Penn State Wrestling Dominates Wyoming and Chases History

The No. 2 Penn State wrestling team faced off against Wyoming in a highly anticipated non-conference dual meet. The showdown between No. 2 Penn State and No. 24 Wyoming at Wyoming’s Arena-Auditorium was the second meeting in history between the two teams. Every minute of the clash was broadcast live on FloWrestling and the FloSports app, and the replay can be accessed anytime in the FloWrestling archives.

The Nittany Lions, with a record of 4-0, showcased their dominance in Laramie, Wyo., securing a commanding 40-7 victory over the Cowboys (2-3). Penn State won last year’s meeting against Wyoming 54-0 as part of a 15-0 season that ended with a fourth consecutive NCAA Division I team national championship. On their own home turf this time, the Cowboys drew a program-record crowd of 4,686 fans and sent them home with something to cheer about - a pair of wins to avoid a second straight shutout and end the night on a high note.

The dual began at 125, and the Nittany Lions quickly established their dominance, winning the first eight matches.

Match-by-Match Highlights

Here’s a breakdown of how each match unfolded:

• 125: Nittany Lion sophomore Luke Lilledahl, ranked No. 2, used four takedowns and a couple turns to roll to an 18-3 technical fall at the 3:26 mark to give the Nittany Lions an early 5-0 lead. Lilledahl got in on early low single and finished off the takedown for a 3-0 lead at 2:28. Douglass escaped to a 3-1 score. Lilledahl zipped through a fast low single to notch a second takedown and lead 6-1 at :45. He maintained control on top for the rest of the period and led 6-1 after one. Douglass chose down to start the second period and Lilledahl cut him loose to a 6-2 score with 1:06 in time. Lilledahl quickly added a third takedown to lead 9-2 at 1:31. Lilledahl turned Douglass for four back points to lead 13-2, then for two more to lead 15-2.
• 133: True freshman Marcus Blaze, ranked No. 10 at 133, followed that up with a second period pin of No. Willochell drew first blood in the match, working Blaze down for a takedown and a 3-1 lead at 2:10. Blaze retook the lead quickly after the reset with a takedown at 1:30. The Lion freshman then turned a single into a scramble and a takedown on the edge of the mat to take a 7-4 lead with :18 on the clock and led by that margin after the first period. Willochell chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 7-5 score.
• 141: True freshman Nate Desmond moved up two weights to make his Penn State dual meet debut at 141. He used two takedowns; a reversal and a two-point turn to post a strong 11-4 win. Desmond turned a low shot into a scramble at the 2:10 mark that Alden was able to fight off, forcing a stalemate at 1:28. Desmond continued to pressure Alden on offense and worked through a low double for a takedown and a 3-0 lead at 1:11. The Nittany Lion then controlled the action on top, building up over 1:00 in riding time with a rideout to lead by three after one. Desmond chose down to start the second period and scrambled his way to a reversal and a 5-0 lead at 1:48. Desmond then countered an Alden shot for a quick takedown to lead 8-4 at :45. He clinched his riding time point then added two near fall points.
• 149: Junior Shayne Van Ness, ranked No. 1 at 149, picked up Penn State’s second fall of the dual. The Lion junior pinned No. 30 Gabe Willochell at the 2:54 mark in the first period. Van Ness shot Willochell off the mat at the 1:50 mark, setting a fast tempo off the opening whistle. Willochell worked his way in on a single and took a 3-1 lead with a takedown. Van Ness then moved in for a takedown, locking up a cradle.
• 157: True freshman PJ Duke, ranked No. 8 at 157, then picked up the third Nittany Lion fall in the first half, pinning No. 23 Jared Hill at the 4:09 mark. Duke scored first, notching a takedown at 2:11 to open up an early 3-0 lead. Duke cut Hill loose on the reset and went back to work on offense. Duke pressured forward and turned a fast low double into a second takedown with :48 on the clock. Duke worked his riding time up to :59 with a rideout and led 6-1 after the opening period. Hill chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 6-2 score. Duke faked a low shot, adjusted and notched a third takedown for a 9-3 lead after a quick Hill escape.
• 165: Junior Mitchell Mesenbrink, ranked No. 1 at 165, opened up the second half with Penn State’s fourth pin. Mesenbrink dominated the first period, getting the fall at 2:00. Mesenbrink took Swan down quickly to open up a 3-1 lead after a Swan escape. Mesenbrink then took the Cowboy down a second time and turned him to his back for four near fall points and a 10-1 lead.
• 174: Senior Levi Haines, ranked No. 1 at 174, used three takedowns and two near falls to roll to an 18-1 tech fall at 4:50, giving the Lions a 37-0 lead. Haines took Davis down midway through the opening period to open up a 3-0 lead. The Lion senior built up :38 in riding time before Davis escaped to a 3-1 score. Haines continued to work on offense and turned a fast shot into a second takedown and a 6-1 lead after the opening period. Haines chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 7-1 lead. He took Davis down right away to lead 10-1 and then went to work on top, looking for a pinning combination. He used a power half to turn Davis to his back for four back points and a 14-1 lead at :38.
• 184: Sophomore Rocco Welsh, ranked No. 4 at 184, used a first period takedown and a second period escape to post a hard fought 4-1 win over No. The duo battled evenly in the center of the mat, working the clock down below the 1:30 mark in the opening period. Welsh worked in neutral and pressed forward through the :50 mark until he connected on a high single. He then tripped Neitenbach to the mat for a takedown and a 3-0 lead. He finished the period on top to carry that lead into the second stanza. Welsh chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 4-0 lead. The Lion sophomore continued to pressure his Cowboy opponent backwards, looking for a second takedown. Welsh forced Neitenbach into a stall warning and led 4-0 after two. Neitenbach chose down to start the third period and escaped to a 4-1 score at 1:43. Welsh worked off a series of quick low shots and then slipped away from a Neitenbach shot as the clock moved past 1:00.

With eight straight wins, Penn State had already secured the dual victory.

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Wyoming salvaged two wins and sent their record crowd home with some good news with wins at 197 and 285. In the 197-pound weight class, All-American Joey Novak, a junior who finished fifth at the 2025 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, defeated redshirt freshman Connor Mirasola by major decision, 10-2, to log Wyoming’s first points against Penn State. Then, at 285, No. 10 Christian Carroll used three takedowns to turn away No.

• 197: Redshirt freshman Connor Mirasola, ranked No. 8 at 197, lost a tough 10-2 major decision to No. The duo battled evenly through the first minute of the match. Mirasola turned a low single into a scoring opportunity at 1:20 but Novak was able to fight off the effort and keep the bout scoreless with 1:04 on the clock. Mirasola continued to battle the Cowboy in neutral through the rest of the period and the match moved to the second tied 0-0. Mirasola chose neutral to start the second period. The duo traded quick shots on the Cowboy logo. Mirasola got in on another high shot, but Novak battled to a stalemate with 1:13 on the clock. Mirasola maintained his position as he kept Novak backing away from him for the rest of the period and the bout moved to the third period knotted in a scoreless tie. Novak chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Novak countered a Mirasola shot and took the Lion down to open up a 4-0 lead before the Lion called for injury time at 1:13.
• 285: Redshirt freshman Cole Mirasola, ranked No. 11 at 285, battled No. 10 Christian Carroll in the dual meet’s final bout and dropped a hard-fought 10-4 decision to the Cowboy. Carroll forced a scramble with a shot at 2:15 but Mirasola countered, nearly finishing off a takedown of his own before a stalemate stopped action at 1:52. Mirasola took a couple low shots that forced Carroll to back away, working the clock down below 1:00. The match moved to the second tied 0-0. Mirasola chose down to start the second stanza and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Carroll snapped through a low shot for a takedown and a 3-2 lead after a quick Mirasola escape. Mirasola worked the Cowboy backwards once more as he looked for an opening on offense. Carroll was able to defend his way to the end of the period and Mirasola trailed 3-2 after two. Carroll chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 4-2 lead. Mirasola turned a quick low single into a scramble. Novak countered another Mirasola shot at :40 to open up a 10-3 lead.

Penn State posted a 20-8 takedown edge over Wyoming.

Looking Ahead

The Nittany Lions now will be off until the Collegiate Wrestling Duals in Nashville, Tennessee, followed by a home meet against Rutgers.

Up next for Penn State is the Collegiate Wrestling Duals in Nashville, Tennessee, where the team will face North Dakota State and Stanford.

Penn State is back in action next on Saturday in Nashville at the Collegiate Duals. against North Dakota State and, if they win that one, could set a new NCAA Div.

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The Road to History

The Penn State wrestling team is on the verge of history after winning its 75th consecutive dual Saturday night on the road against Wyoming. They’re now one victory away from tying the NCAA Division I record of 76, set by Oklahoma State between 1937 and 1951.

On Saturday, the top-ranked Penn State wrestling team broke a 74-year-old record by sweeping a pair of matches at the Journeymen Collegiate Duals. With shutout victories over North Dakota State and No. 9 Stanford, the Nittany Lions extended their win streak to 77 consecutive matches and broke the Division I record for the longest win streak.

Penn State surpassed Oklahoma State's Division I record of 76 straight wins, which dated to 1951. Penn State now is tied for third with St. Cloud State for the longest win streak in college wrestling history of any division.

Fittingly, defending national champ Mitchell Mesenbrink (165 pounds) clinched the record with a fall for his 37th consecutive victory.

Penn State coach Cael Sanderson's team has not lost a match since Jan. 31, 2020, when No. 1 Iowa defeated the No. 2 Nittany Lions 19-17. Penn State began its current win streak two days later with a 40-3 victory over Maryland. That win also began Penn State's 42-match Big Ten win streak.

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No. 1 Penn State (6-0) was dominant again Saturday, going 20-0 in its two matches in Nashville. Among the highlights was the return of Josh Barr, the defending NCAA runnerup at 197 pounds who wrestled for the first time this season.

Here's the breakdown of Penn State's record-setting wins.

No. 1 Penn State 42, No. 9 Stanford 0

Mesenbrink (10-0) has scored bonus points in every bout this season.

Freshman PJ Duke picked up his most impressive win of the young season, scoring a third-period takedown to edge fifth-ranked Daniel Cardenas 5-2. Duke (8-0) fought off Cardenas' late takedown attempt to score his second win over a ranked opponent of the day. Duke, ranked eighth by InterMat Wrestling, also decisioned his highest-ranked opponent of the season.

Fellow freshman Marcus Blaze (133) generated another impressive win, pinning sixth-ranked Tyler Knox in the third period. Blaze (10-0) has four falls and 10 bonus-point wins on the season.

Barr capped his return with two technical falls, both by 19-3 scores, and nearly pinned Stanford's Angelo Posada.

And heavyweight Cole Mirasola had a dominant night, following his first-period pin vs. North Dakota State with a first-period technical fall vs. Stanford. Mirasola punctuated Penn State's record-setting tournament by scoring a takedown, his seventh, with 1 second remaining in the period to end the bout.

• 125: No. 2 Luke Lilledahl (PSU) dec. No. 12 Nico Provo 4-2
• 133: No. 10 Marcus Blaze (PSU) pin No. 6 Tyler Knox 6:44
• 141: Nate Desmond (PSU) dec. Lain Yapoujian 9-0
• 149: No. 1 Shayne Van Ness (PSU) dec. No. 14 Aden Valencia 10-4
• 157: No. 8 PJ Duke (PS) dec. No. 5 Daniel Cardenas 5-2
• 165: No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink pin EJ Parco 4:23
• 174: No. 1 Levi Haines (PSU) dec. Lorenzo Norman 14-4
• 184: No. 4 Rocco Welsh (PSU) dec. Abraham Wojcikiewicz 5-1
• 197: Josh Barr (PSU) tech. fall No. 19 Angelo Posada 19-3 in 4:13
• 285: No. 13 Cole Mirasola (PSU) tech. fall Luke Duthie 21-6 in 2:59

Penn State 46, North Dakota State 0

The Nittany Lions rolled to their second shutout of the season, scoring bonus points in eight of the 10 bouts. That included four technical falls and two pins, both in the first period.

Cole Mirasola (285) recorded his third fall of the season, this one in just 33 seconds.

Freshman PJ Duke, ranked eighth at 157, recorded the highest-ranked win of the match, scoring a 16-5 major decision over No. 21 Gavin Drexler. Fellow freshman Nate Desmond won again at 141 pounds, hitting a late takedown to secure a 4-1 decision.

Sophomore Luke Lilledahl, ranked second at 125, wrestled a wild bout vs. No. 31 Ezekiel Witt. They were tied 4-4 after one period, and Lilledahl needed a hard-earned point for riding time to secure the 6-5 win.

Barr entered the weekend unranked because of his injury absence but is about to make his rankings return. He was dominant in his return, compiling five first-period takedowns en route to a 19-3 technical fall in just 3:20.

• 125: No. 2 Luke Lilledahl (PSU) dec. No. 31 Ezekiel Witt 6-5
• 133: No. 10 Marcus Blaze (PSU) dec. No. 29 Tristan Daugherty 11-3
• 141: Nate Desmond (PSU) dec. Michael Olson 4-1
• 149: No. 1 Shayne Van Ness (PSU) tech. fall No. 24 Max Petersen 18-2 in 5:16
• 157: No. 8 PJ Duke (PSU) dec. No. 21 Gavin Drexler 16-5
• 165: No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (PSU) tech fall Boeden Greenley 18-1 in 3:45
• 174: No. 1 Levi Haines (PSU) pin Tyler Secoy in 1:38
• 184: No. 4 Rocco Welsh (PSU) tech. fall Andrew McMonagle 19-4 in 6:17
• 197: Josh Barr (PSU) tech. fall Devin Wasley 19-3 in 3:20
• 285: No. 13 Cole Mirasola pin Drew Blackburn-Forst in :33

Jason Bryant of Mat Talk Online has compiled an exhaustive list of records at his site, including the top win streaks in college wrestling history. Here's a condensed look at the list and where Penn State stands among the nation's longest win streaks.

Team	Consecutive Wins	Years Recorded	Division
Grand View	117	2013-22	NAIA
SUNY Delhi	92	1979-83	NJCAA
St. Cloud State	77	2017-22	NCAA Division II
Penn State	77	2020-present	NCAA Division I
Oklahoma State	76	1937-51	NCAA Division I
Oklahoma City	76	2008-12	NAIA Women
Iowa	69	2007-11	NCAA Division I
Oklahoma State	69	1996-99	NCAA Division I

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