Penn State Wrestling Dominates Wyoming with Bonus-Point Barrage, Moves to 4-0
LARAMIE, WY - Penn State wrestling isn’t just winning - it’s putting on a show. The Nittany Lions rolled into Wyoming and delivered a statement performance Saturday night, overpowering the Cowboys 40-7 in front of a record-setting crowd of 4,686 fans at the UniWyo Sports Complex. With four pins, two technical falls, and wins in eight of ten bouts, Penn State didn’t just control the dual - it overwhelmed it.
This was a classic display of what makes Penn State a perennial powerhouse: relentless pressure, efficient finishes, and bonus points in bunches. The Nittany Lions racked up 16 bonus points in the dual, a number that tells you everything about their dominance on the mat.
Let’s break down how it happened.
Fast Starts and Fast Finishes
The dual opened at 125 pounds, and it didn’t take long for Penn State to set the tone. Braeden Lilledahl wasted no time, racking up points before finishing off a technical fall over Brendon Douglass in just 3:26 (18-3). That early aggression became a theme.
At 133, Marcus Blaze followed suit - but he didn’t need the full seven minutes. Blaze locked up a fall over Job Greenwood at 3:39, putting six more on the board for the Nittany Lions and igniting a run that Wyoming simply couldn’t stop.
Shayne Van Ness (149), P.J. Duke (157), and Mitchell Mesenbrink (165) each added pins of their own, with Mesenbrink’s coming in just two minutes flat. That’s three straight falls in the middle of the lineup, and it turned the dual from a competitive contest into a runaway.
By the time the dust settled, Penn State had won the first eight matches - and done it with style. The takedown count told a similar story: 20-8 in favor of the Nittany Lions, a clear indicator of their control in neutral.
Bonus Points Make the Difference
If there’s one thing that separates elite teams from the rest, it’s the ability to turn decisions into majors, majors into techs, and techs into pins. Penn State did all of that Saturday night.
In addition to the four pins, Lilledahl and Carter Haines (174) both added technical falls. Haines, in particular, was surgical in his 18-1 dismantling of Quayin Davis, ending the match at 4:50. Add it all up, and Penn State walked away with 16 bonus points - a staggering number in a dual setting.
At 141 and 184, Beau Desmond and Josh Welsh added solid decision wins to keep the momentum rolling. Desmond took an 11-4 decision over Wyatt Alden, while Welsh edged out Cole Neitenbach, 4-1.
Wyoming Finds Late Life
To their credit, the Cowboys didn’t go down without a fight. Wyoming picked up its only two wins at the back end of the dual, starting with a strong showing from Quayin Novak at 197 pounds. Novak secured a major decision over Connor Mirasola, giving Wyoming its first team points of the night.
At heavyweight, Hayden Carroll followed up with a 10-4 decision over another Mirasola brother - this time, Gavin - to close out the dual on a high note for the home team.
Still, it was too little, too late. The damage had been done early and often by a Penn State squad that looks every bit the national title contender.
What’s Next
With the win, Penn State improves to 4-0 on the season and now sets its sights on a loaded weekend at the Collegiate Duals in Nashville. The Nittany Lions will face North Dakota State at 5 p.m., followed by a matchup with Stanford at 7 p.m.
If Saturday night was any indication, Penn State isn’t just building momentum - it’s building a highlight reel. And the rest of the college wrestling world is officially on notice.