UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; March 6, 2026 – The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team (15-0, 8-0 B1G), under the direction of head coach Cael Sanderson, will have seven top seeds at the 2026 Big Ten Championships, which Penn State will host in the Bryce Jordan Center on Saturday and Sunday, March 7-8. The Nittany Lions will have eight first round byes thanks to eight total top two seeds (seven first, one second). All individual rankings listed are InterMat as of Feb. 24, 2026.
Sophomore Luke Lilledahl, ranked No. 1 at 125 by InterMat, heads to the 2026 Big Ten Championships with a 17-0 record. Lilledahl will be the No. 1 seed and will have a first round bye.
True freshman Marcus Blaze, ranked No. 2 at 133, heads to the event with a 19-0 mark. Blaze will be the No. 1 seed and will have a first round bye.
Junior Braeden Davis, ranked No. 14 at 141, is 9-3 heading to Big Tens. Davis is the No. 6 seed and will meet 11th-seed Dario Lemus of Maryland in the first round.
Junior Shayne Van Ness, ranked No. 1 at 149, owns an 18-0 record. Van Ness is the No. 1 seed and will have a first round bye.
True freshman PJ Duke, ranked No. 4 at 157, enters his first Big Ten tourney 16-1 overall. Duke is the No. 2 seed and will face 13th-seed Mekhi Neal of Maryland.
Junior Mitchell Mesenbrink, ranked No. 1 at 165, is 19-0 entering the weekend. Mesenbrink will be the No. 1 seed and will have a first round bye.
Senior Levi Haines, ranked No. 1 at 174, is 18-0 entering his final Big Ten Championship. Haines is the No. 1 seed and will have a first round bye.
Sophomore Rocco Welsh, ranked No. 1 at 184, heads to the tournament with a 17-0 mark. Welsh is the No. 1 seed and will have a first round bye.
Sophomore Josh Barr, ranked No. 1 at 197, enters the tournament at 16-0. Barr is the No. 1 seed and will have a first round bye.
Redshirt freshman Cole Mirasola, ranked No. 5 at 285, is 14-4 heading to his first Big Ten tourney. Mirasola is the No. 4 seed and will take on 13th-seed Gabe Christenson of Northwestern.
The 2026 Big Ten Championships are set for Saturday and Sunday, March 7-8, in the Bryce Jordan Center. Action begins with two sessions on Saturday, one at 10 a.m. and one at 5 p.m. The event concludes with a final combined session on Sunday starting at 12 p.m. (consolation finals/7th place rounds followed by the finals/3rd/5th place bouts). The Nittany Lions close out the regular season 15-0 overall, 8-0 in the Big Ten, and as the 2026 Big Ten Regular Season Champions.
Penn State Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via X/twitter at @pennstateWREST, on Penn State Wrestling’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/pennstatewrest. The Family Clothesline is the presenting sponsor for the 2025-26 Nittany Lion wrestling season. This is PENN STATE. WRESTLING lives here.
