Penn State wins ninth team title as five Lions claim individual crowns.
EVANSTON, Ill. – The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team (15-0, 8-0 B1G) stormed the field at the 2025 Big Ten Championship to claim its ninth Big Ten Championship, all under head coach Cael Sanderson. The Nittany Lions ran away from the field, winning the title with 181.5 points, a new school record (breaking the mark of 170.5 set last year). Five Nittany Lions won individual titles, also tying a school record.
Penn State has qualified all ten of its wrestlers for the 2025 NCAA Championships in Philadelphia in two weeks on March 20-22, 2025. All rankings listed are InterMat as of March 4, 2025. Penn State’s 181.5 points were 44.5 points in front of second place Nebraska’s 137.0. Iowa took third with 112.0.
This is Penn State’s ninth conference championship, having also won in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2019, 2023, 2024 and 2025. Penn State now has 69 Big Ten Champions spread among 37 individuals. Penn State’s five champions ties the school record, set in 2024 and 2011. Carter Starocci was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Year. He is Penn State’s 13th Big Ten Wrestler of the Year. Cael Sanderson was also named Big Ten Coach of the Year for the ninth time.
True freshman Luke Lilledahl, ranked No. 8 at 125 by InterMat, took on No. 7 Caleb Smith of Nebraska in the first of Penn State’s six Big Ten title bouts. Lilledahl and Smith battled evenly for the first minute and a half, circling on the Northwestern logo in the center of the mat. Lilledahl turned a low single into a takedown and a 3-0 lead at :40. He finished the period on top and carried that lead into the second stanza. Smith escaped to a 3-1 score to start the second period. Lilledahl maintained position through the 1:00 mark, pressing Smith backwards s the clock moved to the end of the period. Lilledahl escaped quickly to start the third period and led 4-1. Lilledahl was called for stalling as action moved out of bounds and Smith cut the lead to 4-2 with 1:20 on the clock. Smith was awarded another stall point as Lilledahl defended in the middle of the mat as time ran out. Lilledahl, on the strength of his first period takedown, earned his first Big Ten Championship as a true freshman with a 4-3 win. Lilledahl, now a Big Ten Champion, went 4-0 in the tournament and heads to nationals with a 19-2 record.
Sophomore Tyler Kasak, ranked No. 1 at 157, faced No. 11 Brandon Cannon of Ohio State in the Big Ten finals. Cannon worked his way in on an early shot, but Kasak was able to quickly force a stalemate. Kasak battled the Buckeye through the 1:00 mark in neutral. Cannon worked in on a low shot late in the period, but Kasak quickly countered and took him down at the :28 mark to lead 3-0 after one. Cannon escaped to start the second period and Kasak led 3-1. Kasak scrambled away from a Cannon shot at :45, giving up a stall warning in the process. Kasak led 3-1 after two, chose down to start the third, and escaped to a 4-1 lead. Kasak gave up a stall point and led 4-2 at 1:15. He then grabbed Cannon by the shoulders, threw him to his back for a takedown and spent settled for four near fall points to lead 11-2 at after blood stopped action at :13. Kasak finished in control and, with a riding time point, rolled to his first Big Ten title with a 12-2 major decision. Kasak went 3-0 with a pin and a major at Big Tens and, now a Big Ten Champion, heads to nationals with a 17-1 overall record.
Sophomore Mitchell Mesenbrink, ranked No. 1 at 165, battled No. 2 Mikey Caliendo of Iowa in the Big Ten championship. Mesenbrink worked the middle of the mat over the first minute, taking quick shots and forcing Caliendo into defense and counter offense. His pressure paid off late in the period with a takedown at the :11 mark for a 3-0 lead. Caliendo escaped to start the second period, cutting the lead to 3-1. The escape was the only score of the middle period. Mesenbrink quickly escaped to start the third period and led 4-1. The duo battled evenly for the rest of the period and Mesenbrink walked away with a 4-1 win to claim his second Big Ten title. Mesenbrink went 3-0 at Big Tens and heads to the national tournament with a 22-0 overall record.
Junior Levi Haines, ranked No. 2 at 174, faced No. 8 Lenny Pinto of Nebraska in the conference title match. Haines fought off a Pinto shot at 1:40, working his way out of trouble and returning to his feet to keep the match scoreless. Haines worked on his feet to the end of the period and turned a late low single into a takedown with just :04 left to lead 3-0 after one. Haines then escaped to start the second period, upping his lead to 4-0. He then muscled a double to a second takedown and a 7-0 lead. Haines then took Pinto down and to his back, nearly pinning him but settling for four back points and an 11-1 lead after a late Pinto escape, ending the second period. Pinto chose down to start the third period and Haines built his riding time up well over 2:00. Haines controlled the action on top, clinching riding time with the rideout. He rolled to a 12-1 major decision, becoming a three-time Big Ten Champion in the process. Haines went 3-0 with a pin and a major in Evanston and heads to NCAAs with a 20-1 overall record.
Graduate Carter Starocci, ranked No. 1 at 184, battled No. 4 Max McEnelly of Minnesota in the Big Ten title bout. The duo battled through an even 2:00 before McEnelly was able to turn a single into a takedown and a 3-1 lead. Starocci worked in on two shots in the last :30 but McEnelly was able to defend his way to the end of the period. Trailing 3-1, Starocci chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 3-2 score. Starocci chased McEnelly down as the Gopher retreated to the outside circle and tracked him down for a takedown and a 5-3 lead at :39. Starocci controlled the action until a late Minnesota escape. Starocci led 5-4 after two. McEnelly chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 5-5 tie. Starocci forced one stall warning before the period ended and the bout moved to sudden victory tied 5-5. Starocci controlled the center of the mat through the bulk of extra time and, in the waning seconds, slid by McEnelly for the winning takedown. The late move gave Starocci an 8-5 (sv) win and earned him his third Big Ten title. Starocci went 3-0 in his final Big Ten tournament and heads to the NCAA Championship with a 21-0 overall record.
Senior+ Greg Kerkvliet, ranked No. 2 at 285, faced No. 1 Gable Steveson of Minnesota in the last Big Ten title bout of the day. Kerkvliet and Steveson battled evenly through the opening minute-plus. With the clock moving past the 1:00 mark, Steveson worked his way in through a double to take a 3-0 lead at :34. Trailing 3-0 after one, Kerkvliet chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 3-1 score at 1:36. Steveson added a second takedown to open up a 6-1 lead at 1:00. Kerkvliet escaped before the period ended and trailed 6-2 after two. Steveson picked up a third takedown to lead 9-3 after a Kerkvliet escape.
Sophomore Braeden Davis, ranked No. 5 at 133, met No. 4 Braxton Brown of Maryland in the consolation semifinals. Davis countered a Brown shot at the 2:05 mark and moved in for his own takedown to open up a 3-0 lead at the 1:57 mark. Davis then turned Brown for four back points but gave up a reversal and led 7-2 after the flurry. Davis added an escape and led 8-2 after one. Davis controlled Brown, who chose down to start the second period, and built up over 1:00 in time. But he gave up a stall point in the process and led 8-3 at :40. Brown escaped, and Davis led 8-4 after two. Davis escaped quickly to start the third and led 9-4. With :45 left, Brown countered a Davis shot and took the Lion down to cut the lead to 8-7. Davis then spent the final :45 seconds fighting off a strong Brown effort to turn him and advanced to the third-place bout with a 9-7 win. Davis took on No. 12 Nic Bouzakis of Ohio State in the third-place bout. Davis took a quick 3-0 lead with a takedown at 1:45 but Bouzakis managed a reversal and two near fall. Davis reversed him back and led 5-4 with just over 1:00 left. Davis instigated another wild scramble, nearly taking Bouzakis to his back. But the Buckeye countered, scrambled and picked up a quick pin of his own, getting the fall at 2:22. Davis, the fourth seed, placed fourth at Big Tens with a 4-2 mark and heads to NCAAs with a 12-5 record.
Senior+ Beau Bartlett, ranked No. 1 at 141, took on No. 13 Joey Olivieri of Rutgers in the consolation semifinals. Bartlett took a 3-0 lead with 1:00 left in the first, turning a single leg into a takedown. He carried that lead into the second period. Bartlett escaped quickly to start the second to up his lead to 4-1. Bartlett worked neutral through the second period and carried that lead into the third. Olivieri escaped to start the third period and Bartlett led 4-2. Bartlett controlled his position in the center of the mat for the rest of the bout and moved into the third-place bout with a 4-2 victory. Bartlett met No. 2 Jesse Mendez of Ohio State in the third-place match-up. Bartlett forced Mendez into an early stall warning at 2:30 then fought off high control as the clock hit 2:00. Bartlett then gave up a stall warning as well. Bartlett nearly connected on a high shot, but Mendez fought off the shot, then another Bartlett shot, and the match moved to the second period tied 0-0. Bartlett escaped to a 1-0 lead at the 1:09 mark of the second period after choosing down to start it. The escape was the only score of the period and Bartlett led by one after two. Mendez escaped thirty seconds into he third to tie the bout at 1-1. Mendez shot low and Bartlett countered, steadily working his way into control for a takedown and a 4-1 lead at the :38 mark. Mendez managed a late escape, but Bartlett sealed the deal with the earlier takedown, posting the 4-2 win to take third place. Bartlett, who went 3-1 at Big Tens this year, heads to NCAAs with a 21-1 overall record.
Sophomore Shayne Van Ness, ranked No. 2 at 149, faced No. 18 Andrew Clark of Rutgers in the consolation semifinals. Van Ness notched the bout’s first takedown at the 1:38 mark, opening up a 3-0 lead. Van Ness controlled the action on top for the rest of the period and led 3-0 with 1:38 in riding time after one. Van Ness escaped quickly to start the second and then moved in on offense for another takedown to open up a 7-0 advantage. Clark escaped late in the period, but Van Ness took him down in the final seconds to lead 10-1 after two. Van Ness chose down in the third and picked up a stall point from Clark during the ride. Van Ness tacked on an escaped and moved into the third-place bout with a 12-1 major decision. Van Ness battled No. 3 Kyle Parco of Iowa in the third-place bout. Van Ness took a low double and scrambled his way to a takedown at the 1:12 mark. He worked Parco’s back to the mat, nearly pinning him, and settling for a 7-0 lead after the opening stanza. Van Ness escaped to an 8-0 lead to start the second period. He muscled Parco to the mat once more and led 11-0 at 1:00. He finished the period on top and carried that lead to the third. Parco chose down to start the third and Van Ness never let up. The Lion sophomore controlled Parco for the period and, with 3:50 in riding time, rolled to the 13-0 major decision, claiming third place. Van Ness went 3-1 with three majors in Evanston and heads to Philadelphia with a 20-2 overall record.
Redshirt freshman Josh Barr, ranked No. 2 at 197, met No. 8 Isaiah Salazar of Minnesota in the consolation semifinals. Barr came out with a high pace but was injured in a scramble out of bounds. He tried to continue but was unable and lost by injury default and dropped into the fifth placer bout. Barr did not compete in the fifth-place bout, taking a medical forfeit (not a loss). Barr went 1-2 on the day and placed sixth. Barr leaves Evanston with a 16-3 overall record.
The Nittany Lions went 10-3 on Sunday and closed out the tournament with a 29-7 record. Penn State amassed 27.0 bonus points off 11 majors, four tech falls, four pins and a default win.
Penn State’s five Big Ten Champions have all earned first team All-Big Ten honors: Luke Lilledahl (125), Tyler Kasak (157), Mitchell Mesenbrink (165), Levi Haines (174) and Carter Starocci (184). Penn State’s Big Ten Runner-up Greg Kerkvliet (285) earned second team All-Big Ten laurels.
Penn State will now prepare for the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships in Philadelphia, Pa. The three-day event runs Thursday through Saturday, March 20-22, 2025, at the Wells Fargo Center. Thursday’s sessions are set for 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Friday’s sessions are at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday’s sessions are slated for 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. The tournament seeds and full bracket will be revealed on Wednesday, March 12, at 8 p.m. on NCAA.com (at-large selections for each weight will be rolled out a day prior on Tuesday by the NCAA selection committee). Penn State closed out the 2024-25 dual slate with a 15-0 mark, 8-0 in Big Ten action (Regular Season Champions).