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.
THE ASYLUM
Wrestling: Eight on to quarterfinals
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.
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