Penn State Dominates Visiting Maryland 35-10 in B1G Wrestling Action
UNIVERSITY PARK – The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team (12-0, 6-0 B1G) dominated visiting Maryland (8-9, 3-4 B1G) 35-10 in Big Ten dual action on Sunday in Rec Hall. Penn State tallied five technical falls in the lopsided victory. The Nittany Lions did not give up a takedown for the second time this weekend.
The dual began at 125. True freshman Luke Lilledahl, ranked No. 7 at 125, dominated Tyler Garvin, ending the match in the second period with a 20-4 technical fall at the 3:42 mark. Freshman Kyison Garcia stepped in for No. 7 Braeden Davis at 133 again and dropped a 9-1 major to No. 11 Braxton Brown. Senior+ Beau Bartlett, ranked No. 3 at 141, extended Penn State’s lead with a dominating 17-3 major decision over Dario Lemus. His win put Penn State on top 9-5.
Sophomore Shayne Van Ness, ranked No. 3 at 149, controlled the action against No. 32 Kal Miller in the next match. Van Ness turned Miller multiple times on his way to a 17-2 technical fall with 2:52 riding time, at 7:00. Sophomore Tyler Kasak, ranked No. 1 at 157, was leading No. 6 Ethen Miller late in the second period when he took a third hand to the and entered concussion protocol. He was unable to continue, and Miller won by injury default at 4:21. Penn State led 14-10 at halftime.
Sophomore Mitchell Mesenbrink, ranked No. 1 at 165, picked up yet another tech fall to open up the second half. Mesenbrink tallied five takedowns in an 18-3 tech fall at 4:59 over Alex Uryniak to give the Nittany Lions a 19-10 lead. Junior Levi Haines, ranked No. 2 at 174, used a second period rideout and a couple takedowns in the third to post an 8-1 win over Branson John.
Graduate Carter Starocci, ranked No. 1 at 184, thoroughly controlled No. 11 Jaxon Smith from start to finish, rolling to a dominating 20-3 tech fall at the 6:45 mark (forcing four stall warnings in the process). Redshirt freshman Josh Barr, ranked No. 4 at 197, continued Penn State’s dominance. Barr used a takedown and near fall late in the second period to seal a 17-2 tech fall over Chase Mielnik and give Penn State a 32-10 lead in the dual. Senior+ Greg Kerkvliet, ranked No. 2 at 285, closed out the dual with a strong 8-3 win over No. 12 Seth Nevills as the Nittany Lions walked away with the lopsided 35-10 dual meet victory.
Penn State won eight of ten bouts and once again did not give up a takedown, owning a 29-0 edge. The Lions picked up 11 bonus points off five tech falls (Lilledahl, Van Ness, Mesenbrink, Smith, Barr) and one major (Bartlett).
The Nittany Lions are now 12-0, 6-0 B1G. Maryland falls to 8-9, 3-4 B1G. Penn State hits the road for two conference duals next weekend. The Lions are at Ohio State on Friday, Feb. 14, at 7 p.m. The team then heads to Illinois for a dual at 2 p.m. Eastern (1 p.m. local) on Sunday, Feb. 16.
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. This is PENN STATE. WRESTLING lives here.
#1 Penn State 35, Maryland 10
February 9, 2025 – Rec Hall – University Park, Pa.
125: #7 Luke Lilledahl PSU tech fall Tyler Garvin MD, 20-4 (TF; 3:42) 5-0
133: #11 Braxton Brown MD maj. dec. Kyison Garcia PSU, 9-1 5-4
141: #3 Beau Bartlett PSU maj. dec. Dario Lemus MD, 17-3 9-4
149: #3 Shayne Van Ness PSU tech fall #32 Kal Miller MD, 17-2 (TF; 7:00) 14-4
157: #6 Ethen Miller MD inj. Def. #1 Tyler Kasak PSU, injury default (4:21) 14-10
165: #1 Mitchell Mesenbrink PSU tech fall Alex Uryniak MD, 18-3 (TF; 4:59) 19-10
174: #2 Levi Haines PSU dec. Branson John MD, 8-1 22-10
184: #1 Carter Starocci PSU tech fall #11 Jaxon Smith MD, 20-3 (TF; 6:45) 27-10
197: #4 Josh Barr PSU tech fall Chase Mielnik MD, 17-2 (TF; 4:36) 32-10
285: #2 Greg Kerkvliet PSU dec. #12 Seth Nevills MD, 8-3 35-10
Attendance: 6,275 (Penn State has wrestled in front of 85 sellouts in its last 90 home events, including 75-straight in Rec Hall and 10 of 15 in the BJC)
Records: Penn State (12-0, 6-0 B1G); Maryland (8-9, 3-4 B1G)
Up Next for Penn State: at Ohio State, Friday, Feb. 14, 7 p.m.
DUAL MEET BOUT-BY-BOUT:
125: True freshman Luke Lilledahl, ranked No. 7 at 125, met Tyler Garvin. Lilledahl came out of the gates hot, taking Garvin down in less than :20 for an early 3-0 lead. Lilledahl controlled action from the top position for :40 before cutting Garvin loose to a 3-1 score. Lilledahl caught Garvin on his feet, taking him to his back for three and four to lead 10-2 after quickly cutting him again. Lilledahl picked up a third takedown to open up a 13-2 lead with 1:05 on the clock. He forced a first stall while building nis time up near 2:00. Lilledahl finished the period on top and led 13-2 with 2:16 in riding time after the opening period. Garvin chose down to start the second period and Lilledahl cut him loose to a 13-3 score. Lilledahl snapped a low single into another takedown at the 1:50 mark to up his lead to 16-3. He cut the Terrapin loose once more, picked up a stall point and then ended the match with a final takedown, notching the 20-4 tech fall at 3:42.
133: Freshman Kyison Garcia got the nod once again for No. 7 Braeden Davis at 133 and took on No. 11 Braxton Brown. Garcia worked a high single into a scramble out of the gates, but Brown was able to fight off the effort and force a reset at the 2:00 mark. Garcia continued to pace the center of the mat, working in neutral on the Nittany Lion logo. Garcia battled Brown in neutral for the rest of the period and the bout moved to the second period tied 0-0. Brown chose down to start the second period and scrambled his way to a reversal and a 2-0 lead. Garcia nearly reversed the Terrapin at 1:30 but settled for an escape and a 2-1 score. Brown took a slight high shot that Garcia countered and defended, staying neutral through :30. Trailing 2-1 after two, Garcia chose down to start the third period. Brown was able to turn Garcia for two near fall points to up his lead to 4-1 at 1:40. He reset and turned him once more for four points and the Lion freshman trailed 8-1 at the 1:10 mark. Garcia gave up a stall warning with :50 on the clock. Brown finished the bout on top and, with 2:22 in riding time, posted the 9-1 major decision.
141: Senior+ Beau Bartlett, ranked No. 3 at 141, battled Dario Lemus. Bartlett scored in just seconds, taking a 3-0 lead at 2:53. He went to work on top, working to turn Lemus while building up a time edge. Bartlett hit the 1:00 mark in riding time before Lemus escaped to a 3-1 score. Bartlett forced a scramble with another lower shot, finished off the takedown and then turned the Terrapin for two back points to lead 8-1 at 1:30. Bartlett maintained control for the rest of the period and carried that 8-1 lead, and 2:19 in riding time, into the second period. Bartlett chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 9-1 lead. He worked the clock down to :30 in neutral and muscled Lemus to the mat for a last second takedown to lead 12-1 after two. Lemus chose down to start the third period and Bartlett cut him loose to a 12-2 score. Bartlett snapped Lemus to the mat for a quick takedown and cut at 1:30 to lead 16-3. As the clock hit :45, Bartlett picked up a stall point and nearly ended the match with a low single. Lemus forced a reset at :28 and, with 2:17 in riding time, posted the 17-3 major decision.
149: Sophomore Shayne Van Ness, ranked No. 3 at 149, met No. 32 Kal Miller. Van Ness fought off an early Miller shot early on to keep the match scoreless less than a minute into the bout. He then scrambled for a takedown to lead 3-0 at the 1:00 mark. After resetting on top, Van Ness turned Miller for four back points and a 7-0 lead with :30 on the clock. Miller escaped as the period ended and Van Ness led 7-1 with 1:22 in time after one. Van Ness chose down to start the second period and escaped to an 8-1 lead in the opening seconds. Miller got hit with stalling shortly after and Van Ness moved in on a low double, setting up a scramble on the Penn State logo. Miller forced a stalemate at :29. Van Ness almost worked a low single into another takedown, but time ran out in the period. Miller chose down to start the third period. Van Ness picked up a stall point and then turned Miller to his back for four back points. Van Ness worked the fall over the last :35, but never got the call and, with 2:52 riding time, posted the 17-2 tech fall at 7:00 (on riding time).
157: Sophomore Tyler Kasak, ranked No. 1 at 157, faced off against No. 6 Ethen Miller. The duo battled for control of the center of the mat over the first minute. Kasak pressed forward while Miller blocked the Lion off to keep the match scoreless. Kasak maintained his position on the Lion logo over the course of the opening period and the first stanza ended in a scoreless tie. Kasak chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Miller continued to step away from contact as Kasak pressed in on offense. Kasak forced a first stall at 1:10. Miller nearly connected on a high single but Kasak was able to kick his way out of trouble and maintain neutral at :30. Kasak took a Miller shot to the head for the third time late in the second period forcing a stoppage in the action for concussion protocol. The Nittany Lion sophomore was unable to continue, and Miller won by injury default at 4:21 with Kasak leading 1-0 at the time.
165: Sophomore Mitchell Mesenbrink, ranked No. 1 at 165, took on Alex Uryniak. Mesenbrink scored quickly, taking the Terrapin down for a 3-0 lead just :20 into the bout. He cut Uryniak loose and quickly moved in for a second takedown and a 6-1 lead at 1:45. Mesenbrink controlled the action on top to the 1:10 mark before cutting Uryniak loose on a reset. Mesenbrink countered a slight Maryland shot for a 9-2 lead at :48. He forced a first stall warning and finished the period on top to lead 9-2 with 2:09 in riding time after one. Mesenbrink chose down to start the second period and picked up a point on locked hands to lead 10-2. He escaped to an 11-2 lead and countered another shot for a takedown of his own and a 14-2 lead with 1:25 on the clock. Mesenbrink picked up another point on stalling before Uryniak escaped with :10 left. Mesenbrink finished off the match with a final takedown with just :01 on the clock, posting the 18-3 tech fall at 4:59.
174: Junior Levi Haines, ranked No. 2 at 174, battled Branson John. The duo battled evenly in neutral for the majority of the first period with neither wrestler able to find any footing on offense. The first period ended in a scoreless tie. John chose down to start the second period and Haines went to work on top. The Lion junior put together a strong ride, looking to turn John for nearfall. Haines worked his riding time up over 1:00. He forced John into a stall warning at :30 and then was hit with stalling at :22. Haines finished off the period in control for the full rideout. Tied 0-0, Haines chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. John worked his way in on a high single and Haines muscled his way through the move. He countered the action, worked low control into a takedown and led 4-0 at 1:12 with over 2:00 in riding time. John picked up an escape at the :45 mark and Haines took him down for a 7-1 lead with :20 on the clock. The Lion junior finished the period on top and, with 2:35 riding time, rolled to the 8-1 win.
184: Graduate Carter Starocci, ranked No. 1 at 184, met No. 11 Jaxon Smith. Starocci scored quickly, taking Smith down for an early 3-0 lead less than :30 into the bout. Starocci controlled action from the top position, building up riding time to :52 before cutting Smith loose to a 3-1 score. Starocci forced a stall warning at 1:32 and went back to work in the center of the mat. Starocci continued to chase down as the Terrapin continued to back away. Starocci used a fast low single to pull Smith down to the mat and pick up a second takedown at :20. Starocci finished the period on top and led 6-1 with 1:21 in riding time after one. Starocci chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 7-1 lead. He immediately turned in on Smith to gain control of his right ankle. Smith was able to escape out of bounds at 1:07 to send action back to the center of the mat. Starocci picked up a stall point at :45 and then took Smith down with a low double on the outside circle to up his lead to 11-1. He cut Smith loose and the quickly took him down once more to lead 14-2 with :23 left in the period. Smith chose down to start the third period. Starocci worked his riding time edge over 2:00. He picked up another stall point and then cut Smith loose to a 15-3 lead at 1:12. Starocci picked up two more points on yet another stall to lead 17-3 and then finished off the technical fall with a final takedown to win 20-3 at 6:45.
197: Redshirt freshman Josh Barr, ranked No. 4 at 197, faced Chase Mielnik. Barr scored first, taking Mielnik down for a 3-0 lead less than 1:00 into the match. Barr built up 1:04 riding time before Mielnik escaped to a 3-1 score. Mielnik worked in on a high shot at 1:00 but Barr deftly countered the move and worked his way around Mielnik for a second takedown and a 6-1 lead. He finished the period on top. Leading 6-1, Barr chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 7-1 lead. He almost muscled a low single into another takedown to lead 10-1 with 1:10 on the clock. Mielnik escaped and Barr quickly took him down and then turned him to his back for four back points to end the match. Barr’s quick flurry gave him a 17-2 technical fall at the 4:36 mark.
285: Senior+ Greg Kerkvliet, ranked No. 2 at 285, battled No. 12 Seth Nevills. Kerkvliet worked to control the action on his feet, holding court on the Nittany Lion logo center mat. The Lion senior continued to shoot low shots, forcing Nevills into defense as the clock moved towards 1:00. Kerkvliet turned a low single into a scramble at the :45 mark, finishing off the takedown for a 3-0 lead seconds later. He finished the period on top and led 3-0 with :31 in riding time after one. Kerkvliet chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 4-0 lead. Kerkvliet muscled through a low shot for a second takedown to up his lead to 7-1 midway through the period. Nevills escaped to a 7-2 score and Kerkvliet led by five after two periods. Trailing 7-2, Nevills chose down to start the third period. Kerkvliet built his riding time advantage up over 1:00 before Nevills escaped to a 7-3 score. Kerkvliet controlled position in the middle of the mat as time dipped below 1:00. Kerkvliet finished the period in neutral and, with 1:06 in riding time, posted the 8-3 win.
