Penn State Overwhelms Ohio State 36-5 in Clash of Top-Ranked Teams

Emerson Raymont

Published: February 13, 2026 10:42 PM ET

Penn State Overwhelms Ohio State 36-5 in Clash of Top-Ranked Teams

Penn State showcased its dominance in college wrestling by defeating Ohio State 36-5 on Friday night. The match took place at Penn State’s Bryce Jordan Center and marked the end of Ohio State’s remarkable 17-0 start. This loss was significant as it was Ohio State’s first of the season against the top-ranked, unbeaten Nittany Lions.

Penn State vs. Ohio State: Match Overview

Penn State claimed victory in nine out of the ten matches contested. Ohio State’s only win came from two-time national champion Jesse Mendez, who secured an impressive 18-2 technical fall against Braeden Davis at 141 pounds. Despite Mendez’s victory, the evening belonged to Penn State, which demonstrated relentless strength throughout the dual meet.

Key Matches

125 pounds: No. 1 Luke Lilledahl (PSU) defeated No. 2 Nic Bouzakis (OSU) in sudden victory, 4-1.
133 pounds: No. 4 Marcus Blaze (PSU) edged out No. 2 Ben Davino (OSU), 3-2, through a reversal in the second tiebreaker.
141 pounds: Jesse Mendez (OSU) triumphed over No. 12 Braeden Davis (PSU), 18-2, bringing Ohio State onto the scoreboard.
149 pounds: No. 1 Shayne Van Ness (PSU) claimed a decisive tech fall against Brogan Fielding (OSU), 20-5.
157 pounds: No. 4 PJ Duke (PSU) won by fall against Daxton Chase (OSU) at 3:28.
165 pounds: No. 1 Mitchell Messenbrink (PSU) achieved a major decision over No. 16 Paddy Gallagher (OSU), 12-2.
174 pounds: No. 1 Levi Haines (PSU) overwhelmed T.J. Schierl (OSU), 16-1, in another tech fall.
184 pounds: No. 1 Rocco Welsh (PSU) narrowly defeated No. 8 Dylan Fishback (OSU), 7-6.
197 pounds: No. 1 Josh Barr (PSU) secured an 11-2 major decision over No. 10 Luke Geog (OSU).
Heavyweight: No. 12 Cole Mirasola (PSU) upset No. 3 Nick Feldman (OSU) in sudden victory, 4-1.

Implications of the Match

This victory granted Penn State its sixth consecutive Big Ten dual meet championship. Since 2020, the Nittany Lions have remained unbeaten in dual meets and are strongly favored to secure the NCAA championship for the fifth consecutive year and 13th time in 15 seasons.

Despite the defeat, Ohio State is likely to retain its spot as the No. 2 team in the nation. The Buckeyes have previously triumphed against several other top-ranked teams, such as No. 4 Iowa State, No. 5 Nebraska, and No. 7 Iowa. However, Friday’s match indicated that Ohio State must enhance its performance significantly ahead of the postseason.

Looking ahead, Ohio State aims to rebound from this setback with their last regular-season competition against Maryland on Sunday at 2 p.m. via B1G+.