PREVIEW: Penn State wrestling travels to Ohio State for top-10 battle

Penn State wrestling will head to Columbus, Ohio, this weekend for its final top-10 dual of the season against No. 8 Ohio State. The Nittany Lions enter with some injury uncertainties as the dual season winds to a close. 

What should we expect from the Nittany Lions in Friday night’s heated rivalry with the Buckeyes?

Penn State vs. Ohio State preview

No. 1 Penn State enters with a 12-0 (6-0 Big Ten) record and is coming off a weekend that saw the Nittany Lions defeat No. 19 Michigan 39-0 at the Bryce Jordan Center on Friday night and No. 29 Maryland 35-10 on Sunday afternoon at Rec Hall.

Ohio State comes into the dual ranked No. 8 in the country and holds a 13-2 (5-2) record. The Buckeyes split their duals last weekend, losing 20-17 to No. 6 Minnesota at home on Friday and winning 27-13 at No. 23 Indiana on Sunday.

Penn State wrestling leads the all-time series 27-12 over Ohio State. The Nittany Lions have won nine consecutive duals over the Buckeyes, including a 28-9 victory last year at Rec Hall. The last match in Columbus was in 2023, resulting in a 29-9 Penn State win.

All ten of Penn State’s starters are ranked inside the top eight of their respective weight classes. Ohio State has all ten of its wrestlers ranked as well, with five in the top 10.

Match to watch

© Chris Eutsler / Basic Blues Nation, 2025.

141: No. 3 Beau Bartlett 15-0 (PSU) vs No. 1 Jesse Mendez 23-0 (OSU)

Friday night brings one of the most anticipated matchups of the season between Beau Bartlett and Jesse Mendez at 141 pounds.

Last season, Bartlett won their regular season meeting, but it was Mendez who secured victories in the Big Ten and NCAA Finals. In that National Final matchup, Mendez took down Bartlett with under five seconds remaining.

Both wrestlers are off to undefeated starts this year and seem to be on another postseason collision course. Bartlett ranks No. 3 in the country and holds a 15-0 record with a 53.33% bonus. Mendez ranks No. 1 with a 23-0 record and a 78.26% bonus.

All three matches between the two wrestlers finished with a 4-1 decision last year. This one will most likely be another low-scoring and defensive battle. At the end of last season, Mendez seemed to be the better wrestler. Until Bartlett can pull off another win to even the series, I think this one goes in Ohio State’s favor.

Of all the potential matchups that the two could have this season, Friday means the least. But for Bartlett’s mental state, beating Mendez would go a long way as the dual season comes to an end.

Projected Penn State vs Ohio State wrestling lineups:

125: No. 7 Luke Lilledahl 14-1 (PSU) vs No. 21 Brendan McCrone 18-7 (OSU)

133: No. 8 Braeden Davis 7-2/Kyison Garcia 3-3 (PSU) vs No. 11 Nic Bouzakis 18-5 (OSU)

141: No. 3 Beau Bartlett 15-0 (PSU) vs No. 1 Jesse Mendez 23-0 (OSU)

149: No. 2 Shayne Van Ness 14-1 (PSU) vs No. 7 Dylan D’Emilio 16-2 (OSU)

157: No. 1 Tyler Kasak 14-1/Connor Pierce 7-3/David Evans 0-0 (PSU) vs No. 17 Sammy Sasso 12-7 (OSU)

165: No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink 16-0 (PSU) vs No. 9 Paddy Gallagher 11-5 (OSU)

174: No. 2 Levi Haines 14-1 (PSU) vs No. 5 Carson Kharchla 11-0 (OSU)

184: No. 1 Carter Starocci 15-0 (PSU) vs No. 18 Ryder Rogotzke 6-5 (OSU)

197: No. 3 Josh Barr 14-1 (PSU) vs No. 23 Seth Shumate 9-11 (OSU)

285: No. 2 Greg Kerkvliet 15-0 (PSU) vs No. 9 Nick Feldman 13-4 (OSU)

Penn State vs. Ohio State predictions:

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

133: No. 11 Nic Bouzakis (OSU) by decision

141: No. 1 Jesse Mendez (OSU) by decision

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

157: No. 17 Sammy Sasso (OSU) by decision

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

174: No. 2 Levi Haines (PSU) by major decision

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 decision

Final Score: No. 1 Penn State 27 – No. 8 Ohio State 9

The final score of this dual might not look as dominant as many of the other Penn State wrestling victories this season.

Uncertainty at both 133 and 157 pounds looms large for the Nittany Lions. Cael Sanderson has been careful in his terminology when describing the status of both Braeden Davis and Tyler Kasak. He did tell the media that if Davis wasn’t a complete go, he may or may not wrestle, but he was able to compete if it was the postseason. As for Kasak, it seems the Nittany Lions want to be careful with him moving forward and ensure he is 100% heading into the postseason.

The end result is likely two extra losses for Penn State. I don’t believe that Kyison Garcia and either Connor Pierce/David Evans can get the job done against a talented Buckeyes lineup.

As mentioned, I think Jesse Mendez needs to be the favorite at 141 until Beau Bartlett proves he can beat him. But those are the only three weight classes I see Ohio State winning. Penn State could be trailing at the break for the first time this season.

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If Ohio State is going to make this dual close or potentially even pull off the upset, the Buckeyes will need to get a collection of wins at 125, 149, and 285. Even if all of those went in the Buckeyes’ favor, it still might not be enough because of how many bonus points the Nittany Lions between 165 to 197 pounds can pick up.

I think a full Penn State lineup wins this one in the 31-6 or 34-3 range, with only 141 being the loss. Realistically, as has been the case with every Penn State wrestling dual this season, a full lineup always has the chance for a shutout.

Penn State hasn’t lost more than two matches in a dual all season. This could be the first time we see that with the Ohio State wrestlers feeding off the home crowd. Friday will be one final significant test for many of the Nittany Lion wrestlers and a chance to add another data point toward their Big Ten and NCAA seedings.

How to watch:

Date: February 14, 2025

Time: 7:00 p.m. ET

TV: BTN

Location: Columbus, OH

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