Eric Boggs
COLUMBUS, Ohio – In front of a sellout crowd of 4,494 at the Covelli Center, No. 8 Ohio State gave top-ranked Penn State everything it could handle before falling 27-13 in its final home dual of the season. The Buckeyes honored their senior class in a spirited effort that saw them take an early lead before the Nittany Lions pulled away late.
The night began with fireworks for Ohio State as redshirt sophomore Brendan McCrone shocked No. 7 Luke Lilledahl with a pin in just under four minutes at 125 pounds. The victory electrified the home crowd and put the Buckeyes up 6-0.
Penn State responded with three consecutive decisions, all tightly contested, before redshirt freshman Brandon Cannon delivered a dominant 10-1 major decision over Joseph Sealey at 157 pounds. With the win, Ohio State maintained a 10-9 lead at the halfway point.
However, the second half of the dual belonged to Penn State, which claimed five of the final six matches. No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (165), No. 1 Carter Starocci (184), and No. 3 Josh Barr (197) each secured technical falls, helping the Nittany Lions create separation. Despite the strong push from Penn State, heavyweight Nick Feldman closed out the night on a high note for Ohio State, earning a 10-3 decision over Cole Mirasola.
125 – No. 21 Brendan McCrone (OSU) def. No. 7 Luke Lilledahl (PSU) | Fall, 3:58
133 – No. 8 Braeden Davis (PSU) def. No. 11 Nic Bouzakis (OSU) | Decision, 8-5
141 – No. 3 Beau Bartlett (PSU) def. No. 1 Jesse Mendez (OSU) | Decision, 4-2
149 – No. 2 Shayne Van Ness (PSU) def. No. 7 Dylan D’Emilio (OSU) | Decision, 4-2
157 – Brandon Cannon (OSU) def. Joseph Sealey (PSU) | Major Decision, 10-1
165 – No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (PSU) def. Brock Herman (OSU) | Technical Fall, 19-4
174 – No. 2 Levi Haines (PSU) def. No. 5 Carson Kharchla (OSU) | Decision, 6-4
184 – No. 1 Carter Starocci (PSU) def. No. 18 Ryder Rogotzke (OSU) | Technical Fall, 22-7
197 – No. 3 Josh Barr (PSU) def. No. 23 Seth Shumate (OSU) | Technical Fall, 20-5
HWT – No. 9 Nick Feldman (OSU) def. Cole Mirasola (PSU) | Decision, 10-3
With the dual season now complete, Ohio State turns its focus to the 2025 Big Ten Championships, set for March 8-9 at Northwestern’s Welsh-Ryan Arena. The Buckeyes will aim to build on their strong performances and make a statement on the conference stage.
