Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1528325
N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 4 47 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M injury in December and missed the re- mainder of the campaign. A junior from Somerville, N.J., Van Ness is fully healthy and ready to roll. He is ranked No. 2 by InterMat, behind only Caleb Henson of Virginia Tech, the de- fending national champion. 157 POUNDS: This weight is a ques- tion mark for the Nittany Lions. At the NCAA Tournament last season, Tyler Kasak went on an impressive run in the consolation bracket and ended up finishing third at 149 pounds. This year, the sophomore is moving up to 157. We know that junior Levi Haines is moving up after winning the 157-pound title last year. That means the job is open, and while Kasak should probably be con- sidered the favorite, it's not a certainty. He will be challenged by redshirt sophomore Alex Facundo, who was previously at 165 but is believed to be eyeing a move to 157 coming off his Olympic redshirt season. Facundo could win the job, but Kasak looks like the probable starter. Keep an eye on how the Lions deploy both wrestlers early in the year; it will tell the story of what lies ahead. Iowa's Jacori Teemer, Cornell's Meyer Shapiro and Ohio's Peyten Kellar, in order, make up InterMat's top three. Kasak will face Kellar at the NWCA All-Star Clas- sic in November, which is another reason why many believe this job is his. 165 POUNDS: One of the most electric wrestlers in the country returns to man this weight class for the Nittany Lions. Redshirt sophomore Mitchell Mesenbrink finished second a year ago and now is aim- ing for the top spot — a position he holds in InterMat's preseason rankings. Mesenbrink was 26-1 last season, with his only loss coming opposite Iowa State's David Carr, 9-8, in the NCAA finals. Carr has since graduated, making Mesenbrink the top dog. Challengers nationally include Iowa's Mikey Caliendo and Oklahoma State's Cameron Amine, but Mesenbrink is a cut above. We should also note that former Nittany Lion Terrell Barraclough is No. 7 in InterMat's rankings after transferring to Utah Valley this past offseason. 174 POUNDS: We expect Haines to replace Carter Starocci now that the four- time NCAA champ is moving up for his final season. While it's rare for wrestlers to move up two weight classes, it isn't completely unheard of, and it seems like a move the two-time NCAA finalist needed to make. InterMat ranks Haines No. 2 at his new weight behind only senior Keegan O'Toole of Missouri, a two-time national champion. 184 POUNDS: This is where Starocci is headed in his quest to become the first five-time NCAA champion. Last February, he suffered what ap- peared to be a serious leg injury in the final dual meet of the regular season. Starocci defaulted out of the Big Ten Tournament and received an at-large bid to nationals, where he won the title while essentially competing on one leg. Immediately afterward, there was talk that he would be going up in weight for his final collegiate season. Some observers thought the sixth-year graduate wrestler might go all the way up to 197, but that proved to be too big a jump. Thus, he's set to wrestle at 184 and is InterMat's top- ranked wrestler at the weight. Starocci's leading challenger nationally is Northern Iowa's Parker Keckeisen, the defending NCAA champ at 184. 197 POUNDS: Sanderson has options here, and he will likely use the 2024 por- tion of the dual meet schedule to sort out the long-term plan. Sophomore Josh Barr is ranked No. 23 by InterMat. He would be going up in weight if he wins the job after compet- ing at 184 a year ago. The Lions also have junior Lucas Cochran back to compete for this spot. Incoming freshman Con- nor Mirasola, a four-time Wisconsin state champ who is No. 5 on MatScouts' Class of 2024 Big Board, could also have a say in the outcome. This is easily the biggest lineup ques- tion facing the Lions ahead of their sea- son. Cal State Bakersfield junior AJ Ferrari is No. 1 here, per InterMat. 285 POUNDS: Senior Greg Kerkvliet finally made it to the top of the heavy- weight podium last season. Now he's back for a final campaign with a chance to take first place for the second year in a row. Kerkvliet is ranked No. 1 by InterMat and has a career record of 76-10. His top challengers include Oklahoma State's Wyatt Hendrickson, a former All-Amer- ican who started his career at Air Force, and Ohio State's Nick Feldman. Hen- drickson and Feldman are Nos. 2 and 3 at heavyweight, per InterMat. ■ Senior Greg Kerkvliet returns after winning his first NCAA championship at heavyweight last season. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS