After shutting out Indiana inside of Rec Hall on Friday, No. 1 Penn State faces a quick turnaround to College Park, Maryland, for a Saturday evening showdown with the No. 29 Terrapins.
The dual was originally scheduled for Sunday afternoon, but due to the impending arrival of Winter Storm Fern, the contest at the Schanwald Center was moved to 5 p.m. on Saturday.
As a result of the rescheduling, the broadcast has been moved from Big Ten Network to Big Ten Plus, which is free to watch all weekend throughout the snowstorm.
Maryland is a similar opponent to Indiana in that it’s a lower-tier Big Ten opponent that a Penn State lineup, featuring six No. 1 wrestlers, should be expected to cruise through in time to beat the snow back to State College.
125: No. 1 Luke Lilledahl (PSU) vs. Presden Sanchez (UMD)
Table of Contents
- 125: No. 1 Luke Lilledahl (PSU) vs. Presden Sanchez (UMD)
- 133: No. 4 Marcus Blaze (PSU) vs. No. 15 Braxton Brown (UMD)
- 141: No. 11 Braeden Davis (PSU) vs. Dario Lemus (UMD)
- 149: No. 1 Shayne Van Ness (PSU) vs. No. 7 Carter Young (UMD)
- 157: No. 3 PJ Duke (PSU) vs. Michael Pizzuto (UMD)
- 165: No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (PSU) vs. AJ Rodriguez (UMD)
- 174: No. 1 Levi Haines (PSU) vs. Seth Digby (UMD)
- 184: No. 1 Rocco Welsh (PSU) vs. Sepanta Ahanj-Elias (UMD)
- 197: No. 1 Josh Barr (PSU) vs. No. 13 Branson John (UMD)
- 285: No. 12 Cole Mirasola (PSU) vs. Joey Schneck (UMD)
Both Luke Lilledahl and Presden Sanchez are coming off matches with Indiana’s Jacob Moran. Sanchez suffered a tech fall in his bout, while Lilledahl secured a pin.
Sanchez is 0-4 in his redshirt freshman campaign while Lilledahl doesn’t have an official loss on his record this season. Lilledahl should make quick work of the opening match.
133: No. 4 Marcus Blaze (PSU) vs. No. 15 Braxton Brown (UMD)
One of three ranked matches on the card sees freshman sensation Marcus Blaze challenge three-time NCAA qualifier Braxton Brown.
Brown is 13-4 on the season, but none of his wins have come against top-16 opponents. Blaze is arguably the best competition he’s faced this season.
Blaze is looking to continue his perfect season against Brown. The freshman is 3-0 with two-bonus point matches against opponents ranked higher than Brown this season.
141: No. 11 Braeden Davis (PSU) vs. Dario Lemus (UMD)
Similarly to Brown, Dario Lemus has yet to defeat a top-16 opponent this season. Lemus is 12-7 and is on pace for his first year wrestling attached with a record above .500.
However, Braeden Davis has been improving rapidly since returning to the lineup for Penn State and scored 24 points in a victory on Friday. Davis should control the pace in this match.
149: No. 1 Shayne Van Ness (PSU) vs. No. 7 Carter Young (UMD)
The highest ranked match of the dual comes at 149 pounds between Shayne Van Ness and Carter Young. This is the only top-10 match on the card.
Young transferred into Maryland from Oklahoma State after going 10-10 in his first season under head coach David Taylor. He has upped his output to an 8-1 record in 2025-26.
Young has also beat both top-16 competitors he’s faced and now tests himself against the top-ranked athlete in the weight class.
Van Ness is undefeated on the season, but Young is a higher level of competition than he has faced. Van Ness’ pace can be matched by Young, so expect a lower-scoring match than Van Ness is accustomed to.
157: No. 3 PJ Duke (PSU) vs. Michael Pizzuto (UMD)
Michael Pizzuto is a redshirt sophomore with multiple accolades off the mat, including academic all-Big Ten honors. However, on the mat, Pizzuto is .500 in his collegiate career and hasn’t shown the ability to compete with world-class opponents.
Duke is just that, especially after receiving his World Championship ring on Friday from USA wrestling after competing in the U20 World Championship event this past summer. His last two matches have ended prior to the third round and that trend should continue against Maryland.
165: No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (PSU) vs. AJ Rodriguez (UMD)
What more needs to be said about Mitchell Mesenbrink other than he is a bonus-point machine. He secured a pin on Friday night and will look to match that effort Saturday.
AJ Rodriguez is another Terrapin whose record is floating narrowly above an even showing and has yet to face a top-20 opponent. Mesenbrink will be an evening wake up call for Rodriguez.
174: No. 1 Levi Haines (PSU) vs. Seth Digby (UMD)
Continuing up Penn state’s murderers row is another mismatch for U23 World Champion Levi Haines. Haines hasn’t lost since last season’s NCAA finals, and 2-7 freshman Seth Digby isn’t likely to break that trend.
184: No. 1 Rocco Welsh (PSU) vs. Sepanta Ahanj-Elias (UMD)
Another freshman for the Terrapins, Sepanta Ahanj-Elias bounces between 184 and 197 for Maryland. Going up against the No. 1 in a weight class that involves a heavy cut is a bad sign for the red singlet.
Ahnaj-Elias is coming off of a major-decision loss to Sam Goin, who Rocco Welsh defeated on Friday. Welsh should have an easy Saturday retaining his No. 1 spot.
197: No. 1 Josh Barr (PSU) vs. No. 13 Branson John (UMD)
This match features more intrigue than expected at the start of the year, as Branson John has become Maryland’s most improved competitor this season.
After scratching into the NCAA tournament last season, John is firmly in contention with a 19-3 record. While he doesn’t have any major victories on his record, he has won via bonus points in half of his matches this year.
Josh Barr immediately regained his No. 1 ranking since returning and has been churning ever since. He’s seen close matchups as of late and this has the makings of another tense affair.
285: No. 12 Cole Mirasola (PSU) vs. Joey Schneck (UMD)
Closing out the dual will be Cole Mirasola against Joey Schneck. So far, every time Mirasola faces an unranked opponent, he completes the job in the blink of an eye. Schneck fits that mold perfectly at 5-5.
Mirasola shouldn’t struggle against Schneck.
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