No. 1 Penn State wrestling (9-0, 3-0 Big Ten) rolled over No. 13 Rutgers (10-4, 2-2 Big Ten) 35-3 Friday night at Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway, New Jersey, to conclude a two-week stint of away dual meets.
Highlighting the dual for the Nittany Lions were Mitchell Mesenbrink and Carter Starocci continuing their season-long streak of finishing all of their respective bouts with bonus point victories after two more tech falls from each wrestler against the Scarlett Knights. Redshirt freshman Josh Barr also continued his breakout season with a clinical third period for a tech fall.
How It Happened
125 Pounds
No. 6 Luke Lilledahl and No. 19 Dean Peterson of Rutgers kicked off the dual action. Neither wrestler could figure out the other throughout the first period as the bout remained level at 0-0 entering the second. An escape from Peterson to start the second broke the stalemate, taking a narrow 1-0 lead headed into the final two minutes of action.
Lilledahl quickly escaped to start the third, leveling the score at 1-1 with over 90 seconds remaining in the bout. Peterson scrambled for the bout’s only takedown in the waning seconds of the final period, taking a 4-1 decision victory over Lilledahl, handing the freshman his first loss of the season.
133 Pounds
After the loss, No. 7 Braeden Davis battled against Rutgers’ No. 9 Dylan Shawver. Similarly, both wrestlers spent the full first period on their feet, neither able to score any points. Despite getting hit with a stalling point, Davis rode out Shawver for the entirety of the second period, but was now down on the scoreboard 1-0. Davis then escaped to start the third, tying up the score at 1-1 with 100 seconds of riding time locked up. Even though Davis couldn’t finish on a late takedown attempt, the Nittany Lion wrestler won via a 2-1 decision after riding time.
141 Pounds
At 141, No. 3-ranked Nittany Lion Beau Bartlett took on No. 14 Joseph Olivieri. This time, Bartlett struck first in the first period with a takedown, jumping out to a 3-1 lead after the first three minutes of wrestling. Despite an escape from Olivieri to start the second, Bartlett countered with another takedown, extending his lead to 6-3 heading into the third. The Nittany Lion added an escape point to his total to take a 7-3 decision victory.
Penn State led the dual 6-3 after the first three bouts.
149 Pounds
Next to the mat was No. 4 Shayne Van Ness and Rutgers’ Alex Nini. Van Ness snagged two takedowns in the first to grab an early 6-1 lead heading into the middle period. An escape, takedown, and a four-point near fall for Van Ness extended his lead to 14-1 after two periods of action. A final takedown early into the third period gave Van Ness the 17-2 tech fall at 5:26.
157 Pounds
Following the tech fall, No. 3 Tyler Kasak No. 31-ranked Scarlet Knight Connor Harer. Kasak opened up the scoring with a takedown, putting himself in front 3-0 after one. After starting in neutral, neither wrestler could add any points to the scoreboard in the second period. Kasak rode out Harer for the entire third period to take a 4-0 decision victory after riding time.
Penn State led the dual 14-3 at the intermission.
165 Pounds
After the intermission, No. 1 Mesenbrink took on No. 26 Anthony White. Two takedowns from Mesenbrink paired and three near fall points gave the Nittany Lion a 9-1 lead after the first period. An escape and additional takedown from Mesenbrink extended his lead to 13-1 after two. More offense in the third period from the 165-pound wrestler secured the 19-3 tech fall at 6:30.
174 Pounds
Penn State’s No. 2-ranked Levi Haines battling against No. 22 Jackson Turley at 174. A takedown from Haines in the first period opened up the scoring, taking a 3-1 lead into the middle period. An escape from Haines was the only point scored in the second, extending his lead to 4-1. An escape from Tulrey was not enough to surmount the deficit as Haines took a 5-2 decision victory after riding time.
184 Pounds
No. 1 Starocci faced No. 18 Shane Cartagena-Walsh at 184. Starocci took a 3-0 lead into the second period after a takedown at the edge of the mat with 41 seconds remaining in the first. An escape and takedown from Starocci extended his lead to 7-0 after two. Starocci turned up the pressure in the third, scoring two takedowns while Cartagena-Walsh gave up multiple stall points, including one at 6:58 that gave Starocci a 17-2 tech fall.
Penn State led the dual 27-3 with two bouts remaining.
197 Pounds
Next to the mat were No. 4 Josh Barr and Rutgers’ No. 16 Josh Poznanski. Neither wrestler could get any offense going in the first as the score remained 0-0. In the second period, Barr remained in top position for the full 120 seconds, however picking up a stalling warning along the way. With the bout tied 0-0, Barr went on a tear, putting up 22 points in less than 90 seconds. He picked up the offense with three quick takedowns to start the third, jumping out to a 10-3 lead with just over a minute remaining. Playing catch and release, he scored four more takedowns in the final minute for the 22-6 tech fall at 6:19.
285 Pounds
Wrapping up the dual were No. 2-ranked Nittany Lion Greg Kerkvliet and No. 7 Varaslau Slavikouski. Once again, neither wrestler could score any points until an escape from Kerkvliet to kick off the second period, putting the Nittany Lion in front 1-0. No points were scored in the remainder of the second as the final period started in the neutral position. Slavikouski was then hit with a stalling point early in the third after fleeing the mat, extending Kerkvliet’s lead to 2-0. No more points were scored in the remainder of the bout, giving Kerkvliet the 2-0 decision victory, It was the first time this season that Kerkvliet did not score bonus points.
Penn State won the dual 35-3.
What’s Next?
Penn State will travel back to State College to take on No. 3 Iowa in the Bryce Jordan Center at 7 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.
