Penn State wrestling needed a spark, and Braeden Davis and Beau Bartlett were there to provide it.
After Ohio State’s Brenden McCrone pinned Luke Lilledahl at 125, Cael Sanderson’s wrestling empire found itself in rare territory— down 6-0.
Next up was 133, where Davis, ranked No. 8, wrestled in a dual meet for the first time in more than two weeks.
Shaking off the rust was tough enough but even a fresh Davis would have had to face a tough customer in Ohio State’s Nik Bouzakis, ranked No. 11. It was, indeed, a tough bout, and the two entered the last period tied at three. But the final two minutes belonged to Davis, who gutted out an 8-6 win.
Next up was the matchup everybody has been waiting for: Bartlett vs. Jesse Mendez.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.It was a rematch of last season’s national title bout at 133, where Mendez won, 4-1.
This time, No. 3 Bartlett got it done, beating top-ranked Mendez 4-2.
All three of their bouts from last year— two won by Mendez, another by Bartlett— were decided by 4-1 margins. So this was a change of pace but not by much.
Most importantly, Penn State wrestling needed a rare boost and got it in Columbus.
