Ben Davino and Jesse Mendez are Big Ten champions.
Ohio State’s 133 and 141-pound wrestlers won their divisions on Sunday, helping the Buckeyes compete with top-ranked Penn State for a Big Ten crown.
In a battle of future Big Ten stars, Davino defeated Penn State’s Marcus Blaze in a tiebreaker. Blaze went 19-0 in the regular season with a 15-0 record in duals, but Davino took him the distance, beating the NCAA’s top-ranked 133-pound wrestler via riding time in the second tiebreaker period.
133 | DAVINO IS A B1G TEN CHAMPION #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/wxpBOWbyJI
— Ohio State Wrestling (@wrestlingbucks) March 8, 2026
Already a Big Ten champion (2024) and two-time NCAA champion (2024 and 2025), Mendez added another conference title to his résumé on Sunday, defeating Nebraska’s Brock Hardy in a 7-2 decision. Mendez, who beat Hardy via a major decision earlier this season, started and ended the match on the offensive, securing both of the bout’s takedowns in a dominant performance.
HE HAS ALWAYS BEEN TOUGHER…THAT’S IT
Mendez is 141s Big Ten Champ #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/LEAhvJdFtF
— Ohio State Wrestling (@wrestlingbucks) March 8, 2026
With a Big Ten title now secured, Mendez turns his attention to the NCAA Championships, where he will look to join Ohio State legends such as Logan Stieber and Kyle Snyder as Buckeyes to win three national titles (Stieber won four). If he accomplishes that feat, Mendez will have a strong case to win The Dan Hodge Trophy, college wrestling’s version of the Heisman Trophy, presented to the sport’s top competitor.
Ethan Stiles also wrestled in a championship match on Sunday, facing Penn State’s Shayne Van Ness in the 149-pound final. While the All-Americans traded blows in the opening period, neither scored points. However, Van Ness opened the second frame firing and caught Stiles out of position before pinning him to the mat.
Several Buckeyes were set to wrestle for bronze on Sunday, including Nic Bouzakis (125), Brandon Cannon (157), Carson Kharchla (174), Luke Geog (197) and Nick Feldman (HWT). At the time of this article’s posting, Bouzakis had claimed his bronze medal, while Cannon, Kharchla, Geog and Feldman waited for their matches.
Penn State led the Big Ten Championships with a record 184.5 team points. Ohio State finished in second place with 148.5 points, while Nebraska (116.5), Iowa (87) and Michigan (86.5) rounded out the top five.
