Takedown Report

4 key Big Ten college wrestling weekend headlines

Between Penn State’s dominant win over Wyoming, Iowa’s unconventional lineup changes and Ohio State’s continued success, last weekend’s college wrestling action produced an endless amount of storylines to follow. 
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Here are the biggest headlines to know about the leaders in the Big Ten and what they indicate about each team’s lineups as 2026 approaches. 
New faces and national champs shine for Penn State in 40-7 win over Cowboys
Penn State’s depth has been the story of the season for the Nittany Lions, and last weekend was no different.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONS: See how Penn State captured the Division I national title
True freshman Nate Desmond took the mat for the Blue and White at 141 pounds in place of injured All-American Aaron Nagao and All-American redshirt Braeden Davis and nearly majored John Alden, topping the Cowboy 11-4 just three weeks after beating teammate All-American Luke Lilledahl at the Black Knight Invite down at 125 pounds. Desmond could still redshirt if Nagao comes back, but his versatilty and strength across two weights suggests that if he were to start in the postseason, he could make a podium run in his rookie season. 
Freshman Marcus Blaze also hasn’t needed an adjustment time to college, as the freshman U20 world champ added a win of his own against the Cowboys, pinning No. 22 Luke Willochell in the second period. Blaze holds a 100% bonus rate on the year but could face a tricky Tyler Knox of Stanford next weekend at the Collegiate Duals for his first All-American test of the season. 
PJ Duke, who joined Blaze on the U20 world team this year and is also in his first season with the Nittany Lions, impressed as well in just his third dual of the season. He too recorded a pin with his coming against No. 23 Jared Hill in the second period. Duke and teammate Joe Sealy have split time for the Nittany Lions at this weight thus far, though Duke has the head-to-head win against Sealy from the Black Knight Invite that could help inform the starting spot. Duke also has the opportunity to wrestle five duals without burning his redshirt, if the Penn State coaches opt for that route. The fact that the Nittany Lions have Duke, Sealy and two-time All-American and current redshirt Tyler Kasak in one room together at 157 highlights once again how deep this team can be and how these kinds of options allow the program to be flexible across the regular season schedule, especially here in December before Duke’s five “free” matches (before burning his redshirt) run out. 
Outside of the three new stars, Penn State also saw elite performances from proven stars, including a pin over Sloan Swan from NCAA champion Mitchell Mesenbrink … more at … https://www.ncaa.com/news/wrestling-men/article/2025-12-14/4-key-big-ten-college-wrestling-weekend-headlines

December 18, 2025 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | penn-state, sports