Postseason wrestling is back for Penn State.
With the Big Ten Championships set for this weekend at the Bryce Jordan Center, the Nittany Lions will have an opportunity to capitalize against conference competition, both as a unit and as individuals.
Here’s how our staff thinks Cael Sanderson’s team will perform this weekend.
Lyle Alenstein: 6 individual champions/team title
Winning the team title should be a lock, but I believe there’ll be six wrestlers who win individual championships to contribute to that victory.
Those Nittany Lions will be Luke Lilledahl, Shayne Van Ness, Mitchell Mesenbrink, Levi Haines, Rocco Welsh and Josh Barr.
Van Ness, Mesenbrink and Barr will cruise to their victories due to a field that isn’t as competitive as the others. Lilledahl and Welsh have a few guys in their brackets that could possess a challenge, but the tandem had been wrestling great to end the year and should stay hot come this weekend.
Haines, who was ranked as the No. 2 seed for the tournament despite being No. 1 in the InterMat rankings all year and is undefeated, will have motivation he didn’t need. It should be a dominant showing for the 174-pounder because of this.
I think the talented freshmen duo in Marcus Blaze and PJ Duke are more than capable of bringing home a title, but will fall short this time around. Lucas Bryd, the reigning national champion from Illinois at 133, will beat Blaze in the finals while Nebraska’s Antrell Taylor, who also won the national tournament last year, will handle Duke in the title bout.
Much like the freshmen, I believe Cole Mirasola at heavyweight has what it takes to win it all, but won’t due to a talented field. Michigan’s Taye Ghadiali, Nebraska’s AJ Ferrari and Ohio State’s Nick Feldman are all more than capable of bringing home a title. Mirasola lost to Ghadiali and Ferrari, but beat Feldman.
Braeden Davis has arguably the best wrestler in the country in the 141-pound division in Jesse Mendez from Ohio State, who is competing with Mesenbrink for the Hodge Trophy. Davis has struggled as of late, and will be fighting for a spot to qualify for the NCAA Championships.
At 141 pounds, Penn State’s Braeden Davis wrestles Ohio’s Nic Bouzakis, losing by pin during the third place consolation round of the Big Ten championships at the Welsh-Ryan Arena on Saturday, March 8, 2025 in Evanston, Ill. The Nittany Lions won the team title with a score of 181.5.
Andrew Deal: 5 Individual champions/team title
Relatively speaking, Penn State has a tendency to underperform in the Big Ten Championships, and then overperform in the National Championships.
But the question with this Nittany Lion team is, what really is underperforming and overperforming. This team has a very strong likelihood to break the national points total again. Lilledahl, Van Ness, Mesenbrink, Haines and Barr are my five selections for individual conference titles, which will lead to the conference championship.
Despite the stir-up with Haines’ seeding, he’s beaten all of the top competition in his bracket and is the heavy favorite. Lilledahl, Van Ness, Mesenbrink and Barr all are No. 1 seeds and have wins over their respective No. 2 seeds, seemingly making them locks for a title.
The other wrestlers are where it gets interesting. Blaze and Duke are true freshmen and have tough potential matchups. Blaze would have to get past either Byrd or Ohio State’s Ben Davino to get a title, and I think he’s more poised for a potential national championship. Duke also has that same challenge, needing to get past Cannon and Taylor to stand at the top of the podium.
Welsh and Mirasola have a loaded weight class, and Davis has the other Hodge Trophy favorite in Mendez in his bracket. While Penn State certainly has a chance to get more than five individual titles, the five that I mentioned are the surefire picks to come out victorious.
At 197 pounds, Penn State’s Connor Mirasola holds off Lehigh’s Remy Brancato, winning 8-3 in Rec Hall on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in University Park, Pa. The Nittany Lions beat the Mountain Hawks 36-6.
AJ Piazza: 5 individual champions/team title
Penn State should be a lock to take home the team title. The Nittany Lions have seven title favorites, yet, I don’t see the team ending the Big Ten tournament with seven wrestlers taking home the hardware.
I believe Penn State has four locks to win Big Ten championships including Van Ness, Mesenbrink, Haines and Barr. The other Nittany Lion that I think will stand at the top of the podium is Welsh.
For Van Ness, Mesenbrink, Haines and Barr, they have dominated their weight classes, all remain undefeated and are ranked No. 1. I believe there’s a drop off in each weight class below these four wrestlers. The only challenge could be Blaze because it’s a matchup that hasn’t happened before, but I’d think Mesenbrink would still take the victory if it happens.
Welsh could have a tricky road to the finals as of right now there’s a chance he would face Iowa’s Ferrari in his first match after a bye. Ferrari was the No. 1 wrestler at 184 before Welsh defeated him, and Welsh could have a tricky final match against McEnelly, who Welsh has never wrestled.
At 125 pounds, Luke Lilledahl wrestles against Nic Bouzakis, winning by decision, during the Penn State wrestling dual against Ohio State in the Bryce Jordan Center on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026 in University Park, Pa. The Nittany Lions beat the Buckeyes 36-5.
For Lilledahl, Blaze and Duke I think there’s a chance they can win at the Big Ten’s, it just can’t be guaranteed. All three wrestlers have tougher tasks than other names mentioned. Lilledahl could have a rematch against Bouzakis, Blaze could face Lucas Byrd, a wrestler that he has never faced. Duke currently would have a matchup with Ohio State’s Brandon Cannon right out of the gate and could face Taylor again, who the freshman struggled with.
Mirasola is someone I could see surprising and wrestle better than expected, I just don’t believe he could defeat the top two wrestlers in his weight class. Davis has struggled tremendously in the second half of the season and I don’t see him going far in the tournament.
Evan Smith: 4 individual champions/team title
I believe Penn State has seven Big Ten title favorites, two Big Ten title contenders and Davis, who is in a separate tier. However, in a conference with so much parity, I predict some surprise losses.
I’ll start with the winners — Van Ness, Mesenbrink, Haines and Barr face weight classes where there’s no one I can see beating them. Haines not being the immediate No. 1 seed is simply ridiculous, as he will win with only a couple potential challenging matches. Nebraska’s Christopher Minto, who is the No. 1, would not be one of those matches.
At 165 pounds, Mitchell Mesenbrink wrestles Paddy Gallagher, winning by major decision, during the Penn State wrestling dual against Ohio State in the Bryce Jordan Center on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026 in University Park, Pa. The Nittany Lions beat the Buckeyes 36-5.
For Mesenbrink, the only potential matchup that would interest me is Purdue’s Joey Blaze, as he’d wiped the floor with everyone else in the conference, including No. 2 seed Michael Caliendo. Van Ness and Barr have similar stature over their classes.
While my intro sounds harsh towards Davis, he’s going to run into a Mendez-shaped wall. Mendez is the Hodge Trophy favorite in my mind, and no one in the 141-pound bracket will change that. I expect Davis to be able to make a run to the semifinals if he gets past Rutgers’ Joey Olivieri in the first round.
Welsh faces the hardest weight class in this tournament despite the No. 1 seed. Iowa’s Angelo Ferrari can easily stall out a victory and Minnesota’s Max McEnelly is one of the best wrestlers in the country. I’m not confident enough to predict either of those men could shock Welsh.
Lilledahl also has a tough class and I think a healthier Nic Bouzakis of Ohio State can steal a victory. Marcus Blaze runs into defending national champion Byrd.
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