PREVIEW: Penn State wrestling returns to Rec Hall against No. 29 Maryland

Penn State wrestling will look to go two-for-two this weekend when the Nittany Lions welcome No. 29 Maryland to Rec Hall on Sunday afternoon. After beating up on Michigan 39-0 on Friday night, Penn State hopes to continue the momentum and extend the program’s dual winning streak to 68 against the Terrapins. 

What should we expect from the Nittany Lions to close out the weekend?

Penn State vs. Maryland preview

The Nittany Lions enter with an 11-0 (5-0 Big Ten) record after shutting out Michigan for the first time in 15 years to kick off the weekend. Maryland (8-8, 3-3) travels to Happy Valley following a heartbreaking 21-20 loss to No. 12 Rutgers on Friday night. 

Penn State wrestling leads the all-time series 47-1-2, including wins in the last 31 straight duals. The previous meeting between the two sides was a 42-6 victory for the Nittany Lions last January. That dual was more well-known for the handshake line antics between star Penn State wrestler Carter Starocci, assistant coach Casey Cunningham, and Maryland head coach Alex Clemsen.

The two schools last met in Rec Hall in 2023, resulting in a 44-3 Penn State victory. The meeting with Maryland this weekend will be the final Big Ten home dual for Cael Sanderson and the Nittany Lions in 2025.

Penn State will enter with all 10 wrestlers ranked inside the top seven of the latest InterMat rankings. Maryland has five wrestlers ranked, four of which are in the top eleven.

Match to watch

© Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

157: No. 1 Tyler Kasak 14-0 (PSU) vs No. 6 Ethen Miller 18-0 (MD)

This is the biggest matchup of the dual, pitting a pair of undefeated wrestlers against each other. Tyler Kasak is the new InterMat No. 1 wrestler at 157 pounds after upsetting Iowa’s Jacori Teemer of Iowa last weekend. He beat Michigan’s Zack Mattin 7-2 on Friday at the BJC to move to 14-0 on the season.

Ethen Miller has also been nothing but consistent, off to an 18-0 start, including a 10-0 major decision over Conner Harer of Rutgers on Friday night. During his undefeated run, he has quality wins over No. 7 Joey Blaze (Purdue) and No. 14 Chase Saldate (Michigan).

Kasak should be the favorite in this dual. The sophomore has wins over No. 3 Jacori Teemer and No. 4 Antrell Taylor so far this year. The winner of this match will be the final undefeated wrestler in the country at 157 pounds.

I think Kasak uses his experience against other title contenders to his ultimate advantage. This one should end as a decision, no matter what the result. Barring any major upsets, a Kasak win would just about lock the Nittany Lion in for a top-2 seed at the NCAAs.

Projected Penn State vs Maryland wrestling lineups:

125: No. 7 Luke Lilledahl 13-1 (PSU) vs Tyler Garvin 4-15 (MD)

133: No. 7 Braeden Davis 7-2/Kyison Garcia 3-2/Cael Nasdeo 7-5/Timothy Levine 10-10 (PSU) vs No. 11 Braxton Brown 17-2 (MD)

141: No. 3 Beau Bartlett 14-0 (PSU) vs Dario Lemus 7-11 (MD)

149: No. 3 Shayne Van Ness 13-1 (PSU) vs No. 32 Kal Miller 18-7 (MD)

157: No. 1 Tyler Kasak 14-0 (PSU) vs No. 6 Ethen Miller 18-0 (MD)

165: No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink 15-0 (PSU) vs Alex Uryniak 2-10 (MD)

174: No. 2 Levi Haines 13-1 (PSU) vs Branson John 10-12 (MD)

184: No. 1 Carter Starocci 14-0 (PSU) vs No. 11 Jaxon Smith 15-4 (MD)

197: No. 4 Josh Barr 13-1 (PSU) vs Chase Mielnik 10-13 (MD)

285: No. 2 Greg Kerkvliet 14-0 (PSU) vs No. 12 Seth Nevills (MD)

Penn State vs. Maryland predictions:

125: No. 7 Luke Lilledahl (PSU) by fall

133: No. 11 Braxton Brown (MD) by tech fall

141: No. 3 Beau Bartlett (PSU) by major decision

149: No. 4 Shayne Van Ness (PSU) by tech fall

157: No. 1 Tyler Kasak (PSU) by decision

165: No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (PSU) by tech fall

174: No. 2 Levi Haines (PSU) by tech fall

184: No. 1 Carter Starocci (PSU) by major decision

197: No. 4 Josh Barr (PSU) by tech fall

285: No. 2 Greg Kerkvliet (PSU) by major decision

Final Score: No. 1 Penn State 40 – No. 29 Maryland 5

After shutting out Michigan, you’d expect to see a similar result against an even more inferior opponent. The status of Braeden Davis will be critical in determining whether Penn State wrestling has a shot at its sixth shutout of the season. Braxton Brown is having an All-American-caliber season. It’s unlikely that any wrestler outside of Davis could get the job done.

As for the rest of the lineup, the closest dual should be between Kasak and Miller. The Nittany Lions should pick up bonus points in the eight matches outside of 133 and 157.

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However, another matchup that is hard to pinpoint is Beau Bartlett and Dario Lemus at 141 pounds. Bartlett has a large talent advantage over Lemus but just hasn’t been winning big recently. But I think he does get his bonus rate bumped after this dual following a major decision. This is the type of opponent that Bartlett can pin; don’t be surprised if the senior picks up six points for Penn State.

It is hard to predict falls anywhere in the lineup, but realistically, I could see six different Penn State wrestlers getting pins. If Davis does go and gets the win and Kasak beats Miller, we could see the final score drift closer to a 50-0 shutout for Sanderson and the Nittany Lions.

How to watch:

Date: February 9, 2025

Time: 1:00 p.m. ET

TV: BTN+

Location: Rec Hall

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