Penn State Sports Magazine
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M A Y 2 0 2 4 4 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M T he Penn State wrestling program is being represented by past, present and future team members at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. It's appropriate, then, that this year's trials are taking place in a venue most of those wrestlers know well: the Bryce Jordan Center. Seventeen Nittany Lions are set to take the mat at the BJC from April 19-20, all vying for a chance to make the team that will compete at the upcoming Summer Games in Paris. There are only six Olympic weight classes: 57 kilograms (125 pounds), 65 kg (143.3 pounds), 74 kg (163 pounds), 86 kg (189 pounds), 97 kg (213 pounds) and 125 kg (275 pounds). That means the compe- tition will be fierce. Penn State tailored its most recent sea- son so that the aspiring Olympians on the 2023-24 team would be prepared to compete at the trials just a month after the conclusion of the NCAA Tournament. The Nittany Lions wrestled only 12 dual meets, fewer than in previous years, in order to help keep wrestlers fresh in April. "These guys are thinking about the Olympics," coach Cael Sanderson said in mid-March. "They're very competitive … so it will just be about getting ready for that." Penn State will be represented at 57 kg by alum Nico Megaludis, a one-time NCAA champ for the Lions, and 2024 commit Luke Lilledahl, a three-time World youth medalist (one gold and two silvers) and the No. 1 pound-for-pound high school wrestler in the country ac- cording to FloWrestling. In addition, Thomas Gilman of the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club will be competing. He's a 2020 Olympic bronze medalist and 2021 world champion who wrestled col- legiately at Iowa. The favorites to win here are Gilman and former Illinois wrestler Zane Richards. At 65 kg, Penn State alums Nick Lee, a two-time national champ, and Zain Retherford, a three-time NCAA titlist, are joined by current Nittany Lion se- nior Beau Bartlett. Retherford already has earned a spot in the semifinals by winning the 2023 world championship at 70 kg. Lee is expected to be the No. 1 seed, which would make him the favor- ite on the side of the bracket opposite Retherford. The division with the most Penn State wrestlers is 74 kg. The bracket for this weight class includes Nittany Lion Wres- tling Club member Kyle Dake, a four-time NCAA champion at Cornell, alums Jason Nolf and Vincenzo Joseph, and four wres- tlers from PSU's 2024 national champi- onship team: redshirt freshman Mitchell Mesenbrink, a gold meadalist at U-20 Worlds in 2023, senior four-time NCAA champ Carter Starocci, and sophomores Alex Facundo and Levi Haines, who cap- tured the 157-pound national crown this year. Dake, last year's silver medalist at the World Championships, already has a spot in the final wrapped up. Those favored to possibly meet him there include Nebraska alum Jordan Burroughs, an Olympic gold medalist, six-time World champion and the projected top seed, and three-time college crown winner Nolf, who should be No. 2. This is a hotly contested weight class, and numerous upsets would not be a surprise. At 86 kg, former Penn State great David Taylor leads the field. A three-time world champion and two-time NCAA champ, Taylor captured the gold medal at the To- kyo Games in 2021 and is hoping to repeat this year. He's already locked up a spot in the best-of-three final, where his list of challengers includes four-time Penn State national champ Aaron Brooks, alums Max Dean and Mark Hall, and 2024 commit Connor Mirasola, the No. 10 overall wres- tler in the high school ranks. Taylor's primary challenger, however, is expected to be Zahid Valencia, a former Arizona State two-time national champ and a bronze medal winner at 92 kg at last year's Worlds. Nittany Lion Wrestling Club member Kyle Snyder is the only competitor at 97 kg with Penn State ties. Snyder is a three-time world champion, three-time NCAA champ at Ohio State and 2016 Olympic gold medalist. He already has a berth in the final and will be the fa- vorite to represent the United States in this weight class. Other names to know include Missouri alum J'Den Cox, a two- time World champion and bronze medal winner at the 2021 Olympics, and NC State's Isaac Trumble. Greg Kerkvliet is the lone Nittany Lion at 125 kg. Coming off his first NCAA championship, Kerkvliet projects as a top-five seed. Mason Parris, a Michigan alum and the 2023 bronze medalist at Worlds, already has his spot in the final and will be the favorite here. What should Nittany Lions fans expect at the trials? Of the current and former Nittany Lions, Taylor is the most likely to make the Olympic team. A big question is Starocci's health. He suffered a knee injury in February and missed the Big Ten Tournament. But he returned to action at the NCAA tourney with his right leg in a heavy brace and won five matches at 174 pounds to claim his fourth national championship. ■ PSU Well-Represented At Olympic Wrestling Trials GREG PICKEL | G R E G . P I C K E L @ O N 3 . C O M David Taylor won Olympic gold in 2021 at the Tokyo Games. A three-time world champion and two-time NCAA champ at PSU, he will be looking to represent the United States at 86 kilograms in Paris this summer. PHOTO BY KADIR CALISKAN/UNITED WORLD WRESTLING