Nittany Lions Dominate Hawkeyes 32-3 as Penn State Wrestling Captures B1G Road Win
IOWA CITY, Iowa – The Penn State Nittany Lions (8-0, 2-0 B1G) dominated home-standing Iowa (8-3, 1-1 B1G) in a Big Ten dual meet in Iowa City on Friday night. Penn State won nearly every bout on its way to a 32-3 victory on the Hawkeyes’ mat.
Penn State, with a line-up featuring six underclassmen, won nine of ten bouts including three bonus point wins. Eight of the ten match-ups featured two ranked wrestlers with 18 ranked individuals competing. The dual began at 125. Sophomore Luke Lilledahl, ranked No. 2 at 125, dominated No. 6 Dean Peterson. Lilledahl tallied the bouts only three takedowns in a strong 11-5 victory. True freshman Marcus Blaze, ranked No. 4 at 133, turned a second period takedown into a thrilling 4-2 win over Iowa senior No. 8 Drake Ayla. Blaze’s win gave Penn State an early 6-0 lead.
Junior Braeden Davis, ranked No. 7 at 141, lost a hard fought 3-2 decision to No. 11 Nassir Bailey, cutting the Nittany Lion lead to 6-3. Junior Shayne Van Ness, ranked No. 1 at 149, used a furious third period to major No. 17 Ryder Block. Van Ness used a takedown and four back points to roll to the 13-4 win. True freshman PJ Duke, ranked No. 3 at 157, used a third period escape and takedown to notch a hard fought 4-2 win over No. 12 Jordan Williams. Penn State led 13-3 at halftime.
Junior Mitchell Mesenbrink, ranked No. 1 at 165, posting a convincing 11-2 major over No. 3 Michael Caliendo. Mesenbrink used a takedown in each period to secure the convincing win and give the Nittany Lions a 17-3 lead. Senior Levi Haines, ranked No. 1 at 174, used … more at … https://gopsusports.com/news/2026/01/17/nittany-lions-dominate-hawkeyes-32-3-as-penn-state-wrestling-captures-b1g-road-win
No. 12 North Carolina Controls Virginia, 25-10
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Technical falls from Jake Dailey and Robert Platt fueled the 12th-ranked North Carolina wrestling team (8-1, 1-0 ACC) over Virginia (8-5, 1-1 ACC), 25-10, Friday evening.
With the win, the Tar Heels have now won eight of their last nine Atlantic Coast Conference openers, and nine-straight meetings over the Cavaliers.
On the night, seven Tar Heels were victorious. In addition to Dailey and Platt’s bonus-point wins, Ethan Oakley (133), Luke Simcox (141), Laird Root (157), Bryce Hepner (165) and Nolan Neves (285) claimed decisions for the visiting Tar Heels.
Beginning at 141-pounds, the first five bouts of the evening resulting in decisions, with Simcox and Hepner claiming victories for the Tar Heels, as Root secured a ranked victory in-between.
Following back-to-back technical falls for Dailey and Platt, Neves returned to the mat at heavyweight for Carolina, posting two last-minute takedowns to build his lead out to 7-2.
Closing the night at 133-pounds, a reversal and three nearfall points in period two swung the momentum in Oakley’s favor, en route to the 8-1 victory. Up next, the Tar Heels travel to eighth-ranked NC State next Friday. … more at … https://goheels.com/news/2026/1/16/no-12-wrestling-controls-virginia-25-10
TDR blog
After 20 seasons of publicizing wrestling The TakeDown Report’s (TDR) focus has changed to the collecting of college coaching records from North America since 1903. We will continue to recognize and reward successful wrestlers in eastern North Carolina (east of Raleigh & Fayetteville), assist with schools in starting or re-starting a team and this blog. Join us on our FaceBook Page – “The TakeDown Report” for photos and news. Please send results, stories, links and news to pass along. E-mail us at takedownreport@gmail.com
Martin Fleming, Editor
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