No. 1 Penn State wrestling (15-0, 8-0 Big Ten) mauled American (10-10, 1-4 EIWA) 50-3 in Penn State’s last dual match of the season on Friday. Penn State’s unblemished record is not only the best in the Big Ten conference but the entire NCAA heading into the postseason.

Senior night was highlighted by five pins and four tech falls from the Nittany Lions. The squad secured 50 out of a maximum 60 points against the Eagles in the last match of the regular season.

How It Happened

125 Pounds

Up first was No. 9 Luke Lilledahl and Coen Bailey. The Nittany Lion took the lead early with a takedown in the first 20 seconds. The freshman took Bailey down twice more by the end of the first to lead 9-2. After a lightning fast escape, Lilledahl secured his fourth takedown of the match. To end the second period, Lilledahl got in on his fifth takedown to make the match 17-3 with nearly three minutes of riding time. Lilledahl got his sixth takedown to beat Bailey by tech fall 20-3 in the third period.

133 Pounds

Next, Kyison Garcia faced Raymond Lopez. After the first period, neither wrestler could secure a score. Lopez broke the tie with a quick escape to start the second period. Garcia capitalized on a single leg shot to take the lead 3-1 with under a minute to go in the second. Lopez escaped and managed to take down the Nittany Lion before the buzzer to take the lead 5-3. Garcia escaped in less than 10 seconds and secured his second takedown of the match to once again regain the lead 7-6 with under a minute left. Lopez got a takedown to defeat Garcia 9-7 in the waning seconds of the match.

Penn State was up 5-3 after the first two matches.

141 Pounds

In the next matchup, No. 1 Beau Bartlett took on Elijah White. Bartlett struck first with two takedowns within the first 30 seconds. Bartlett secured four more takedowns before the period ended to lead 18-5. After starting in neutral position for the second period, Bartlett took down White for the seventh time to win by tech fall 21-5 early in the second period.

149 Pounds

Next, No. 2 Shayne Van Ness faced Gage Owen. The Nittany Lion broke the 0-0 tie with a takedown midway through the first period. Shortly after an escape, Van Ness took the Eagle down again to stretch his lead to 6-1. After four near-fall points, Owen got saved by the buzzer to make it to the second period down 10-1. Van Ness finally escaped from bottom position with a reversal at the 30-second mark. To start the third period, the two wrestlers engaged in a scramble situation where Van Ness eventually picked up another takedown to beat Owen by tech fall 16-1.

157 Pounds

Up next, No. 1 Tyler Kasak wrestled Devon Capato. Kasak was quick to takedown Capato, securing a three-point advantage within 30 seconds of the first period. Kasak allowed his opponent to stand after close to two minutes of riding time to rack up another takedown. The Nittany Lion quickly put Capato to his back to pick up a pinfall victory with just over 40 seconds left in the first period.

Penn State led American 21-3 at the intermission.

165 Pounds

Next, No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink took on Kaden Millheim. Mesenbrink exploded off the whistle with a takedown and two near-fall points within the first minute of the match. The Nittany Lion secured his second and third takedown before the end of the first period to lead Millheim 11-2 with 1:45 of riding time. To start the second, Mesenbrink escaped and took the Eagle down with another two near-fall points to extend his lead to 16-2. The Nittany Lion started in neutral position in the third period, taking Millheim down to secure the 19-2 tech fall with almost 3:30 in riding time.

174 Pounds

In the next matchup, No. 2 Levi Haines faced Breon Phifer. Haines made a statement with a quick takedown to take an instant 3-0 lead. Phifer escaped after close to two minutes of riding time from the Nittany Lion. It didn’t take long for Haines to get another takedown to lead Phifer 6-1 heading into the second period. Haines escaped to start the period, securing a third takedown with near-fall points. After a few seconds, the referee slapped the Resilite to signify a pinfall victory for Haines midway through the second period.

Penn State extended its lead to 32-3 after seven matches.

184 Pounds

Next, No. 1 Carter Starocci wrestled Lucas White. Starocci struck first with back-to-back takedowns a minute into the match. The Nittany Lion scored a third takedown and eventually flipped White to his back for a first-period pinfall victory.

197 Pounds

Up next was No. 2 Josh Barr and Liam Volk-Klos. Barr came out fast against Volk-Klos with a takedown and four near-fall points within the first minute of the match. After an escape, Barr struck again and pinned his opponent in just over a minute.

285 Pounds

In the last matchup of the night, No. 2 Greg Kerkvliet took on Emmanuel Ulrich. The Nittany Lion secured his first takedown early in the first period. After an escape, Kerkvliet slammed Ulrich for a second takedown and quickly pinned his opponent to end the match.

Penn State beat American University 50-3.

What’s Next?

Penn State will aim to capitalize on its dominating regular season in the Big Ten Championships hosted by Northwestern in Evanston, Illinois, on March 8 and 9.