No. 1 Penn State Penn State wrestling (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten) dismantled the No. 14-ranked Lehigh Mountain Hawks (3-4, 0-0 EIWA) 36-6 in Rec Hall on Sunday.

The Nittany Lions won all but two matches, with a highlight performance by true freshman and No. 14-ranked PJ Duke securing an upset victory over No. 10 Logan Rozynski.

Penn State racked up five bonus-point victories with a pin, two technical falls, and two major decisions.

How It Happened

125 Pounds

Up first, No. 2 Luke Lilledahl took on Logan Wadle at 125 pounds. Lilledahl was quick to get to his offense, securing a single-leg takedown 30 seconds into the period. The Nittany Lion would strike again with another single-leg shot, this time putting Wadle to his back and nearly scoring a fall. The Nittany Lion cut Wadle loose and secured a third takedown to take a commanding 13-2 lead after the first.

To start the second, Lilledahl escaped and finished the match off with his fourth takedown, good enough for a 17-2 technical fall.

133 Pounds

Next, No. 11 Marcus Blaze faced off against Mason Ziegler in the 133-pound class. Blaze secured a takedown, but surrendered an escape after just six seconds. Blaze would score again with short time left in the period to head into the second up 6-1.

Blaze started from bottom position, escaping quickly to gain another point. The Nittany Lion would get two more takedowns before the end of the period, going up 13-2 heading into the third frame.

The Nittany Lion took the Mountain Hawk down twice more in the third period to secure the second-straight technical fall for the Nittany Lions, winning 19-4.

141 Pounds

For the 141-pound weight class, Cael Nasdeo once again filled in for an injured Aaron Nagao as he took on Carter Bailey. The Nittany Lion was taken down midway through the first period and was ridden out for the remainder of the period, going down 3-0 and over 1:30 in riding time.

The second period started in neutral, where Nasdeo narrowly missed out on his first takedown attempt. The Nittany Lion would strike again near the end of the period but would be unable to secure any points.

The Nittany Lion allowed Bailey to stand up from bottom position and began pressing the issue with his offense. Nasdeo once again narrowly missed out on a takedown and was unable to close the gap, dropping his second-straight loss 4-1.

149 Pounds

Up next, No. 1 Shayne Van Ness took on Owen Reinsel in the 149-pound class. Van Ness struck first with a takedown near the two-minute mark. Reinsel escaped after just over 10 seconds, bringing the score to 3-1. Van Ness once again got to his offense, doubling off a takedown to bring his lead to five with a minute remaining. Reinsel escaped and avoided a third takedown as the match went to the second period.

Van Ness reversed the Mountain Hawk midway through the second frame and rode out the rest of the period on top.

The third period began in neutral position, where Reinsel would secure a takedown via a scramble, but Van Ness would reverse him once again to extend his lead. Van Ness was awarded a point for Reinsel’s stalling before taking him down again and securing four near-fall points. The Nittany Lion would finish with a 19-5 major decision victory.

157 Pounds

For one of the more anticipated matchups of the day, No. 15 PJ Duke faced off against No. 10 Logan Rozynski, his biggest test thus far in his young collegiate career. After a fast-paced beginning to the match, the two wrestlers traded shot attempts before Duke got to the Mountain Hawk’s back. However, the two went out of bounds before any points were scored. After another close call for Duke, the period ended with no score on either side.

The Nittany Lion would start in top position, surrendering the escape to Rozynski after 10 seconds. Duke would get to his offense and score the match’s first takedown. Rozynski escaped but backed out of the circle, surrendering a stall point to Duke. After a second stall point, Duke scored his second takedown with 30 seconds remaining, extending his lead to 8-2 heading into the third frame.

After starting in neutral position, Duke would get his third takedown before the two rolled out of bounds. The Nittany Lion cut Rozynski loose and got his fourth takedown of the match, but the Mountain Hawk would get injured on the sequence. Rozynski was not able to continue, forcing a medical forfeit after Duke led 14-3.

Penn State would lead at the half, 20-3.

165 Pounds

In the first match after the break, No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink faced off against No. 7 Max Brignola at 165 pounds. Mesenbrink struck first with a takedown near the midway point of the first period. Brignola would escape quickly to get on the board. Mesenbrink would score at the 30-second mark; however, Brignola once again escaped quickly.

The Nittany Lion would strike quickly in the second, escaping and scoring his third takedown of the match. After a Brignola escape, Mesenbrink scored his fourth takedown to go up 13-3 and accumulate well over a minute of riding time heading into the third.

Brignola escaped to start the third and would take down Mesenbrink to cut the lead in half. Mesenbrink escaped but was unable to score another takedown. The Nittany Lion would walk out with a 15-7 major decision.

174 Pounds

In the next matchup, No. 1 Levi Haines battled Bekhruz Sadriddinov at 174 pounds. Haines connected on his first shot attempt, scoring a takedown within the first minute. The Mountain Hawk escaped but was taken down shortly thereafter. Haines would expose Sadriddinov’s shoulders to the mat and secure the pin with 45 seconds left in the first period.

184 Pounds

Next, No. 4 Rocco Welsh faced off against No. 23 Rylan Rogers in the dual’s second-ranked matchup of the afternoon. The match remained tied at 0-0 as blood time was the only notable action.

Welsh escaped from bottom position to take the lead in the second period. No other points were scored as the two remained in neutral position for all but 13 seconds in the second.

Rogers escaped quickly to tie the match at 1-1 in the third period. Welsh would capitalize on a scramble with a takedown, taking the lead. The Mountain Hawk would escape but was unable to mount a comeback in the closing seconds. Welsh would continue his undefeated record with a 4-2 decision.

197 Pounds

At 197 pounds, Connor Mirasola took on Remy Brancato. The first period mostly consisted of hand fighting as Mirasola narrowly missed out on a takedown attempt to finish the period.

Mirasola would escape to start the second and get to his offense midway through the period, securing the match’s first takedown. Brancato would escape after 15 seconds to get on the scoreboard.

In the third period, Brancato would escape from bottom position but would get taken down for a second time near the end of the period. Mirasola continued to thrive as he rolled to an 8-3 decision win.

Heavyweight

In the final matchup, No. 10 Cole Mirasola faced No. 7 Nathan Taylor at heavyweight. No points were scored in the first period as both wrestlers vied for position.

The Nittany Lion would score the opening escape and return the match to neutral position. During a scramble sequence, Mirasola would get taken down with just seconds remaining, going down 3-1 at the end of the second period.

Taylor escaped from bottom position quickly to extend his lead to three. After a missed single-leg attempt, Mirasola would get taken down again, dropping his first match of the season 7-2.

What’s Next?

Penn State will be back in action when the Nittany Lions travel to Wyoming to take on the Cowboys on Saturday, December 13, at 8 p.m. A broadcast location has not yet been announced.