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IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The Penn State Nittany Lions dominated Iowa in a Big Ten dual meet on Friday night, winning nearly every bout on the way to a 32-3 victory in collegiate wrestling action.
The Nittany Lions improved to 8-0 overall and 2-0 in the Big Ten. Iowa fell to 8-3 and 1-1 in the conference.
Penn State, with a lineup featuring six underclassmen, won nine of 10 bouts, including three bonus-point wins. Eight of the 10 matchups featured two ranked wrestlers with 18 ranked individuals competing.
The action began at 125. Sophomore Luke Lilledahl, ranked No. 2, dominated No. 6 Dean Peterson. Lilledahl tallied the bouts only three takedowns in a strong 11-5 victory. True freshman Marcus Blaze, ranked No. 4 at 133, turned a second-period takedown into a thrilling 4-2 win over Iowa senior No. 8 Drake Ayla. Blaze's win gave Penn State an early 6-0 lead.
Junior Braeden Davis, ranked No. 7 at 141, lost a hard fought 3-2 decision to No. 11 Nassir Bailey, cutting the Nittany Lion lead to 6-3. Junior Shayne Van Ness, ranked No. 1 at 149, used a furious third period to major No. 17 Ryder Block.
Van Ness used a takedown and four back points to roll to the 13-4 win.
True freshman PJ Duke, ranked No. 3 at 157, used a third-period escape and takedown to notch a hard fought 4-2 win over No. 12 Jordan Williams. Penn State led 13-3 at halftime.
Junior Mitchell Mesenbrink, ranked No. 1 at 165, posting a convincing 11-2 major over No. 3 Michael Caliendo.
Mesenbrink used a takedown in each period to secure the win and give the Nittany Lions a 17-3 lead. Senior Levi Haines, ranked No. 1 at 174, used a first period takedown to notch a strong 4-2 win over Iowa's Gabe Arnold.
Sophomore Rocco Welsh, ranked No. 4 at 184, battled No. 1 Angelo Ferrari through sudden victory before posting a 2-1 victory.
Walsh rode Ferrari out in the first tie-breaker session then escaped midway through the second to grab the win.
Sophomore Josh Barr, ranked No. 1 at 197, grabbed Penn State's first pin of the dual in the next bout. He pinned Brody Sampson at 3:42 to give the Nittany Lions a 29-3 lead.
Redshirt freshman Cole Mirasola, ranked No. 13 at 285, capped off the stellar night with an exciting 4-3 win over No. 5 Ben Kueter. Mirasola used a second-period takedown for the advantage in picking up the victory.
Match notes: The margin of victory was the worst ever for the Hawkeyes in their home arena. … Penn State gave up only two takedowns in the entire dual meet and owned a 15-2 takedown margin. The Nittany Lions picked up five bonus points off a pin (Barr) and two majors (Van Ness, Mesenbrink). … The victory makes it 79 wins in a row. … Penn State is at Northwestern on Sunday.
125: Lilledahl, PSU, dec. Peterson, 11-5 133: Blaze, PSU, dec. Ayala, 4-2. 141:Bailey, IA, dec. Davis, 3-2. 149: Van Ness, PSU, maj. dec. Block, 13-4. 157: Duke, PSU, dec. Williams, 4-2.
165: Mesenbrink, PSU maj. dec. Caliendo, 11-2. 174: Haines, PSU, dec. Arnold, 4-2. 184: Welsh, PSU, dec. Ferrari, 2-1. 197: Barr, PSU, pinned Sampson, 3:42 285: Mirasola PSU dec. Kueter, 4-3
Attendance: 12,530
Penn State at Northwestern
Start: 3 p.m., Welsh-Ryan Arena, Evanston, Ill.
Records: Penn State (8-0, 2-0 Big Ten); Northwestern (3-2, 1-1 Big Ten)
TV: Big Ten+
Radio: WRAX-FM 106.5 Bedford
Notable: The Wildcats are coached by State College native Matt Storniolo. Storniolo, who wrestled at Penn State before transferring to Oklahoma, is in his 11th season at Northwestern. ... Both teams were in action on Friday evening. Penn State pummeled No. 3 Iowa, 32-3, while Northwestern fell to Wisconsin, 28-12, in Madison. ... The Wildcats have four wrestlers ranked in Dedrick Navarro (125 pounds, 26th), Sean Spidle (133, 24th), Billy Dekraker (141, 32nd), and Eddie Enright (174, 32nd). ... Of Penn State's eight dual meets this season, four of them have been shutouts.
Mirror prediction: Penn State, 45-0
Mirror prediction record: 8-0
-- Andy Stine