UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State Nittany Lions (11-0, 5-0 B1G) delivered a commanding 39-0 shutout against Michigan (5-5, 2-5 B1G) in their second consecutive dual meet at the Bryce Jordan Center. Penn State won all ten bouts without surrendering a single takedown in a dominant Big Ten performance.
The action kicked off at 125 pounds, where true freshman Luke Lilledahl, ranked No. 7, secured Penn State’s first pin of the night. Leading 10-2 against Christian Tanefeu, Lilledahl finished the match with a fall at 5:38—his first career pin as a Nittany Lion. At 133, freshman Kyison Garcia stepped in for No. 7 Braeden Davis and earned his first dual meet victory, defeating Nolan Wertanen 4-1 to extend Penn State’s lead to 9-0.
At 141 pounds, No. 3 Beau Bartlett used a crucial third-period reversal and over a minute of riding time to edge No. 12 Sergio Lemley 3-2. No. 3 Shayne Van Ness followed at 149, securing a 7-1 victory over Dylan Gilcher with two takedowns. The final match before intermission saw No. 1 Tyler Kasak (157) in control against Zack Mattin, using two takedowns and 2:29 of riding time to claim a 7-2 decision. Penn State entered the break leading 18-0.
Returning to the mat, No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (165) overwhelmed No. 10 Beau Mantanona with an 18-4 major decision, piling up nearly three minutes of riding time to push the Lions’ lead to 22-0. At 174 pounds, No. 2 Levi Haines delivered Penn State’s second pin of the night, securing a fall over No. 29 Joseph Walker at 2:37.
No. 1 Carter Starocci (184) dominated No. 24 Jaden Bullock with five takedowns and forced multiple stalling calls on his way to a 19-4 technical fall in a full seven-minute bout. Redshirt freshman Josh Barr (197), ranked No. 4, faced No. 2 Jacob Cardenas in a hard-fought battle that extended past regulation. After a scoreless overtime period, Cardenas led 2-1 in the first tiebreaker, but Barr executed a late reversal with just five seconds remaining to claim a thrilling 3-2 victory.
In the final match of the evening, No. 2 Greg Kerkvliet (285) controlled No. 8 Josh Heindselman, using a takedown and reversal to secure a 6-0 decision, completing Penn State’s shutout win.
The Nittany Lions racked up 20 takedowns while allowing none, accumulating nine bonus points through two pins (Lilledahl, Haines), a technical fall (Starocci), and a major decision (Mesenbrink). This marks Penn State’s fifth shutout of the season.
Penn State improves to 11-0 overall and 5-0 in Big Ten action, while Michigan falls to 5-5 (2-5 B1G). Up next, the Nittany Lions host Maryland on Sunday, Feb. 9, at 1 p.m. in Rec Hall.
Match Results: #1 Penn State 39, #12 Michigan 0
125: #7 Luke Lilledahl (PSU) pinned Christian Tanefeu (MICH), WBF (5:38) – 6-0
133: Kyison Garcia (PSU) dec. Nolan Wertanen (MICH), 4-1 – 9-0
141: #3 Beau Bartlett (PSU) dec. #12 Sergio Lemley (MICH), 3-2 – 12-0
149: #3 Shayne Van Ness (PSU) dec. Dylan Gilcher (MICH), 7-1 – 15-0
157: #1 Tyler Kasak (PSU) dec. Zack Mattin (MICH), 7-2 – 18-0
165: #1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (PSU) maj. dec. #10 Beau Mantanona (MICH), 18-4 – 22-0
174: #2 Levi Haines (PSU) pinned #29 Joseph Walker (MICH), WBF (2:37) – 28-0
184: #1 Carter Starocci (PSU) tech fall #24 Jaden Bullock (MICH), 19-4 (TF; 7:00) – 33-0
197: #4 Josh Barr (PSU) dec. #2 Jacob Cardenas (MICH), 3-2 (TB) – 36-0
285: #2 Greg Kerkvliet (PSU) dec. #8 Josh Heindselman (MICH), 6-0 – 39-0
Attendance: 14,355 (Penn State has hosted 84 sellouts in its last 89 home events, including 74 consecutive in Rec Hall and 10 of 15 in the Bryce Jordan Center).
Next Match: Penn State vs. Maryland – Sunday, Feb. 9, at 1 p.m. in Rec Hall.
