Day one of the NCAA Championships is officially in the books.

Penn State wrestling took the mat for the second time today, sending eight wrestlers to the quarterfinals.

The Nittany Lions remain in front of the team score with 40.5 points, in front of Iowa and Nebraska, who are tied each with 25 points.

Highlighting the dual were tech falls from Marcus Blaze, Mitchell Mesenbrink, and Levi Haines, and falls from Shayne Van Ness and PJ Duke.

How It Happened

125 pounds

Kicking off the second-round championship bouts was No. 1 Luke Lilledahl taking on No. 17 Jett Strickenberger of West Virginia. Lilledahl got in on a leg early, but Strickenberger held him off. The first period remained scoreless despite constant action from both sides. Strickenberger chose bottom to start the second and quickly escaped. After a high-intensity scramble, Lilledahl secured the first takedown of the match to take a 3-1 lead. Lilledahl got an escape to begin the third period, and despite several more shots from both sides, neither wrestler could convert again. Lilledahl went on to win by a 4-2 decision.

133 pounds

Next up was No. 3 Marcus Blaze, facing off against No. 19 Gage Walker of Missouri. Blaze got on the board first with a pair of stall warnings, then took control with a takedown and three near-fall points to take a 7-0 lead after the first period. Blaze kept the pressure on in the second, adding two more takedowns to extend his lead 13-2. After a quick escape to start the third, Blaze recorded his fourth takedown of the match, securing a 17-2 technical fall at 6:10.

141 pounds

The next Nittany Lion in action was No. 14 Braeden Davis, battling against No. 3 Brock Hardy of Nebraska. Davis got on the board first with a takedown, but Hardy responded quickly. Davis carried a 4-2 lead into the second period, only for Hardy to escape, keeping the match within one point. With just 20 seconds left in the second, Hardy earned his first takedown of the match to take a 6-4 lead. He added one more late in the third period, finishing with a 9-4 decision and giving the Nittany Lions their first loss of the tournament.

149 pounds

Moments later, No. 1 Shayne Van Ness took on No. 16 Jacob Frost of Iowa State and wasted no time making a statement. Van Ness came out aggressive, scoring back-to-back takedowns early and controlling the pace. He wrapped up his commanding performance with a pin at 2:23.

157 pounds

Up next, we saw No. 1 PJ Duke and No. 17 Luke Mechler of Wisconsin. Just 14 seconds in, Duke scored the opening takedown before unleashing a flurry of offense. He racked up five takedowns in just two minutes, overwhelming Mechler with relentless attacks and constant pressure. Duke sealed the deal with a cradle, putting Mechler on his back for the pin at 1:38.

165 pounds

After the fall, No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink challenged No. 16 Paddy Gallagher of Ohio State. Mesenbrink opened the match with a takedown and controlled the mat, accumulating over a minute of riding time before catching Gallagher in a cradle and rolling out of bounds. After drawing a stall call from Gallagher, he entered the second period with a 4-0 lead and more than two minutes of riding time. Mesenbrink escaped to start the period and quickly added another takedown, maintaining total control before cruising to a 12-0 major decision victory.

174 pounds

Up next, we saw No. 1 Levi Haines and No. 16 Nick Fine of Columbia. Haines came out strong, scoring a takedown just 30 seconds into the first period before allowing Fine to escape. He quickly re-attacked, securing a double-leg takedown, then added a third takedown with 20 seconds remaining. Haines controlled the rest of the period on top, racking up 1:40 of riding time and heading into the second with a 9-2 lead. In the second period, Haines added two more takedowns to extend his lead to 15-4. He opened the third with another takedown and closed out the match with a 21-5 technical fall.

184 pounds

Next up was No. 1 Rocco Welsh taking on No. 16 Rylan Rogers of Lehigh. Welsh set the tone early, scoring two takedowns in the first period to take a 6-2 lead. He started the second period on the bottom and battled to an escape with a minute remaining in the second. Rogers earned an escape to start the third, cutting the lead to 7-3. Welsh closed out the match with two more takedowns, securing a 13-4 major decision to advance to the quarterfinals.

197 pounds

After some time, No. 1 Josh Barr walked to the mat to take on No. 17 Dillon Bechtold of Bucknell. Barr dominated early, getting two takedowns to build a 6-1 lead in the first period. He added an escape to start the second, though Bechtold limited his scoring opportunities, leaving the score 7-1 heading into the third. Bechtold started the final period on the bottom and earned an escape, but Barr secured one last takedown to close out the match with an 11-3 major decision.

285 pounds

Finishing up the night for the Nittany Lions was No. 9 Cole Mirasola, taking on No. 8 Ben Kueter of Iowa. Mirasola came out strong, getting to the leg of Kueter, but Kueter’s solid defense forced a stalemate. Kueter earned an escape to start the second period, taking a 1-0 lead. Neither wrestler was able to generate further offense, and Kueter held on to that 1-0 advantage into the third. With 45 seconds remaining, Mirasola launched another strong shot but could not convert. Kueter quickly countered with 20 seconds left, securing a 4-0 decision.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will be back in action tomorrow at noon for session III for the quarterfinals and the next two rounds of consolation rounds. All bouts will be broadcast on ESPNU and ESPN +.