Recap: Penn State wrestling wins its third straight Big Ten title, finishes with five champs
Penn State wrestling has won its third straight Big Ten Championship. The Lions won five titles. Luke Lilledahl (125 pounds), Tyler Kasak (157), Mitchell Mesenbrink (165), Levi Haines (174), and Carter Starocci (184) took conference crowns. Greg Kerkvliet finished second at 285. Beau Bartlett and Shayne Van Ness were third at 141 and 149, respectively. Braeden Davis was third at 133. And Redshirt freshman Josh Barr injury defaulted out of his 197-pound consolation semifinal earlier today due to a left leg injury. He did not wrestle in the fifth-place bout.
The Lions won the team title with 181.5 points. Nebraska was second with 137. Find a full recap below.
Note: This is your home for live updates from tonight’s Big Ten Wrestling Championships final session. This page does not update automatically. So, please refresh your browser often for the latest information.
Penn State wrestling final results from the Big Ten Tournament
03/09/2025 07:27:35 PMBouts are championship finals unless otherwise noted:
125 pounds: No. 4 Luke Lilledahl, Penn State d. No. 2 Caleb Smith, Nebraska, 4-3
133 pounds: No. 9 Nic Bouzakis, Ohio State F No. 4 Braeden Davis, PSU, 2:22 (third place match)
141 pounds: No. 1 Beau Bartlett, Penn State d. No. 2 Jesse Mendez, Ohio State, 4-2 (third place match)
149 pounds: No. 1 Shayne Van Ness, PSU md. No. 2 Kyle Parco, Iowa, 13-0 (third place match)
157 pounds: No. 2 Tyler Kasak, Penn State md. No. 8 Brandon Cannon, Ohio State, 12-2
165 pounds: No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink, PSU d. No. 2 Mikey Caliendo, Iowa, 4-1
174 pounds: No. 1 Levi Haines, Penn State md. No. 3 Lenny Pinto, Nebraska, 12-1
184 pounds: No. 1 Carter Starocci, PSU d. No. 2 Max McEnelly, Minnesota, 9-5 (SV)
197 pounds: No. 7 Camden McDanel, Nebraska MDF No. 2 Josh Barr, Penn State
285 pounds: No. 1 Gable Steveson, Minnesota d. No. 2 Greg Kerkvliet, PSU, 10-3
Gable Steveson beats Greg Kerkvliet
03/09/2025 07:19:34 PMMinnesota star Gable Steveson beat reigning NCAA 285-pound champ Greg Kerkvliet of Penn State 10-3 in the Big Ten 285-pound final. The Nittany Lions finish with five conference champs and their third straight team title.
Cardenas beats Buchanan at 197
03/09/2025 07:08:49 PMMichigan’s Jacob Cardenas, who beat Penn State’s Josh Barr in the semifinals, beat Iowa’s Stephen Buchanan, the top seed, in the 197-pound Big Ten final. The Hawkeyes have still never had a champ at 197 pounds.
Carter Starocci is a Big Ten champ
03/09/2025 06:49:23 PMNo. 2 Max McEnelly of Minnesota was as advertised. He took No. 1 Carter Starocci down early in their 184-pound final that eventually went to sudden victory tied at five. With 21 seconds left, Carter Starocci raced behind the Golden Gopher to secure a takedown and win, 9-5. It is his third Big Ten title.
Levi Haines wins a Big Ten title
03/09/2025 06:31:19 PMPenn State junior Levi Haines has won his first Big Ten title at 174 pounds. He beat Nebraska’s Lenny Pinto by major decision, 12-1. It’s his third conference crown. The first two came at 157 pounds.
Penn State has clinched the Big Ten title
03/09/2025 06:21:10 PMIt it its third straight and nine total under Cael Sanderson.
Mitchell Mesenbrink is a Big Ten champ
03/09/2025 06:16:29 PMPenn State 165-pound starter Mitchell Mesenbrink beat Michael Caliendo of Iowa 4-1 to win the Big Ten title. It marks the Lions’ third conference title today. Mesenbrink joins Luke Lilledahl and Tyler Kasak.
Tyler Kasak is a Big Ten champ
03/09/2025 05:57:26 PMTyler Kasak beats Brandon Cannon of Ohio State 12-2 in the 157-pound final. A late counter takedown that led to four nearfall points led to the major decision late. He is Penn State’s second Big Ten champ.
Latest at 149
03/09/2025 05:40:22 PMShayne Van Ness beat Kyke Parco of Iowa by major decision, 13-0, to take third at 149 pounds. In the title bout, Ridge Lovett beat Illinois’ Kannon Webster by decision, 1-0.
Champions so far
03/09/2025 05:35:50 PM125: Luke Lilledahl, Penn State
133: Lucas Byrd, Illinois
141: Brock Hardy, Nebraska
Byrd and Hardy both won by fall. Lilledahl won by decision.
Penn State has a 28.5 point lead in the team race as action continues at 149.
Beau Bartlett finishes third
03/09/2025 05:27:05 PMBeau Bartlett beats Jesse Mendez 4-2 in the Big Ten Championships third place match at 141 pounds. It’s his second win over the Buckeye this season. Penn State is now 2-1 in the final session.
The action is underway at 141
03/09/2025 05:17:49 PMBrock Hardy pinned Vance Vomabuer in the finals. Beau Bartlett and Jesse Mendez are still wrestling in the third place match.
Braeden Davis will finish fourth at Big Tens
03/09/2025 04:53:42 PMPenn State 133-pound sophomore Braeden Davis got caught in a scramble and was pinned by Nic Bouzakis of Ohio State at the 2:22 mark of the fourth period. He finishes fourth at his second Big Ten tournament.
In the 133-pound, Lucas Byrd of Illinois decked top seed Drake Ayala of Iowa in the second period.
Luke Lilledahl is in a Big Ten Champ
03/09/2025 04:44:21 PMPenn State freshman Luke Lilledahl led 3-0 after one off an ankle pick that he turned into a takedown. A lone escape for Nebraska’s Caleb Smith makes it 3-1 after two. Stall warning on Lilledahl makes it 4-2 after the Nittany Lion escaped in the third period. Lilledahl was called for stalling again to make it 4-3. That’s the final. Lilledahl is the Lions’ first Big Ten champ of the day.
Lilledahl will lead things off for Penn State at 125
03/09/2025 04:32:31 PMThe Big Ten tournament four seed, he takes on No. 2 Caleb Smith of Nebraska in the 125-pound final.
Penn State bout lineup
03/09/2025 04:17:35 PMHere’s the breakdown. Bouts are championship finals unless otherwise noted:
125 pounds: No. 4 Luke Lilledahl, Penn State vs. No. 2 Caleb Smith, Nebraska
133 pounds: No. 4 Braeden Davis, PSU vs. No. 9 Nic Bouzakis, Ohio State (third place match)
141 pounds: No. 1 Beau Bartlett, Penn State vs. No. 2 Jesse Mendez, Ohio State (third place match)
149 pounds: No. 1 Shayne Van Ness, PSU vs. No. 2 Kyle Parco, Iowa (third place match)
157 pounds: No. 2 Tyler Kasak, Penn State vs. No. 8 Brandon Cannon, Ohio State
165 pounds: No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink, PSU vs. No. 2 Mikey Caliendo, Iowa
174 pounds: No. 1 Levi Haines, Penn State vs. No. 3 Lenny Pinto, Nebraska
184 pounds: No. 1 Carter Starocci, PSU vs. No. 2 Max McEnelly, Minnesota
197 pounds: No. 7 Camden McDanel, Nebraska MDF No. 2 Josh Barr, Penn State
285 pounds: No. 1 Greg Kerkvliet, PSU vs. No. 1 Gable Steveson, Minnesota
