Takeaways: Penn State wrestling pummels Indiana in Big Ten opener

Penn State wrestling (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) extended its dual win streak to 48 with a 46-0 shutout of Indiana on Sunday afternoon. The Nittany Lions dominated from start to finish, and Cael Sanderson once again flexed the depth and youth in his wrestling room. What were some key takeaways from Penn State’s blowout win to start Big Ten conference action?

Kasak dominant upset over No. 14 Rooks

Tyler Kasak has continued to impress during his freshman campaign and came away with a dominant 15-0 tech fall victory over No. 14 Graham Rooks of Indiana. Kasak controlled the match from start to finish and actually jumped out to an 11-0 lead after one period following a takedown and multiple near-fall points. During the third period, Rooks looked to just be trying to hold on and avoid any more damage and possibly escape with the major.

Kasak is now 6-1 on the season, with his lone loss coming in the Black Knight Invite to teammate Beau Bartlett. When it was announced that Shayne Van Ness had a season-ending injury, many thought that Penn State wrestling would be out of the running for any major contention at 149 pounds.

But Kasak has now defeated No. 15 Nash Singleton of Oregon State and No. 14 Graham Rooks of Indiana in back-to-back weeks. He has earned himself the starting role at 149 for the remainder of the season. Don’t be surprised if the true freshman has a number next to his name the next time Penn State wrestling takes the mat.

Penn State true freshman Shines in Rec Hall debut

 Josh Barr is already designated to redshirt this season at 184, with graduate transfer Bernie Truax starting at that weight class. But Truax rested on Sunday, giving Barr the spotlight for his Rec Hall debut.

Barr took care of a very solid wrestler in Roman Rogotzke of Indiana with a 13-4 major victory. The true freshman led from start to finish and showed just how deep the Penn State wrestling room is. Barr improves to 8-0 on the season with a 62.5% bonus percentage.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise to those who follow college wrestling recruiting. Barr went 125-1 during his high school career, earning him the No. 4 ranking nationally. He was a part of the No. 4 class in 2023, which also included Tyler Kasak and Braeden Davis.

Bartlett scores late for the win

No. 2 Beau Bartlett wrestled a tough match against No. 23 Dan Fongaro, but ultimately came away with the 8-1 decision.

The match was low-scoring and saw Bartlett hold a 1-0 lead from an escape heading into the third period. Fongaro got the escape to start the period, and it started looking like the match was heading to sudden victory before Bartlett was able to get Fongaro on his back and pick up some near-fall points in the final 30 seconds of the third.

It was a closer-than-expected win for Bartlett, but he found a way when he needed to and improved to 10-0 on the season. Fongaro was 16-1 heading into the match, so the No. 23 ranking may have been a bit deceptive. This matchup proved just how difficult it can be to get wins in the Big Ten.

Mesenbrink is a national contender

No. 10 Mitchell Mesenbrink continues his rise to dominance after picking up an injury defeat of No. 23 Tyler Lillard of Indiana at the 1:48 mark of the first period.

Mesenbrink had been dominating and looked to be on his way to yet another tech fall victory over a ranked opponent and led 10-1 at the time of the injury. Lillard appeared to get injured when Mesenbrink pulled him back into the circle to finish a takedown.

Mesenbrink now improves to 11-0 on the season, and the Cal Baptist transfer has quickly become a fan favorite in Happy Valley. The redshirt freshman now has victories over No. 13 Matthew Olguin and No. 23 Tyler Lillard in consecutive weeks and looks to be a real contender in both the Big Ten and NCAA Championships in March.

Davis improves to 10-0

Braeden Davis continues to delight the Penn State faithful at 125 pounds and once again solidified his starting role with a 16-3 major decision over Michael Spangler for Indiana.

Davis didn’t allow an offensive point from Spangler and controlled the match from start to finish. The true freshman was able to get Spangler on his back at one point but came away with the near-fall points and was unable to get the pin.

Davis now improves to 10-0 on the season and has a bonus percentage of 70%. While this wasn’t a ranked win for the young wrestler, reaching the 10-win mark may finally be enough to get him ranked.

Penn State wrestling earns first Big Ten shutout in two years

Like I predicted coming into this one, the match was dictated mostly by who Cael Sanderson decided to wrestle. Bernie Truax ended up being the only typical starter who didn’t wrestle against the Hoosiers, but Josh Barr looked impressive in his place. When Truax graduates after this season, the Nittany Lions may already have their next dominant wrestler at 184 pounds in Barr.

The match to watch was at 149, where I felt once again we were looking to see if Kasak’s win last week was a fluke or for real. It was 100% real, and the true freshman put together his most dominant win of the season over maybe his best opponent of the season. We will have to see if Kasak enters the InterMat rankings after this weekend, but it certainly looks like it will have some influence at both the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments.

This was the first shutout victory for Penn State wrestling since a 46-0 win at Maryland on January 7, 2022. The dual win streak climbs to 48 and will next be tested with a pair of duals at No. 7/13 Michigan and Michigan State next weekend.

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