No. 13 Illinois (9-3, 4-3) will close out its season against No. 1 Penn State (13-0, 7-0) on Sunday in Huff Hall. The Nittany Lions have dominated college wrestling, winning 11 of the last 13 national championships. Even with all their previous success, this year’s squad is widely considered one of the best in program history.
Every Penn State wrestler is ranked in the top eight of their respective weight class. In fact, three athletes hold the No. 1 spot in their category. Having put together a strong season of its own, Illinois will battle one of the toughest lineups in NCAA wrestling history and try to come away with an upset victory.
A look at Illinois’ year
After two blowout wins against unranked Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and Binghamton, Illinois conquered its first real test against No. 21 Arizona State with a dominant 37-6 win. The team then followed that performance with what may have been the highlight of its season — an impressive upset over No. 6 Missouri.
Next, Illinois added two more ranked wins against No. 23 North Carolina and No. 28 Indiana. With this, the Illini closed out 2024 with a perfect 6-0 start, the program’s best since 2015-16. However, 2025 has been a bit of a different story for the Illini.
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Though Illinois secured three commanding wins against No. 29 Maryland, Northwestern and No. 27 Purdue, it struggled mightily against top-ranked teams. It faltered against No. 2 Iowa and No. 5 Ohio State, signaling a potential challenge ahead as it prepares for the top program on Sunday.
Penn State’s dominance
Penn State’s power has been well-documented, and for good reason. Not only has it won every dual this season by at least 20 points, but it’s also remained unbeaten since 2022. Head coach Cael Sanderson, often regarded as the greatest wrestler of all time, has made a case for the greatest coach of all time, too.
Key matchups
With Penn State’s dominance clear, the focus now turns to the key matchups that will define Sunday’s dual. Illinois will need strong performances across the board to keep pace with this all-time Penn State team.
Illinois’ success must stem from two-time All-American, No. 4 133-pound and redshirt senior Lucas Byrd. His 14-1 record leads the team overall. He also holds eight decision wins and four major decision wins, setting him apart from other starters. Byrd matches up well against sophomore Braeden Davis, where his experience will be crucial in securing a win.
Next is redshirt freshman Braeden Scoles, who has exceeded expectations in his rookie campaign with a 13-2 record. He leads the team in falls and dual points, which will be essential for Illinois’ success. However, he’ll face a tough challenge in No. 1 165-pound and sophomore Mitchell Mesenbrink.
Lastly, redshirt senior Edmond Ruth can rebound from his up-and-down senior season. After finishing 26-4, being named an All-American and winning the Big Ten at 174 pounds, expectations were sky-high for Ruth entering his final year at Illinois. While he has been solid at 10-5, he hasn’t quite taken his game to the next level, as many predicted
The potential is there, and he must tap into it to take down graduate student Carter Starocci. Starocci is making a case to be one of the greatest college wrestlers of all time as he aims for a fifth straight national championship to close out his career.
What’s next?
Penn State wraps up the regular season schedule for Illinois. After that, Illinois only has the Big Ten and NCAA championships left to play.
At No. 7 in the conference, seeding is pretty much locked up for the Illini in the Big Ten championships. With a loss, they can finish as low as seventh, while a win could get them up to fifth.
