No. 1 Penn State wrestling dominated all season, and it got to a point where its only competition was itself.
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On Saturday, the undefeated Nittany Lions officially clinched the team national title before the championship matchups even started. This was their fifth consecutive team championship win and 13th title in 15 years.
Saying Penn State is a dynasty is approaching the "understatement" category. The blue and white also set a record, eclipsing the 180-point mark and beating their previous point total for the third straight season. In 2024-25, they had 177 points in the tournament, which was a new team record as the time.
Oklahoma State came in second, but the competition wasn't even close. The Nittany Lions earned 181.5 points over the course of the tournament while everyone else fought for second-place. The Cowboys were 50.5 points behind Penn State with 133 points.
Four Nittany Lions also won individual national titles on Saturday night. Mitchell Mesenbrink and Levi Haines, of the 165-pound and 174-pound weight classes, respectively, won their second championship.
Mesenbrink out-battled Iowa's Mikey Caliendo with a technical fall in 5:13 with a 20-4 score. His performance throughout the tournament earned him a pair of outstanding accomplishments: Most Outstanding Wrestler of the Tournament and Most Dominant Wrestler of the Tournament.
The Nittany Lion is in contention for the Hodge Trophy, an award given to the most dominant collegiate wrestler over the entire season. Ohio State's Jesse Mendez was Mesenbrink's toughest competition, but the Buckeye lost his national title matchup. Now the Penn Stater is practically a no-brainer to reel in a third incredible accolade for his overall 2025-26 season.
Haines won his bout versus Nebraska's Christopher Minto in a 2-1 decision, finishing his collegiate career on a high note. Josh Barr and Luke Lilledahl rounded out the four Nittany Lion national title winners. The 197-pounder won without bonus points for the first time in his career over Oklahoma State's Cody Merrill, 6-3. Lilledahl held a 2-1 decision over Princeton's Marc-Anthony McGowan in the 125-pound matchup.
Other Penn Staters competing for titles on Saturday night where Shayne Van Ness and Rocco Welsh. Both placed second. PJ Duke and Marcus Blaze placed third and fourth, respectively, as a result of their wrestle-back rounds earlier in the day.