Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1544053
A P R I L 2 0 2 6 41 Sophomore Josh Barr concluded an unde- feated season by topping Oklahoma State's Cody Merrill, 6-3, in the 197-pound final. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS P enn State's wrestlers clearly must not like records because they keep breaking them. From a team-record seven champions and 184 points at the Big Ten Champion- ships to NCAA records for an 86-match regular-season winning streak, seven No. 1 tournament seeds and 181.5 team points, the Nittany Lions are accom- plishing so much they are almost, well, a broken record. The latest onslaught on the record books came at the NCAA Champion- ships in Cleveland where Penn State out- distanced Oklahoma State by 181.5-131 and had four of its six finalists win indi- vidual titles. It was the program's fifth consecutive NCAA title and 13th in the past 15 seasons. Sophomores Luke Lilledahl (125 pounds) and Josh Barr (197) won their first titles, while junior Mitchell Mesen- brink (165) and senior Levi Haines (174) each won their second. Junior Shayne Van Ness (149) and sophomore Rocco Welsh (184) were runners-up, while freshmen PJ Duke (157) and Marcus Blaze (133) were third and fourth, respectively. Junior Braeden Davis (141) and freshman Cole Mirasola (285) did not place. By looking at the academic classifica- tions prior to each wrestler's name, as well as wrestlers redshirting and recruits yet to arrive, it's crystal clear that other existing records are in peril. But for now, Penn State coach Cael Sanderson can celebrate another job well done. "I think this was an incredible year," he said just after the final round on March 21. "Happy for the team. Just really an incredible group of guys … an outstand- ing year. "Our staff is all unicorns, really, up and down the lineup — director of ops, our general manager — every one of them, our trainer, and obvi- ously [coaches] Cody [Sand- erson] and Casey [Cun- ningham] and Nick Lee and the whole crew. We're very blessed. Very grateful." Moving Forward As easy as Penn State makes it look year after year, easy it is not. It's a gruel- ing, three-day slugfest from which eyes are blackened, faces are bloodied, and bodies are bruised. Lilledahl, after an opening-round 11-2 major decision, won by scores of 4-2, 2-1, 8-3 and 2-1. And while he sported some facial cuts, his smile overshad- owed all. "It feels amazing," Lilledahl said after defeating Princeton's Marc-Anthony McGowan in the final. "Just solidifies that I've been doing everything right and having trust in my coaches and trust in my training. "I wanted to win the nationals, but I wanted to put a stamp on it that 125 is my weight class for the next two years. And I feel like I've done that. Next year, it's just about going out and widen- ing the gap against these guys that are keeping it close." Lilledahl and McGowan met in a Feb. 20 dual meet, and McGowan was dis- qualified for stalling. He said the night before the NCAA finals that he wanted redemption for the "most embarrass- ing match of his life." But McGowan employed the same tactics, grabbing Lilledahl's hands and fingers and tying him up to prevent any offensive attacks. Ironically, McGowan lost on a stalling point. "You watch the matches, and our guys are moving forward the whole time," Sanderson said. "If they had a push-out rule, that would be great for our program. I hope they do. It's just re- ally hard to call stalling. Refs obviously Team Standings Finish Team Points 1. Penn State 181.5 2. Oklahoma State 131.0 3. Nebraska 100.5 4. Iowa 92.5 5. Ohio State 84.5 6. Stanford 67.5 7. Michigan 66.0 8. Iowa State 52.0 9. Minnesota 48.5 10. NC State 44.5