NASHVILLE — In a dominant display of wrestling prowess, the Penn State Nittany Lions overwhelmed Little Rock by a score of 44-0 at Ensworth Frist Campus on December 22, 2024. The Nittany Lions controlled the action from start to finish in this key matchup.

Early Nittany Lions Momentum

The action began at 125 pounds where Luke Lilledahl (Penn State) won by decision (9-3) to give the home team an early lead at Penn State 3, Little Rock 0. At 133 pounds, Braeden Davis (Penn State) secured a decision victory (1-0), extending the home team's advantage at Penn State 6, Little Rock 0. At 141 pounds, Beau Bartlett (Penn State) secured a pin in 5:23, extending the home team's advantage at Penn State 12, Little Rock 0.

Key Middle Bouts

The momentum firmly shifted to Nittany Lions beginning at 125 pounds, as the home team put together a crucial streak of 10 consecutive victories. At 125 pounds, Luke Lilledahl earned a decision, followed by Braeden Davis with a decision at 133 pounds, followed by Beau Bartlett with a pin at 141 pounds, followed by Shayne Van Ness with a pin at 149 pounds, followed by Tyler Kasak with a decision at 157 pounds, followed by Mitchell Mesenbrink with a technical fall at 165 pounds, followed by Levi Haines with a technical fall at 174 pounds, followed by Carter Starocci with a technical fall at 184 pounds, followed by Josh Barr with a decision at 197 pounds, and at 285 pounds, Greg Kerkvliet capped the run with a technical fall, pushing the score to Penn State 44, Little Rock 0.

Sealing the Victory

With the team victory already secured for Penn State, at 184 pounds, Carter Starocci (Penn State) dominated with a tech fall in 5:35 (17-1), followed by Josh Barr at 197 pounds who earned a decision (4-1), In the final bout at 285 pounds, Greg Kerkvliet secured a technical fall in 1:40 (15-0), making the final score Penn State 44, Little Rock 0.

Takedown Statistics

In the takedown battle, Penn State led with a 18 takedown advantage. Overall, Penn State finished with 20 takedowns to Little Rock's 2. Beau Bartlett (Penn State) led all wrestlers with 5 takedowns, followed by Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn State) with 4 takedowns and Carter Starocci (Penn State) with 4 takedowns.

Bout-by-Bout Analysis