By Pat Donghia gospusports.com
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team (10-0, 4-0 B1G) dominated visiting Iowa (9-1, 3-1 B1G) 30-8 in a Big Ten wrestling showdown Friday night. The Nittany Lions won eight of ten matches, including two tech falls and two majors, in front of a record tying sellout crowd in the Bryce Jordan Center.
The event was wrestling in front of 15,998 fans, tying the NCAA and Penn State all-time record for attendance at an indoor wrestling dual with both other marks held by the Nittany Lions (Penn State vs. Iowa 1/27/23 in BJC; Penn State vs. Iowa 2/10/18 in BJC)
The dual began at 125. True freshman Luke Lilledahl, ranked No. 7 at 125, opened up the dual by dominating No. 26 Joey Cruz. Lilledahl tallied seven takedowns in a 22-6 tech fall at the 6:43 mark. Senior Kurt McHenry moved up a weight to 133 with No. 7 Braeden Davis not competing and dropped a 19-4 tech fall to No. 3 Drake Ayala. Senior+ Beau Bartlett, ranked No. 3 at 141, downed Cullan Schriever 7-3 to give the Nittany Lions an 8-5 lead.
Sophomore Shayne Van Ness, ranked No. 4 at 149, thrilled the BJC sellout crowd with a dominant performance over No. 2 Kyle Parco. Van Ness used a takedown and four nearfall points late in the second period to roll to a 17-6 major and put Penn State on top 12-5. Sophomore Tyler Kasak, ranked No. 3 at 157, used a second period takedown and 2:06 in riding time to roll to a strong 5-2 win over NO. 1 Jacori Teemer in the first half’s final bout. Penn State led 15-5 at the break.
Sophomore Mitchell Mesenbrink, ranked No. 1 at 165, dominated No. 2 Mikey Caliendo, using multiple takedown and forcing three stalls in a 19-4 technical fall at 6:24. Junior Levi Haines, ranked No. 2 at 174, then downed No. 6 Patrick Kennedy, notching a convincing 10-3 win to give the Nittany Lions a 23-5 lead in the dual meet.
Graduate Carter Starocci, ranked No. 1 at 184, kept Penn State rolling with a 3-1 win over Iowa’s Angelo Ferrari to give the Lions a 26-5 lead. Redshirt freshman Josh Barr, ranked No. 4 at 197, battled No. 1 Stephen Buchanan tough but dropped a hard-fought 5-1 decision. Senior Greg Kerkvliet, ranked No. 2 at 285, capped off a dominating team performance with a 12-2 major over No. 11 Ben Kueter. Penn State capped off the dual winning 30-8.
The Nittany Lions won the takedown battle 24-8. Penn State picked up six bonus points off two tech falls (Lilledahl, Mesenbrink) and two majors (Van Ness, Kerkvliet).
The Nittany Lions are now 10-0, 4-0 B1G. Iowa falls to 9-1, 3-1 B1G. The Nittany Lions host Michigan on Friday, Feb. 7, in another BJC Dual. Penn State welcomes the Wolverines to the Jordan Center for a 6 p.m. dual meet and another B1G Network national telecast. Two days later, Penn State hosts Maryland on Sunday, Feb. 9, at 1 p.m. in Rec Hall.
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. This is PENN STATE. WRESTLING lives here.
#1 Penn State 30, #2 Iowa 8
January 31, 2025 – Bryce Jordan Center – University Park, Pa.
125: #7 Luke Lilledahl PSU tech fall #26 Joey Cruz IOWA, 22-6 (TF; 6:43) 5-0
133: #3 Drake Ayala IOWA tech fall Kurt McHenry PSU, 19-4 (TF; 3:42) 5-5
141: #3 Beau Bartlett PSU dec. Cullan Schriever IOWA, 7-3 8-5
149: #4 Shayne Van Ness PSU maj. dec. #2 Kyle Parco IOWA, 17-6 12-5
157: #3 Tyler Kasak PSU dec. #1 Jacori Teemer IOWA, 5-2 15-5
165: #1 Mitchell Mesenbrink PSU tech fall #2 Mikey Caliendo IOWA, 19-4 (TF; 6:24) 20-5
174: #2 Levi Haines PSU dec. #6 Patrick Kennedy IOWA, 10-3 23-5
184: #1 Carter Starocci PSU dec. Angelo Ferrari IOWA, 3-1 26-5
197: #1 Stephen Buchanan IOWA dec. #4 Josh Barr PSU, 5-1 26-8
285: #2 Greg Kerkvliet PSU maj. dec. #11 Ben Kueter IOWA, 12-2 30-8
Attendance: 15,998 / Ties NCAA and Penn State all-time record for indoor wrestling dual meet attendance / Penn State v. Iowa 1/27/23 in BJC and Penn State v. Iowa 2/10/18 in BJC (Penn State has wrestled in front of 84 sellouts in its last 88 home events, including 74-straight in Rec Hall and 10 of 14 in the BJC).
Records: Penn State (10-0, 4-0 B1G); Iowa (9-1, 3-1 B1G)
Up Next for Penn State: Home vs. Michigan, Friday, Feb. 7, 6 p.m. – BJC Dual
DUAL MEET BOUT-BY-BOUT:
125: True freshman Luke Lilledahl, ranked No. 7 at 125, took on No. 26 Joey Cruz. Lilledahl drew first blood, taking Cruz down in the first :45 seconds, nearly picking up back points in the process. Cruz escaped to a 3-1 score and Lilledahl went back to work on offense. Lilledahl called for injury timeout at 1:28 and Cruz took down on the reset. Lilledahl maintained control of the Hawkeye long enough to work his time up over 1:00. He continued his strong ride for the remainder of the period and led 3-1 with 1:49 in time after one. Lilledahl chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 4-1 lead. He moved forward on offense as Cruz backed towards the edge of the mat. Lilledahl countered a slight Cruz single and muscled his way to a second takedown and a 7-1 lead at the 1:02 mark. Lilledahl worked his riding time up over 2:00 and finished the period on top once more to lead 7-1 with 2:44 in time. Cruz chose down to start the third period and Lilledahl cut him loose to a 7-2 score. Lilledahl immediately stormed through another takedown, cut him loose and took him down again to lead 13-4 at 1:30 after another cut. Lilledahl took a 16-4 lead at 1:10, cut Cruz loose to a 16-5 score and forced Cruz into a stall warning at :52. Lilledahl notched another takedown and cut to lead 19-6 at :35. He then finished off the bout with a final takedown to notch the 22-6 technical fall at 6:43.
133: Senior Kurt McHenry moved up a weight to 133 for No. 7 Braeden Davis and met No. 3 Drake Ayala. Ayala drew first blood, taking a 3-1 lead with an early takedown. The Hawkeye wrestler picked up a second takedown at 1:40 to open up a 6-2 lead after a quick McHenry escape. Ayala added a third takedown and led 9-2 after one. Ayala chose down to start the second period and
141: Senior+ Beau Bartlett, ranked No. 3 at 141, battled Cullen Schriever. Bartlett scored quickly, taking Schriever down to open up a 3-1 lead after cutting him loose quickly. Bartlett continued to press forward on offense, but Schriever was able to back towards the outside circle through the 1:00 mark. Bartlett moved back to the center of the mat and turned a fast low shot into a takedown and a 6-1 lead at :42. Bartlett maintained control until Schriever escaped with :11 left, and Bartlett led 6-2 after one. Schriever chose down to start the second period. Bartlett built his riding time up to 1:04 before Schriever escaped to a 6-3 score. Bartlett worked on the Nittany Lion logo as the clock moved past :30. He took two more solid shots that forced Schriever to continue to back away through the period. Leading 6-3, Bartlett chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 7-3 lead. He pressured Schriever backwards through 1:30, forcing the Hawkeye to the outside circle. Bartlett defended two late Schriever shots and finished the match on his feet to notch the 7-3 win.
149: Sophomore Shayne Van Ness, ranked No. 4 at 149, faced No. 2 Kyle Parco. Van Ness came out and quickly blasted through a high shot to take Parco down and open up a 3-1 lead at 2:20. Van Ness countered a Parco shot at 1:45, nearly notching a counter. Parco scrambled out of trouble and action resumed in neutral. Parko took a 4-3 lead with a takedown at 1:01. Van Ness worked his way to an escape to tie the match at 4-4 with :48 left in the opening period. Tied 4-4, Parco chose down to start the second period and worked his way to a reversal and a 6-4 lead. Van Ness escaped to cut the lead to 6-5 at 1:30. Parco forced a scramble with a low single and Van Ness muscled his way to a stalemate with 1:07 on the clock. Van Ness muscled his way through a high double and took Parco down to take an 8-6 lead. He then turned the Hawkeye for four back points late in the period and led 12-6 after two periods. Leading by six, Van Ness chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 13-6 lead. The duo worked the center circle as the clock moved past 1:15. Van Ness nearly took Parco down with a low double at 1:05 but the Hawekeye was able to escape out of bounds. Van Ness was undaunted, however, and blew through another high shot for another takedown and a 16-6 lead. He worked his riding time up over 1:00 and finished the period on top. With 1:38 in time, Van Ness rolled to the 17-6 major.
157: Tyler Kasak, ranked No. 3 at 157, met No. 1 Jacori Teemer. Kasak fought off an early Teemer push and kept action in neutral through the 2:00 mark. Kasak sidestepped a slight Teemer shot at 1:45 and the duo battled on the Nittany Lion logo through 1:00. Kasak shot twice in the last :40, forcing Teemer into defense for the rest of the period and the bout moved to the second period tied 0-0. Kasak down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. He paced in the center of the mat and turned a fast low single into a takedown and a 4-0 lead at 1:20. Kasak controlled the action on top, building up over 1:00 in riding time. Teemer scrambled and kicked his way to an escape to cut the lead to 4-1 with :20 on the clock. Kasak nearly countered a late Teemer shot at :05 but action moved out of bounds and the Lion led 4-1 with 1:03 in time after two. Teemer chose down to start the third period and Kasak maintained control of the Hawkeye, building his riding time up over 2:00 before Teemer escaped to a 4-2 score. Kasak countered a Teemer shot and nearly took him down once more, but Teemer was able to slide out of bounds at :30. Kasak muscled Teemer off his feet and held him for the final seconds of the bout and, with 2:06 in riding time, walked away with the 5-2 win.
165: Mitchell Mesenbrink, ranked No. 1 at 165, took on No. 2 Mike Caliendo. Mesenbrink sidestepped an early Caliendo shot and scrambled through another, forcing a stalemate at 2:04. Mesenbrink worked his way in hon a high single and rolled through Caliendo’s defense for a takedown and a 3-0 lead at 1:20. Caliendo escaped quickly, and action returned to the middle of the mat. Mesenbrink worked a high shot into a second takedown with :25 on the clock and finished the period on top to lead 6-1 after one. Caliendo chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 6-2 score. The Nittany Lion continued to shoot Caliendo backwards and scrambled his way to a third takedown with 1:20 left in the period. Leading 9-2, Mesenbrink controlled action on top, building his time edge up well over 1:00 while looking for a turn. He forced a stall at :48 and another at :15 to lead 10-2 with 2:13 in time after two. Mesenbrink chose down to start the third period and worked his way to a reversal and a 12-3 lead after cutting him loose. Mesenbrink added another takedown and led 18-4 late. He forced another stall and posted the 19-4 tech fall at 6:24.
174: Junior Levi Haines, ranked No. 2 at 174, faced off against No. 6 Patrick Kennedy. Haines and Kennedy battled through the first ninety seconds in neutral with neither wrestler gaining an edge. Haines worked to string shots together as the clock moved past :45 but Kennedy’s defense was equal to the task. The first period ended in a 0-0 tie. Haines chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. The duo worked in neutral through the 1:00 mark and then through :30: Haines moved in on a high single at :28 and took a 4-0 lead with a takedown. Haines controlled Kennedy for the rest of the period and carried that lead into the third stanza. Trailing by four, Kennedy chose down to start the third period and escaped to a 4-1 score. Haines worked in neutral and took a 7-1 lead with his second takedown as the clock moved past 1:00. Haines cut Kennedy loose, took him down again and led 10-2 at the :30 mark. Kennedy managed a late escape and Haines posted the strong 10-3 win.
184: Graduate Carter Starocci, ranked No. 1 at 184, met Angelo Ferrari. Starocci controlled his position on the Lion logo, as Ferrari stepped backwards towards the outside circle. Starocci forced the first stall at 2:07. Starocci continued to press Ferrari backwards, fighting off a slight shot at 1:45. Starocci maintained position through the 1:00 mark with Ferrari backing away to the outside circle. Starocci took a 1-0 lead on another Ferrari stall at :22. The Lion then scrambled in on a single, but Ferrari was able to kill the clock. Trailing by one, Ferrari chose down to start the second period. Starocci controlled action with a strong ride, building up over 1:00 in time before Ferrari escaped to a 1-1 tie. Starocci then worked a low single into a scramble, but Ferrari once again defended his way to the end of the period and the bout moved to the second stanza tied 1-1. Starocci chose down to start the third period and escaped to a 2-1 lead with 1:07 in riding time. Ferrari worked his way in on a high single at 1:30 but Starocci forced a stalemate at the 1:08 mark. Starocci worked Ferrari’s left leg up off the mat at :20 and the duo battled to a stalemate at the :07 mark. Starocci used 1:07 in riding time for the final point and posted the 3-1 win.
197: Redshirt freshman Josh Barr, ranked No. 4 at 197, faced No. 1 Stephen Buchanan. The duo worked evenly through the first two minutes, battling for position in the middle of the mat. As the clock moved below 1:00, Barr shot, Buchanan countered, and Barr scrambled out of trouble to keep the bout tied 0-0 at :40. The first period ended in a 0-0 tie. Barr chose down to start the second period. Worked his way to his feet and escaped to a 1-0 lead at :52. The duo battled through the rest of the period in neutral and Barr led by one after two. Buchanan chose down to start the third and quickly escaped to a 1-1 tie, maintaining 1:02 in riding time. Barr took a series of shots as the clock moved down to 1:30 and Buchanan defended them. Buchanan forced a scramble at the 1:00 mark and Barr worked his way to a stalemate at :51. Barr chased Buchanan, scrambling for a shot but Buchanan countered for a late takedown to clinch the win. Barr dropped the 5-1 decision.
285: Senior+ Greg Kerkvliet, ranked No. 2 at 285, battled No. 11 Ben Kueter. Kerkvliet stormed through a low double to open up a 3-0 lead at the 2:09 mark. The Nittany Lion senior then broke Kueter down and built up over 1:00 in riding time while looking for a turning combination. Kerkvliet cut Kueter loose at 1:00 and went back to work on offense. Kerkvliet blew through a late high shot at Kueter’s waist and finished off the period with a takedown to lead 6-1 with 1:17 in time after one. Kerkvliet worked on top, trying to turn the Hawkeye through 1:00, forcing a stall call at :55. He built his riding time up well over 3:00, clinching the point with a rideout, and led 6-1 after two. Kerkvliet chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 7-1 lead. With time slipping under 1:00, Kerkvliet nearly picked up another takedown at 1:00 but action was called out of bounds. Penn State challenged the call and Kerkvliet picked up a penalty point on fleeing. He added one more takedown and with 3:52 in time, rolled to the 12-2 major.
