Penn State Wrestling Sends Six to 2025 Big Ten Finals

EVANSTON, Ill. – The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team (15-0, 8-0 B1G) went 6-3 in the Big Ten semifinals, sending six competitors through to tomorrow’s Big Ten Championship finals. Head coach Cael Sanderson’s squad has qualified all ten wrestlers for the 2025 NCAA Championships in Philadelphia in two weeks.

Penn State is well out in front in the team race with 145.0 points. Nebraska is in second with 118.5 and Iowa is third with 98.0. The Nittany Lions went 19-4 on the day.

True freshman Luke Lilledahl, ranked No. 8 at 125 by InterMat, met No. 1 Matt Ramos of Purdue in the first of Penn State’s nine semifinal bouts. The duo battled through an even minute before Lilledahl lifted Ramos off the mat, took him down and added four nearfall points to lead 7-0 at 1:55. Ramos escaped to a 7-1 score and Lilledahl carried that lead into the second period. Lilledahl controlled Ramos to start the second period, building up over a minute in riding time before Ramos reversed him. Lilledahl then escaped to an 8-3 lead. He carried that lead, and 1:07 in riding time, into the third period. Lilledahl added a takedown to start the third period to up his lead to 11-3. Ramos added an escape and Lilledahl controlled neutral for the rest of the match. The Lion true freshman added a riding time point and rolled to an impressive 12-4 major decision to advance to the Big Ten finals.

Senior+ Beau Bartlett, ranked No. 1 at 141, faced No. 8 Vance Vombaur of Minnesota in the semifinals. Vombaur got on the board first with an early takedown and led 3-1 after a Bartlett escape at 1:06. Bartlett fought off a couple more Vombaur shots and trailed 3-1 after one. Vombaur escaped to a 4-1 lead to start the second period. Bartlett got in on a deep single midway through the second, but the Gopher fought off the effort and Bartlett trailed 4-1 after two. Bartlett escaped to a 4-2 score at 1:01 but Vombaur had 1:36 in riding time. Bartlett picked up a stall point but Vombaur, with riding time, held on for the 5-3 win, sending Bartlett to the consolation semifinals.

Sophomore Shayne Van Ness, ranked No. 2 at 149, took on No. 16 Kannon Webster of Illinois in the semis. Van Ness and Webster battled through a scoreless first period. Van Ness escaped quickly to start the second period, the only scoring of the middle stanza as Webster battled through a late Van Ness shot to kill the clock. Webster escaped early in the third to tie the bout at 1-1 and then Van Ness fought off a Webster shot to keep the match tied at :55. Van Ness scrambled for a late takedown, Webster countered and notched a last second takedown to grab a 4-2 win (giving up locked hands in the process). Van Ness’ loss sent him to the consolation semifinals.

Sophomore Tyler Kasak, ranked No. 1 at 157, battled No. 4 Antrell Taylor of Nebraska in the semifinals. Kasak scored quickly, taking Taylor down for an early 3-0 lead at the 2:43 mark. After a Taylor escape, Kasak continued to move in on offense, taking the Husker down and to his back. He settled in and finished off the first period pin at the 1:17 mark, advancing to the Big Ten title bout.

Sophomore Mitchell Mesenbrink, ranked No. 1 at 165, faced No. 10 Beau Mantanona of Michigan in semis. Mantanona notched the first takedown, taking a 3-1 lead early in the match. Mesenbrink battled through the Wolverine’s defense to take a 4-3 lead at the :55 mark. Mesenbrink escaped to start the second period and the added two quick takedowns to lead 11-5. He added another takedown late in the period to lead 14-5 after two. After a Mantanona escape, Mesenbrink picked up a stall point and then took the Wolverine down for an 18-6 lead. Mesenbrink added two more takedowns and a stall point to cap off a convincing 25-8 technical fall at the 6:29 mark to advance to the Big Ten finals.

Junior Levi Haines, ranked No. 2 at 174, took on No. 10 Patrick Kennedy of Iowa in the semifinals. Haines took a quick 3-1 lead early in the first period with a fast takedown. He battled through the rest of the period in neutral and carried that lead into the second period. Haines escaped to start the second period, opening up a 4-1 lead. He took a 7-2 lead with a takedown midway through the second period and carried it into the third. Kennedy escaped to start the third period, cutting Haines’ lead to 7-3. Haines added a late takedown and rolled into the Big Ten finals with a 10-3 win.

Graduate Carter Starocci, ranked No. 1 at 184, battled No. 11 Jaxon Smith of Maryland in the semifinals. Starocci chased Smith around the outside circle for the first period, forcing one stall but the bout moved to the second tied 0-0. Starocci escaped to a 1-0 lead early in the second and then pulled Smith back on to the mat for a takedown and a 4-0 lead midway through the period. Smith escaped to a 4-1 score to start the third period. Starocci picked up a stall point and then took Smith down again to open up an 8-1 lead with over 1:00 in time. He added a late takedown and riding time and rolled into the Big Ten finals with a 12-2 major decision.

Redshirt freshman Josh Barr, ranked No. 2 at 197, met No. 3 Jacob Cardenas of Michigan in the semifinals. Barr battled the Wolverine evenly in neutral for the entire first period and the match moved to the second stanza tied 0-0. Barr escaped quickly to start the second and led 1-0. Barr pressed forward but Cardenas was able to defend his way through the period and the Lion freshman led 1-0 after two. Cardenas escaped to a 1-1 tie at the 1:33 mark in the third period. The two escapes were the only scoring in regulation and the match moved to sudden victory. Cardenas was able to scramble to a takedown late in sudden victory to post the 4-1 (sv) win, dropping Barr to consolation semifinal action.

Senior+ Greg Kerkvliet, ranked No. 2 at 285, battled No. 8 Josh Heindselman of Michigan in the last of Penn State’s ninth semifinal bouts. Kerkvliet drew first blood, taking Heindselman down early in the first period to open up a 3-0 lead. Heindselman managed an escape after a 1:20 ride and Kerkvliet led 3-1 after one. Kerkvliet escaped to start the second period, opening up a 4-1 lead. Kerkvliet added another takedown to lead 7-1 at the midway point of the period and worked his riding time up over 2:00. He finished the period on top and led 7-1 heading into the third. Heindselman chose down to start the third and Kerkvliet spent the period working for back points. While the Wolverine fought off any nearfall points, Kerkvliet picked up a stall point and finished with 4:27 in riding time to post a strong 9-1 major decision. Kerkvliet’s win pushed him into the Big Ten finals.

Sophomore Braeden Davis, ranked No. 5 at 133, met Dustin Norris of Purdue in his first consolation bout of the night. Davis took control of the match early with a takedown and four near fall points to open up a 7-0 lead. He added two more takedowns before the 2:00 mark and then turned Norris to his back once more and picked up the first period tech fall, winning 17-2 at the 2:03 mark. Davis then took on No. 28 Angelo Rini of Indiana in the next round of consolations. Davis took a 3-0 lead midway through the opening period. He added a second takedown late in the period and led 6-1 after one. After a Rini escape to start the second, the Hoosier scrambled to a late takedown to cut Davis’ lead to 6-5 heading to the third. Davis used an escape and a late takedown in the third period to post a 10-5 win and move into the consolation semifinals.

The Nittany Lions closed out day one of the Big Ten tournament with an outstanding 19-4 overall mark. Penn State has amassed 23.0 bonus points off seven majors, four technical falls, four pins and a forfeit victory.

Action at the 2025 Big Ten Championships continues on Sunday, March 9. Sunday’s sessions start at 1 p.m. Eastern (12 p.m. local) and 5:30 p.m. Eastern (4:30 p.m. local). Penn State closed out the dual meet schedule with a 15-0 mark and ended the conference slate 8-0 the week prior. Penn State closes out the 2024-25 dual slate with a 15-0 mark, 8-0 in Big Ten action (Regular Season Champions).

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.

Penn State at the 2025 Big Ten Championships – Session 2

March 8, 2025 – Evanston, Ill. – Northwestern University, Host

Team Standings (Top three after session 2)

1: PENN STATE – 145.0

2: Nebraska – 118.5

3: Iowa – 98.0

Weight-by-weight agate (rankings listed are InterMat as of 2/25/25):

125: #8 Luke Lilledahl, Fr., Weldon Spring, Mo./Wyoming Seminary – 4th-seed

Rd. 1: Caelen Riley, Illinois – WBF (4:09)

Qtr: #15 Joey Cruz, Iowa – W, 11-1 maj. dec.

Semis: #1 Matt Ramos, Purdue – W, 12-4 maj. dec.

Finals: #7 Caleb Smith, Nebraska – tomorrow

Lilledahl took on Illinois’ Caelen Riley in the opening round. Lilledahl used two takedowns in the first two minutes to open up a 6-1 lead and build his riding time up over 1:00. He added a third takedown and led 9-2 after one. Lilledahl escaped to start the second period, took Riley down on the edge of the mat midway through the period and pinned the Illini at 4:09 to advance to the quarterfinals. He took on No. 15 Joey Cruz of Iowa in the quarters. Lilledahl used a last second takedown in the opening period to lead 3-0 after one. He then escaped to a 4-0 lead to start the second period. Lilledahl took Cruz down with :30 left in the period, finished on top and led 7-0 after two. Lilledahl worked his riding time up over 1:00 before Cruz escaped to a 7-1 score in the third. The Lion freshman picked up a final takedown at :35 and added 1:45 in riding time to roll to an 11-1 major decision, advancing to the semifinals and earning a trip to the NCAA Championships.

SEE ABOVE STORY FOR THIS SESSION’S BOUT-BY-BOUT

133: #5 Braeden Davis, So., Belleville, Mich./Dundee – 4th-seed

Rd. 1: Andrew Hampton, Michigan State – W, 11-2 maj. dec.

Qtr: #10 Dylan Shawver, Rutgers – L, 1-3 dec.

Cn. 2: Dustin Norris, Purdue – W, 17-2 (TF; 2:03)

Cn. 3: #28 Angelo Rini, Indiana – W, 10-5 dec.

Cn. Semi: #4 Braxton Brown, Maryland – tomorrow

Davis battled Andrew Hampton of Michigan State in the first round. Davis picked up a takedown midway through the opening period and carried a 3-1 lead into the second period. He escaped to start the second period then added a late takedown to lead 7-1 heading into the third. After a Hampton escape, Davis added one more takedown and tacked on riding time to roll to an 11- 2 major decision. He met No. 10 Dylan Shawver of Rutgers in the quarterfinals. Davis fought off a late Shawver shot over the last seconds of the opening period to move the bout into the second tied 0-0. Shawver chose neutral in the second and Davis battled through another late shot to head to the third tied 0-0. Davis escaped to a 1-0 lead quickly in the third. Davis and Shawver rolled through a wild scramble that appeared to lead to a Davis takedown. None was called, Penn State threw a brick, action continued with Shawver being given a takedown with just seconds left. The flurry went to review. The call on the mat stood and Davis dropped the last second 3-1 decision.

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141: #1 Beau Bartlett, Sr.+, Tempe, Ariz./Wyoming Seminary – 1st-seed

Rd. 1: bye

Rd. 2: #28 Greyson Clark, Purdue – W, 13-3 maj. dec.

Semis: #8 Vance Vombaur, Minnesota – L, 3-5 dec.

Cn. Semi: #13 Joey Olivieri, Rutgers – tomorrow

Bartlett had a first-round bye and took on No. 28 Greyson Clark of Purdue in the quarterfinals. Bartlett used two slick first period takedowns to take a 6-2 lead into the second period. He added a quick takedown in the second stanza to open up a 9-2 lead and carried that lead, plus 1:40 in riding time, into the third period. Bartlett worked his way to an escape and a 10-2 lead midway through the third period. Bartlett tacked on one more takedown and moved into the semifinals with a 13-3 major decision. He also earned a trip to the NCAA tournament once more.

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149: #2 Shayne Van Ness, So., Somerville, N.J./Blair Academy – 1st-seed

Rd. 1: bye

Rd. 2: #29 Kal Miller, Maryland – W, 12-2 maj. dec.

Semis: #16 Kannon Webster, Illinois – L, 2-4 dec.

Cn. Semi: #18 Andrew Clark, Rutgers – tomorrow

Van Ness had a first-round bye and took on No. 29 Kal Miller of Maryland in the quarterfinals. Van Ness notched a takedown with 1:04 left in the first period and finished the stanza on top to lead 3-0 after one. He quickly escaped to a 4-0 lead to start the second period. Van Ness worked his way to a takedown in the final minute, finished on top and led 7-0 with 1:33 in riding time after two. After a Miller escape, Van Ness picked up another takedown and a stall point to lead 11-2 after Miller escaped at :35. He tacked on a riding time point and rolled into the semifinals with a 12-2 major decision. The win also clinched a spot at the NCAA Championships.

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157: #1 Tyler Kasak, So., Doylestown, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic – 2nd-seed

Rd. 1: bye

Rd. 2: #9 Trevor Chumbley, Northwestern – W, 7-3 dec.

Semis: #4 Antrell Taylor, Nebraska – WBF (1:17)

Finals: #11 Brandon Cannon, Ohio State – tomorrow

Kasak had a first-round bye and took on No. 9 Trevor Chumbley of Northwestern in the quarterfinals. Kasak scored quickly, taking a 3-0 lead off the opening whistle. He added a second takedown to carry a 6-1 lead into the second. Kasak escaped to start the middle period and led 7-1. He carried that lead into the third period. Kasak was able to hold on for a 7-3 win despite giving up a couple late stall points. His win advanced him to the semifinals and earned him a trip to the NCAA Championships.

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165: #1 Mitchell Mesenbrink, So., Hartland, Wis./Arrowhead – 1st-seed

Rd. 1: bye

Rd. 2: #9 Paddy Gallagher, Ohio State – W, med. def. (0:01)

Semis: #10 Beau Mantanona, Michigan – W, 25-8 (TF; 6:29)

Finals: #2 Mikey Caliendo, Iowa – tomorrow

Mesenbrink had a first-round bye and met No. 9 Paddy Gallagher of Ohio State in the quarterfinals. Mesenbrink received a medical default victory and advanced to the semifinals with the win. He also earned a trip to the NCAA Championships.

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174: #2 Levi Haines, Jr., Arendtsville, Pa./Biglerville – 1st-seed

Rd. 1: bye

Rd. 2: #26 Brody Baumann, Purdue – WBF (5:58)

Semis: #10 Patrick Kennedy, Iowa – W, 10-3 dec.

Finals: #8 Lenny Pinto, Nebraska – tomorrow

Haines had a first-round bye and took on No. 26 Brody Baumann of Purdue in the quarterfinals. Haines took Baumann down at the 1:59 mark and then finished the period on top to lead 3-0 after one. He chose down to start the second and quickly reversed his way to a 5-0 lead to start the middle stanza. He built his riding time up to 3:50 with a rideout and carried that led to the third. Haines added an early takedown in the third to lead 8-0, then another to lead 11-1 and picked up the fall at the 5:58 mark, moving on to the semifinals and earning a trip to the NCAA tournament.

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184: #1 Carter Starocci, Gr., Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep – 1st-seed

Rd. 1: bye

Rd. 2: #24 DJ Washington, Indiana – W, 18-1 (TF; 4:54)

Semis: #11 Jaxon Smith, Maryland – W, 12-2 maj. dec.

Finals: #4 Max McEnelly, Minnesota – tomorrow

Starocci had a first-round bye and took on DJ Washington of Indiana in the quarterfinals. Starocci dominated the first period, using a takedown and two stall points to lead 4-0 early. He picked up four late back points and led 9-0 after one. He reversed Washington to start the second stanza and led 11-0. Starocci ended the match in the second period with another takedown and four near fall points, getting the tech fall at the 4:54 mark to advance to the semifinals. Starocci also earned his fifth trip to nationals with the win.

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197: #2 Josh Barr, R-Fr., Davison, Mich./Davison – 2nd-seed

Rd. 1: bye

Rd. 2: #20 Camden McDanel, Nebraska – W, 17-2 (TF; 4:05)

Semis: #3 Jacob Cardenas, Michigan – L, 1-4 (sv)

Cn. Semi: #8 Isaiah Salazar, Minnesota – tomorrow

Barr had a first-round bye and met No. 20 Camden McDanel of Nebraska in the quarterfinals. Barr scored quickly, taking McDanel down off the opening whistle. Barr built up over 1:00 in time, let McDanel up and then took him down again. He added four back points to lead 10-1 after the opening period. He quickly escaped to an 11-1 lead to start the second period then took a 14-2 lead with another quick takedown. He ended the match with a final takedown, getting the 17-2 tech fall at 4:05. The win moved Barr into the semifinals and earned him his first trip to the NCAA Championships.

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285: #2 Greg Kerkvliet, Sr.+, Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley – 2nd-seed

Rd. 1: bye

Rd. 2: #11 Ben Kueter, Iowa – WBF (1:53)

Semis: #8 Josh Heindselman, Michigan – W, 9-1 maj. dec.

Finals: #1 Gable Steveson, Minnesota – tomorrow

Kerkvliet had a first-round bye and battled No. 11 Ben Kueter of Iowa in the quarterfinals. Kerkvliet took Kueter down quickly, opening up a 3-0 lead in the initial seconds of the bout. He cut the Hawkeye loose and immediately took him down again to lead 6-1 at 1:47. Kerkvliet then turned Kueter to his back and picked up the first period pin at the 1:53 mark. Kerkvliet’s fall earned him a spot in the semifinals and a fifth trip to the NCAA tournament.

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