Another record-breaking season for Penn State wrestling has come to a close.

The Nittany Lions saw four wrestlers win individual titles during the final session of the 2026 NCAA National Championships. Penn State went 4-2 in the championship bouts with a technical fall by Mitchell Mesenbrink and decision wins by Levi Haines, Josh Barr, and Luke Lilledahl.

Penn State also broke its own record for most team points for the third year in a row with 181.5 points. Oklahoma State and Nebraska finished second and third with 131 and 100.5 points, respectively.

How It Happened

149 Pounds

No. 1 Shayne Van Ness was the first Nittany Lion to hit the mat, as he faced No. 10 Aiden Valencia of Stanford. Valencia struck first, landing a takedown in the opening minute. Van Ness escaped after a reset. Despite a close call for a Van Ness takedown, the score remained 3-1 after the opening period.

Valencia started the second in the bottom position and escaped quickly, before striking again on Van Ness. The Nittany Lion, however, countered quickly and secured a takedown to tie the bout. Valenica would retake the lead with an escape, while Van Ness nearly scored a double-leg takedown, but the clock expired before he was awarded any points.

Van Ness made it 5-5 by escaping to start the third. Great scrambling by Van Ness kept it tied through regulation. In a sudden victory, Valencia got the match-ending takedown to become an individual champion with an 8-5 decision win.

165 Pounds

After a short break, No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink matched up against No. 3 Mikey Caliendo of Iowa for the ninth and final time of their collegiate careers. Mesenbrink came out blazing, securing a double-leg takedown in the opening moments. Caliendo escaped quickly before Mesenbrink scored his second takedown in the first minute of the bout. Mesenbrink got two more takedowns, amassing nearly a minute and a half of riding time to take a 12-4 lead into the second.

A Mesenbrink escape and fifth takedown kicked off the second period. Two stalling calls on Caliendo made it 18-4 through two. A reversal by Mesenbrink ended the match as the Nittany Lion rolled to a 20-4 tech fall. Mesenbrink is now a two-time National Champion and a strong contender for the Dan Hodge Trophy after an undefeated season.

174 Pounds

Moments later, No. 1 Levi Haines took on No. 3 Christopher Minto in a rematch of the 2026 Big Ten Finals. There weren’t too many shots taken in the first period, with the main highlight being a stall warning on Minto as the bout went into the second scoreless.

Haines got on the board with an escape early in the middle period. The bout remained defensive with next to no offensive action, as the Nittany Lion would go into the third up 2-0, benefiting from a stall call on the Cornhusker.

Minto got within one by escaping at the beginning of the final period. Haines, however, would hang on with a strong defense to secure the 2-1 decision. The senior capped off an illustrious collegiate career with a second national title.

184 Pounds

Next up was No. 1 Rocco Welsh, who clashed against the three-seed in Minnesota’s Max McEnelly. The Golden Gopher opened up scoring with a first-period takedown, and with Welsh’s escape, it was 3-1 through one.

McEnelly escaped to extend his lead to 4-1 early in the second. That score would remain going into the final period. A second Welsh escape kicked off the third. Despite plenty of shots taken by Welsh and both a stall warning and a call on McEnelly, the Golden Gopher stayed out in front to secure the national title with a 4-3 decision.

197 Pounds

The fourth straight Penn Stater on the mat was No. 1 Josh Barr, who wrestled No. 7 Cody Merrill of Oklahoma State. After some hand-fighting, Barr scored the bout’s first takedown, followed by Merrill escaping in the final moments of the first.

A second escape by Merrill made it 3-2 early in the second. The wrestlers remained in neutral for the rest of the period as the match stayed within one after two periods. A reversal by Barr and a locked hands call on Merrill extended the Nittany Lion’s lead to three. The score would stay at 6-3 for Barr to become a national champion with the decision win.

125 Pounds

Wrapping up the season for the Nittany Lions was No. 1 Luke Lilledahl, taking on No. 10 Marc-Anthony McGowan of Princeton. The bout was scoreless through one with little action. McGowan opened up scoring with an escape in the opening seconds of the second. A stall warning on McGowan occurred soon after. The match remained 1-0 going into the third.

Lilledahl tied it quickly in the final period. Lilledahl would be given a point after a stall on McGowan. Now with the lead, the Nittany Lion stayed defensive for the rest of the match, coming out on top with a 2-1 decision. Lilledahl takes home his first national title.

With the conclusion of the 2026 NCAA National Championship, the Nittany Lions have officially won their fifth national title and their 13th in the last 15 years, all under head coach Cael Sanderson. With four national champions, eight All-Americans, and a new team points record, this season goes down as one of the greatest in NCAA history.