The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestlers will have six wrestlers competing in the national finals after a 6-2 showing in the national semifinals. All eight of Penn State’s semifinalists have clinched All-America laurels. The Nittany Lions, under the guidance of head coach Cael Sanderson, lead the team race with 153.0 points, over 40.0 ahead of the second place team.
Penn State’s six finalists tie the NCAA record, which it already owned from 2024. Iowa also turned the trick three times, the last in 1997. Penn State now has 65 national finalists since 2011. The Nittany Lions are 65-14 in the national semifinals since then, an 82.7 win percentage.
• Sophomore Luke Lilledahl, the No. 1 seed at 125, met No. 5 Troy Spratley of Oklahoma State in the first of Penn State’s eight semifinal bouts. Lilledahl got in on a low single early and forced a scramble, finishing off a takedown to lead 3-1 after a quick Spratley escape. Lilledahl continued to push n offense, turning a low single into a takedown. He tacked on two back points and bolted out to an 8-1 lead with :44 on the clock. Lilledahl maintained control of Spratley until the :35 mark and ended the first period with an 8-2 lead. Spratley chose down to start the second and escaped to an 8-3 score. Lilledahl held position on the NCAA logo through the :45 mark and to the end of the period to lead 8-3 after two. Lilledahl chose neutral to start the third period. He traded shots with Spratley as the clock moved towards the 1:00 mark. Lilledahl worked in on a low single at the :40 but Spratley worked his way out of bounds. Lilledahl finished in neutral and moved to the national finals with an 8-3 win.
• True freshman Marcus Blaze, the No. 3 seed at 133, met No. 2 Ben Davino of Ohio State in the semis. Blaze fought off a Davino at the 2:16 mark and forced a reset. The duo battled on the NCAA logo in the center of the mat through the 1:30 mark. Blaze returned a shot at 1:15 that Davino was able to block off and the bout moved to the second period tied 0-0. Davino chose down to start the second period. He escaped to a 1-0 lead quickly to start the second period. Blaze worked himself into control of a low single but Davino was able to scramble out of trouble and work his way out of bounds at the :40 mark. Blaze trailed 1-0 after two periods. He chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 1-1 tie. Blaze and Davino battled on their feet for the remainder of the period and the bout moved to sudden victory. Blaze worked Davino towards the outside circle as the clock hit 1:00. Davino worked a low single into a scramble that ended out of bounds at :14. Ohio State challenged for a takedown on the call. The no takedown stood and the bout remained tied 1-1. The bout moved to a tie breaker and Davino was down first. Blaze controlled the action for :21 before Davino escaped. Blaze, down now, forced a second stall on Davino to go up 2-1. Davino was able to maintain control and ride Blaze out, getting the riding time point and appearing to win on riding time of :08. Penn State challenged the call and Davino got the 2-2 (TB2) victory. Blaze will wrestle for third place in session five.
• Junior Shayne Van Ness, the No. 1 seed at 149, took on No. 20 Chance Lamer of Nebraska in his semifinal bout. Van Ness fought off a quick Lamer burst, slipping out of the Husker’s reach at the 2:35 mark. He then moved in for a takedown of his own and an early 3-0 lead. Van Ness turned Lamer briefly, then reset and continued to control action on top. He forced a stall warning at :40 and finished on top to lead 3-0 with 2:18 riding time after one. Van Ness chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 4-0 lead. He then used a low single to pick up a second takedown to lead 7-1 at 1:10. Van Ness took Lamer down and turned him for four points to lead 14-1 at :26. Van Ness picked up a stall point to lead 15-1 after two periods. Lamer chose neutral to start the third period. Van Ness quickly ended the match, taking Lamer down and adding four nearfalls for a 22-1 technical fall at 5:21 to advance to his first national title bout.
• True freshman PJ Duke, the No. 1 seed at 157, battled No. 5 Landon Robideau of Oklahoma State in the semifinals. Duke and Robideau battled in neutral through the first two minutes, working for position on the NCAA logo. The first period ended in a scoreless tie. Robideau chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Duke nearly connected on a low single, but the Cowboy was able to back way from contact. Trailing 1-0, Duke chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 1-1 tie. The du traded quick shots at the :45 mark to no avail. The bout moved to sudden victory tied 1-1. Duke worked the center of the mat for the first minute of extra time and then countered a slight Robideau shot, locking a cradle and appearing to get the takedown for the 4-1 (sv) victory. Oklahoma State challenged and action was stopped as Duke was working to pin Robideau and finish off the takedown. The call was overturned. Duke fought off one last shot and the match moved to a tie-breaker. Robideau chose down and reversed Duke to a 3-1 lead. Duke chose neutral and could not take the Cowboy down. He dropped the 3-1 (TB) bout and moved into consolation action, alive for third place.
• Junior Mitchell Mesenbrink, the No. 1 seed at 165, met No. 12 Cesar Alvin of Columbia in the semis. Mesenbrink fought off an Alvin throw at the 2:20 mark and then moved in for a first takedown at 1:52 to open up a 3-0 lead. Mesenbrink then turned Alvin over and worked for a pin over for over a minute. Alvin was able to keep from giving up the pin and Mesenbrink led 7-0 after one. Mesenbrink chose down to start the second, escaped and took Alvin down to an 11-0 lead. He then turned him one final time for four back points to roll into the finals with a 15-0 technical fall at 4:11.
• Senior Levi Haines, the No. 1 seed at 174, took on No. 5 Patrick Kennedy of Iowa in his semifinal bout. Haines got in on an early single, but Kennedy fought off the move to reset the action at 2:10. Haines continued to work his offense as Kennedy played defense deep into the opening period. Haines locked a high single at :45 and finished off the takedown to lead 3-0 at :25. Haines, leading 3-0 after one, shoes down to start the second. He quickly escaped and then took the Hawkeye down to open up a 7-0 lead. Haines carried a 7-1 lead into the third period. Kennedy chose down to start the final stanza, and Haines built his riding time up over 1:00 before Kennedy escaped to a 7-2 score. Haines notched another takedown at 1:10 to open up a 10-3 lead after a quick cut. Haines took Kennedy down once more then added four back points to lead 17-3. He finished the period on top and, with riding time, posted the strong 18-3 tech fall at 7:00. Haines moved into the national finals for the third time with the win.
• Sophomore Rocco Welsh, the No. 1 seed at 184, battled No. 5 Brock Mantanona of Michigan in the semifinals. Welsh and Mantanona battled evenly through the first minute-plus, working for position on the NCAA logo. The first period ended in a scoreless tie. Mantanona chose down to start the second and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Welsh fought off a fast Michigan shot and forced a stalemate at the 1:03 mark. Welsh turned a high shot at :35 into a scoring opportunity late in the period. Mantanona was able to skip out of trouble and the bout moved to the third with Welsh down by one. Welsh chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 1-1 tie. Welsh blew through a fast high single for a takedown and a 4-1 lead at 1:15. Welsh gave up a stall warning on the ride before Mantanona escaped to a 4-2 score at :28. He gave up a stall point and moved into the national finals for the second time with a 4-3 victory.
• Sophomore Josh Barr, the No. 1 seed at 197, faced No. 5 Joey Novak of Wyoming in Penn State’s last semifinal match-up of the evening. Barr muscled his way through an early high double to take a 3-0 lead at 2:29. Novak scrambled his way to a reversal to cut into the lead at 1:32 and Barr led 4-2 after a quick escape. Barr worked Novak to the mat at the :30 mark and added a late takedown to lead 7-2 after the opening period. Novak chose down to start the second period. Barr worked his riding time up over 1:00 before Novak escaped to a 7-3 score. Barr moved in on a low double and scrambled his way to a third takedown and a 10-3 lead with :42 on the clock. He finished the period on top and led 10-3 with 2:16 RT after two. Barr chose neutral to start the third. Barr muscled Novak down for a takedown at the 1:00 mark to lead 1-3 with clinched riding time. Barr finished the period on top and, with riding time, rolled to the 14-3 major decision. He advanced to his second national title bout with the win.
• Sophomore Cole Mirasola, the No. 9 seed at 285, and Braeden Davis, the No. 14 seed at 141, both went 2-2, finishing their tournaments earlier in the day in consolation action.
Penn State went 6-2 in session four and is 34-6 overall after two days of the three-day tournament. The Nittany Lions have totaled 36.0 bonus points off five majors, 14 technical falls, four pins and an injury default.
Two Nittany Lions will compete in session five’s placing bouts on Saturday at 11 a.m., alive for third place. Penn State’s six finalists will battle in the national finals at 6:30 p.m.
THE ASYLUM
Wrestling: Six advance to finals
The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestlers will have six wrestlers competing in the national finals after a 6-2 showing in the national semifinals. All eight of Penn State’s semifinalists have clinched All-America laurels. The Nittany Lions, under the guidance of head coach Cael Sanderson, lead the team race with 153.0 points, over 40.0 ahead of the second place team.
Penn State’s six finalists tie the NCAA record, which it already owned from 2024. Iowa also turned the trick three times, the last in 1997. Penn State now has 65 national finalists since 2011. The Nittany Lions are 65-14 in the national semifinals since then, an 82.7 win percentage.
• Sophomore Luke Lilledahl, the No. 1 seed at 125, met No. 5 Troy Spratley of Oklahoma State in the first of Penn State’s eight semifinal bouts. Lilledahl got in on a low single early and forced a scramble, finishing off a takedown to lead 3-1 after a quick Spratley escape. Lilledahl continued to push n offense, turning a low single into a takedown. He tacked on two back points and bolted out to an 8-1 lead with :44 on the clock. Lilledahl maintained control of Spratley until the :35 mark and ended the first period with an 8-2 lead. Spratley chose down to start the second and escaped to an 8-3 score. Lilledahl held position on the NCAA logo through the :45 mark and to the end of the period to lead 8-3 after two. Lilledahl chose neutral to start the third period. He traded shots with Spratley as the clock moved towards the 1:00 mark. Lilledahl worked in on a low single at the :40 but Spratley worked his way out of bounds. Lilledahl finished in neutral and moved to the national finals with an 8-3 win.
• True freshman Marcus Blaze, the No. 3 seed at 133, met No. 2 Ben Davino of Ohio State in the semis. Blaze fought off a Davino at the 2:16 mark and forced a reset. The duo battled on the NCAA logo in the center of the mat through the 1:30 mark. Blaze returned a shot at 1:15 that Davino was able to block off and the bout moved to the second period tied 0-0. Davino chose down to start the second period. He escaped to a 1-0 lead quickly to start the second period. Blaze worked himself into control of a low single but Davino was able to scramble out of trouble and work his way out of bounds at the :40 mark. Blaze trailed 1-0 after two periods. He chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 1-1 tie. Blaze and Davino battled on their feet for the remainder of the period and the bout moved to sudden victory. Blaze worked Davino towards the outside circle as the clock hit 1:00. Davino worked a low single into a scramble that ended out of bounds at :14. Ohio State challenged for a takedown on the call. The no takedown stood and the bout remained tied 1-1. The bout moved to a tie breaker and Davino was down first. Blaze controlled the action for :21 before Davino escaped. Blaze, down now, forced a second stall on Davino to go up 2-1. Davino was able to maintain control and ride Blaze out, getting the riding time point and appearing to win on riding time of :08. Penn State challenged the call and Davino got the 2-2 (TB2) victory. Blaze will wrestle for third place in session five.
• Junior Shayne Van Ness, the No. 1 seed at 149, took on No. 20 Chance Lamer of Nebraska in his semifinal bout. Van Ness fought off a quick Lamer burst, slipping out of the Husker’s reach at the 2:35 mark. He then moved in for a takedown of his own and an early 3-0 lead. Van Ness turned Lamer briefly, then reset and continued to control action on top. He forced a stall warning at :40 and finished on top to lead 3-0 with 2:18 riding time after one. Van Ness chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 4-0 lead. He then used a low single to pick up a second takedown to lead 7-1 at 1:10. Van Ness took Lamer down and turned him for four points to lead 14-1 at :26. Van Ness picked up a stall point to lead 15-1 after two periods. Lamer chose neutral to start the third period. Van Ness quickly ended the match, taking Lamer down and adding four nearfalls for a 22-1 technical fall at 5:21 to advance to his first national title bout.
• True freshman PJ Duke, the No. 1 seed at 157, battled No. 5 Landon Robideau of Oklahoma State in the semifinals. Duke and Robideau battled in neutral through the first two minutes, working for position on the NCAA logo. The first period ended in a scoreless tie. Robideau chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Duke nearly connected on a low single, but the Cowboy was able to back way from contact. Trailing 1-0, Duke chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 1-1 tie. The du traded quick shots at the :45 mark to no avail. The bout moved to sudden victory tied 1-1. Duke worked the center of the mat for the first minute of extra time and then countered a slight Robideau shot, locking a cradle and appearing to get the takedown for the 4-1 (sv) victory. Oklahoma State challenged and action was stopped as Duke was working to pin Robideau and finish off the takedown. The call was overturned. Duke fought off one last shot and the match moved to a tie-breaker. Robideau chose down and reversed Duke to a 3-1 lead. Duke chose neutral and could not take the Cowboy down. He dropped the 3-1 (TB) bout and moved into consolation action, alive for third place.
• Junior Mitchell Mesenbrink, the No. 1 seed at 165, met No. 12 Cesar Alvin of Columbia in the semis. Mesenbrink fought off an Alvin throw at the 2:20 mark and then moved in for a first takedown at 1:52 to open up a 3-0 lead. Mesenbrink then turned Alvin over and worked for a pin over for over a minute. Alvin was able to keep from giving up the pin and Mesenbrink led 7-0 after one. Mesenbrink chose down to start the second, escaped and took Alvin down to an 11-0 lead. He then turned him one final time for four back points to roll into the finals with a 15-0 technical fall at 4:11.
• Senior Levi Haines, the No. 1 seed at 174, took on No. 5 Patrick Kennedy of Iowa in his semifinal bout. Haines got in on an early single, but Kennedy fought off the move to reset the action at 2:10. Haines continued to work his offense as Kennedy played defense deep into the opening period. Haines locked a high single at :45 and finished off the takedown to lead 3-0 at :25. Haines, leading 3-0 after one, shoes down to start the second. He quickly escaped and then took the Hawkeye down to open up a 7-0 lead. Haines carried a 7-1 lead into the third period. Kennedy chose down to start the final stanza, and Haines built his riding time up over 1:00 before Kennedy escaped to a 7-2 score. Haines notched another takedown at 1:10 to open up a 10-3 lead after a quick cut. Haines took Kennedy down once more then added four back points to lead 17-3. He finished the period on top and, with riding time, posted the strong 18-3 tech fall at 7:00. Haines moved into the national finals for the third time with the win.
• Sophomore Rocco Welsh, the No. 1 seed at 184, battled No. 5 Brock Mantanona of Michigan in the semifinals. Welsh and Mantanona battled evenly through the first minute-plus, working for position on the NCAA logo. The first period ended in a scoreless tie. Mantanona chose down to start the second and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Welsh fought off a fast Michigan shot and forced a stalemate at the 1:03 mark. Welsh turned a high shot at :35 into a scoring opportunity late in the period. Mantanona was able to skip out of trouble and the bout moved to the third with Welsh down by one. Welsh chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 1-1 tie. Welsh blew through a fast high single for a takedown and a 4-1 lead at 1:15. Welsh gave up a stall warning on the ride before Mantanona escaped to a 4-2 score at :28. He gave up a stall point and moved into the national finals for the second time with a 4-3 victory.
• Sophomore Josh Barr, the No. 1 seed at 197, faced No. 5 Joey Novak of Wyoming in Penn State’s last semifinal match-up of the evening. Barr muscled his way through an early high double to take a 3-0 lead at 2:29. Novak scrambled his way to a reversal to cut into the lead at 1:32 and Barr led 4-2 after a quick escape. Barr worked Novak to the mat at the :30 mark and added a late takedown to lead 7-2 after the opening period. Novak chose down to start the second period. Barr worked his riding time up over 1:00 before Novak escaped to a 7-3 score. Barr moved in on a low double and scrambled his way to a third takedown and a 10-3 lead with :42 on the clock. He finished the period on top and led 10-3 with 2:16 RT after two. Barr chose neutral to start the third. Barr muscled Novak down for a takedown at the 1:00 mark to lead 1-3 with clinched riding time. Barr finished the period on top and, with riding time, rolled to the 14-3 major decision. He advanced to his second national title bout with the win.
• Sophomore Cole Mirasola, the No. 9 seed at 285, and Braeden Davis, the No. 14 seed at 141, both went 2-2, finishing their tournaments earlier in the day in consolation action.
Penn State went 6-2 in session four and is 34-6 overall after two days of the three-day tournament. The Nittany Lions have totaled 36.0 bonus points off five majors, 14 technical falls, four pins and an injury default.
Two Nittany Lions will compete in session five’s placing bouts on Saturday at 11 a.m., alive for third place. Penn State’s six finalists will battle in the national finals at 6:30 p.m.
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