Breaking down the action No. 1 Penn State Wrestling saw in Session II of the 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships
Following the end to the first full day of the 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships, the Nittany Lions were leading the way with Iowa and Nebraska nipping on their heels.
Credit – Lloyd McCully
The wrestling kicked off on Thursday evening and the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse was rocking and excited for an action packed session. Would Penn State be able to advance their big guns into the quarterfinals and pad their lead even further?
Before we get to that, let’s take a look at the team scores and the schedule going into the second day.
Team Scores (as of 10:24pm)
1. Penn State 40.5
2. Iowa 25.0
2. Nebraska 25.0
4. Oklahoma State 24.0
5. Ohio State 22.5
Friday Schedule
Credit: Lloyd McCully
Friday Schedule – 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships
Session III
Time: 12:00 p.m. (noon) EST
Where: Cleveland, Ohio
TV: ESPNU and ESPN+
Session Duration: 3 hours
Session IV
Time: 8:00 p.m. (noon) EST
Where: Cleveland, Ohio
TV: ESPN2 and ESPN+
Session Duration: 3 hours
Penn State Wrestling Session II Results
Credit – Lloyd McCully
Session II Matches for Penn State Wrestling – Opening Round
125
No. 1 Luke Lilledahl (PSU) dec. over No. 17 Jett Strickenberger (WVU) 4-2
133
No. 3 Marcus Blaze (PSU) tech. fall over No. 19 Gage Walker (MIZZ) 17-2
141
No. 3 Brock Hardy (NEB) dec. over No. 14 Braeden Davis (PSU) 9-4
149
No. 1 Shayne Van Ness (PSU) fall over No. 16 Jacob Frost (ISU) 2:23
157
No. 1 PJ Duke (PSU) fall over No. 17 Luke Mechler (WIS) 1:38
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165
No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (PSU) major dec. over No. 16 Paddy Gallagher (OHST) 12-0
174
No. 1 Levi Haines (PSU) tech. fall over No. 16 Nick Fine (COL) 21-5
184
No. 1 Rocco Welsh (PSU) major dec. over No. 16 Rylan Rogers (LEH) 13-4
197
No. 1 Josh Barr (PSU) major dec. over No. 17 Dillon Bechtold (BUCK) 11-3
285
No. 8 Ben Kueter (IOWA) dec. over No. 9 Cole Mirasola (PSU) 4-0
Penn State Wrestling Session III Matchups
Credit – Lloyd McCully
Session II Matchups for Penn State Wrestling – 2nd Round
Championship Bracket
125
No. 1 Luke Lilledahl (PSU) vs. No. 8 Dean Peterson (IOWA)
133
No. 3 Marcus Blaze (PSU) vs. No. 6 Drake Ayala (IOWA)
149
No. 1 Shayne Van Ness (PSU) vs. No. 8 Casey Swiderski (OKST)
157
No. 1 PJ Duke (PSU) vs. No. 8 Brandon Cannon (OHST)
165
No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (PSU) vs. No. 9 Bryce Hepner (UNC)
174
No. 1 Levi Haines (PSU) vs. No. 9 Beau Mantanona (MICH)
184
No. 1 Rocco Welsh (PSU) vs. No. 8 Silas Allred (NEB)
197
No. 1 Josh Barr (PSU) vs. No. 9 Angelo Posada (STAN)
Consolation Bracket
141
No. 14 Braeden Davis (PSU) vs. No. 29 Jordan Titus (WVU)
285
No. 9 Cole Mirasola (PSU) vs. No. 26 Luke Luffman (ILL) or No. 23 Stephan Monchery (APP)
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Education: Penn State University
Location: State College, PA
Even though he had no prior journalism experience, Chris has now covered Penn State Wrestling and Penn State Football for the past three years, including as the Penn State Wrestling Beat Writer for VictoryBellRings.com, part of the FanSided network.
And it's clear he also likes constant torture as he's been a PSU Basketball fan for way too long.
Several years back, Chris made the seamless transition from PGA Professional to computer programmer and thoroughly enjoys following and writing about all things related to Penn State sports during his spare time.
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