There’s a new No. 1 for Penn State wrestling.
After the team won its 69th and 70th consecutive dual meets over the weekend, PSU stayed at No. 1 in the team rankings, so there was no drama there.
But there’s always movement of some sort in Intermat’s individual rankings, and this week was no different.
The most notable movement came at 141, where Beau Bartlett moved from No. 3 to No. 1. This change comes on the heels of Bartlett beating the previous No. 1, Ohio State’s Jesse Mendez 4-2 in Columbus.
Penn State Wrestling: Davis Makes Triumphent Return, Bartlett Gets Measure of Revenge
Bartlett and Mendez saw each other in the Big Ten and National Championship matches last season— both won by Mendez.
So Bartlett still has work to do to average falling short of individual conference and national title glory last season. But being the No. 1 guy is a solid step to take.
Here’s how everybody else fared in the rankings.
125
No. 9 Luke Lilledahl (⬇️ 2)
Photo by Penn State Athletics: Luke Lilledahl
Luke Lilledahl was flying high coming into the week, with a tech fall over Iowa’s Joey Cruz and a pin over Michigan’s Christian Tanefeu amongst his recent triumphs. Up next was Ohio State’s Brenden McCrone. In an upset, the 21st-ranked McCrone pinned Lilledahl.
No. 21 at 125 lbs Brendan McCrone is here to share how he got the pin against No. 7 Luke Lilledahl of Penn State 🔥#B1GWrestling x @wrestlingbucks pic.twitter.com/JtIJCS9Atc
— Big Ten Wrestling (@B1GWrestling) February 18, 2025
Lilledahl bounced back less than 48 hours later with a tech fall over Illinois’ Caelen Riley. He’ll look to carry that momentum into the Big Ten Championships.
133
No. 7 Braeden Davis (🆙 1)
Photo by Penn State Athletics: Braeden Davis
Braeden Davis didn’t wrestle last week due to injury but made a triumphant return Friday night against Ohio State. Facing a tough opponent in No. 11 Nic Bouzakis, Davis gutted out an 8-5 win and gave Penn State a much-needed boost after Lilledahl’s loss. Davis’ second match of the weekend didn’t go as well. Facing a tough customer in Illinois’ Lucas Byrd, ranked third, Davis lost 7-1. Davis caught fire at Big Ten’s last season, winning the whole thing as the No. 6 seed at 125. He has a chance to do something similar at 133, and a lot of it will depend on how healthy he is.
149
No. 2 Shayne Van Ness (No movement)
Photo by Penn State Athletics: Shayne Van Ness
Shayne Van Ness took care of business this weekend and as a result. He grinded out a 4-2 win over Ohio State’s Dylan D’Emilio, ranked No. 6, Friday night and then got a major over Illinois Kannon Webster, ranked 14th at the time, to close out the weekend. The only man ahead of Van Ness at 149 is Virginia Tech’s Caleb Hensen, who he wouldn’t see until the NCAA Championships. Van Ness does have a major over Iowa’s Kyle Parco, who’s ranked third. So he has a real shot to go all the way in what should be a particularly interesting class come March.
157
No. 1 Tyler Kasak (no change)
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Photo by Matt Lynch, Nittany Sports Now: Tyler Kasak
Tyler Kasak is currently fighting through an injury that led him to medically forfeit his last bout, which took place Super Bowl Sunday against Maryland’s Ethan Miller, ranked No. 5. Aside from the medical default, which Intermat doesn’t hold against him, Kasak is 14-0. So there was no reason for him to lose his No. 1 ranking.
The question now is when Kasak will be healthy.
165
No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (No change)
Mitchell Mesenbrink celebrates his victory over Iowa’s Mikey Caliendo.
The king stays the king.
174
No. 2 Levi Haines (no change)
Levi Haines won a dominant match against Iowa’s Patrick Kennedy.
Similar to Van Ness, Levi Haines stayed at No. 2 after a pair of wins. He came from behind to beat a tough customer in Ohio State’s Carson Kharchla (ranked fifth) 6-4. He got another win Sunday afternoon against Illinois’ Danny Braunagel, ranked No. 24 in a 5-1 decision. The only person ranked ahead of Haines is Missouri’s Keegan O’Toole, who is also the only person to beat Haines in the last two years, doing so in December. Haines might have another crack at O’Toole in March.
184
No. 1 Carter Starocci (No change)
Carter Starocci improves Penn State’s winning margin 26-5 with his convincing win over Iowa’s Angelo Ferrari.
The king stays the king.
197
No. 2 Josh Barr (🆙 1)
Photo by Penn State wrestling: Josh Barr
Josh Barr moves up a spot after a pair of wins this weekend. Friday night, he tech-falled Ohio State’s Seth Shumate, ranked No. 23 20-5. Barr got another bonus point win Sunday, majoring Illinois’ Zac Braunagel, ranked No. 18. The only person ranked ahead of Barr at 197 is Iowa’s Stephen Buchanan, who beat Barr 5-1 at the Bryce Jordan Center Jan. 30. There’s a good chance Barr sees Buchanan again at either the Big Ten, National Championships or both.
HEAVYWEIGHT
No. 2 Greg Kerkvliet (No change)
Senior Greg Kerkvliet won with a 12-2 major over Iowa’s Ben Keuter.
The good news is the defending national champ is right in the national title mix. The bad news is the only guy ahead of him is 2021 Olympic Gold Medalist Gable Steveson (Minnesota). So Kerkvliet has an uphill battle to repeat, to say the least.
So all in all, of the 10 Penn State wrestling starters, four are ranked No. 1, another four are No. 2 and the other two are in the top 10.
That’s kinda insane.
