Nittany Lions shut out North Dakota State 46-0 in first match-up at Collegiate Duals!
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Penn State Nittany Lions (5-0, 0-0 B1G) shut out North Dakota State (1-5) in the first of two duals at the 2025 Journeymen Collegiate Duals in Nashville, Tenn. Penn State rolled to a 46-0 victory in the first of two dual meets at the event, hosted by the Montgomery Bell Academy.
The dual began at 125. Nittany Lion sophomore Luke Lilledahl, ranked No. 2 at 125, used 1:26 in riding time to grab a hard fought 6-5 win over No. 31 Ezekial Witt, giving Penn State an early 3-0 lead. True freshman Marcus Blaze, ranked No. 10 at 133, force four stall warnings as he rolled to an 11-3 major decision over No. 29 Tristan Daugherty in the next match.
True freshman Nate Desmond, again wrestling up at 141, used a late takedown to grab an exciting 4-1 win over Bison Michael Olsen. Junior Shayne Van Ness, ranked No. 1 at 149, used four takedowns and two turns to roll to a 19-2 tech fall over No. 24 Max Petersen at 5:16. True freshman PJ Duke, ranked No. 8 at 157, then tallied five takedowns in a 16-5 major decision over No. 21 Gavin Drexler to give Penn State a 19-0 lead at the dual’s midway point.
Junior Mitchell Mesenbrink, ranked No. 1 at 165, used two takedowns and four nearfall turns to roll to an 18-1 tech fall at the 3:45 mark to put Penn State up 24-0. Senior Levi Haines, ranked No. 1 at 174, followed up with the dual’s first fall, pinning Tyler Secoy in the first period at 1:38. Sophomore Rocco Welsh, ranked No. 4 at 184, continued Penn State’s bonus point barrage with a 19-4 tech fall over Andrew McMongagle at the 6:17 mark in the third period, giving the Nittany Lions a 35-0 lead in the dual meet.
Returning national finalist Josh Barr made his season debut at 197 and put on an offensive show. Barr picked up five takedowns in just over a period to roll to a 19-3 technical fall over Devin Wasley at the 3:20 mark. Redshirt freshman Cole Mirasola, ranked No. 13 at 285, finished off the dual with Penn State’s second first period fall. Mirasola notched two quick takedowns and pinned Drew Blackburn-Forst on the second just :33 into the bout. The pin finished off the shutout for Penn State as the Nittany Lions rolled to the 46-0 victory.
The Nittany Lions posted a 29-1 takedown advantage. Penn State picked up 16 bonus points off two pins (Haines, Mirasola), four tech falls (Van Ness, Mesenbrink, Welsh, Barr) and two majors (Blaze, Duke).
Penn State is now 5-0 on the year, 0-0 in the Big Ten. North Dakota State falls to 1-5. Penn State continues the Collegiate Duals immediately, battling Stanford at 7 p.m. Eastern.
Penn State Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via X/twitter at @pennstateWREST, on Penn State Wrestling’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/pennstatewrest. The Family Clothesline is the presenting sponsor for the 2025-26 Nittany Lion wrestling season. This is PENN STATE. WRESTLING lives here.
#1 Penn State 46, North Dakota State 0
December 20, 2025 – Nashville, Tenn.
125: #2 Luke Lilledahl PSU dec. #31 Ezekial Witt NDSU, 6-5 3-0
133: #10 Marcus Blaze PSU maj. dec. #29 Tristan Daugherty NDSU, 11-3 7-0
141: Nate Desmond PSU dec. Michael Olsen NDSU, 4-1 10-0
149: #1 Shayne Van Ness PSU tech fall #24 Max Petersen NDSU, 19-2 (TF; 5:16) 15-0
157: #8 PJ Duke PSU maj. dec. #21 Gavin Drexler NDSU, 16-5 19-0
165: #1 Mitchell Mesenbrink PSU tech fall Boeden Greenley NDSU, 18-1 (TF; 3:45) 24-0
174: #1 Levi Haines PSU pinned Tyler Secoy NDSU, WBF (1:38) 30-0
184: #4 Rocco Welsh PSU tech fall Andrew McMonagle NDSU, 19-4 (TF: 6:17) 35-0
197: Josh Barr PSU tech fall Devin Wasley NDSU, 19-3 (TF; 3:20) 40-0
285: #13 Cole Mirasola PSU pinned Drew Blackburn-Forst NDSU, WBF (0:33) 46-0
Records: Penn State (5-0, 0-0 B1G); North Dakota State (1-5)
Up Next for Penn State: Collegiate Duals, Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, Dec. 20 (vs. Stanford at 7 p.m. Eastern)
DUAL MEET BOUT-BY-BOUT:
125: Luke Lilledahl, ranked No. 2 at 125, battled No. 31 Ezekial Witt. Witt got in on an early high double and took Lilledahl down to open up an early 3-0 lead. Lilledahl quickly escaped to a 3-1 score. Lilledahl turned a high single into a takedown and a 4-3 lead at 1:55. He maintained control of Witt for over 1:00 while trying to turn the Bison for back points. Witt escaped to a 4-4 at :21 and the match moved to the second period tied 4-4. Lilledahl chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 5-4 lead. Lilledahl continued to pressure Witt from neutral. Witt was able to defend his way through two different Lilledahl attacks as the clock moved below 1:00. The duo battled in neutral for the rest of the period and the bout moved to the third with Lilledahl leading 5-4 with 1:07 in riding time. Witt chose down to start the third. He worked his way to an escaped to tie the bout at 5-5, with Lilledahl owning 1:26 in riding time. The match moved blow the 1:00 mark when Lilledahl countered a slight Witt shot, forcing a scramble on the edge of the mat as the clock moved below :30. A stalemate sent action back to the middle of the mat at :18. Lilledahl finished the period in neutral and on the back of the riding time point posted the 6-5 win.
133: Marcus Blaze, ranked No. 10 at 133, met No. 29 Tristan Daugherty. Blaze forced Daugherty to the outside circle for the first minute-plus, looking for the dual’s first takedown. The Lion freshman forced two stalls and led 1-0 at the :45 mark as the Bison continued to back away from contact. Blaze led 1-0 after the opening period. Blaze chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 2-0 lead. Blaze scrambled his way behind Daugherty on the edge of the mat to take a 5-0 lead at the 1:05 mark. Blaze cut Daugherty loose on the reset. Blaze picked up another stall points at :15 and carried that lead into the third period. Daugherty chose down to start the third period and Blaze cut him loose to a 6-2 score. Blaze turned a low single into another takedown and a 9-2 lead with 1:31 left to wrestle. He cut Daugherty loose once more and went back to work on offense. Blaze picked up two more points on another stall to lead 11-3 at :25. Blaze pressured Daugherty for the rest of the dual meet, forcing the Bison backwards, and walked away with an 11-3 major decision.
141: Nate Desmond met Michael Olsen. Desmond and Olsen worked in the center of the mat for the first half of the opening period. Desmond shot Olsen off the mat to force a reset at 1:28. The duo finished the period on their feet and the match moved to the second period tied 0-0. Desmond chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Desmond and Olsen continued to work the center of the mat through the 1:00 mark in the second stanza. Olsen worked his way in on a low single at :40 but Desmond was able to work his way out of trouble and work action out of bounds with :25 on the clock. Olsen chose down to start the third period and escaped to a 1-1 tie at 1:38. Olsen tried a body lock at the 1:05 mark and Desmond countered, nearly taking the Bison down. Olsen worked free of trouble and Desmond was hit with a first stall warning. Desmond blew through a high double and finished off the bout’s first takedown at the :18 mark and finished the period on top to post a 4-1 win.
149: Shayne Van Ness, ranked No. 1 at 149, took on No. 24 Max Petersen. Van Ness took Petersen down at the 1:07 mark to open up a 3-0 lead. Van Ness controlled Petersen for :43 before the Bison escaped to a 3-1 score. Van Ness then worked a quick low move into a takedown and three back points to lead 9-1 at :40. He turned Petersen for four more back points to lead 13-1 after one. Petersen chose down to start the second period. Van Ness maintained control for well over a minute, working his riding time up over 2:00. Petersen escaped to a 13-2 score with :30 left on the clock. Van Ness finished off the period with a quick takedown to lead 16-2 after two. Van Ness chose neutral to start the third period and finished off the match with a final takedown, posting the 19-2 technical fall at the 5:16 mark.
157: PJ Duke, ranked No. 8 at 157, faced off against No. 21 Gavin Drexler. Duke scored quickly to open up a 3-1 lead at the 2:20 mark. The duo battled evenly for the next minute with Duke pressing the Bison towards the outside circle. Duke notched a second takedown and cut to open up a 6-2 lead and then finished off the period with a third takedown at the :19 mark to lead 9-2 after one. Duke chose neutral to start the second and immediately took Drexler down again, cutting him loose to a 12-3 lead at 1:35. Drexler chose down to start the third, escaped, and Duke took him down once more to lead 15-4. Leading 15-5 after a Drexler escape, Duke forced a stall warning at :52. He continued to shoot the Bison backwards, working for another takedown. Drexler was able to defend his way to the end of the period and Duke, with riding time, posted the 16-5 major decision.
165: Mitchell Mesenbrink, ranked No. 1 at 165, battled Boeden Greenley. Mesenbrink scored quickly, taking Greenley down for an early 3-0 lead just seconds into the bout. Greenley escaped to a 3-1 score and Mesenbrink quickly took the Bison down again to open up a 6-1 lead with 1:25 on the clock. He force a stall warning with a strong ride as he looked to turn Greenley for back points. Mesenbrink picked up four nearfall points with :40 left in the period, reset, and added two more back points to lead 12-1 after two. Mesenbrink chose down to start the second period and reversed Greenley. He locked up a cradle and added four back points to claim an 18-1 tech fall at 3:45.
174: Levi Haines, ranked No. 1 at 174, met Tyler Secoy. Haines picked up the dual’s first takedown at the 2:15 mark. He then worked Secoy over to his back to post the fall, getting the pin at 1:38 in the first period.
184: Rocco Welsh, ranked No. 4 at 184, took on Andrew McMonagle. Welsh nearly scored in the opening seconds, turning a shot into a scramble on the edge of the mat. But the Bison worked action out of bounds for a reset. Welsh continued to move forward and took the Bison down at the 1:28 mark to lead 3-0. Welsch cut McMonagle loose and immediately moved in on offense, notching a second takedown to lead 6-1 with 1:06 in riding time after the opening period. McMonagle chose down to start the second and Welsh cut him loose to a 6-2 score. The duo battled through a scramble out of bounds at 1:10 and quickly turned a high single into another takedown to lead 9-2. Welsh chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 10-2 lead with over 2:00 in riding time. Welsh used a high double for a fourth takedown and a 13-2 lead with 1:23 on the clock. Welsh cut McMonagle loose and went back to work on offense. He added two quick takedowns and posted the 19-4 tech fall at 6:17.
197: Josh Barr, making his season debut at the collegiate duals, faced Devin Wasley. Barr wasted no time taking Wasley down, opening up an early 3-0 lead. Wasley worked his way to an escape and a 3-1 score at 1:45. Barr used a fast low double for a 6-2 lead after cutting Wasley loose. He picked up a third takedown at :55 and led 9-3 after another cut. Barr countered a Bison shot, took him down and then added four back points to finish the opening period with a 16-3 lead. Wasley chose neutral to start the second and Barr quickly ended the bout with a final takedown to post the 19-3 tech fall at 3:20.
285: Cole Mirasola, ranked No. 13 at 285, battled Drew Blackburn-Forst. Mirasola came out hot on offense, taking the Bison down quickly and cutting him loose to a 3-1 score. He quickly moved in on another shot, took Blackburn-Forst down and then immediately planted him on his back to pick up the fast fall, getting the pin at :33 in the opening period.
