UI Athletics news release
IOWA CITY, Iowa – The fourth-ranked University of Iowa wrestling team fell to top-ranked Penn State, 32‑3, on Friday night on Mediacom Mat at Carver‑Hawkeye Arena.
Penn State finished with a 15‑2 advantage in takedowns and outscored Iowa 66‑25 in total match points.
“They wrestle a style where, if you’re trying to stay on the perimeter of their stalk, that’s how I would describe it, they’re going to keep taking it,” said head coach Tom Brands. “You have to give something back. You have to stop it now. It goes from the hard slaps to the head, to dictating the pace, to how they stalk. When you’re going forward, you can score points, but when you’re on the perimeter of that stalk, it’s hard. You’re going backward when you need to be penetrating.”
The Nittany Lions opened the dual with back‑to‑back decisions. At 125 pounds, second‑ranked Luke Lilledahl defeated No. 6 Dean Peterson, 11‑5, before No. 4 Marcus Blaze topped No. 8 Drake Ayala, 4‑2, at 133 to give Penn State a 6‑0 lead.
Iowa got on the board at 141 pounds as No. 11 Nasir Bailey used a first‑period takedown to secure a 3‑2 decision over No. 7 Braeden Davis.
Penn State answered immediately at 149 pounds, when top‑ranked Shayne Van Ness used a third‑period takedown and nearfall points to score the night’s first bonus points with a 13‑4 major decision over No. 17 Ryder Block.
At 157, No. 3 PJ Duke extended the Penn State lead with a 4‑2 decision over No. 12 Jordan Williams, using a third‑period takedown to seal the win.
Top‑ranked Mitchell Mesenbrink added bonus points at 165 pounds, scoring a takedown in the final five seconds of the match to earn an 11‑2 major decision over No. 3 Michael Caliendo.
A first‑period takedown proved decisive at 174 pounds, where top‑ranked Levi Haines defeated Gabe Arnold, 4‑2.
In a top‑five showdown at 184, the match went to tiebreakers tied 1‑1. No. 4 Rocco Welsh earned an escape in TB1 to edge top‑ranked Angelo Ferrari, 2‑1.
Penn State picked up a fall at 197 pounds, as top‑ranked Josh Barr pinned Brody Sampson in 3:42. The dual concluded at heavyweight with No. 12 Cole Mirasola earning a 4‑3 decision over No. 5 Ben Kueter.
“I think that we have the right guys to do the job,” said Brands. “There is a gap between Iowa and Penn State, and that is my job, the program’s job, and the coaches’ job. To close that gap and overcome. We have the right guys.”
The Hawkeyes return to action on Jan. 23 at Nebraska at 8 p.m.