No. 1 Penn State wrestling is on track for yet another national championship. The Nittany Lions defeated a previously undefeated No. 2 Ohio State team, 36-5, on Friday, Feb. 13 and simultaneously clinched the Big Ten title as well.
Penn State wrestling remains top dog in the Big Ten and clinches impressive title
Heading into their final meet of the season, the blue and white face Princeton at Rec Hall with the first dual slated for 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Feb. 20. This concludes the regular season before heading into the postseason, which includes the 2026 Big Ten Wrestling Championships and 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships.
Following the weekend versus the Buckeyes, Nittany Lions across the board continued making their marks in their respective weight class rankings.
From the 133-pound weight class, Marcus Blaze moved up two spots and Cole Mirasola moved up six spots in the 285-pound weight class. Eight other wrestlers remained in their same ranking from the previous week, which includes six No. 1 spots.
Blaze defeated the Buckeyes' No. 2 Ben Davino in a 3-2 tiebreaker on Friday, extending his season record to 18-0. Mirasola got revenge against No. 3 Nick Feldman, who took the victory for Ohio State over the Nittany Lion in 2024-25. The sudden victory in the heavyweight dual extended his 2025-26 record to 13-4.
Here's where the Penn State wrestlers rank as of Wednesday, Feb. 18, per Intermat rankings:
125 pounds: No. 1 Luke Lilledahl (prev. No. 1)
133 pounds: No. 2 Marcus Blaze (prev. No. 4)
141 pounds: No. 12 Braden Davis (prev. No. 12)
149 pounds: No. 1 Shayne Van Ness (prev. No. 1)
157 pounds: No. 4 PJ Duke (prev. No. 4)
165 pounds: No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (prev. No. 1)
174 pounds: No. 1 Levi Haines (prev. No. 1)
184 pounds: No. 1 Rocco Welsh (prev. No. 1)
197 pounds: No. 1 Josh Barr (prev. No. 1)
285 pounds: No. 6 Cole Mirasola (prev. No. 12)
Penn State is ranked No. 1 heading into the tournament with 159.5 points and are also first in duals, according to the Intermat rankings, with an undefeated, 14-0 record.