Today · 6:00 PM UTC
Union vs Limestone
Baseball
Today · 6:45 PM UTC
West Texas A&M vs St. Edward's
Baseball
Today · 7:00 PM UTC
MSU Billings vs CSUEB
Baseball
Today · 7:00 PM UTC
Cameron vs TAMIU
Baseball
Today · 7:00 PM UTC
Schreiner vs UT Permian Basin - DH
Softball
Today · 8:00 PM UTC
Drexel vs Northeastern
Women's Basketball
Today · 8:00 PM UTC
Villanova vs Drexel
Swimming & Diving
Today · 8:15 PM UTC
North Georgia vs LCU
Softball
Today · 9:00 PM UTC
UT Permian Basin vs Angelo State
Baseball
Today · 9:00 PM UTC
Belmont Abbey vs Coker
Baseball
Today · 9:00 PM UTC
Eastern N.M. vs A&M-Kingsville
Baseball
Today · 9:00 PM UTC
Embry-Riddle vs Montevallo
Baseball
Today · 9:00 PM UTC
UT Tyler vs Lubbock Christian
Baseball
Today · 9:00 PM UTC
Nova Southeastern vs LCU
Softball
Today · 9:30 PM UTC
MSOE vs Purdue Northwest
Men's Hockey

Match Notes: #1 Penn State vs #14 Rutgers 2025

Match Notes: #1 Penn State vs #14 Rutgers 2025

Follow all the action of in real time as we provide live updates of the 2025 NCAA wrestling dual between #1 Penn State and #14 Rutgers.

Jan 24, 2025 by Andrew Spey
Match Notes: #1 Penn State vs #14 Rutgers 2025

The undefeated #1 ranked Nittany Lions of Penn State are in Jersey to wrestle the #14 Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Penn State will be very large favorites, as they will be all year in all their dual meets and in the NCAA Championships in the team title race. 

But there will be some great matchups in Jersey Mike's Arena on Rutgers' Livingston campus in Piscataway, NJ. Plus any opportunity to witness a historically great team like the 2024-25 Nittany Lions is one worth taking advantage of!

The first bout is scheduled to take place at 8:00 PM ET and will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network. And if you can't watch the broadcast, no worries,  we'll be providing updates of the dual right here in real-time! 

The updates/live-blog also works great as a recap if you want to catch up on what you missed or refresh your memory after the event ends. 

Projected Lineups

125: #6 Luke Lilledahl (10-0), Penn State vs #15 Dean Peterson (14-3) or Ayden Smith (4-4), Rutgers

133: #7 Braeden Davis (6-2), Penn State vs #9 Dylan Shawver (14-3), Rutgers

141: #3 Beau Bartlett (11-0), Penn State vs #13 Joseph Olivieri (12-3) or Joe Fongaro (4-4), Rutgers

149: #3 Shayne Van Ness (10-1), Penn State vs #24 Andrew Clark (17-7), Rutgers

157: #3 Tyler Kasak (10-0) or Alex Facundo (5-0), Penn State vs Conner Harer (12-5), Rutgers

165: #1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (12-0), Penn State vs #26 Anthony White (12-5) or Andrew Barbosa (5-3), Rutgers

174: #2 Levi Haines (10-1), Penn State vs #23 Jackson Turley (12-5), Rutgers

184: #1 Carter Starocci (11-0), Penn State vs #19 Shane Cartagena-Walsh (17-5), Rutgers

197: #4 Josh Barr (9-0) or Lucas Cochran (4-0), Penn State vs #17 John Poznanski (11-4) or PJ Casale (7-8), Rutgers

285: #2 Greg Kerkvliet (11-0), Penn State vs #8 Yaraslau Slavikouski (12-3) or John O'Donnell (7-3), Rutgers

As it's a home dual for Rutgers, they'll have a few more options at several weights, whereas Penn State as the away squad with limited backups. There's a potential for nine ranked matchups tonight (and Conner Harer is right on the bubble at 157) and I think we'll see most, if not all, of them!

We're getting started shortly, or maybe have already started, we're just waiting for BTN to flip over the dual once the Michigan vs Nebraska dual is over. 

Nebraska finished their route of the Wolverines with a pinfall at 125 so we should be good to go very soon!

125: #6 Luke Lilledahl, Penn State vs #15 Dean Peterson, Rutgers

1st period: And away we go! Lilledahl continues his true freshman campaign with another tough test. No scores nor many attacks half way through the first. Down to short time and still nothing much going on. And the period ends no scores, and no stalls, as tied as you can possibly be. 

2nd period: Peterson goes underneath first. He sits out and is free in seconds. Barely seconds, literally :02 on the RT clock for Lilledahl. Then more handfighting. Circling and probing but not many level changes. And we'll got to the third, Peterson with a 1-0 lead. 

3rd period: Peterson with an opportunity to ride out for the win. He stops Lilledahl's first escape attempt but Lilledahl resets and stands to escape on his next opportunity. All tied up 1-1. Lilledahl taking a little bit more ground. Sweep single attempt, and another, both by Luke, but Dean evades. 30 seconds left in regulation. Shot by Peterson, he's got a leg, Lilledahl rolls through, Peterson says on a leg, grabs the other, and there's the three! Huge takedown for Dean Pete. 17 seconds left and they'll get a restart. Lilledahl stands, he can't shake Peterson, and Peterson hands Lilledahl the first loss of his collegiate career! 

125: Dean Peterson, Rutgers over #6 Luke Lilledahl, Penn State 4-1 (Dec)

Rutgers 3, Penn State 0

133: #7 Braeden Davis, Penn State vs #9 Dylan Shawver, Rutgers

1st period: Another great matchup, this time between two top 10 wrestlers. Shawver trying to hand Davis the second consecutive loss as he dropped a bout to Van Dee of Nebraska yesterday. Shawver is on a three dual win streak. This bout goes a lot like the one before it. No actions or flurries after two minutes. Shawver strikes in short time. He's in deep but Davis defends and there's the buzzer. 0-0, no stalls after 3 minutes. 

2nd period: Shawver takes bottom. Shawver up to his feet, Davis struggling to bring him to the mat. Crowd and RU coaches want a stall call but they go out of bounds, no call. A few attempts by Shawver that Davis follows. He's got over a minute of riding. Shawver stands, and now Davis hit with a stall. They go out of bounds in rear standing. Back to referee's position. Roll attempt by Shawver is followed by Davis. Shawver to his feet. Davis can't bring him down and another stall call. He maintains control though and he gets the ride out. 1-0 for Shawver though Davis has 2 minutes of riding time. 

2nd period: Davis gets a tun underneath. Davis stands. Davis turns into Shawver, close to a reversal, but Shawver gets free and Davis picks up the escape. Riding time will likely get locked up soon. Shawver effectively losing. Davis on a shot, he's got Shawver's leg. No takedown yet but it's chewing up a ton of clock. Shawver scrambling, and potentially dangerous is called with 3 seconds left. Davis will defend as the clock ticks away and he will win 2-1! 

133: Braeden Davis, Penn State over Dylan Shawver, Rutgers 2-1 (Dec)

Rutgers 3, Penn State 3

141: #3 Beau Bartlett, Penn State vs #13 Joseph Olivieri

1st period: We got the Rizzler in the house and 'BOOM' t-shirts in the crowd. I'll learn what all that means later. Now we've got Beau and Joey! Bartlett with a leg attack early and the first points are scored, the first of the first period so far in the dual! Quick escape from Olivieri makes it 3-1 in favor of Bartlett. The period ends with no more scores.

2nd period: Olivieri back underneath. He's out quickly and it's 3-2 still for Bartlett. About a minute into the period Bartlett strikes again, in on a single, and Olivieri makes him work for it but Beau finishes for three more and it's 6-2. Bartlett trying to ride tough but a great hip heist as they go out of bounds and Olivieri makes it 6-3 before the period ends. On to the third. 

3rd period: Bartlett tries out bottom. And he stands and escapes quickly to run the score up to 7-3. One minute left in regulation, can Olivieri find a way through Bartlett's defenses? Beau continuing with his 'one shoe blue, one shoe white' look this season. Olivieri in deep but Bartlett parries him away, then goes in on a shot and has Olivieri in the air but time runs out before anyone can score. Bartlett with another win!

141: Beau Bartlett, Penn State over Joseph Olivieri 7-3 (Dec)

Penn State 6, Rutgers 3

149: #3 Shayne Van Ness, Penn State vs Alex Nini, Rutgers

1st period: Rutgers calls an audible and puts true freshman Alex Nini out to face Van Ness, who is looking to bounce back after getting majored by Lovett last week. About a minute in Van Ness finds his way to Nini's legs and there's the first points. Nini escapes but Van Ness is back on the attack before Nini can ready himself and it's 6-1 in a hurry. And Van Ness puts on a punishing ride for the next two minutes. No turns but 1:56 of RT and a 6-1 lead for SVN. 

2nd period: Van Ness takes bottom, and he's out quickly to make it 7-1. Nini on the attack now and he's in deep on Van Ness' legs. Great scramble, Nini making Van Ness work but never really had him in danger. Stalemated. Under a minute to go in the second. Now Van Ness back on the attack and he'll get the takedown. Transition right into a leg turk and chancellor grip and there's four nearfall for SVN before time runs out. 14-1 Shayne Van Ness and a bonus points are all but assured. 

3rd period: Nini takes down and Van Ness cuts him immediately. Shot from Nini, down block go behind for Van Ness and it's a tech-fall for Van Ness 17-2!

149: Shayne Van Ness, Penn State over Alex Nini, Rutgers 17-2 (TF)

Penn State 11, Rutgers 3

157: #3 Tyler Kasak, Penn State vs Conner Harer, Rutgers

1st period: Sold out crowd inside Jersey's Mike, a great venue for wrestling. True freshman Harer will take on true sophomore All-American Kasak. And Kasak draws first blood about halfway through the period, finding and angle and getting the go behind. Kasak keeps the pressure on, never letting Harer get to a good position to attempt a stand. Now he's got Harer flat on the edge of the mat. No turns or stall calls but 1:42 of RT for Kasak as the period ends with him in the lead 3-0. 

2nd period: Guessing Harer had choice and decided to go neutral. Harer holding center and holding his own in the hand fight but he hasn't gotten close to Kasak's legs. Kasak with several snaps, looking for another go behind but he'll selling for maintaining the 3-0 lead as the second period ends. 

3rd period: Must've been Kasak's choice to go neutral as Harer drops to his knees to start the final stanza on bottom. Unless Kasak chose top. It's unclear at the moment! Harer gets warned for stalling before potentially dangerous is called on Kasak's hammerlock. Kasak continuing to ride, has the extra point locked up. Now Kasak warned for not coming parallel and it's one warning a piece. Short time left in regulation. Harer can't get the escape and Kasak doesn't get any nearfall and it's a 4-0 win for Kasak!

157: Tyler Kasak, Penn State over Conner Harer, Rutgers 4-0 (Dec)

Penn State 14, Rutgers 3

165: #1 Mitchell Mesenbrink, Penn State vs #26 Anthony White, Rutgers

1st period: We're at the halfway mark so a short break and then back to action. And we're back! Mesenrbink brings the action with an immediate attack. That's three for Mitchell. Bent leg for Mesenbrink but they go out of bounds. Mesenrbink goes option start. Shot from White and Mesenbrink is all over him with snaps and reattacks. Swim hi-c and clean finish to make it 6-1. White with his forehead on the mat get dinged for stalling, his first warning. Two-on-one Mesenrbink looking for a cross-wrist tilt. Mesenbrink chewing up clock and White's stamina. Another stall warning on White makes it 7-1. Mesenrbink rolls through with a tilt but manages to get two sipes before time runs out to make it 9-1 after 3 minutes, 5/6 of it spent with Mesenbrink on top. 

2nd period: Mesenbrink chooses down. Mitchell to quad pod and then cartwheel kicks himself free and gets the escape, 10-1. Now White on a shot and he's got one of Mesenbrink's legs. A scramble ensues, and Mesenbrink turns it into his points and a 13-1 lead. The period ends with Mesenbrink on top, in position and on the scoreboard. 

3rd period: White takes down, Mesenbrink stands him up to make it 13-2. Mesenbrink immediately in on a shot and it's 16-2. Mesenbrink cuts him loose to make it 16-3. Shot, now a great scramble. White trying to last a full match, which would make him the first opponent of Mitchell's to do so. Stalemate. 40 seconds remaining. Shot by Mesenbrink, and the match with 30 seconds left on the clock 19-3. Another bonus for Mesenbrink!

165: Mitchell Mesenbrink, Penn State over Anthony White, Rutgers, 19-3 (TF)

Penn State 19, Rutgers 3

174: #2 Levi Haines, Penn State vs #23 Jackson Turley, Rutgers

1st period: Last year's 157lb NCAA champ from PSU taking on an All-American for Rutgers. Deep shot by Haines, he's trying to work his way up as Turly looks to flip him over and catch him. Haines prevails and he has three. Haines riding tough. Turley manages to get to his feet, and there's the escape. Turley looking for double overs but Haines fights free. The period ends, Haines still up 3-1. 

2nd period: Haines on bottom, up to his feet, Turley has him in the air but Haines comes down and kicks free to add a point to his lead, it's 4-1. Mesenbrink shoots in, Turley goes high flyer but Haines adjusts, then tries to step over and Turley rolls him through and has him in trouble. One arm from Haines catches Turley and stops the go behind and they go out of bounds. Great flurry but no scores for either wrestler. Period ends still 4-1. 

3rd period: Turley on bottom. Haines throws in a leg and he's got Turley bottled up on bottom. But Turley slips the leg out and sits out to get the escape with a minute left on the clock. It's 4-2 but Haines has RT locked up. Turley needs a takedown and rideout to force OT. Turley attacks but a knee pick and then reattack from Haines has Turley defending and potentially dangerous is called in the ensuing scramble and they'll reset with just 12 seconds on the clock. Haines hand fights and stops Turley's final attempts and it's a 5-2 finish with the RT point. Great fight from Turley but Haines prevails!

174: Levi Haines, Penn State over Jackson Turley, Rutgers 5-2 (Dec)

Penn State 22, Rutgers 3

184: #1 Carter Starocci, Penn State vs #19 Shane Cartagena-Walsh, Rutgers

1st period: The four-time NCAA champ Nittany Lion vs the redshirt freshman Scarlet Knight. 8,057 fans in the arena, second most in school history. Starocci moving SCW around the mat. Starocci taking a few shots but Cartegena-Walsh doing a good job blocking and reattacking. Starocci keeps taking ground though and there's a stall warning on Cartegena-Walsh. And at the edge of the mat Starocci finds a Cartegena-Walsh leg and he's got the takedown and a 3-0 lead. Stand for Shane, the go out of bounds. Restart and then the period end, still 3-0. 

2nd period: Starocci gives bottom a try. He's out in 4 seconds to make it 4-0. Pace has slightly slowed, without much action as we get to the 30 second mark of the period. Shot by Starocci, down block by SCW but Starocci fires off a well time reshot and he doubles Shane to the mat for three more. 7-0 lead as the period expires. 

3rd period: Cartegena-Walsh chooses neutral. RT sits at an even 1:00 for Carter. Takedown, escape to make it 10-2. Starocci shooting, one minute left. Another shot, stall on Shane, 11-1, then a takedown and release to make it 14-2. Another stall to make it 15-2. Starocci on a leg in the waning seconds, Cartegena-Walsh dives out of bounds, no takedown but another stall warning and that'll make it a tech. 17-2, more bonus for Starocci!

184: Carter Starocci, Penn State over Shane Cartagena-Walsh, Rutgers 17-2 (TF)

Penn State 27, Rutgers 3

197: #4 Josh Barr, Penn State vs #17 John Poznanski, Rutgers

1st period: Penn State redshirt freshman taking on the veteran All-American for Rutgers. A very measured first minute of the match. Second minute also very tactical. Barr starting to pick up the pace and take ground from Poznanski. Barr on a single leg in short time, Poz doing the splits, and he somehow manages to avoid the takedown when the buzzer sounds. Bagels on the scoreboard, no stalls. 

2nd period: Poznanski takes bottom. Barr stops the first several attempts from Poz. Barr riding for nearly a minute when they go out of bounds. Barr ankle picks and stops Pozananski again. And now Barr gets hit for stalling for staying parallel. He'll take that though and get the second period ride out. 0-0 but 120 seconds of riding time. 

3rd period: Barr takes down and cuts Barr who picks up the first point of the match. Barr immediately on a shot and he takes Poznanski down to add three more. Barr cut Poz and Barr is relentless, shooting and scoring again and just like that its 7-2. Barr running around, over and through Poznanzki. And Poz looks stunned, too many takedowns in not enough time to describe them. It's a 22-6 techfall after two scoreless periods. I have never seen 90 seconds of scoring like that before. Poznanski in a daze as Barr scores at will. Wild 3rd period!

197: Josh Barr, Penn State over John Poznanski, Rutgers 22-6 (TF)

Penn State 32, Rutgers 3

285: #2 Greg Kerkvliet, Penn State vs #8 Yaraslau Slavikouski, Rutgers

1st period: Another PSU champ against another Rutgers AA. Kerkvliet moves Slavikouski to the edge, Yara circles back to the center. Double leg from Kerk get's stopped. Yara dinged for stalling with about a minute left in the period. Not much action the rest of the way and we go to the second still scoreless. 

2nd period: Kerkvliet underneath. He's out in no time, 1-0 for Greg. Lots of handfighting, a couple of attempts by Kerk. Not much from Yara, no more stall calls though. And then the penultimate period of the dual comes to an end. 

3rd period: Slavikouski chooses neutral. Kerkvliet shoots him out of bounds and there's the second stall call on Yara and it's 2-0 in favor of Kerkvliet. Or is it? Coach Goodale throws the brick. But to no avail, the call is confirmed. Still over a minute of wrestling left in the match. Kerkvliet slowing down the pace but also not letting Slavikouski get close to his legs either. Arm spin from Yara in the final 10 seconds but he slips loose and it's a 2-0 win for Greg Kerkvliet. He stays undefeated as to Coach Sanderson's Nittany Lions!

285: Greg Kerkvliet, Penn State over Yaraslau Slavikouski, Rutgers 2-0 (Dec)

FINAL SCORE: Penn State 35, Rutgers 3

Good fight for the home team and a nice upset by Peterson at 125 but Penn State's upper weights are PROBLEMS. Another lopsided win for the Nittany Lions!

Thanks for following along, apologies for the typos, see you next time!