Penn State wasted no time making its point to open the 2026-27 season, rolling past Bloomsburg for its 87th straight dual meet victory at Rec Hall.
The Nittany Lions controlled the night from the start and kept piling up bonus points as the lineup moved through the weights. By the end, the result was never in doubt.
At 125, Lilledahl struck almost immediately, shooting in for a takedown in the first 20 seconds. He built a 6-2 lead before stretching it further with another takedown and then finished the match with a 19-4 win after dominating the second period.
Penn State kept the pressure on at 133, where Ono jumped out to a 12-3 lead in just 78 seconds. He kept adding points from there, including a takedown at the buzzer to set up a tech-fall position. Pollard kept battling in the third, but Ono finished with a 20-9 win.
The only early setback for Penn State came at 141, where Hayden Cunningham got the start with Marcus Blaze still moving to a new weight and Nate Desmond scratched from the weigh-in. Cunningham and Scotty Johnson battled through a scoreless opening period before Johnson took control in the second and third periods, finishing with a 7-1 win.
Penn State answered right back at 149. No. 4 Shayne Van Ness needed just 1:26 to put away Jay Chase, scoring a single-leg takedown a minute in before securing the pin.
The first half of the dual closed with No. 2 Tyler Kasak making his first dual meet appearance in almost two years at 157. Kasak grabbed an early takedown, rode well, and held off Michael Turi for an 8-1 win.
At 165, No. 1 PJ Duke made his first appearance at the weight and looked comfortable from the jump. He took down Morgan Schwarz in 36 seconds, kept scoring from neutral, and powered to a 21-6 tech fall.
No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink followed at 174 in his first bout at the weight after winning two national titles and a Hodge Trophy at 165. He led 9-2 after the first period, kept extending the margin, and secured the tech fall early in the third to clinch the team win for Penn State.
The bonus-point parade continued at 184, where No. 2 Rocco Welsh posted another tech fall.
Then at 197, the scoreboard kept moving with another tech-fall result for Welsh, listed as No. 1 Rocco Welsh, against Wyatt Bush.
Heavyweight brought the final major decision of the night. Connor Mirasola got the edge early against No. 28 Mason Rebuck, built a 9-3 lead in the first period, and closed out a 13-4 major decision even after Bloomsburg briefly challenged a late takedown.
Penn State now heads on the road to face Oklahoma. That dual meet is set for 8 on ESPN+.
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