#1 Penn State will welcome #2 Ohio State to the Bryce Jordan Center on Friday, February 13 for what has the potential to be the dual of the year! This match will go down at 7:00 pm (ET) and will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network. Before the action goes down, check out the article below for a full preview, with predictions, for this incredible dual!
Ohio State vs Penn State Probable Lineups
125: #1 Luke Lilledahl, Penn State vs #4 Nic Bouzakis, Ohio State
133: #4 Marcus Blaze, Penn State vs #2 Ben Davino, Ohio State
141: #13 Braeden Davis, Penn State vs #1 Jesse Mendez, Ohio State
149: #1 Shayne Van Ness, Penn State vs #9 Ethan Stiles, Ohio State
157: #4 PJ Duke, Penn State vs Landon Desselle/Daxton Chase, Ohio State
165: #1 Mitchell Mesenbrink, Penn State vs #14 Paddy Gallagher, Ohio State
174: #1 Levi Haines, Penn State vs #5 Carson Kharchla, Ohio State
184: #1 Rocco Welsh, Penn State vs #8 Dylan Fishback, Ohio State
197: #1 Josh Barr, Penn State vs #11 Luke Geog, Ohio State
285: #8 Cole Mirasola, Penn State vs #3 Nick Feldman, Ohio State
125: #1 Luke Lilledahl, Penn State vs #4 Nic Bouzakis, Ohio State
In a dual filled with highly anticipated individual matchups, Lilledahl vs Bouzakis has the potential to be the match of the night. Both wrestlers have established themselves as NCAA title threats this year and have been incredibly impressive. Bouzakis is 12-1 on the year with his only loss coming against teammate Brendan McCrone. Similarly, Lilledahl is 15-1 with his only loss also coming to a teammate – Nate Desmond.
The similarities between Bouzakis and Lilledahl don’t stop there. They’re both Wyoming Seminary graduates, so there may be a familiarity factor. They’ve also both been dominant against high-level competition. Bouzkais has ranked wins over #6 Dean Peterson, #27 Diego Sotelo, #33 Kael Lauridsen, #14 Jacob Moran, #9 Maximo Renteria, #11 Stevo Poulin, and #12 Jore Volk. Even with that tough schedule, Bouzakis boasts a 62% bonus rate with 3 pins, 3 techs, and 2 majors. Lilledahl has ranked wins over #27 Diego Sotelo, #14 Jacob Moran, #29 Dedrick Navarro, #6 Dean Peterson, #22 Ayden Smith, #10 Nico Provo, #26 Ezekiel Witt, and #30 Conrad Hendriksent. Lilledahl currently holds a 69% bonus rate with 1 pin, 8 techs, and 2 majors.
How will this play out on the mat? This matchup is a true test between the power of Bouzakis and the speed of Lilledahl. This year, Bouzakis has overwhelmed his opponents early in most of his matches. Dropping from 133, the strength advantage Bouzakis holds over his opponents is clear, and he often uses that by putting his opponents on their backs in the first period. On the other side of things, Lilledahl is known for his speed and technique. He has elite leg attacks and has only given up 2 takedowns this year. I’m picking Lilledahl to win on Friday night – I think he’ll be able to withstand the early onslaught from Bouzakis and get to his offense as the match unfolds.
Bouzakis’ win over Stevo Poulin in December:
Luke Lilledahl’s win over Nico Provo in December:
125 lbs Prediction: Lilledahl by decision
Team score prediction: Penn State 3, Ohio State 0
133: #4 Marcus Blaze, Penn State vs #2 Ben Davino, Ohio State
If Bouzakis-Lilledahl isn’t the match of the night, then Blaze-Davino will be. These two have a rivalry dating back to 2016, when they first wrestled against each other at 60 pounds in the finals of the Indy Nationals. Since then, Blaze and Davino have wrestled four times in the past years, with Blaze winning the last three matches (1 at the 2025 US Open and 2 at the 2024 U20 US Open). However, it’s worth noting that Davino is the last wrestler to defeat Blaze in folkstyle, winning 3-2 in overtime at the 2023 Ironman.
Davino’s win over Blaze from the 2023 Ironman:
Aside from their history, both Davino and Blaze are having outstanding years and are title contenders this year in a deep 133-pound field. Davino is currently 22-0 with a 63% bonus rate (1 pin, 12 techs, and 1 major), while Blaze is 17-0 with a 88% bonus rate (4 pins, 6 techs, and 5 majors). Everything about this matchup suggests that it should be ultra-competitive, with a good chance that it’s decided by a takedown or less. I’m picking Blaze to come out on top in this one. I think his positioning and defense will be the difference here, and I could see Blaze getting an early takedown and then holding on for a 4-2 or 4-3 win.
133 lbs Prediction: Blaze by decision
Team score prediction: Penn State 6, Ohio State 0
Blaze vs Davino from 2016:
History of Blaze vs Davino:
141: #13 Braeden Davis, Penn State vs #1 Jesse Mendez, Ohio State
Two-time NCAA champ Jesse Mendez will be the clear favorite against All-American Braeden Davis. Mendez is putting together the best year of his career with a 17-0 record and a 88% bonus rate (4 pins, 8 techs, and 3 majors). While Davis has been solid all year, his losses to Nasir Bailey and Brock Hardy suggest Mendez will win this one convincingly.
141 lbs Prediction: Mendez by tech fall
Team score prediction: Penn State 6, Ohio State 5
149: #1 Shayne Van Ness, Penn State vs #9 Ethan Stiles, Ohio State
If Ohio State wants to win this dual, 149 pounds is a match they might need to steal from Penn State. On paper, Van Ness is obviously the big favorite over Stiles. Van Ness is undefeated on the year with a 17-0 record with an 82% bonus rate. On the other side of things, Siles is 13-4 on the year with losses to Joseph Zargo, Jacob Frost, Caleb Tyus, and Jaxon Joy. Van Ness has outstanding offense from his feet and wrestles a relentless pace that no one has been able to match yet this season.
The path to victory for Stiles looks fairly narrow, but he does have a unique style that could present some challenges for Van Ness. Stiles is really good in scramble positions and incredibly tricky to finish on. Stiles may be able to slow Van Ness’ offense down and use his counter offense to frustrate Van Ness. However, that’s much easier said than done, and I don’t think Stiles defense is good enough to stop Van Ness’ offense. In fact, Van Ness pinned Stiles last yeat at the NCAA Tournament. I favor Van Ness to win again on Friday night and don’t think it will be that close.
149 lbs Prediction: Van Ness by decision
Team score prediction: Penn State 9, Ohio State 5
157: #4 PJ Duke, Penn State vs Landon Desselle/Daxton Chase, Ohio State
Unfortunately, #1 Brandon Cannon has been dealing with an injury and is not listed in Ohio State’s probables for the dual against Penn State. Because of that, I expect PJ Duke to dominate whoever he wrestles on Friday night and win by at least a major.
157 lbs Prediction: Duke by tech fall
Team score prediction: Penn State 14, Ohio State 5
165: #1 Mitchell Mesenbrink, Penn State vs #14 Paddy Gallagher, Ohio State
Mitchell Mesenbrink has been on a tear this year with a 17-0 record and a 100% bonus rate – 7 pins, 7 techs, 2 majors, and 1 forfeit. While Paddy Gallagher has been solid all year, he’s also suffered losses to Andrew Sparks, Connor Euton, Will Denny, and Michael Caliendo. Another bonus point win seems inevitable here for Mesenbrink.
165 lbs Prediction: Mesenbrink by tech fall
Team score prediction: Penn State 19, Ohio State 5
174: #1 Levi Haines, Penn State vs #5 Carson Kharchla, Ohio State
Levi Haines and Carson Kharchla have wrestled once in their college careers – last season, where Haines won 6-4. Though Haines got the victory, Kharchla was impressive in defeat. Kharcla secured a first-period takedown and carried a 4-2 lead in the third before Haines earned a takedown with 1:20 left in the match and rode out Kharchla to win.
Even with as competitive as that bout was, it’d be a huge upset if Kharhcla wins on Friday night. Haines is the clear favorite to win an NCAA title this year, having made significant improvements since last year, highlighted by his senior world silver medal and dominance this year. Haines is currently 17-0 this season with an 82% bonus rate (4 pins, 8 techs, and 2 majors). I expect Haines to win a close over Kharchla on Friday.
Levi Haines’ win over Carson Kharchla from last season:
174 lbs Prediction: Haines by decision
Team score prediction: Penn State 22, Ohio State 5
184: #1 Rocco Welsh, Penn State vs #8 Dylan Fishback, Ohio State
Similar to 149, if Ohio State wants to have a chance to win this match, they will likely need Dylan Fishback to pull off the upset here over Rocco Welsh. The case for Fishback in this matchup is that he’s pushed some of the best guys in this weight class to overtime matches – Angelo Ferrari, Max McEnelly (twice), Silas Allred, and Gabe Arnold. The downside of that argument is that Fishback has lost all of those matches aside from the match against Gabe Arnold.
On the other side of things, Welsh has only won his close matches this year. He defeated Angelo Ferrari in overtime and secured controlling victories over Brock Mantanona (8-1) and Silas Allred (14-5). Welsh has the edge here against Fishback, and while there’s a decent chance we could see this match go to overtime, Welsh has the potential to win this in regular time by a takedown or two.
184 lbs Prediction: Welsh by decision
Team score prediction: Penn State 25, Ohio State 5
197: #1 Josh Barr, Penn State vs #11 Luke Geog, Ohio State
Josh Barr has looked every bit like the top-ranked wrestler in the country this season. Though he was an NCAA finalist last year and had an outstanding freshman season, he’s jumped levels this year. He’s 14-0 with a 100% bonus rate (4 pins, 7 techs, and 3 majors). Barr is relentless in his attacks, and no one in the country has been able to withstand his pace. I don’t expect things to be different for Barr against Geog on Friday night. Geog has been good all year, but his losses to Rocky Elam (9-0) and Joey Novak (7-0) prove he’s a clear level or two behind the best guys at 197.
197 lbs Prediction: Barr by major decision
Team score prediction: Penn State 29, Ohio State 5
285: #8 Cole Mirasola, Penn State vs #3 Nick Feldman, Ohio State
The bout at heavyweight should be a fantastic one between two of the more offensive big men in the country. On paper, Feldman is the favorite. Feldman defeated Mirasola 10-3 last season and has victories this year over Christian Carrroll and AJ Ferrari, who both defeated Mirasola this year. However, Cole Mirasola has continued to improve and has shown flashes of high-level offense. He’s athletic for a heavyweight and willing to open things up more than many guys at the weight. When he gets to his leg attacks cleanly, he can score.
The big question for me in this one is whether or not Mirasola will be able to cleanly get to his offense against Feldman. Mirasola really struggled against Christian Carroll earlier this year, and in many ways, Feldman is a better version of Carroll. Because of that, Feldman is my pick on Friday night, but I’m really interested to see how Mirasola performs.
Feldman’s win over Cole Mirasola from last season:
285 lbs Prediction: Feldman by decision
Final team score prediction: Penn State 29, Ohio State 8
Does Ohio State Have Any Chance To Defeat Penn State?
Though I predicted Penn State to win by 21 points, there is a path to victory for Ohio State…but that path is a narrow one. For the Buckeyes to win the dual, their most likely path is winning at 125, 133, 141, 149, 184, and 285. That means winning two toss-up matches (125 and 133) and pulling off two big upsets (149 and 184). If that happens, it won’t be the craziest thing to happen in the history of college wrestling, but it will be pretty shocking to wrestling fans everywhere. Regardless of how the dual plays out, or if Ohio State pulls off the upset, this should be an amazing dual to watch from start to finish!
