No. 1 Penn State dominates No. 2 Iowa wrestling 30-8 in State College

THIRD PERIOD: Starocci choose bottom to begin the third period and escapes quickly to pull ahead 2-1 with riding time all but locked. One minute to go. Ferrari goes in for a shot, but Starocci holds him off and transitions into an offensive position of his own. He has Ferrari's leg in the air, but the ref calls a stalemate. Seven seconds. Ferrari is warned for a caution off the whistle for a second time and cannot score off the final reset, giving Starocci the 3-1 win. 

Starocci with the 3-1 win with 1:07 RT! 🦁

— Penn State WRESTLING (@pennstateWREST)

SECOND PERIOD: Ferrari chooses down to start the second period. Starocci is wrestling smart on top and pushes riding time up over a minute before Ferrari escapes with just over 30 seconds to go in the period. Starocci works for another takedown on the edge, but Ferrari managed to keep the match tied 1-1 heading into the third. 

FIRST PERIOD: This is the match we've been waiting all night for. The trash talk has been flying all week, and now it's time to take it to the mat. Iowa's decision to send out freshman Angelo Ferrari for one of his five free bouts while still potentially preserving his redshirt is an interesting move, and he'll now have his chance against the best athlete in the country at the weight. Ferrari holds Starocci scoreless for the first 90 seconds of the match. He's keeping this match more interesting than most have against Starocci this year. Ferrari is warned for stalling in the final 20 seconds of the period and holds off Starocci's shot attempt to end the period scoreless. 

THIRD PERIOD: Parco had a hot start to the second period, and he needs something big again to start the third period. Van Ness chooses down to start the third period with the six-point lead. Escape Van Ness. One minute to go. This has been a statement performance from Van Ness. Takedown Van Ness. He leads 16-6 and is now going to work on top. Thirty seconds. Ten seconds. Five seconds. Van Ness wins 17-6 to give Penn State four more team points. 

Van Ness near fall.

— Penn State WRESTLING (@pennstateWREST)

SECOND PERIOD: Parco chose down to start the second and picked up a quick reversal to take the 6-5 lead, but Van Ness is working to scramble back into a favorable position for himself. Stalemate. One minute to go. Takedown Van Ness. He has Parco in trouble and picked up a back point. Van Ness leads 8-6. More back points for Van Ness to extend his lead 12-6 to end the second period. ;

FIRST PERIOD: Shayne Van Ness. Woah. The Nittany Lion All-American came to compete. He picked up a quick, forceful takedown against Kyle Parco of Iowa to take the 3-1 lead after a Parco lead. But Parco responds. His takedown gives him the 4-3 with 45 seconds left in the period. Escape Van Ness. Tied match. 

THIRD PERIOD: Cruz chooses down to start the third period, and Lilledahl lets him up before going in on another shot and notching his third takedown of the night. Escape Cruz. Takedown Lilledahl. Escape Cruz. Ninety seconds to go, and Lilledahl leads 13-4. Takedown Lilledahl. He now leads 16-4. One minute to go. Lilledahl lets Cruz up and keeps rolling. Cruz is hit for stalling. Lilledahl is in his element. Takedown Lilledahl. He releases Cruz and then ices the tech fall with a final takedown. What a dominant performance for the Nittany Lion freshman to start this rivalry dual! 

Luke Lilledaul with the takedown!

— Penn State WRESTLING (@pennstateWREST)

SECOND PERIOD: Lilledahl chose down to start the second period, escaped quickly and then notched another takedown to extend his lead to 7-1 before going back to work on top and riding out Cruz for the second period as well. 

FIRST PERIOD: What an environment for the Penn State freshman to compete in at State College! ;Luke Lilledahl's on the mat now against Iowa's ranked lightweight No. 26 Joey Cruz to kick off this dual. Lilledahl looks strong. He's in control early and picks up a takedown within the first 35 seconds. Cruz is scrappy, but Lilledahl just looks too good. He's taking injury time now though after what appears to be an injury to his hand. Lilledahl is all taped up now and back on the mat. Cruz takes down after being given the choice following Lilledahl's injury time. Lilledahl pushes riding time up over a minute. Cruz is fighting, but Lilledahl is just too focused. Lilledahl rides out Cruz to finish out the period and carry a 3-1 lead into the second. 

125 pounds: No. 7 Luke Lilledahl vs. No. 26 Joey Cruz

While Iowa has been known for its explosive, point-scoring lightweights over the last decade, this year, the advantage at the lightest weight in the dual belongs to Penn State. Nittany Lion freshman Luke Lilledahl came into college with high expectations and has lived up to nearly every one of them so far. He'll hold a 19-point ranking advantage over a tough Joey Cruz, though Cruz does have some momentum heading into this dual after earning two of the biggest win of his careers against Wisconsin's No. 17 Nicolar Rivera and Ohio State's No. 18 Brendan McCrone earlier this month. 

What's Next for the 2x World Champion, Luke Lilledahl
The Penn State FR shared after becoming a U20 World Champion
"NCAA Champ that's it for Penn State so Let's Go" LL
📸by Frank Lomas Photos

— Penn State/NLWC Fan (@NlwcFan)

Cruz will face an uphill battle against his Penn State opponent who is known colloquially as "Lightin' Luke," but if he can stay in this match and wrestle like he did against McCrone and Rivera, he could at least avoid bonus points if not keep the bout interesting. Lilledahl has been hailed by some as a title contender, though his loss last weekend to Rutgers' No. 10 Dean Peterson took some of the steam out of that prediction, but he is someone with the talent to make a run. This test against Cruz is one he'll be expected to win but not a match he should overlook. 

133 pounds: No. 7 Braeden Davis vs. No. 3 Drake Ayala 

This is maybe the most underrated matchup of the night, as 2024 Big Ten champion Braeden Davis will take on 2024 NCAA finalist Drake Ayala for the second time in their respective careers. Ayala beat Davis 4-2 in this dual last year down at 125 pounds, but Davis outplaced Ayala at Big Tens after Ayala took a loss to Michael DeAugustino 4-2 in the tournament to finish third while Davis won the weight as a true freshman. Ayala, however, then finished higher than Davis at NCAAs after the Nittany Lion freshman lost to eventual NCAA champion Richard Figueroa and then dropped in the Blood Round to Jore Volk of Wyoming in overtime. 

Ayala will enter this year's match with an 11-1 record; his lone loss came against Tyler Knox of Stanford 15-10. Davis is 7-2 with losses to Jacob Van Dee of Nebraska and Ryan Crookham of Lehigh. Both Ayala and Davis are up a weight from where they were last year, and this will be a great test to see who has put on the most muscle and strength since the two athletes clashed in 2024. Ayala has the edge on paper ever so slightly, and if the Hawks want to stay competitive in this match, they'll need a big, statement performance from their returning NCAA finalist. 

141 pounds: No. 3 Beau Bartlett vs. Ryder Block OR Jace Rhodes OR Cullan Schriever

If Penn State drops 125 or 133 pounds, this is the match where the Nittany Lions have the best chance to make up any ground. No. 3 Beau Bartlett finished second at last year's NCAA tournament and is 12-0 on the year with a win over All-American Brock Hardy, so while Iowa's Ryder Block is tough, this will likely be Bartlett's match. The key for the Hawks here will be to try to keep the match tight. Bartlett is known for his defensive prowess and his ability to win close matches, though he's turned up the pace slightly this year, averaging nine points per match in Big Ten bouts this year. Block, meanwhile, is 0-2 in Big Ten duals.

Gotta be ready.

— Iowa Hawkeye Wrestling (@Hawks_Wrestling)

Iowa has two other probables listed in Jace Rhodes and Cullan Schriever, each of whom have seven matches so far on the year. Schriever has had flashes of greatness throughout his five-year career with the Hawks with his best win coming against All-American Vance Vombaur by major in 2022, while Rhodes has the better record this year with five wins and two losses compared to Schriever's 2-5 resume in 2024-2025. Block is expected to be the starter for Iowa heading into the postseason, making him the likely rep for the Hawks on Friday, but there's no downside to Iowa mixing up the lineup, as long as its 141-pounder avoids bonus points against Penn State's two-time All-American Bartlett. 

149 pounds: No. 4 Shayne Van Ness vs. No. 2 Kyle Parco 

From a rankings perspective, this 149-pound match favors the Hawkeyes as No. 2 Kyle Parco looks to continue his undefeated season against All-American Shayne Van Ness. From a record standpoint, Penn State has the edge, as Van Ness is undefeated against his Hawkeye foe. The Hawks, though, need this one. If Iowa is going to stay in this match, Parco needs to win and ideally (for him and his team) win big in enemy territory. 

Parco has been impressive this year too with wins over All-American Dylan D'Emilio, Anthony Echemendia, Jaden Abas and Lachlan McNeil. He's passed every test thrown his way. Van Ness is ranked higher than all four of those former placewinners, but Parco's consistency is a good sign as he prepares for this next big challenge. 

Van Ness has faced just one All-American this year in No. 3 Ridge Lovett, and he took a 10-2 loss in that match to the Husker. However, just one week prior to that, he completed a five-match pin streak that helped push his bonus percentage for the year up over 80%. Van Ness is dangerous, and the best version of the Nittany Lion sophomore can win a title. First, though, he'll have to get past Parco again. 

157 pounds: No. 3 Tyler Kasak vs. No. 1 Jacori Teemer 

All ten matches in this dual will be elite, but this is perhaps the most interesting bout because it will highlight where these athletes stack up in their quest for a national title. Iowa's Jacori Teemer holds down the No. 1 spot in the country right now, but Teemer has only wrestled four matches so far this year. He won his first two bouts against Bellarmine and Stanford before taking an injury default loss in the Cy-Hawk dual that kept him out over two months. Teemer made his return to the mat last week against NCAA finalist Sammy Sasso of Ohio State and won 10-5, but Kasak will be an even tough challenge. 

⌛️

— Jacori Teemer (@JacoriTeemer)

Kasak, a true sophomore for the Nittany Lions, finished third last season after being a last-minute add to the lineup following the injury of teammate Shayne Van Ness. Now Kasak has earned his spot in the lineup again up a weight, beating out teammate Alex Facundo for the role, and he's been unstoppable. He's 12-0 on the year with 58% bonus and a win over All-American Antrell Taylor. A healthy Teemer vs. a healthy Kasak would lean in favor of Teemer, but a recovering Teemer vs. a fresh Kasak in State College is a different kind of match. If Kasak wins this, he has a case to be the top guy in the country and add to Penn State's list of championship contenders at the middleweights. If Teemer wins, he solidifies himself as the top guy and gives himself a seeding bump for the postseason. Regardless of what happens, this dual will have a ripple effect across the weight class. 

165 pounds: No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink vs. No. 2 Michael Caliendo 

Some of the matches in this dual will be closer than they appear on paper, but this is one where the gap between No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink and No. 2 Michael Caliendo is perhaps even larger than it looks. Mesenbrink, a 2024 NCAA finalist at 165 pounds, has teched all 13 of this opponents this year before the end of each seven-minute match. He's left zero doubt that he's the best guy in the country. 

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Caliendo has been similarly impressive, holding a 13-0 record with 76% bonus. A two-time All-Amerian, Caliendo is known for his pace, but Mesenbrink takes pace to an even higher level. In the first meeting between these two athletes, Caliendo held his own, dropping 12-6 at last year's Penn State vs. Iowa dual. The next two matches were more lopsided, with Mesenbrink winning 23-7 in the Big Ten championships and 17-9 in the NCAA tournament. Both athletes have improved since those last bouts, but Mesenbrink, in particular, looks like a runaway national champion this year. It's early to make that bold prediction, and Caliendo has a chance to make a big statement this weekend, but Mesenbrink has a significant edge, until proven otherwise. 

174 pound: No. 2 Levi Haines vs. No. 6 Patrick Kennedy

The 174-pound bout between No. 2 Levi Haines and No. 6 Patrick Kennedy is one that could be a lot closer than fans expect. Iowa's Patrick Kennedy has jumped levels this season, running up the scoreboard and maintaining a relentless pace that makes his dangerous against even the best in the weight. Despite taking a 7-3 loss against All-American Carson Kharchla last week, Kennedy remains a threat. 

FROM GREAT TO GREATEST: Life as a returning national champion 

The biggest problem for him against Haines will be Haines' slickness. The Nittany Lion returning champ rarely makes mistakes and is smooth in every position. Haines boasts an 11-1 record with his lone loss coming in overtime against two-time NCAA champion Keegan O'Toole in a wild scramble, and Haines is certainly capable of reversing that result come March. Kennedy will not be an easy test, as the Hawk is tough and strong at 174 pounds, but this is a match that Penn State will be expected to win. Haines has a 75% bonus rate too — the only athletes who have held him to a decision, other than O'Toole, are Jackson Turley and Lenny Pinto. Haines may be viewed by the wrestling community as a lock here, but don't expect Kennedy to go down without a fight. 

184 pounds: No. 1 Carter Starocci vs. No. 5 Gabe Arnold OR Angelo Ferrari

This match will bring all the heat. No. 1 Carter Starocci will be a clear favorite regardless of who Iowa sends out to compete against the four-time champ, but the intensity of this match is less about the result and more about the characters on the mat. Iowa's Gabe Arnold has been hyping up his battle with Carter Starocci for years, calling out the four-time national champ as someone Arnold expected to beat. This storyline grew over the weekend when Arnold brought up the Penn State vs. Iowa dual in his recent press conference stating: "We didn't get the job done last year, and that kinda sucks, but we're going to get it done this year. This time, we'll be in your home dojo, and I promise, you head's mine. Book it." 

Starocci responded in an interview of his own, questioning if Arnold would even get the starting nod against the Nittany Lions. The Penn State veteran raised a good question too, as Iowa has such a depth at 184 pounds that the Hawks could roll out one of two All-American caliber athletes on the weight. Arnold, who is expected to be the post-season starter based on the trajectory of his season so far, is 11-0 on the year with his best win coming against All-American Edmond Ruth 5-1. Teammate Angelo Ferrari, however, has also put together a solid season, most notably beating then No. 15 Evan Bockman 8-2 in the Cy-Hawk dual and earning a forfeit win over Arnold at the Solider Salute. Ferrari is a true freshman who could redshirt, but Iowa could also throw him out in this match against Starocci without burning his shirt. This match carries all the drama, but Starocci has a chance to put that to bed with a dominant performance, which is exactly what the Nittany Lion legend will be looking to do as he continues his quest for a fifth national championship. 

197 pounds: No. 4 Josh Barr vs. No. 1 Stephen Buchanan 

Penn State's Josh Barr has been one of the biggest storylines this season. He started as one of many names who could be vying for the starting spot at 197 pounds but has since left no doubt that he's not only the guy for the Nittany Lions but could be a title contender as well. The redshirt freshman is 12-0 on the year with wins over All-Americans Michael Beard, Stephen Little and John Poznanski, but his biggest test will come Friday against No. 1 Stephen Buchanan. Barr has proven he can hang with the best of the best in this weight, and a win over Buchanan in front of the Penn State faithful would not be shocking, given Barr's trajectory this year. But Iowa needs Buchanan to win if the Hawks want any chance to win this dual. 

Josh Barr on moving up to 197...from today's weekly media availability!

— Penn State WRESTLING (@pennstateWREST)

Iowa is favored in just four weights — 133 pounds, 149 pounds, 157 pounds and 197 pounds — and all of those matches could be considered coin-flips. Losing any of those four would likely immediately take Iowa out of the dual. Buchanan's record suggests that he's a definitive favorite here too, as the three-time All-American is 13-0 on the year with an 84% bonus rate. Anything can happen in the Penn State vs. Iowa dual though. The winner of this bout will likely have a serious seeding advantage at Big Tens and potential NCAAs as well, putting even more weight on the result of the top-five matchup. 

285 pounds: No. 1 Greg Kerkvliet vs. No. 11 Ben Kueter

Returning NCAA champion Greg Kerkvliet dominated every single one of his opponents this year. The senior Nittany Lion is 12-0 on the year with 91% bonus with his only non-bonus win coming by way of a 2-0 decision over Rutgers All-American Yaraslau Slavikouski. He's tough, fast, strong and primed to compete for another national championship this year.

PENN STATE VS. IOWA: 2024 | 2023 | 2022 

His Hawkeye foe, Ben Kueter, is tough too, but Kueter's only been in the Hawkeye varsity lineup as the consistent starter for a few months. He has endless potential, but topping a giant like Kerkvliet this year as a redshirt freshman will be tough for the Kueter. These two did actually meet in the Penn State vs. Iowa dual last year as one of Kueter's select bouts that did not count against his redshirt; Kerkvliet earned the win in the match 9-1. This year's battle will be a good test to see how Kueter has improved and where his gaps are heading into the postseason. He could see Kerkvliet again both at Big Tens and NCAAs, and each match will be good learning experience. The dual is unlikely to come down heavyweight, but if it does, Kueter will want to do everything he can to at least avoid giving up bonus points again.