CLEVELAND, Ohio – Penn State wrestling wrapped up day one of the 2026 NCAA Championships by winning eight of ten matches in the second session of the tournament. Head coach Cael Sanderson’s team followed up a perfect first session with eight more wins in the second to lead the team race after day one of the event. The event continues tomorrow with consolation action and the national quarterfinals, starting at 12 p.m. in Cleveland’s Rocket Arena.
As of 10:30 p.m. with consolation action in progress Penn State sits in first place with 40.5 points. Iowa and Nebraska are in second with 25.0 each. Oklahoma State has 24.0 with the potential to move up before the session completely ends.
Sophomore Luke Lilledahl, the No. 1 seed at 125, took on No. 17 Jett Strickenberger of West Virginia in the second round. Lilledahl worked his way in on a low single at 1:11 but Strickenberger was able to fight off the effort and keep the bout scoreless at :53. The bout moved to the second period tied 0-0. Strickenberger escaped to a 1-0 lead to start the second period. Lilledahl was able to finish off the bout’s first takedown midway through the second period to take a 3-1 lead. Strickenberger escaped to a 3-2 score and Lilledahl led by one after two. Lilledahl escaped to start the third period and opened up a 4-2 lead. Lilledahl nearly added a second takedown midway through the third, but the Mountaineer fought off the effort and Lilledahl moved into the quarterfinals with a 4-2 win.
True freshman Marcus Blaze, the No. 3 seed at 133, met No. 19 Gage Walker of Missouri in the second round. Blaze and Walker battled in neutral through the bulk of the first period. Blaze forced Walker back and out of bounds at the 1:15 mark, forcing a stall warning. He forced a second stall at 1:00 to take a 1-0 lead. Blaze then connected on a low single, took Walker down and then turned him to his back for seven points late to lead 8-0 after one. Blaze chose down to start the second and reversed Walker to a 10-0 lead. After a Walker escape, Blaze took the Tiger down to lead 13-1. Walker escaped before the period ended and Blaze led 13-2 after two. Walker chose top to start the final period. Blaze escaped quickly. He finished off the bout with a takedown with just :50 left to roll to the 17-2 technical fall at 6:10.
Junior Braeden Davis, the No. 14 seed at 141, met No. 3 Brock Hardy of Nebraska in the second round. Davis and Hardy battled in neutral for the first minute. Davis used a fast high single to take Hardy down, Hardy reversed Davis and Davis quickly escaped to a 4-2 lead. Davis worked his way in on another high single at :40 but Hardy forced a reset at :22 and Davis led 4-2 after one. Hardy chose down to start the second period. Davis controlled action on top for :48 before Hardy escaped to a 4-3 score. Hardy got three on neutral danger, took a 6-4 lead at :16 and Davis trailed by two after two. Davis chose neutral to start the third. Hardy added a takedown with :45 left in the match to take a 9-4 lead and held that margin until the end of the match. The 9-4 loss dropped Davis into consolation action in session three.
Junior Shayne Van Ness, the No. 1 seed at 149, took on No. 16 Jacob Frost of Iowa State in his second round bout. Van Ness controlled the pace early on, forcing Frost backwards through the opening minute. He took a 3-1 lead with a takedown and cut in the second minute and then took Frost down a second time shortly after that. Van Ness then turned the Cyclone to his back and picked up the first period pin at 2:23.
True freshman PJ Duke, the No. 1 seed at 157, battled No. 17 Luke Mechler of Wisconsin in the evening session. Duke too Mechler down just :08 into the match to lead 3-1 early. He used a high double for a second takedown and a 6-2 lead after cutting Mechler loose. He turned that trick two more times to lead 12-4 in less than a minute. Duke moved quickly on the outside circle, taking Mechler down a fifth time to open up a 15-5 lead, then took Mechler down again to lead 18-5. He locked up a cradle and finished off his second fall of the day, pinning Mechler at 1:38 to move into the quarterfinals.
Junior Mitchell Mesenbrink, the No. 1 seed at 165, took on No. 16 Paddy Gallagher of Ohio State in round two. Mesenbrink set a fast pace off the whistle, forcing a stall warning just :34 into the bout. He then took Gallagher down to open up a 3-0 lead and went to work looking for a turn. Mesenbrink worked his riding time up over 1:00 and then picked up a point on another stall to lead 4-0. He finished the period on top and led by that score, with 2:19 in time, after one. Mesenbrink escaped quickly to start the second period. Mesenbrink turned a low single into a second takedown and an 8-0 lead with 1:00 on the clock. He finished the period on top and led 8-0 with 3:10 in time after two. Gallagher chose neutral to start the third, Mesenbrink forced another stall to lead 9-0. He chased Gallagher around the outside circle until the :28 mark, picking up another stall for two points and an 11-0 lead. Mesenbrink added the riding time point and rolled to the quarterfinals with a 12-0 major decision.
Senior Levi Haines, the No. 1 seed at 174, met No. 16 Nick Fine of Columbia in the second round. Haines took Fine down in the first :10 to lead 3-1 early. He quickly took Fine down a second time to open up a 6-1 lead then went to work, looking to turn Fine for back points. Fine escaped to a 6-2 score and Haines moved in for a high shot and a third takedown at :22 to lead 9-2 with 1:40 in riding time after one. Fine chose down to start the second period. Haines let him up seconds into the period. He bulled through a high shot to lead 12-4 after a quick cut. Haines added another takedown and finished in control once more to lead 15-4 with 2:55 in time after two. Haines added two more takedowns early in the third period to move into the quarters with a 21-5 tech fall at 5:26.
Sophomore Rocco Welsh, the No. 1 seed at 184, battled No. 16 Ryan Rogers of Lehigh in round two. Welsh took Rogers down off the opening whistle to lead 3-0 early. Rogers escaped to a 3-1 score and Welsh blew through a high double for a second takedown and a 6-1 lead. Rogers escaped again and Welsh went back to work on offense. He turned a low shot into a scramble at :45. Rogers was able to force a stalemate and Welsh led 6-2 after one. Welsh chose down to start the second period. He worked his way to an escape and a 7-2 lead midway through the period. Trailing 7-2, Rogers chose down to start the third period and escaped to a 7-3 score. Welsh used a high shot for a third takedown and a 10-3 lead with :50 left in the bout. He cut Rogers loose at :30 then, took him down a final time with :08 on the clock to clinch the 13-4 major decision and move into the quarterfinals.
Sophomore Josh Barr, the No. 1 seed at 197, took on No. 17 Dilon Bechtold of Bucknell in the second round. Barr notched the first takedown of the bout off a high single and 1:45. He cut the Bison loose toa 3-1 score and went back to work in neutral. Barr muscled Bechtold to the mat for a second takedown and a 6-1 lead at :50. He finished the period on top and led 6-1 with 1:02 in time after the opening period. Barr escaped to start the second period, the only scoring of the middle stanza. Trailing 7-1, Bechtold chose down to start the third and escaped to a 7-2 score. Barr forced a scramble and finished off another takedown to lead 10-3 at 1:00 after a quick Bison escape. Barr added 1:27 in riding time and moved into the quarterfinals with an 11-3 major decision.
Redshirt freshman Cole Mirasola, the No. 9 seed at 285, met No. 8 Ben Kueter of Iowa in the last of Penn State’s second round bouts. Mirasola battled in neutral through the first minute-plus. Mirasola worked a high single into a scramble at the 1:00 mark. But Kueter was able to fight off the effort and force a stalemate with :41 left in the period. Kueter chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Mirasola worked a shot into a scramble once more, but another stalemate followed and the Lion freshman trailed 1-0 after two. Mirasola chose neutral to start the third period, trailing by one. Mirasola used a low double to force a scramble, but Kueter countered and finished off a takedown with :20 left to ice the bout with a 4-0 decision. The loss sent Mirasola to consolation action in session three.
Penn State went 8-2 in session two and is 18-2 overall through day one of the three-day tournament. Fifteen of Penn State’s 18 wins are for bonus. The Nittany Lions have totaled 22.5 bonus points off four majors, seven tech falls and four pins.
Action continues on Friday with sessions at 12 and 8 p.m.. Saturday’s sessions will begin at 11 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.
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.
Penn State at the 2026 NCAA Championships
March 19-21, 2026 – Rocket Arena – Cleveland, Ohio
Team Standings (as of 10:30 p.m. – top three):
1: PENN STATE – 40.5 pts.
2: Iowa – 25.0
2: Nebraska – 25.0
4: Oklahoma State – 24.0
5: Ohio State – 22.5
Weight by-weight agate (rankings listed are official tournament seed):
125: #1 Luke Lilledahl, So., Weldon Springs, Mo./Wyoming Seminary
Rd. 1: #32 Mack Mauger, Missouri – W, 11-2 maj. dec.
Rd. 2: #17 Jett Strickenberger, West Virginia – W, 4-2 dec.
Qtr: #8 Dean Peterson, Iowa – tomorrow
Lilledahl, the No. 1 seed at 125, met No. 32 Mack Mauger of Missouri in the first round. Lilledahl and Mauger battled through a scoreless first period with Lilledahl shooting the Tiger to the outside of the mat for the last minute of the opener. He chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Lilledahl then took Mauger down at :30 to take a 4-0 lead into the third period. Mauger chose do and escaped to a 4-1 lead. Lilledahl quickly took him down and cut him loose to lead 7-2. Lilledahl tacked on a final takedown and riding time to post the 11-2 major decision.
SEE ABOVE STORY FOR THIS SESSION’S BOUT-BY-BOUT
133: #3 Marcus Blaze, Fr., Perrysburg, Ohio/Perrysburg
Rd. 1: #30 Gabe Whisenhunt, Oregon State – W, 17-2 (TF; 5:30)
Rd. 2: #19 Gage Walker, Missouri – W, 17-2 (TF; 6:10)
Qtr: #6 Drake Ayala, Iowa – tomorrow
Blaze, the No. 3 seed at 133, took on No. 30 Gabe Whisenhunt of Oregon State in the opening round. Blaze battled through a scoreless first two minutes before securing a takedown to lead 3-0 at 1:00. He finished the period on top and led by that margin after the opening period. Blaze chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 4-0 lead. Blaze notched another takedown to lead 7-0 midway through the second. Whisenhunt escaped and Blaze countered for a third takedown and a 10-1 lead. He turned the Beaver for four back points and led 14-1 after two. Whisenhunt escaped to start the third and Blaze quickly ended the match with a final takedown to post a 17-2 technical fall at 5:30.
SEE ABOVE STORY FOR THIS SESSION’S BOUT-BY-BOUT
141: #14 Braeden Davis, Jr., Belleville, Mich./Dundee
Rd. 1: #19 Haiden Drury, Utah Valley – W, 2-0 dec.
Rd. 2: #3 Brock Hardy, Nebraska – L, 4-9 dec.
Cn. 2: #29 Jordan Titus, West Virginia – tomorrow
Davis, the No. 14 seed at 141, met No. 19 Haiden Drury of Utah Valley in the first round. Davis and Drury battled through an even first period, taking a 0-0 tie into the second stanza. Drury chose down to start the second stanza and Davis went to work on top, controlling the action for the full two minutes, riding the Wolverine out. Davis had 2:00 of riding time as the 0-0 tie moved to the third. Davis chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. He fought off a late Drury shot and, with 1:52 in riding time, moved into the second round with a 2-0 win.
SEE ABOVE STORY FOR THIS SESSION’S BOUT-BY-BOUT
149: #1 Shayne Van Ness, Jr., Somerville, N.J./Blair Academy
Rd. 1: #33 Austin McBurney, Brown – W, 17-2 (TF; 5:34)
Rd. 2: #16 Jacob Frost, Iowa State – WBF (2:23)
Qtr: #8 Casey Swiderski, Oklahoma State – tomorrow
Van Ness, the No. 1 seed at 149, met No. 33 Austin McBurney of Brown in the opening round. Van Ness controlled the action from the onset. He picked up the bout’s first takedown at the :55 mark in the first period to lead 3-0 after one. Van Ness chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 4-0 lead. Van Ness dominated the second period, tallying four takedowns to carry a 16-3 lead into the third period. McBurney chose down to start the third. Van Ness cut him loose then ended the bout with his sixth takedown, posting a 19-4 technical fall at 5:34.
SEE ABOVE STORY FOR THIS SESSION’S BOUT-BY-BOUT
157: #1 PJ Duke, Fr., State Hill, N.Y./Minisink Valley
Rd. 1: #33 Yannis Charles, Morgan State – WBF (1:55)
Rd. 2: #17 Luke Mechler, Wisconsin – WBF (1:38)
Qtr: #8 Brandon Cannon, Ohio State – tomorrow
Duke, the No. 1 seed at 157, battled No. 33 Yannis Charles of Morgan State in the first round. Duke took Charles down quickly to open up a 3-0 lead in the opening :30 of the bout. He cut the Morgan State wrestler loose and notched a second takedown to lead 6-1 at 1:30. Duke cut Charles loose once more and took him down a third time. He quickly turned Charles to his back and picked up the first period fall at 1:55.
SEE ABOVE STORY FOR THIS SESSION’S BOUT-BY-BOUT
165: #1 Mitchell Mesenbrink, Jr., Hartland, Wis./Arrowhead
Rd. 1: #32 Cody Walsh, Drexel – W, 21-5 (TF; 5:30)
Rd. 2: #16 Paddy Gallagher, Ohio State – W, 12-0 maj. dec.
Qtr: #9 Bryce Hepner, North Carolina – tomorrow
Mesenbrink, the No. 1 seed at 165, took on No. 32 Cody Walsh of Drexel in the opening round. Mesenbrink came out firing, taking Walsh down three times in the opening 1:15 to lead 9-2. He built his riding time up over 1:00 and worked to turn the Dragon for back points over the next minute. He cut Walsh loose after a reset, took him down twice more in just seconds and led 15-4 with over 2:00 in riding time after one. Mesenbrink chose neutral to start the second period and took Walsh down off the opening whistle. He cut Walsh loose on a reset and finished off the bout with a final takedown, posting a 21-5 tech fall at 4:45.
SEE ABOVE STORY FOR THIS SESSION’S BOUT-BY-BOUT
174: #1 Levi Haines, Sr., Arendtsville, Pa./Biglerville
Rd. 1: #33 Grant O’Dell, Bellarmine – WBF (1:33)
Rd. 2: #16 Nick Fine, Columbia – W, 21-5 (TF; 5:26)
Qtr: #9 Beau Mantanona, Michigan – tomorrow
Haines, the No. 1 seed at 174, met No. 33 Grant O’Dell of Bellarmine in the first round. Haines scored quickly, connecting on a low single and finishing off a takedown for a 3-0 lead at 1:57. He swiftly turned the Knight to his back and picked up a fast fall, getting the pin at 1:33 in the opening period.
SEE ABOVE STORY FOR THIS SESSION’S BOUT-BY-BOUT
184: #1 Rocco Welsh, So., Waynesburg, Pa./Waynesburg Central
Rd. 1: #32 Caleb Uhlenhopp, Utah Valley – W, 19-4 (TF; 6:31)
Rd. 2: #16 Rylan Rogers, Lehigh – W, 13-4 dec.
Qtr: #8 Silas Allred, Nebraska – tomorrow
Welsh, the No. 1 seed at 184, faced No. 32 Caleb Uhlenhopp of Utah Valley the opening round. Welsh took an early 3-1 lead with a takedown and cut to begin the bout. He skipped away from an Uhlenhopp counter shot and forced a stall warning at 0:52. Welsh used a high single off a reset to take a 6-1 lead at the :40 mark and carried that lead into the second period. Uhlenhopp chose down to start the second period and Welsh cut him to a 6-2 score. Welsh took a 9-3 lead with another takedown and cut, then notched a fourth takedown late to lead 12-3 after two. Welsh chose down to start the third period and escaped to a 13-3 lead. He picked up a fifth takedown, cut Uhlenhopp loose and finished off the 19-4 tech fall with a final takedown at 6:31.
SEE ABOVE STORY FOR THIS SESSION’S BOUT-BY-BOUT
197: #1 Josh Barr, So., Davison, Mich./Davison
Rd. 1: #32 Blake Schaffer, Kent State – W, 20-4 (TF; 5:43)
Rd. 2: #17 Dillon Bechtold, Bucknell – W, 11-3 maj. dec.
Qtr: #9 Angelo Posada, Stanford – tomorrow
Barr, the No. 1 seed at 197, wrestled No. 32 Blake Schaffer of Kent State in the first round. Barr turned a quick low shot into a takedown and a 3-0 lead at 2:23. He built up :43 in time before cutting Schaffer loose. Barr then countered a Flash shot and took him down for a 6-1 lead at 1:16. Barr used a low double for a third takedown and a 9-2 lead with :45 on the clock. He then worked Schaffer to his back for two near fall points and an 11-2 lead after one period. Barr chose neutral to start the second period and took 14-2 lead with a fourth takedown. Barr added one more takedown and led 17-3 with 3:15 in time after two. Schaffer chose down to start the third period. Barr cut him loose at 1:35 and ended the bout with a final takedown, posting the 20-4 tech fall at 5:43.
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285: #9 Cole Mirasola, R-Fr., Jackson, Wis./West Bend
Rd. 1: #24 Connor Barket, Duke – W, 13-7 dec.
Rd. 2: #8 Ben Kueter, Iowa – L, 0-4 dec.
Cn. 2: tomorrow
Mirasola, the No. 9 seed at 285, battled No. 24 Connor Barket of Duke in the opening round. Mirasola scored first, taking a 3-0 lead at 2:10 with a takedown on the edge of the mat. Barket escaped to a 3-1 score and Mirasola went back to work on offense. He forced a stall warning then bulled through a shot for another takedown and a 6-1 lead at 1:10. Mirasola added one more takedown and led 9-2 after one. Barket escaped to start the second period. The duo battled in neutral for the rest of the period and Mirasola led 9-3 after two. Mirasola escaped to start the third period. He turned a low shot into a scramble on the edge of the mat and took a 13-3 lead with a takedown at :26. Barket added an escape and a late takedown, but Mirasola’s early offense allowed him to post a 13-7 win.
SEE ABOVE STORY FOR THIS SESSION’S BOUT-BY-BOUT