Penn State Wrestling Hosts American Friday at 7 p.m. in Dual Finale

UNIVERSITY PARK- Feb. 19, 2025 – The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team (14-0, 8-0 B1G) closes out its dual meet season by hosting American University (10-9) on Friday, Feb. 21, at 7 p.m. in Rec Hall. The match-up serves as the dual meet finale for Penn State.

The Nittany Lions are coming off a two win road weekend that saw them down Ohio State 27-13 last Friday and Illinois 29-9 last Sunday, clinching the 2025 Big Ten Regular Season Championship in the process (the team’s 11th since head coach Cael Sanderson’s arrival). Penn State heads into the dual finale against American with a 14-0 record.

Penn State’s line-up features ten ranked wrestlers. True freshman Luke Lilledahl is ranked No. 9 at 125. Sophomore Braeden Davis is No. 7 at 133. Senior+ Beau Bartlett is No. 1 at 141. Sophomore Shayne Van Ness is No. 2 at 149. Sophomore Tyler Kasak is No. 1 at 157. Sophomore Mitchell Mesenbrink is No. 1 at 165. Junior Levi Haines is No. 2 at 174. Graduate Carter Starocci is No. 1 at 184. Redshirt freshman Josh Barr is No. 2 at 197. Senior+ Greg Kerkvliet is No. 2 at 285.

American is coming off a 2-1 weekend, grabbing wins over Bucknell and George Mason and falling to Virginia. AU heads into the Friday dual with a 10-9 overall record. The Eagles have lone ranked wrestler. Graduate student Will Jarrell is ranked No. 32 at 285. Penn State won the only prior meeting between the two teams, winning 40-3 in Rec Hall on Feb. 23, 2020.

Penn State will head to Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., for the 2025 Big Ten Championships next weekend. The two day event is set for Saturday and Sunday, March 8-9, and serves as the NCAA qualifier for the Big Ten’s 14 wrestling teams.

The 2024-25 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by the Family Clothesline. Penn State Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via X 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 NITTANY LIONS (14-0, 8-0 B1G)
2025 B1G REGULAR SEASON CHAMPS

125 #9 Luke Lilledahl Fr. Weldon Spring, Mo./Wyoming Seminary 14-2
133 #7 Braeden Davis So. Belleville, Mich./Dundee 8-3
141 #1 Beau Bartlett Sr.+ Tempe, Ariz./Wyoming Seminary 17-0
149 #2 Shayne Van Ness So. Somerville, N.J./Blair Academy 16-1
157 #1 Tyler Kasak So. Doylestown, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic 13-1
165 #1 Mitchell Mesenbrink So. Hartland, Wis./Arrowhead 18-0
174 #2 Levi Haines Jr. Arendtsville, Pa./Biglerville 16-1
184 #1 Carter Starocci Gr. Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep 17-0
197 #2 Josh Barr R-Fr. Davison, Mich./Davison 14-1
285 #2 Greg Kerkvliet Sr.+ Inver Grove Heights, Min../Simley 15-0

AMERICAN UNIVERSITY EAGLES (10-9)

125 Coen Bainey Fr. Julian, Pa./Bald Eagle
133 Raymond Lopez Jr. Clovis, Calif./Buchanan
141 Elijah White Sr. Stafford, Va./Mountain View
149 Gage Owen Fr. Mt. Airy, Md./South Central
157 Jack Nies Sr. Ocean, N.J./Ocean Township
165 Kaden Milheim Fr. Muncy, Pa./Warrior Run
174 Caleb Campos So. Charlotte, N.C./Cannon School
184 Breon Phifer Sr. Weston, Conn./Weston
197 Liam Volk-Klos So. Cranberry Township, Pa./Seneca Valley
285 #32 Will Jarrell Gr. Lincoln, Mass./Browne & Nichols

Individual rankings listed are InterMat as of 2-18-25 // Team ranking InterMat TPI

THIS WEEK
The Penn State Nittany Lions (14-0, 8-0 B1G) will host American University (10-9) on Friday, Feb. 21, at 7 p.m. in Rec Hall. The dual is the regular season finale for Penn State.

UP NEXT
Penn State will head to Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., for the 2025 Big Ten Championships on Saturday and Sunday, March 8-9. The tournament crowns the Big Ten champ and serves as the national qualifier for the conference’s 14 wrestling teams.

ON THE AIR
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NOTES:

NITTANY LIONS CLINCH 11TH B1G REGULAR SEASON
CHAMPIONSHIP WITH 29-9 VICTORY AT ILLINOIS
The Penn State Nittany Lions closed out the conference portion of their dual meet schedule with a dominant 29-9 win at #19 Illinois on Sunday, Feb. 16, clinching their 11th Big Ten Regular Season Championship in the process. The Nittany Lions won seven of ten bouts with a tech fall, three majors, and Carter Starocci’s DQ win (on six forced stalls) over #12 Edmond Ruth.

BARTLETT DOWNS MENDEZ AS LIONS ROLL OVER
BUCKEYES IN COLUMBUS
Nittany Lion Beau Bartlett used a first period takedown and a second period escape to defeat then top-ranked Jesse Mendez 4-2 in Penn State’s 27-13 victory over Ohio State in Columbus. Bartlett’s win was one of seven for Penn State, which also got technical falls from Mitchell Mesenbrink at 165, Carter Starocci at 184 and Josh Barr at 197. Levi Haines also took down #5 Carson Kharchla at 174, Braeden Davis beat #11 Nic Bouzakis at 133 and Shayne Van Ness beat #7 Dylan D’Emilio at 149.

JOSH BARR NAMED B1G FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK (2/11)
Nittany Lion freshman Josh Barr was Josh Barr has been named Big Ten Freshman of the Week for the week ending February 12, 2025. Barr earns the honor after a 2-0 weekend for the Nittany Lions, who continued to dominate Big Ten competition. The award is the 10th of the year for the Nittany Lions (Wrestler and Freshman). He used a late reversal to beat then No. 2 Josh Cardenas of Michigan Friday night and then teched Maryland’s Chase Mielnik on Sunday.

PENN STATE HOLDS MARYLAND TO NO TAKEDOWNS
IN LOPSIDED VICTORY IN REC HALL
The Nittany Lions kept their foes from securing a single takedown for the second time in three days when Penn State beat Maryland 35-10 on Sunday, Feb. 9, in Rec Hall. Led by Carter Starocci’s 20-3 tech fall over #11 Jaxon Smith, Penn State tallied five tech falls in the lopsided win. Joining Starocci with techs in the dual were Luke Lilledahl, Shayne Van Ness, Mitchell Mesenbrink and Josh Barr.

BARR DOWNS #2 CARDENAS AS NITTANY LIONS
SHUT OUT MICHIGAN 39-0 IN BJC DUAL
Penn State won all ten bouts in a rousing 39-0 shutout of visiting Michigan on Friday, Feb. 7, in another BJC Dual. The win featured pins from Luke Lilledahl and Levi Haines and a 3-2 tiebreaker win for Josh Barr over then No. 2 Jacob Cardenas at 197. The Nittany Lions did not give up a takedown in the dual.

kasak and lilledahl win b1g weekly honors
after lions dominated iowa
Sophomore Tyler Kasak and true freshman Luke Lilledahl swept Big Ten wrestling’s weekly honors after the Nittany Lions dominated Iowa 30-8 in the Bryce Jordan Center. Kasak posted a 5-2 win over then top-ranked Jacori Teemer at 157 to earn Big Ten Wrestler of the Week honors. Lilledahl rolled to a 22-6 tech fall over #26 Joey Cruz at 125 to earn B1G Freshman of the Week laurels.

PENN STATE WINS 8 OF 10 IN 30-8 VICTORY OVER #2 IOWA
Penn State won eight of ten bouts against #2 Iowa in a 30-8 win over the Hawkeyes in the Bryce Jordan Center on Friday, Jan. 31. The Lions thrilled a record-tying crowd of 15,998, for largest dual meet attendance for an indoor wrestling match. Penn State also owns the other two, against Iowa, in the BJC. Penn State got a tech fall from Luke Lilledahl at 125, a win from Beau Bartlett at 141, a major from Shayne Van Ness at 149, a win from Tyler Kasak at 157, a tech fall from Mitchell Mesenbrink at 165, a win from Levi Haines at 174, a win from Carter Starocci at 184 and a major from Greg Kerkvliet at 285. This marks the second straight year that Penn State has won eight of ten bouts against the Hawkeyes.

SOPHOMORE TRIO NOTCHES TOP-2 WINS
IN VICTORY OVER IOWA
Sophomores Tyler Kasak, Mitchell Mesenbrink and Shayne Van Ness each notched impressive top-two victories over their respective combatants in Penn State’s 30-8 win over Iowa on Friday, Jan. 31, in the Bryce Jordan Center. Van Ness dominated #2 Kyle Parco at 149, rolling to a 17-6 major. Kasak took down #1 Jacori Teemer 5-2 at 157 to send Penn State into halftime with a 15-5 lead. Mesenbrink began the second half by controlling #2 Mikey Caliendo in a convincing 19-4 technical fall (6:24).

PENN STATE ROARS AT RUTGERS
The Penn State Nittany Lions roared in front of a sold out Jersey Mike’s Arena crowd at Rutgers on Friday, Jan. 24 in Piscataway, N.J. Penn State won nine of ten matches, including four tech falls, to roll to a 35-3 win over #25 Rutgers. Shayne Van Ness (149), Mitchell Mesenbrink (165), Carter Starocci (184) and Josh Barr (197) all posted tech falls. Barr’s tech fall, of note, featured 22 unanswered points in less than 3:00 in the third period. He turned a 0-0 tie heading into the third into a 22-6 tech fall over #16 Josh Poznanski, a returning All-American, at 6:19. Carter Starocci teched #18 Shane Cartagena-Walsh 17-2, a bout that saw Starocci force the Knight into four stall warnings.

NITTANY LIONS ROUT #4 NEBRASKA IN LINCOLN,
LIONS WIN 8 OF 10 IN FRONT OF NEARLY 7K FANS
Penn State routed homestanding Nebraska 31-7 in Lincoln, Neb., on Friday, Jan. 17, winning eight of ten bouts in front of a Nebraska record crowd of over 6,600 fans. Penn State used three tech falls and a major, as well as a number of impressive regular decisions, to grab the win. True freshman Luke Lilledahl downed #6 Caleb Smith 4-2 at 125 and sophomore Mitchell Mesenbrink posted a 20-3 tech fall (5:39) over #7 Bubba Wilson as well.

NITTANY LIONS TIE ALL-TIME MARGIN OF VICTORY RECORD
WITH 55-0 SHUTOUT WIN OVER MICHIGAN STATE
The Penn State Nittany Lions opened up Big Ten dual action on Friday, Jan. 10, by shutting out visiting Michigan State 55-0 in Rec Hall. Penn State tied its all-time record for margin of victory with the effort (Buffalo, 55-0, Feb. 18, 2018). The Nittany Lions had six pins (Greg Kerkvliet, Shayne Van Ness, Tyler Kasak, Levi Haines, Carter Starocci, Josh Barr), three technical falls (Luke Lilledahl, Braeden Davis, Mitchell Mesenbrink) and a major (Beau Bartlett).

BECKETT RUNNER-UP AT F&M, 5 LIONS COMPETE
Senior Sam Beckett went 4-1 with three majors to take second place at 174 in the Franklin & Marshall Open on Friday, Jan. 10. Four other Lions competed as well: Cael Nasdeo picked up two wins at 141, Brock Weiss grabbed two wins at 149 and Ty Watson won twice at 157. Tim Levine picked up a victory at 141.

ZACK RYDER NAMED B1G FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK (1/8)
Freshman Zack Ryder was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week for the week ending Jan. 5, 2025. Ryder was one of nine Penn State Nittany Lion wrestlers to head to the 2025 Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga, Tenn., on Jan. 4-5. He rolled through a strong field at 184 to claim the 184-pound title as a true freshman. Ryder went 5-0 overall with a pin and a tech fall. He posted a dominant 9-2 win over No. 22 DJ Parker of Oklahoma in the quarterfinals and then pinned No. 25 TJ Stewart of Virginia Tech in the semifinals. He downed Northern Colorado’s Al Heeg 6-1 (sv) in the finals.

THREE LIONS WIN SCUFFLE TITLES, FIVE PLACE AT UTC
Penn State sent nine individuals to Chattanooga for the 2025 Southern Scuffle on Jan. 4-5 and three true freshmen won titles. Five Penn Staters placed overall. Zack Ryder went 5-0 with a pin and a tech to win the crown at 184. He beat #22 DJ Parker of Oklahoma 9-2 in the quarters and pinned #25 TJ Stewart of Virginia Tech in the semis on his way to the championship. Connor Mirasola went 5-0 with a pin, two techs and a major to win at 197, downing #30 Patrick Brophy of The Citadel 7-3 in the finals. Cole Mirasola went 4-0 with two techs and a major to win at 285. He downed #29 Connor Barkett of Duke in the quarters and majored #25 Lucas Stoddard of Army in the finals. Sophomore Connor Pierce went 4-1 to place second at 149 and senior+ Kurt McHenry went 6-2 to take fifth at 125.

NASDEO WINS EDINBORO OPEN CROWN; BECKETT SECOND
True freshman Cael Nasdeo went 3-0 with a tech and a major (plus a non-collegiate win) to claim the 141 pound title at the Edinboro Open on Jan. 4. Redshirt freshman Sam Beckett went 2-1 at 174 and took second place.

PENN STATE NEARLY PERFECT IN NASHVILLE
The Penn State Nittany Lions went 3-0 at the 2024 Journeymen Collegiate Duals in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in dominant fashion. The Nittany Lions notched two shutout wins and went 29-1 overall in their three duals. Penn State shutout Binghamton 52-0 and #15 Little Rock 44-0 and downed #8 Missouri 41-3. The Nittany Lions had 29 wins, 22 for bonus (four majors, eight technical falls, eight pins and two forfeits) and outscored its three opponents 135-3.

PENN STATE ROARS TO 41-3 WIN OVER #8 MISSOURI
TO CLOSE OUT COLLEGIATE DUALS IN NASHVILLE
Penn State roared to a 41-3 win over #8 Missouri on Sunday, Dec. 22, to close out the 2024 Journeymen Collegiate Duals in Nashville. Beau Bartlett posted a 4-1 win over #16 Josh Edmond at 141 and Carter Starocci majored #10 Colton Hawks 10-1 at 184 to lead Penn State. Levi Haines, ranked #2 at 174, lost a thrilling 4-1 sudden victory decision to #1 Keegan O’Toole in the dual’s marquee match up.

NITTANY LIONS POST THIRD STRAIGHT SHUTOUT,
BLANKING #15 LITTLE ROCK AT JOURNEYMEN
Josh Barr posted a 4-1 (sv) win over #5 Stephen Little at 197 and Braeden Davis downed #5 Nassir Bailey 1-0 at 133 to spark Penn State to a 44-0 shutout win over #15 Little Rock in its second dual at the Journeymen Collegiate Duals on Dec. 22. The shutout was Penn State’s third straight. The Lions also got ranked wins from Shayne Van Ness, who pinned #16 Jordan Williams at 149; Tyler Kasak, a 4-2 winner over #20 Matty Bianchi at 157; and Mitchell Mesenbrink, who roared to a 17-1 tech over #21 Joey Bianchi at 165.

PENN STATE SHUTS OUT BINGHAMTON in Nashville
The Nittany Lions opened up the 2024 Journeymen Collegiate Duals with a 52-0 shutout win over Binghamton. Luke Lilledahl posted a 19-4 tech over #33 Carson Wagner and Carter Starocci pinned #23 Will Ebert to spark Penn State.

BARR EARNS SECOND B1G FRESHMAN
OF THE WEEK AWARD (12/25)
Redshirt freshman Josh Barr was named Big Ten Freshman of the week for the week ending Dec. 22, 2024, his second honor of the season. Barr went 3-0 at the Journeymen Collegiate Duals in Nashville on Sunday, Dec. 22. He had a tech fall in PSU’s win over Binghamton and a pin in the Lion win over Missouri. Barr also used a takedown in extra time to post a thrilling 4-1 (sv) win over #5 Stephen Little in the Nittany Lions’ victory over Little Rock.

BARTLETT AND LILLEDAHL EARN
B1G WEEKLY HONORS (12/18)
Senior+ Beau Bartlett was named B1G Wrestler of the week and true freshman Luke Lilledahl was named B1G Freshman of the Week for the week ending Dec. 18, 2024. Bartlett pinned No. 28 Cole Brooks and Lilledahl posted a 20-5 tech fall at 4:25 over Jack Braman in Penn State’s 54-0 shutout win over visiting Wyoming in the Bryce Jordan Center.

PENN STATE SHUTS OUT WYOMING 54-0 IN JORDAN CENTER
The Penn State Nittany Lions rolled to a 54-0 shut out win over visiting Wyoming on Sunday, Dec. 15. The dual, moved to the Bryce Jordan Center earlier in the week due to scheduling conflicts with the NCAA women’s volleyball tournament in Rec Hall, was wrestled in front of over 7,300 fans, turning a Rec Hall sellout into an even bigger crowd for the Cowboy dual. Penn State had five pins, four technical falls and a major in posting its second most lopsided win ever (55-0 over Buffalo on Feb. 18, 2018).

JOSH BARR MAJORS #6 BEARD TO LEAD PENN STATE
IN 36-3 WIN OVER LEHIGH IN ALLENTOWN’S PPL CENTER; named B1G freshman of the week
Red shirt freshman Josh Barr tallied three takedowns (one in the second and two in a dominant third) to roll to an 11-3 major decision over #6 Michael Beard at 197, leading Penn State to a 36-3 win over the Mountain Hawks. The dual was wrestled in Allentown’s PPL Center in front of a sold out crowd of nearly 10,000 fans. Penn State won nine of ten bouts, also picking up a win from true freshman Luke Lilledahl over #15 Sheldon Seymour at 125. Barr was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week (12/12) for his efforts.

KELLY WINS MAT-TOWN I TITLE, LEVINE RUNNER-UP
Jack Kelly went 3-0 with two pins (in 0:13 and 0:46 seconds) to win the 174 pound title at the Mat-Town Invitational on Dec. 1 in Lock Haven, Pa. Tim Levine went 1-1 plus a non-collegiate victory to earn a runner-up finish at 133 while Sam Beckett went 2-1 to place third at 174.

MITCHELL MESENBRINK EARNS B1G W.O.W. HONORS (11/27)
Sophomore Mitchell Mesenbrink went 4-0 with four technical falls at the Black Knight Invitational on Sunday, Nov. 24, to earn the 165 pound title at West Point, N.Y., earning tournament Outstanding Wrestler honors. He was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week for the week ending Nov. 24, 2024, for his efforts.

NITTANY LIONS DOMINATE BLACK KNIGHT INVITATIONAL
The Penn State Nittany Lions dominated the 2024 Black Knight Invitational at Army West Point on Nov. 24. The Nittany Lions won nine of the 10 individual titles, 18 of their 22 competitors placed in the top six and every Penn Stater garnered at least one win. With results against teammates not counting as official NCAA bouts, three of Penn State’s titles included shared crowns with teammates not wrestling each other in the title bouts. Luke Lilledahl (125), Beau Bartlett (141), Shayne Van Ness (149), Tyler Kasak (157), Mitchell Mesenbrink 165), Levi Haines/Matt Lee (174), Carter Starocci/Zack Ryder (184), Lucas Cochran (197) and Greg Kerkvliet/Cole Mirasola (285) were champs. Alex Facundo (157) and Lucas Cochran (197) were runners-up. Kurt McHenry (125) and Connor Mirasola (197) placed third. Penn State rolled up a 55-9 overall record at the event, including seven majors, 24 tech falls and 15 pins (46 of its 55 wins were for bonus). Various matches that pitted Nittany Lions against each other are not included in those totals.

NITTANY LIONS ROLL OVER DREXEL
41-3 IN SEASON OPENER
The Penn State Nittany Lions opened up the regular season with a 41-3 victory over visiting Drexel on Sunday, Nov. 17, in Rec Hall. True freshman Luke Lilledahl received a forfeit win at 125 in his collegiate debut and Greg Kerkvliet closed out the dual with a pin at 285. In between, the Nittany Lions picked up three decisions and four straight tech falls in the second half to roll to the win. Levis Haines (174) and Carter Starocci (184) competed the night before in the NWCA All-Star Classic Exhibition and posted tech falls the next day in the win over the Dragons. Also grabbing victories were Braeden Davis (133), Connor Pierce (149), Alex Facundo (157), Mitchell Mesenbrink (165) and Lucas Cochran (197).

PSU SHINES AT ALL-STAR CLASSIC EXHIBITION
While Penn State’s official season began on Sunday, Nov. 17, in Rec Hall when the Nittany Lions beat Drexel, five Nittany Lions took part in the NWCA All-Star Classic exhibition the night before. The exhibition, not an official NCAA event and does not count towards wins, losses or RPI, featured Beau Bartlett (141), Shayne Van Ness (149), Tyler Kasak (157), Levi Haines (174) and Carter Starocci (184). Bartlett dropped a hard-fought 4-1 decision to No. 2 Jesse Mendez of Ohio State, Van Ness rolled to a 16-4 major over No. 3 Ty Watters of West Virginia, Kasak posted a 4-2 win over No. 3 Peyten Keller of Ohio, Haines notched a 7-0 win over No. 3 Cade DeVos of South Dakota State and Starocci grabbed a hard-fought 4-1 (sv) win over No. 2 Parker Keckeisen of Northern Iowa.

#FUNSTATS AFTER THE 2024 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
// Most Individual NCAA Titles Since 2011 — PENN STATE 38, Cornell 14, Oklahoma State 10, Ohio State 10, Iowa 7
// Penn State National Finalists Since 2011 — 56
// Penn State in NCAA Finals Since 2011 — 38-18 (Since 2011, winning percentage in NCAA finals is .679)
// Penn State in NCAA Semifinals Since 2011 — 56-8 (Since 2011, winning percentage in NCAA semis is .875)
// Penn State Team Championships Since 2011 — 11 (of 13, no NCAA tournament in 2020)
// Penn State Percentage of Team Titles Won Since 2011 – .846 (no NCAA tournament in 2020)
// Penn State has 12 NCAA Championships (11 under Sanderson), third most in NCAA history
// Penn State is the only team in the nation to win at least one individual title at EACH WEIGHT in the last decade
// Penn State is one of only two teams in NCAA history to have five individual champions in one year TWICE.
// Penn State’s Cael Sanderson has won 11 NCAA titles as a coach, second most in NCAA history (tied).