No. 1 Penn State wrestling (11-0, 5-0 Big Ten) rolled over No. 19 Michigan (5-5, 2-5 Big Ten) 39-0 on Friday night in the Bryce Jordan Center. The dual marked the third of the season that the Nittany Lions wrestled in the Bryce Jordan Center, winning all three by a scoring margin of 123-8.
Penn State gave up no takedowns throughout all 10 bouts. The contest was highlighted by two falls from Luke Lilledahl and Levi Haines including an emphatic last-second reversal from Josh Barr to beat No. 2 Jacob Cardenas in overtime.
How It Happened
125 Pounds
Kicking off the dual was No. 7 Lilledahl taking on Christian Tanefeu. Within the first 60 seconds of the bout, Lilledahl struck for the opening takedown after a short scramble, jumping out to a 3-1 lead into the second after an escape from the Wolverine wrestler. Tanefeu escaped from bottom position to start the middle period, tightening the Nittany Lions’ lead to 3-2. Lilledahl snagged his second takedown of the bout midway through the second, extending his lead to 6-2.
After an escape to start the final period, Lilledahl scored his third takedown of the bout, pretending to allow his opponent to get back to his feet, only to strike again to lock up a cradle for his first collegiate fall at 5:38.
133 Pounds
Filling in for Braeden Davis, Penn State’s Kyison Garcia faced off against Nolan Wertanen. Despite a good scramble from Garcia, no points were scored in the bout until the Nittany Lion escaped to start the second period. Garcia fought hard to secure the opening takedown of the bout in the waning seconds of the middle period as he led 4-0 heading into the final two minutes. Despite an escape from Wertanen to start the third, the Wolverine failed to generate any more offense in the remainder of the period, granting Garcia the 4-1 decision victory.
141 Pounds
After a short break, No. 3 Beau Bartlett shared the mat with No. 12-ranked Wolverine Sergio Lemley. No points were scored in the first period as neither wrestler could get past the other’s defenses. An escape from Lemley was the only point scored in the second as both wrestlers had yet to take a committed shot. Bartlett quickly jumped back in front 2-1 to start the third period after a reversal from the bottom position. An escape from Lemley locked the bout up at 2-2, however, Bartlett was able to secure 70 seconds of riding time throughout the final period, awarding him. the 3-2 decision victory.
The Nittany Lions led 12-0 after the first three bouts.
149 Pounds
In action next were No. 3 Shayne Van Ness and Michigan’s No. 24-ranked Dylan Gilcher. After a long scramble, Van Ness finally secured the bout-opening takedown with just five seconds remaining in the first to take a 3-0 lead into the second period. An escape and additional takedown from Van Ness extended his lead to 7-0 after two. An escape from the Wolverine was the lone point scored in the third, giving Van Ness the 7-1 decision.
157 Pounds
No. 1 Tyler Kasak took on Michigan’s Zack Mattin at 157. A pair of takedowns from Kasak opened up the scoring in the first as the Nittany Lion took a 6-1 lead into the middle period. After starting in the neutral position, no points were tallied in the second. A lone escape point from Mattin was not enough to surmount the deficit, as Kasak secured the 7-2 decision victory after riding time.
The Nittany Lions lead the dual 18-0 at the intermission.
165 Pounds
After the intermission, No. 1-ranked Nittany Lion Mitchell Mesenbrink squared off against No. 10 Beau Mantanona. Mesenbink notched the bout’s first takedown, putting himself in front 3-1 after the first period. Mesenbrink started the middle period with an escape followed by his second takedown of the contest, extending his lead to 7-1 after two. Three takedowns in the final two minutes paired with a stall point and riding time gave Mesenbrink the 18-4 major decision victory.
174 Pounds
Next to the mat were No. 2 Haines and Michigan’s No. 29 Joseph Walker. Haines stretched for the bout-opening takedown with just under two minutes left in the first, then finished off Walker with the pin at 2:37.
184 Pounds
After the fall, No. 1 Carter Starocci met No. 24 Jaden Bullock. The four-time national champion was able to haul in a pair of takedowns in the opening period, taking a 6-1 lead into the second. After he escaped to start the second, Starocci tallied two more to extend his lead to 13-3 after two. A last-second takedown from Starocci paired with riding time gave the Nittany Lion a 19-4 tech fall at 7:00.
The Nittany Lions remained in front 33-0 with two bouts remaining.
197 Pounds
In the most anticipated bout of the night, No. 4 Barr battled No. 2 Jacob Cardenas. Despite some shots from both wrestlers, no points were scored in the first period. Starting the second period in bottom position, Barr took all of 13 seconds to escape and put himself in front 1-0, however, it would be the only point scored in the middle period. In a similar fashion, Cardenas escaped to start the third.
The match would be pushed into sudden victory although no points would come of it as the match next moved to the first of two tiebreaker periods. Barr was in top position to begin the first overtime and tallied eight seconds of riding time before Cardenas escaped to a 2-1 lead. In bottom position to begin the second overtime period, Barr electrified the home crowd with a reversal with just five seconds remaining to upset Cardenas by way of a 3-2 decision.
285 Pounds
To finish off the night, No. 2 Greg Kerkvliet competed against No. 8 Josh Heindselman. A takedown from Kerkvliet marked the lone points scored in the first period, granting the Nittany Lion a 3-0 lead. Kerkvliet started the middle period in bottom position and secured the reversal to extend his lead to 5-0. The score would remain the same for the rest of the bout as Kerkvliet took home the 5-0 decision.
Penn State won the dual 39-0.
What’s Next?
The Nittany Lions will be in action next when they return to Rec Hall to take on No. 29 Maryland at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 9, with streaming on the BTN+.
