WEST POINT, NY. — It might have been called the Army Black Knight Invitational, but it was ruled by the Penn State Nittany Lions on Sunday.

Penn State sent a total of 22 wrestlers to the event and crowned champions at nine of the ten individual titles, sharing three of them as the Nittany Lions dominated the field. All 22 Nittany Lions earned victories and all but four placed at the event.

Mitchell Mesenbrink was named the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler as he captured the title at 165 pounds. Mesenbrink won his title with four technical falls, including beating Army’s Gunner Filipowicz in the final, 17-2.

At 125, Luke Lillehahl took top honors as did Beau Bartlett (141), Shayne Van Ness (149), Tyler Kasak (157), Mitchell Mesenbrink (165), Levi Haines and Matt Lee (174), Carter Starocci and Zack Ryder (174), Josh Barr (197) and Greg Kerkvliet and Cole Mirasola (at 285).

Lilledahl opened with a bye but rolled through the bracket with a pair of technical falls, including a 19-4 decision over Army’s Charlie Farmer in the final. Lilledahl also won 8-2 over Nittany Lion teammate Kurt McHenry in the semifinals.

Van Ness was also overpowering at 149, with two technical and a major decision. His second technical came against Columbia’s Richard Fedalen in the final, 19-4.

At 141, Bartlett dominated the field as well with two technicals and a decision before overpowering George Washington’s Todd Carter 16-1 for the title. After two technical and a major decision, Kasak’s toughest test came against Nittany Lion teammate Alex Facundo, 5-2, at 157.

In other bouts, Haines and Lee were declared co-champions and didn’t wrestle in the final as did Starocci and Ryder at 174 and Kerkvliet and Mirasola at 285.

Haines notched a fall in 3:36 to go with a pair of tech falls, while Lee had a bye, tech fall and 5-4 decision over Army’s Dalton Harkins in the semis.

Starocci sandwiched wins over Columbia’s Spencer Fine 7-0 and Michigan State’s Lucas Daly 10-0 around a tech fall over Army’s Cole Karpinski. Kerkvliet didn’t concede a point in his three bouts, while Mirasola won a major and a pair of decisions.

Barr made a strong statement at 197, defeating teammate Lucas Cochran for a 10-1 major decision. He earned a trip to the final with a pair of decisions and a major.

At 133, Braeden Davis did not wrestle, which is the only weight class the Nittany Lions did not win. Fourth-seeded Gary Steen, of Penn State, dropped an 8-5 decision to Takeo Davis, of George Washington, in the quarterfinals.

UP NEXT

Top-ranked Penn State returns to action on Sunday, Dec. 8, when they visit Lehigh for a 2 p.m. dual in Bethlehem.