The 2026 Big Ten Wrestling Championships concluded after two days of thrilling action, which saw Penn State’s squad dominate the table. The Cael Sanderson-led wrestling program won its fourth consecutive Big Ten Championship title during the recent edition held at Bryce Jordan Center in State College, Pennsylvania.
The Nittany Lions have won 10 Big Ten Wrestling Championships since 2011. They won their fourth consecutive Big Ten Championship after setting a school record of 184 team points. A new program record was set with seven individual wrestlers emerging as the champions in State College.
Penn State Tops The Final Score At The 2026 Big Ten Wrestling Championships
With seven champions, the Penn State Wrestling squad dominated the 2026 Big Ten Wrestling Championships, collecting a notable total of 184.0 points. They were followed by Ohio State, who witnessed two champions from the program, including Ben Davino and Jesse Mendez in the 133 lb and 141 lb categories, respectively. The top 10 finishers at the 2026 Big Ten Wrestling Championships are listed below:
- Penn State – 184.0
- Ohio State – 148.5
- Nebraska – 116.5
- Iowa – 87.0
- Michigan – 86.5
- Illinois – 78.0
- Minnesota – 76.5
- Rutgers – 63.5
- Wisconsin – 55.0
- Indiana – 40.0
Penn State Champions At The 2026 Big Ten Wrestling Championships
Seven of Penn State’s wrestlers, including Luke Lilledahl, Shayne Van Ness, PJ Duke, Mitchell Mesenbrink, Levi Haines, Rocco Welsh, and Josh Barr, won the championship titles in their own categories. The No. 1 seed Lilledahl defended his Big Ten title after defeating No. 6 seed Jore Volk in the 125 lbs final. His teammate Van Ness led the 149 lbs by pinning Ethan Stiles.
The 157 lb wrestler Duke bested the No. 1 seed and defending NCAA champion Antrell Taylor with 10-4. Mesenbrink executed three takedowns to beat No. 3 seed Michael Caliendo of Iowa in the 165 lbs bout. Haines outperformed Christopher Minto in the 174 lb final faceoff after the latter was issued a penalty. Welsh and Barr outdid Max McEnelly and Camden McDanel at 184 lbs and 197 lbs, respectively.
Complete Winners List At The 2026 Big Ten Wrestling Championships
- 125 lbs – (1) Luke Lilledahl (Penn State) vs. (6) Jore Volk (Minnesota): Lilledahl won by Dec SV 4-1
- 133 lbs – (3) Ben Davino (Ohio State) vs. (1) Marcus Blaze (Penn State): Davino won by Dec TB2 2-2
- 141 lbs – (1) Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) vs. (2) Brock Hardy (Nebraska): Mendez won by Dec 7-2
- 149 lbs – (1) Shayne Van Ness (Penn State) vs. (2) Ethan Stiles (Ohio State): Van Ness won by Fall 3:29
- 157 lbs – (2) PJ Duke (Penn State) vs. (1) Antrell Taylor (Nebraska): Duke won by MD 12-4
- 165 lbs – (1) Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn State) vs. (3) Mikey Caliendo (Iowa): Mesenbrink won by MD 12-3
- 174 lbs – (1) Levi Haines (Penn State) vs. (2) Christopher Minto (Nebraska): Haines won by Dec 2-1
- 184 lbs – (1) Rocco Welsh (Penn State) vs. (2) Max McEnelly (Minnesota): Welsh won by Dec TB1 2-1
- 197 lbs – (1) Josh Barr (Penn State) vs. (2) Camden McDanel (Nebraska): Barr won by TF 19-4 at 6:46
- 285 lbs – (1) Taye Ghadiali (Michigan) vs. (2) AJ Ferrari (Nebraska): Ghadiali won by Dec 5-2
Titles
Penn State program’s wrestler, PJ Duke, was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler of the championships. Ohio State’s Jesse Mendez was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Year, while the 133 lb category champion, Ben Davino, was selected as Big Ten Freshman of the Year. The head coach of Ohio State, Tom Ryan, was honored as the Big Ten Coach of the Year.
Read More:
Big Ten Wrestling Championships 2026: Day 1 Recap, Sunday’s Finals matchups, And How To Watch
Cael Sanderson’s Criticism Reshapes Big Ten Wrestling Seeds in Nittany Lions Favor
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