UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State wrestling’s Rocco Welsh and Cole Mirasola both claimed Big Ten Wrestling weekly honors for the week ending Jan. 18, 2026. Welsh was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week and Mirasola was honored as Big Ten Freshman of the Week. The duo claimed Penn State’s fifth and sixth awards of the year.
Welsh, ranked No. 4 heading into the weekend, beat No. 1 Angelo Ferrari of Iowa, 2-1 in a tie-breaker. Welsh and Ferrari traded escapes during regulation and two minutes of sudden victory. Welsh then controlled Ferrari for the full :30 of the initial tie-breaker set. The Lion sophomore was then able to escape to a 2-1 lead halfway through his choice and finished the bout in neutral to claim the victory. Welsh's win was one of nine in Penn State's 32-3 rout of the Hawkeyes in Iowa City. Two days later, Welsh tallied six takedowns, two escapes and a two-point turn to roll to a 22-7 technical fall over Northwestern's J.D. Perez in the Nittany Lions' 51-0 shutout victory in Evanston. Welsh improved to 11-0 with four techs and three majors on the year.
Mirasola capped off an historic win for Penn State in the Nittany Lions' 32-3 rout of homestanding Iowa in Iowa City. Mirasola used a second period takedown and an escape in the third period to down No. 5 Ben Kueter in the dual meet's final bout. His victory secured the 32-3 win. Two days later, Mirasola blazed through Northwestern's Gabe Christenson, reeling off five takedowns in the first period alone, adding four near fall points and posting a 19-4 first period tech fall at 2:57. Mirasola improved to 10-2 with the wins, including three falls, two techs and a major.
Penn State is now 9-0, 3-0 in Big Ten dual meets. The Nittany Lions return to action this Friday, hosting Indiana in Rec Hall at 7 p.m. Two days later, Penn State visits Maryland on Sunday for a 12 p.m. dual on the Big Ten Network.
Penn State Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via X/twitter at @pennstateWREST, on Penn State Wrestling's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/pennstatewrest. The Family Clothesline is the presenting sponsor for the 2025-26 Nittany Lion wrestling season. This is PENN STATE. WRESTLING lives here.