Session I Recap
Number Note: For the wrestler headings below, I’m showing Intermat Rankings denoted with the “#”, and then for the individual bouts, I show the tournament seeds in parentheses.
125 lbs – #1 Luke Lilledahl
Quarterfinals
(1) Luke Lilledahl, Penn State vs (8) Dean Peterson, Iowa
Luke Lilledahl stepped laterally to start, peppering quick ties and fakes while trading shots and counters in a scoreless first period. Lilledahl deferred in the second and kicked out for an escape. He then stepped into a body lock that led to a long pause for a brick challenge; while no takedown was initially awarded, he eventually
took Dean Peterson down at the edge on the restart. Peterson escaped, leaving the score 4-2 heading into the third. Lilledahl chose down and escaped quickly. He hooked a single on the edge and pulled Peterson back in, eventually earning a takedown that was upheld after an Iowa challenge. Lilledahl punctuated the performance with a powerful mat return, accruing 1:28 in riding time to secure the 8-3 Decision.
133 lbs – #1 Marcus Blaze
Quarterfinals
(1) Marcus Blaze, Penn State vs (9) Dylan Shawver, Rutgers
Marcus Blaze was clinical in his quarterfinal matchup, opening the scoring with a late first-period takedown to lead 3-0. Choosing down to start the second, Blaze escaped quickly and immediately went back on the offensive, scoring a takedown and forcing a series of stall calls against Dylan Shawver. After a Shawver escape and a stall penalty point, Blaze added another takedown in the closing seconds of the frame to lead 11-1. In the third, Blaze answered a Shawver escape with his fourth takedown of the match. One final stall penalty and 1:54 in riding time punctuated a dominant 16-3 Major Decision.
141 lbs – #6 Braeden Davis
Round of 16
(6) Braeden Davis, Penn State vs (11) Dario Lemus, Maryland
Braeden Davis aggressively looked for power ties and Dario Lemus tried a slide-by before the two wrestlers exchanged stall warnings on edge action. The Terrapin shot a nice single, but Davis utilized a belly whizzer to neutralize, then scored in short time on a misdirection single, 3-0. In the second, with Lemus deferring, Davis sat out then was nearly pinned by Lemus’s half-nelson, conceding four near-fall points before fighting off his back for a reversal and riding out the period with 1:04 in advantage time, 5-4. In the 3rd, Davis rode actively, at one point hooking a head and arm, but had to close out his opening decision riding out the period with 3:01 in riding time, 6-4 Decision.
Quarterfinals
3) Vance Vombaur, Minnesota vs (6) Braeden Davis, Penn State
Braeden Davis saw his championship bracket run come to a halt in a high-scoring affair with Vance Vombaur. After trailing 3-1 in the first, Davis went ahead in the second period with an escape and a takedown to lead 5-3. However, Vombaur responded with a takedown and a turk for four-point near-fall points to close the frame. The Gopher senior maintained that momentum in the third, adding another takedown and 4 near-fall points to finalize a 5-20 Technical Fall.
149 lbs – #1 Shayne Van Ness
Quarterfinals
(1) Shayne Van Ness, Penn State vs (8) Ryder Block, Iowa
Shayne Van Ness held center early, but Ryder Block struck first with a takedown at the 0:42 mark and rode tough to lead 3-0 with 44 seconds of riding time. In the second, Block extended his riding time to over a minute before Van Ness escaped and began a relentless forward assault that forced a pair of stall calls—the second of which gave Van Ness his first penalty point. Van Ness nearly finished on an ankle late in the frame, but the period ended with Block clinging to a lead. Block managed a quick escape to lead 4-2 to start the third, but the pace finally broke the Hawkeye. As Van Ness continued to pressure, Block was hit with three subsequent stall calls—including a decisive two-point penalty with just six seconds remaining—allowing Van Ness to roar back for a takedown less 5-4 Decision.
157 lbs – #2 PJ Duke
Quarterfinals
(2) PJ Duke, Penn State vs (7) Brandon Cannon, Ohio State
PJ Duke worked a Russian tie early while Brandon Cannon countered with a slide-by that nearly led to a turn. Duke escaped on a restart and used a go-behind to take the lead. He added another takedown off a single and rode out the first period with 1:11 in advantage time. In the second, Duke converted a counter-single to extend the lead to 10-5. Duke blew the match open in the third, scoring three more takedowns—including an outside step and a blast double—while nearly pinning Cannon late to secure a 20-7 Major Decision.
165 lbs – #1 Mitchell Mesenbrink
Quarterfinals
(1) Mitchell Mesenbrink, Penn State vs (8) Paddy Gallagher, Ohio State
Mitchell opened with a throw-by for a quick takedown and immediately looked for an arm bar. He cut Paddy Gallagher before diving for another ankle to lead 6-1 after one. Mesenbrink escaped to start the second and picked up a stall point to lead 8-1. In the third, Mesenbrink dominated from the top position, picking up another stall point and a final single-leg takedown to cruise to a 10-2 Major Decision.
174 lbs – #1 Levi Haines
Quarterfinals
(1) Levi Haines, Penn State vs (9) Colin Kelly, Illinois
Following some opening handfighting, Levi Haines hit a sweep single and finished methodically at the boundary. He slipped in a figure-four and smothered Colin Kelly for over two minutes of riding time. Haines escaped to start the second, then snapped and scored before adding another takedown on a high crotch to lead 11-1. He didn’t slow down in the third, cutting Kelly and hitting two more high crotches to secure a 17-2 Technical Fall in 6:02.
184 lbs – #1 Rocco Welsh
Quarterfinals
(1) Rocco Welsh, Penn State vs (8) Angelo Ferrari, Iowa
This rematch of the regular-season dual saw Angelo Ferrari attempt to limit exchanges by keeping space. After a scoreless first, Ferrari earned an escape in the second, but Rocco Welsh answered with heavy hips and forward pressure. In between Ferrari’s kneeling to a cavalcade of BJC boos each time, Rocco earned his own escape in the third. In sudden victory, Welsh increased his output, shooting the prettiest and fastest outside-step you’ll see, but Ferrari matched the quickness with neutralizing scrambles. Rocco showed incredible defense too in fending off 2 single legs in the bout. Welsh won the toss for tiebreakers, escaped in just nine seconds, and then rode Ferrari out—smothering a Granby attempt in the process—to secure the win via Tie-Breaker 1 Decision.
197 lbs – #1 Josh Barr
Quarterfinals
(1) Josh Barr, Penn State vs (8) Gabe Sollars, Indiana
Josh Barr opened with an underhook into a low single for a quick finish and never looked back. He racked up four takedowns in the first period alone, using snaps and misdirections to lead 12-3 with over a minute of riding time. After a Gabe Sollars escape in the second, Barr scored twice more, including a head-inside single where he hooked the leg to finish. Barr closed the match with a final double leg to secure the 21-6 Technical Fall in 4:09.
285 lbs – #5 Cole Mirasola
Round of 16
(4) Cole Mirasola, Penn State vs (13) Gabe Christenson, Northwestern
Connor Mirasola used a heavy collar tie to pull Gabe Christenson into a single for the opening takedown. After a release, he repeated the same shot, this time doubling off for a massive finish that planted Christenson on his back for the Fall in just 25 seconds.
Quarterfinals
(5) Cole Mirasola, Penn State vs (5) Braxton Amos, Wisconsin
In a battle of heavy hands, Cole Mirasola used a body lock to secure a go-behind takedown and take an early lead against the much-bigger Amos. The Badger managed an escape to trail 3-1 after the first period. Mirasola chose bottom in the second and worked his way to a quad-pod before turning out for an escape to extend the lead to 4-1. Amos added a final escape in the third, but Mirasola moved laterally well to neutralize single-leg attempts and secure the 4-2 Decision.
Team Race
Last year’s 2025 Team Race, after Session 1:
This year’s Team Race:
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Schedule
Upcoming Penn State Bouts
Rematch City tonight, and Penn State grapplers won the first time around. Only Davis and Lilledahl face new opponents.
Helpful Resources
Housekeeping
- Session II Recap, Session III Preview. Scheduled for Sat, 11p.
- Session III Recap, Session IV Preview. Scheduled for Sun, 5p.
