For the third straight year, Penn State wrestling has won a Big Ten team title.
The Nittany Lions clinched the conference championship Sunday night during the finals of the two-day tournament in Evanston, Illinois.
Penn State’s conference title is its ninth under head coach Cael Sanderson and came with a number of individual champions, too. Luke Lilledahl was the first to win a Big Ten championship Sunday and did so at 125 pounds. He was followed by fellow Nittany Lions Tyler Kasak (157 pounds), Mitchell Mesenbrink (165 pounds), Levi Haines (174 pounds) and Carter Starocci as Big Ten individual champions.
B1G CHAMPS AGAIN ????
Hear from @pennstateWREST coach Cael Sanderson after securing the Nittany Lions third-straight B1G Championship ????#B1GWrestling on @BigTenNetwork ???? pic.twitter.com/9ktIfdhJYe
— Big Ten Wrestling (@B1GWrestling) March 10, 2025
Greg Kerkvliet fell to Gable Steveson at 285 pounds and earned a second place finish.
Three other Nittany Lions battled in third place matches, with 133-pounder Braeden Davis losing to Ohio State’s Nic Bouzakis by fall, 141-pounder Beau Bartlett defeating Ohio State’s Jesse Mendez by decision, and 149-pounder Shayne Van Ness dominating Iowa’s Kyle Parco on his way to a major decision win.
Penn State’s Josh Barr was the only starter from the program not to wrestle Sunday night after he injury defaulted out of the tournament after suffering an injury against Minnesota’s Isaiah Salazar. He finished sixth at 197 pounds.
The Nittany Lions now have two weeks to prepare for the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships in Philadelphia. They begin on March 20 and all 10 starters for Penn State have automatically qualified thanks to their performances at Big Tens.
