Penn State 36, Ohio State 5; Nittany Lions clinch Big Ten regular-season title
A middle-weight run that included two technical falls and a pin delivered the decisive swing as No. 1 Penn State routed No. 2 Ohio State in State College.
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Penn State beat No. 2 Ohio State 36-5 Friday, clinching the Big Ten regular-season championship.
The dual swung in Penn State’s favor during the middle weights. No. 1 Shayne Van Ness opened the stretch with a 20-5 technical fall at 149, No. 4 PJ Duke followed with a pin at 157 and No. 1 Levi Haines closed the sequence with a 16-1 technical fall at 174. Those bonus outcomes created a lead the Buckeyes could not overcome.
Ohio State’s only bonus scoring came at 141, when Jesse Mendez recorded an 18-2 technical fall. That result supplied the Buckeyes’ lone bonus point haul in the meet.
Penn State took an early edge in tight matches that required extra time. No. 1 Luke Lilledahl forced overtime at 125 and secured a three-point takedown in the first overtime to beat No. 4 Nic Bouzakis 4-1. At 133, No. 4 Marcus Blaze prevailed 3-2 over No. 2 Ben Davino after a reversal with 12 seconds remaining in the third overtime.
The Nittany Lions added other bonus and decisive results that widened the margin. No. 1 Josh Barr won 11-2 by major decision at 197, and No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink posted a 12-2 major decision at 165. At 184, No. 1 Rocco Welsh rallied for a 7-6 decision, and at heavyweight No. 8 Cole Mirasola scored a sudden‑victory takedown to down No. 3 Nick Feldman 4-1.
Penn State’s combination of technical falls, a pin and multiple major decisions produced the 36-5 final margin and secured the conference regular-season crown for the Nittany Lions.
The meeting in State College drew a large crowd and was reported by the school to be staged at the Bryce Jordan Center. The win extended Penn State’s unbeaten dual-meet run in conference play and preserved its top billing in the national rankings.
Penn State’s depth and late-period execution in several close bouts were the decisive elements: the middle-weight bonus stretch erased reachability for Ohio State, and overtime wins at 125 and 133 prevented any sustained Buckeye rally.