Takedown Report

Penn State sets NCAA scoring record with four champs; Record four freshmen stand atop podium

by Brian Reinhardt
2026 NCAA Division I Men’s Wrestling Championships individual champions.
Penn State and Oklahoma State came into the 2026 NCAA D1 Wrestling Championships with high expectations, and both the Nittany Lions and Cowboys are leaving Cleveland with the hardware to prove they are the top two programs in college wrestling.
For the third straight year, Penn State set the team scoring record. In 2024, the Nittany Lions surpassed the long-standing mark of 170 points by Iowa in 1997 when they finished with 172.5 points. Last year, it was 177 points. It was even higher this year, as the Nittany Lions finished with 181.5 points. The other team trophies went to Oklahoma State in second with 131 points, followed by Nebraska in third (100.5) and Iowa in fourth (92.5).
Penn State (four) and Oklahoma State (three) combined for seven of the 10 individual titles. Minnesota also had a national title for the Big Ten Conference. The ACC had two individual champions to round out the top wrestlers at each weight class. The finals started with fireworks as a trio of freshmen took out higher seeds. At 141 pounds, Sergio Vega (Oklahoma State) took out two-time defending national champion Jesse Mendez, and at 149 pounds, Aden Valencia (Stanford) got the extra time takedown against top-seed Shayne Van Ness. Landon Robideau (Oklahoma State) used a two-point near fall in the second to take out returning national champion Antrell Taylor. Mitchell Mesenbrink defended his title at 165 pounds with a 20-4 tech fall. … more at … https://www.themat.com/news/2026/march/21/penn-state-sets-ncaa-scoring-record-with-four-champs-record-four-freshmen-stand-atop-podium
And …

Penn State Re-Establishes Team Scoring Record During 5th Straight Title; Freshmen Shine
Saturday night marked the end of the 2025-26 NCAA DI wrestling season. The championship finals closed the book on what was another excellent national tournament. The tournament had everything you’d hope for in an event of this magnitude. Stars dominating, some unforeseen upsets, and young stars emerging, among other things.
The evening started with some fireworks and unexpected results as Oklahoma State Sergio Vega completed his remarkable true freshman campaign undefeated. The 141-pounder finished the year without having surrendered a takedown. Vega’s opponent, two-time NCAA champion Jesse Mendez, had multiple opportunities to score but was typically stymied on each occasion by Vega. In the sudden victory overtime period, Mendez got to Vega’s legs again. This time, Mendez was met with a cradle. After a few seconds, Vega lost the hold, but broke Mendez down to his hips for the winning takedown.
The upset in the first match proved to be a sign of things to come just a match later at 149 lbs. Within the first minute of their clash, #10 Aden Valencia took down top-seeded Shayne Van Ness to take an early 3-1 lead. Van Ness bounced back to tie the bout amidst a handful of stoppages due to bloodtime. Undeterred, the redshirt freshman Valencia was able to get his offense in the sudden victory overtime and took the match (and title), 8-5. Valencia became only the third Stanford wrestler to win a national title. There was a high level of familiarity among the next four weight classes as they featured rematches of recent results.
True freshman Landon Robideau was able to reverse the result from the last time that he and 2025 national champion, Antrell Taylor met. … more at … https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/penn-state-re-establishes-team-scoring-record-during-5th-straight-title-freshmen-shine-r100909/

April 15, 2026 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | ncaa, sports