shayne Van Ness
Current round: Finals
Record for tournament: 4-0
Recap: Several times this year Van Ness found himself losing early, but was able to rally for wins.
He hasn’t trailed so far in the NCAA championships, and was able to make his first finals emphatically.
Van Ness took on Nebraska’s Chance Lamer, who was the No. 20 seed. The Penn State wrestler beat the Cornhuskers wrestler in the January dual by six points, but on Friday night it was worse.
Van Ness used a 12-point second period to cruise to a 22-1 technical fall in 5:21. He’ll face Stanford’s Aden Valencia, who is the No. 10 seed, in the finals.
“First I’d like to say thanks to my coaches, my support, my teammates, my family, and everyone who’s allowed me to be here today,” Van Ness said. “I’ve been having a lot of fun. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I’ve been lucky enough to compete in three times. There’s nothing like the NCAA Tournament. It’s the best tournament in the world. I just want to make the most of every match that I get to wrestle.”
Van Ness made the semifinals by chasing down Oklahoma State’s Casey Swiderski for a takedown in sudden victory for a 5-2 win.
157 pounds: PJ Duke
Current round: Consolation semifinals
Record for tournament: 3-1
Recap: Duke dominated his way to the semifinals, where he took on Oklahoma State’s Landon Robideau.
The duo traded escapes to head to sudden victory. Late in the sudden victory period, Duke looked to lock a cradle up on Robideau for a winning takedown.
The Cowboys coaching staff successfully challenged the takedown, and the match went to rideout periods.
In the first period, Robideau got a reversal midway through and ate up the riding time that Duke had. Duke was unable to score in the 3-1 defeat in ultimate tiebreakers.
In the quarterfinals, Duke rolled up a 21-5 technical fall on Ohio State’s Brandon Cannon in 5:24.
165 pounds: Mitchell Mesenbrink
Current round: Finals
Record for tournament: 4-0
Recap: Mesenbrink had his perfect streak of bonus point victories snapped in the quarterfinals, so he was bound to try and get it rolling again.
The unlucky opponent was Columbia’s Cesar Alvan.
The defending champ in Mesenbrink went to work early and often in a 15-0 technical fall in 4:11. He’ll defend his crown against Iowa’s Michael Caliendo — the ninth time they’ve wrestled each other.
As mentioned, the Penn State wrestler had his first decision victory of the season. He shutout North Carolina’s Bryce Hepner, 6-0, in the quarterfinals.
“It’s cool to be here. I think what makes it even more special are the people who are with me. The people who love me for who I am, what I am,” Mesenbrink said. “I understand that in 48 hours when everything is said and done, and I’m back home, that list of people is not going to change win or lose. I really appreciate those people. I hold those people really close to my heart. Wrestling has been fun, that’s been the main goal: to enjoy it.”
174 pounds: Levi Haines
Current round: Finals
Record for tournament: 4-0
Recap: Haines appears he could be on his way toward winning the Outstanding Wrestler award as he has recorded bonus points in all of his matches.
On Friday, he outscored his opponents 36-6 in 14 minutes of wrestling action.
Haines had no problems making the finals for the third time in his career by racking up an 18-3 technical fall on Iowa’s Patrick Kennedy in seven minutes.
“The last couple days have been really an amazing experience with my team. It’s been fun watching those guys take care of business on the mat,” Haines said. “I have a lot of respect for Patrick Kennedy. He’s a very tough competitor. I really appreciate him and how he conducts himself on the mat and off the mat. I think he really embodies what it means to be a wrestler.”
He made the semifinals by rolling up another 18-3 technical fall in seven minutes, but this one was on Michigan’s Beau Mantanona. Haines takes on Nebraska’s Christopher Minto, who he’s beaten twice already this season, in his final collegiate match.
184 pounds: Rocco Welsh
Current round: Finals
Record for tournament: 4-0
Recap: Welsh found his offense at the start of tournament after edging his way to a Big Ten title.
All of those close matches seemed to payoff in the semifinals against Michigan’s Brock Mantanona. Trailing 1-0 to start the third period, Welsh got an escape quickly, and then snapped off a takedown.
The Penn State wrestler then hung on for a 4-3 victory to reach the finals for the second time in his career — the first with Penn State. Welsh faces Minnesota’s Max McEnelly, who he beat for the Big Ten title.
“It’s been a great last couple of days. The whole season has been great too,” Welsh said. “Being with Penn State and around all the top guys, it’s just really helped me have a good perspective on what I need to do in the big moments and stuff. The hard work’s paying off, just one more to finish the job.”
Welsh made the semifinals after Nebraska’s Silas Allred was unable to finish off the match with a leg injury with 58 seconds remaining.
197 pounds: Josh Barr
Current round: Finals
Record for tournament: 4-0
Recap: Barr was a bonus point machine on the first day of the championships, and he kept it rolling on the second day.
The 2025 NCAA runner-up made the finals for a second straight year after completely dominating Wyoming’s Joey Novak.
Barr opened with a seven-point first period thanks to a pair of takedowns. He tacked on a takedown a piece in the second and third period to roll to a 14-3 major decision.
Barr takes on Oklahoma State’s Cody Merrill in the finals.
“I’m just grateful for my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ first and foremost. I’m wrestling here, but I’m here to serve Jesus Christ, that’s what I’m doing, and I hope I’m doing that well,” Barr said. “The last few days have been good, and fun competing with my teammates. A great tournament with the best 300 or so wrestlers in the country, (I’m) really grateful to be here.”
The Nittany Lions wrestler cruised to the semifinals by racking up a 19-3 technical fall on Stanford’s Angelo Posada in 4:50.
285 pounds: Cole Mirasola
Current round: Eliminated
Record for tournament: 2-2
Recap: Expectations were high for Mirasola even though he was the No. 9 seed, but in the end his tournament came to a close on Friday afternoon.
He had a nice opener on his day by racking up an 18-3 technical fall on Appalachian State’s Stephen Monchery in 6:03. Mirasola took on Wyoming’s Christian Carroll, who beat Mirasola in the December dual, in the next round.
After giving up a takedown in the second period, the Penn State wrestler responded with a takedown of his own, and had a one-point lead after the period ended. Carroll opened the third with an escape, and got a stall point to take a one-point lead with 1:17 left.
Mirasola was unable to get a winning score in a 9-6 defeat.
Friday at Cleveland
Team key: Air Force (AF), American (A), Appalachian State (AS), Arizona State (ASU), Army West Point (AWP), Bellarmine (BM), Binghamton (BH), Bloomsburg (BB), Brown (B), Bucknell (BN), Buffalo (BF), Cal Poly (CP), Central Michigan (CM), Chattanooga (CT), Columbia (CB), Cornell (C), Davidson (DS), Drexel (DX), Duke (D), Edinboro (E), Franklin & Marshall (FM), Gardner-Webb (GW), George Mason (GM), Harvard (H), Illinois (IL), Indiana (ID), Iowa (I), Iowa State (ISU), Kent State (KS), Lehigh (L), Little Rock (LR), Lock Haven (LH), Maryland (MD), Michigan (M), Michigan State (MSU), Minnesota (MN), Missouri (Miss.), Morgan State (MS), Navy (N), Nebraska (Neb.), North Carolina (NC), North Carolina State (NCS), North Dakota State (ND), Northern Colorado (NCO), Northern Illinois (NIU), Northern Iowa (NI), Northwestern (NW), Ohio (O), Ohio State (OSU), Oklahoma (OK), Oklahoma State (OKS), Oregon State (ORS), Penn (P), Penn State (PSU), Pittsburgh (Pitt.), Princeton (PT), Purdue (PD), Rider (RD), Rutgers (R), SIU Edwardsville (SIE), South Dakota State (SD), Stanford (S), The Citadel (TC), Utah Valley (UV), Virginia (V), Virginia Tech (VT), VMI (VMI), West Virginia (WV), Wisconsin (W), Wyoming (WY)
Team scores: 1. Penn State 153, 2. Oklahoma State 111.5, 3. Nebraska 90.5, 4. Iowa 81, 5. Ohio State 77.5, 6. Stanford 58, 7. Iowa State 52, 8. Michigan 48, 9. Minnesota 39.5, 10. NC State 37
Semifinals
125: Luke Lilledahl, PSU, dec. Troy Spratley, OKS, 8-3; 133: Ben Davino, OSU, dec. Marcus Blaze, PSU, 3-2 (UTB2); 149: Shayne Van Ness, PSU, tech. fall Chance Lamer, Neb., 22-1 (5:21); 157: Landon Robideau, OKS, dec. PJ Duke, PSU, 3-1 (UTB2); 165: Mitchell Mesenbrink, PSU, tech. fall Cesar Alvan, CB, 15-0 (4:11); 174: Levi Haines, PSU, tech. fall Patrick Kennedy, I, 18-3 (7:00); 184: Rocco Welsh, PSU, dec. Brock Mantanona, M, 4-3; 197: Josh Barr, PSU, major dec. Joey Novak, WY, 14-3
Consolation Fourth Round
157: Brandon Cannon, OSU, major dec. Jude Swisher, P, 16-3
Quarterfinals
125: Lillehdal, PSU, dec. Dean Peterson, I, 2-1 (UTB2); 133: Blaze, PSU, dec. Drake Ayala, I, 5-3; 149: Van Ness, PSU, dec. Casey Swiderski, OKS, 5-2 (SV); 157: Duke, PSU, tech. fall Brandon Cannon, OSU, 21-5 (5:24); 165: Mesenbrink, PSU, dec. Bryce Hepner, NC, 6-0; 174: Haines, PSU, tech. fall Beau Mantanona, M, 18-3 (7:00); 184: Welsh, PSU, injury def. Silas Allred, Neb., 6:02; 197: Barr, PSU, tech. fall Angelo Posada, S, 19-3 (4:50)
Consolation Third Round
141: CJ Composto, P, dec. Braeden Davis, PSU, 5-2; 157: Swisher, P, dec. Ethen Miller, VT, 8-3; 285: Christian Carroll, W, dec. Cole Mirasola, PSU, 9-6
Consolation Second Round
141: Davis, PSU, dec. Jordan Titus, WV, 10-6; 157: Swisher, P, dec. Vinny Zerban, ISU, 6-3; 184: Caleb Campos, A, dec. Malachi Duvall, GM, 9-2; 285: Mirasola, PSU, tech. fall Stephen Monchery, AS, 18-3 (6:03)
This story was originally published March 21, 2026 at 12:06 AM.
