Updated March 20, 2026, 4:02 p.m. ET
- Penn State wrestler Josh Barr superior to the NCAA Championship semifinals.
- Barr is the one wrestler within the nation to win each match this season with a bonus-point victory.
- He is one in every of eight undefeated Nittany Lions wrestlers within the event.
- Barr’s teammate, Mitchell Mesenbrink, had his season-long bonus-point streak finish within the quarterfinals.
CLEVELAND — Josh Barr is now one-of-a-kind in the NCAA Championships and past.
The Penn State wrestling sophomore crushed his quarterfinal opponent Friday, March 20, in Rocket Arena. That not solely advances him to Saturday night time’s semifinals — one in every of eight Nittany Lions still undefeated — it makes him the one wrestler within the nation with a one hundred pc bonus fee this season.
Barr (22-0) is the nation’s solely wrestler to win each one in every of his matches by main choice (5), technical fall (12) or pin (5). He dominated Stanford freshman Angelo Posada Saturday afternoon, incomes his fifth tech fall in six postseason matches.
Penn State teammate Mitchell Mesenbrink had his season-long bonus streak stopped Saturday, solely profitable his quarterfinal match, 6-0, over North Carolina’s Bryce Hepner.
Barr actually is without doubt one of the most profitable and dominant wrestlers within the nation and possibly even a stronger candidate now for the Hodge Trophy, given to the nation’s high wrestler.
Barr, an NCAA finalist final yr, misplaced some early matches to damage and has not appeared to get as a lot publicity within the Hodge race as Mesenbrink or Ohio State 141-pound undefeated senior Jesse Mendez, a two-time nationwide champ.
Mesenbrink gained a nationwide title final yr at 165 kilos and has misplaced only one bout throughout his Penn State profession.
Barr will attempt to proceed that gorgeous scoring streak tonight in opposition to Wyoming’s Joey Novak (20-3).
Semifinal motion begins at 8 p.m.
Frank Bodani covers Penn State sports activities for the York Daily Record and USA Today Network. Contact him at fbodani@ydr.com and comply with him on X, previously often called Twitter, @YDRPennState.
