Life, death, and Penn State wrestling domination.
It was the same story on Sunday afternoon and evening at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Illinois, that Penn State and Big Ten Wrestling fans have grown to know, as the Penn State Wrestling program not only secured their third straight Big Ten Conference Championship but saw five individual wrestlers win Big Ten Championships in their respective weight classes.
The day started strong for the Nittany Lions at 125 pounds, where freshman Luke Lilledahl upset Nebraska's No. 2 seed Caleb Smith in a closely contested 4-3 decision. It marked the first career Big Ten Championship for Lilledahl and the second straight year a Penn State true freshman won the title, following in Braeden Davis's footsteps. Lilledahl will enter the NCAA Championships with a 19-2 record this season.
After a rare stretch without a Penn State finalist at 133, 141, and 149 pounds, the Nittany Lions got back on track at 157 pounds. Tyler Kasak dominated Ohio State's Brandon Cannon 12-2 en route to his first career Big Ten Championship. With the win, Kasak improved to 17-1 this season and 41-6 in his career.
At 165 pounds, Mitchell Mesenbrink claimed his second Big Ten Championship with a 4-1 victory over Iowa's Michael Caliendo. The two wrestlers are quite familiar with each other, with Sunday’s matchup marking their fifth career meeting. Mesenbrink remains undefeated this season at 21-0 and holds a 48-1 career record. He’ll aim for his second NCAA Championship later this month in Philadelphia.
In the 174-pound final, Levi Haines secured his third Big Ten Championship with a dominant 12-1 major decision over Nebraska's Lenny Pinto, a fellow Pennsylvania native. Haines was in complete control from start to finish. Now 19-1 this season and 67-3 in his career, he will look to claim his second NCAA title.
The 184-pound final delivered one of the best matches of the season, as four-time national champion Carter Starocci was pushed to the brink by talented Minnesota freshman Max McEnelly. Starocci ultimately prevailed with a sudden victory takedown, winning 8-5. It was his third Big Ten Championship. He will now attempt to become the first wrestler ever to win five NCAA Championships and could very well have to go through McEnelly once again to do so.
Finally, the heavyweight showdown between Minnesota’s Gable Steveson and Penn State’s Greg Kerkvliet lived up to the hype. Unfortunately for Kerkvliet, he would be bested 9-3, by the now four-time Big Ten Champion who'll search for his third career NCAA title in Philadelphia. A rematch between Steveson and Kerkvliet in Philadelphia seems highly likely.
This year's NCAA Championships are set to be held at the wells Farco Center in Philadelphia from March 20 through March 22.
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