Michigan
Penn State
Ghadiali Victorious in Wolverines' Defeat to No. 1 Penn State
2/6/2026 9:18:00 PM | Wrestling
» No. 10 Michigan dropped a 38-3 dual to top-ranked Penn State in its home finale at Crisler Center.
» Taye Ghadiali earned a 5-1 decision over 12th-ranked Cole Mirasola in the final bout at heavyweight with a single-leg takedown late in the second and 1:04 riding-time advantage.
» Cameron Catrabone (157) scored first and led late in an 8-5 loss to No. 4 PJ Duke; Brock Mantanona (184) also dropped an 8-1 decision in a top-10 matchup against No. 1 Rocco Welsh.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 10-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team fell 38-3 to No. 1 Penn State on Friday evening (Feb. 6) in front of 6,131 fans in its home finale at Crisler Center. It was the Wolverines' first home defeat of the season.
Graduate student Taye Ghadiali, ranked fifth at heavyweight in the latest InterMat poll, earned the Wolverines' lone victory with a 5-1 decision against Cole Mirasola in the final bout. After a scoreless first period, Ghadiali rode for riding-time advantage -- he finished with 1:04 -- then converted on a late reattack single and rode out the second. It was Ghadiali's eighth win over a ranked opponent and third in Big Ten competition.
The Nittany Lions, whose lineup featured six No. 1-ranked wrestlers, used back-to-back technical falls at 125 and 133 pounds to set the tone and jump out to a big early lead.
Michigan came up just short in two bouts before the intermission break with graduate student Dylan Ragusin and redshirt freshman Cameron Catrabone losing by just a score apiece at 141 and 157 pounds, respectively.
Ragusin, ranked 26th, fell 8-5 in overtime to Nate Desmond in sudden victory after just missing on chances late in the third and in the deciding overtime scramble. Desmond struck first with a counter takedown in the second, but Ragusin pulled ahead with a stall point, reversal and rideout. Ragusin briefly had the Nittany Lion on his back after a PSU high-crotch attempt, but lost position as Desmond powered through for the takedown.
Catrabone, ranked 13th nationally, scored first and led late in a 12-10 defeat to fourth-ranked PJ Duke. He scored two takedowns in the bout -- the first given up by Duke this season -- with an early single leg in the first period and another midway through the third to take a late 9-7 lead. Duke escaped quickly, however, and finished on a single on his own with 35 seconds left. Catrabone escaped but could not penetrate Duke's defense in the waning seconds.
Redshirt freshman Brock Mantanona, ranked seventh at 184 pounds, dropped an 8-1 defeat to top-ranked Rocco Welsh in the other decision loss of the night. Mantanona had a chance on an early ankle-pick attempt, but Welsh scooted out and then scored takedowns late in the first and third frames.
The Wolverines (8-4, 4-2 Big Ten) will wrap up their Big Ten Conference slate with a pair of road duals next weekend. Michigan will take on Iowa on Friday (Feb. 13) at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City; the dual is slated for an 8 p.m. CT start on Big Ten Network. Michigan will travel to Madison to face Wisconsin at 1 p.m. CT at the UW Field House.
No. 1 Penn State 38, No. 10 Michigan 3
Individual rankings by InterMat
125 -- #1 Luke Lilledahl (PSU) tech. fall #25 Diego Sotelo, 21-5 (5:06) -- PSU, 5-0
133 -- #4 Marcus Blaze (PSU) tech. fall Gauge Botero, 17-2 (4:41) -- PSU, 10-0
141 -- Nate Desmond (PSU) dec. #26 Dylan Ragusin, 8-5 SV -- PSU, 13-0
149 -- #1 Shayne Van Ness (PSU) major dec. #13 Lachlan McNeil, 9-1 -- PSU, 17-0
157 -- #4 PJ Duke (PSU) dec. #13 Cameron Catrabone, 12-10 -- PSU, 20-0
165 -- #1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (PSU) tech. fall Justin Gates, 20-5 (6:34) -- PSU, 25-0
174 -- #1 Levi Haines (PSU) dec. #11 Beau Mantanona, 19-4 (6:57) -- PSU, 30-0
184 -- #1 Rocco Welsh (PSU) dec. #7 Brock Mantanona, 8-1 -- PSU, 33-0
197 -- #1 Josh Barr (PSU) tech. fall #20 Hayden Walters, 19-4 (6:50) -- PSU, 38-0
Hwt -- #5 Taye Ghadiali (U-M) dec. #12 Cole Mirasola, 5-1 -- PSU, 38-3
Players Mentioned
