No. 1 Penn State takes down No. 4 Iowa in Carver-Hawkeye, 32-3

IOWA CITY, Iowa; January 16, 2026 – 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 a first period takedown to notch a strong 4-2 win over Iowa’s Gabe Arnold.

Sophomore Rocco Welsh, ranked No. 4 at 184, battled No. 1 Angelo Ferrari through sudden victory before posting a thrilling 2-1 (TB) victory. Walsh rode Ferrari out in the first tie-breaker session then escaped midway through the second to grab the win. Sophomore Josh Barr, ranked No. 1 at 197, grabbed Penn State’s first pin of the dual in the next bout. He pinned Brody Sampson at 3:42 to give the Nittany Lions a 29-3 lead. Redshirt freshman Cole Mirasola, ranked No. 13 at 285, capped off the stellar night with an exciting 4-3 win over No. 5 Ben Kueter. Mirasola used a second period takedown for the advantage in the victory. Penn State walked out of Iowa City with an impressive 32-3 win.

Penn State gave up only two takedowns in the entire dual meet and owned a 15-2 takedown margin. The Nittany Lions picked up five bonus points off a pin (Barr) and two majors (Van Ness, Mesenbrink).

Penn State is now 8-0 on the year, 2-0 in the Big Ten. Iowa falls to 8-3, 1-1 B1G. The Nittany Lions continue their Big Ten road weekend with a match-up at Northwestern on Sunday, Jan. 18, at 3 p.m. Eastern (2 p.m. local).

Penn State Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via X/twitter at @pennstateWREST, on Penn State Wrestling's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/pennstatewrest. The Family Clothesline is the presenting sponsor for the 2025-26 Nittany Lion wrestling season. This is PENN STATE. WRESTLING lives here.

125: #2 Luke Lilledahl PSU dec. #6 Dean Peterson IA, 11-5

133: #4 Marcus Blaze PSU dec. #8 Drake Ayala IA, 4-2

141: #11 Nassir Bailey IA dec. #7 Braeden Davis PSU, 3-2

149: #1 Shayne Van Ness PSU maj. dec. #17 Ryder Block IA, 13-4

157: #3 PJ Duke PSU dec. #12 Jordan Williams IA, 4-2

165: #1 Mitchell Mesenbrink PSU maj. dec. #3 Michael Caliendo IA, 11-2

174: #1 Levi Haines PSU dec. Gabe Arnold IA, 4-2

184: #4 Rocco Welsh PSU dec. #1 Angelo Ferrari IA, 2-1 (TB)

197: #1 Josh Barr PSU pinned Brody Sampson IA, 3:42

285: #13 Cole Mirasola PSU dec. #5 Ben Kueter IA, 4-3

Attendance: 12,530

Records: Penn State 8-0, 2-0 B1G; Iowa 8-3, 1-1 B1G

Up Next for Penn State: at Northwestern, Sunday, Jan. 18, 3 p.m. Eastern