Claiming another 2-0 weekend, the Nittany Lions defeated Rutgers 33-8 and Maryland 44-3 to become the Big Ten regular season winner. Amidst the team success, redshirt freshman Shayne Van Ness was named the Big Ten Wrestler of the Week, as announced by the conference Wednesday.

Van Ness dominated both duals over the weekend, earning a 21-9 major decision win over Rutgers’ Tony White and a 19-4 technical fall over Maryland’s No. 18 Ethan Miller.

Between the two bouts, Van Ness amassed 10 takedowns and near-fall points on three different occasions.

Van Ness currently has a 14-4 record on the season and a 5-3 conference record. After falling to Iowa’s Max Murin and Ohio State’s Sammy Sasso in late January, Van Ness has been on a three-dual win streak.

The Nittany Lion is the third wrestler from Penn State to receive the honor this season, following Max Dean in December and Roman Bravo-Young in January.

Van Ness and the rest of the Nittany Lions will be back at Rec Hall for one more dual this season at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

About the Author

Mara McKeon

Mara is a senior staff writer majoring in English and public relations. She loves all things sports and anything that has peanut butter. You can usually find her obsessing over country music or Penn State wrestling and counting down the days until she gets to see Luke Combs in Beaver Stadium. Feel free to reach her on Twitter @MckeonMara, and for more formal affairs, her email is mom5944@psu.edu.

How Centre County Voted In The 2026 Midterm Elections

Centre County saw a 55.32% voter turnout rate in the general election.

Man Accused of Stealing Vehicle From State College Hotel & Driving Drunk

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for November 12.

‘Blood In The Water’: Penn State Football Cornerback Audavion Collins & Secondary Elevating Surrounding Units

“He does a good job of making everyone else around him better because he’s the hardest-working guy on the field at all times.”