It’s officially time for Big Ten competition, folks.

The top-ranked Nittany Lions (6-0, 1-0 Big Ten) handled the No. 16-ranked Scarlet Knights (6-3, 0-1 Big Ten) on Saturday evening, beating Rutgers 46-0 in Rec Hall.

The Nittany Lions won every match, with eight bonus point victories, including three pins, two technical falls, and three major decisions.

Pinfall victories from Shayne Van Ness, Mitchell Mesenbrink, and Levi Haines propelled Penn State to its 78th straight dual victory, an NCAA record set by Division II program St. Cloud State in 2022.

How It Happened

125 Pounds

Up first, No. 2 Luke Lilledahl took on No. 29 Ayden Smith. The Nittany Lion struck first with a takedown about halfway through the first period. Smith escaped to cut the deficit to two after 30 seconds of ground control by Lilledahl.

In the second period, Lilledahl expanded his lead with an escape and forced Smith into a stall call, going into the third period with a 5-1 lead.

Smith escaped from Lilledahl after 43 seconds of control; however, the Nittany Lion put the match on ice with a takedown late in the third to beat the Scarlet Knight 8-3.

133 Pounds

At 133 pounds, No. 5 Marcus Blaze faced No. 24 Dylan Shawver. The two wrestlers produced little offense in the first period, generating a 0-0 score after three minutes.

After Shawver escaped from the bottom position, Blaze secured the first takedown to go up 3-1 with 1:25 in riding time after the second period.

Blaze escaped instantly before securing his second takedown of the match. Shawver escaped but was taken down once more to seal a 12-2 major decision victory for the true freshman.

141 Pounds

Next, Braeden Davis took on Tahir Parkins. Davis, filling in for the injured Aaron Nagao, was originally slated for a redshirt season before Nagao was injured in the Southern Scuffle. The Nittany Lion scored two takedowns within the first half of the opening period, taking a commanding 6-1 lead. Davis scored a third takedown before time ran out on the first.

In the second period, the two wrestlers failed to score points outside of a Parkins escape, keeping the score locked in at 9-3.

The third period saw Davis escape and secure his fourth takedown. The Nittany Lion got taken down himself; however, a fifth for Davis secured the 18-7 major decision victory.

149 Pounds

At 149 pounds, No. 1 Shayne Van Ness faced Devon Magro. Van Ness dominated the first period with two takedowns and four near-fall points to get into the second period up 12-3.

After over 1:30 of riding time by his opponent, Van Ness hit a reversal that led to a pinning combination before the buzzer sounded for the second period. The Nittany Lion stuck Magro to extend Penn State’s team lead.

157 Pounds

Next, No. 4 PJ Duke took on Easton Doster. Duke struck first with a takedown less than 15 seconds into the match. Duke secured four more takedowns before the end of the period to hold a dominant 15-4 lead.

In the second period, Duke escaped and took down Doster one more time for a 19-4 technical fall.

165 Pounds

After the break, No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink wrestled Ryan Ford. The Nittany Lion would get taken down first, but rattled off a takedown of his own with two sets of four-point near falls before pinning his opponent with 30 seconds left.

174 Pounds

Up next, No. 1 Levi Haines faced off against Jordan Chapman. Haines secured the first takedown within the first 30 seconds of the opening period. Haines scored once more before the end of the first.

Haines continued his offense with a third takedown before sticking his opponent with a minute left in the second period.

184 Pounds

Next, No. 4 Rocco Welsh faced off against No. 15 Shane Cartagena-Walsh. The Nittany scored almost immediately to go up 3-0 early on. Welsh would continue his offense with a two more takedowns before the end of the period.

Welsh scored another point in the second period; no other points took place.

In the third, Welsh maintained his lead and beat Cartagena-Walsh in a 13-3 major decision.

197 Pounds

At 197 pounds, No. 1 Josh Barr faced off against No. 18 Remy Cotton. The Nittany Lion scored his first takedown before securing four additional near-fall points to head into the second period up 7-0.

Barr escaped after 45 seconds of control from Cotton to extend his lead and then scored his second takedown.

In the third period, Barr rattled off three more takedowns, beating Cotton in an 18-3 technical fall.

Heavyweight

In the final match of the evening, No. 15 Cole Mirasola faced No. 21 Hunter Catka. The first period saw no points as both wrestlers failed to score on their shot attempts.

Mirasola escaped in 15 seconds to start the second period; however, no other points were scored before reaching the third.

Catka escaped after about 30 seconds; however, Mirasola managed to secure the match’s only takedown for a 4-2 decision victory.

What’s Next?

Penn State wrestling will be back in action at 7 p.m. on Friday, January 16, when the Nittany Lions travel to Iowa City to take on No. 4 Iowa in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The match will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.