Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1541990
J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 6 47 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M legiate Hodge Trophy given to that sea- son's best wrestler. • He won the Bill Farrell International, a prestigious senior-level freestyle event, while in high school. • He placed third at the 2024 Senior World Team Trials, while in high school. • Internationally, he won a bronze medal at the 2024 U-20 World Champi- onships and gold at this year's U-20s. • He won the 2025 Final X, beating former world silver medalist Yanni Dia- komihalis twice in the best two of three bouts to earn a spot on the U.S. Senior World Team. To reach that event, he de- feated two NCAA champions and a three- time All-American. He finished 1-1 at the World Championships in Croatia. • And, in October in Serbia, he won a bronze medal at the U-23 World Champi- onships. That capped a summer when he represented the United States at the U-20, U-23 and Senior World Championships, a first for an American wrestler. "It's been a great year for me so far," Duke said. "Obviously, I was really busy over the summer with all the interna- tional travel. Three World Champion- ships are definitely a lot while adjusting to college life, but it's been smooth. The guys at Penn State have helped me every step of the way, and I've had nothing but fun lately — fun and getting better. It's a good combo." No Pressure Penn State coach Cael Sanderson could see Duke's successful start coming. "He's just really good, he's really tough and he's mentally tough," Sanderson said. "Just a competitor. He's just going to compete hard, and if he keeps doing that, he's going to be tough to beat." While extremely early, Duke hasn't been beaten yet. He was 5-0 with 4 falls and a win by default heading into the Lions' match at Wyoming on Dec. 13. Against Drexel, he had 4 takedowns against redshirt senior Luke Nichter be- fore pinning him in just 75 seconds. "I always try to stay right on track and put up as many points as I can," Duke said. "I've always done that even since high school, middle school. My dad always instilled it in me. He said, 'Put as many points as you can on the board, and the match is probably going to go your way.'" Duke is not the only true freshman in Penn State's talented lineup. Marcus Blaze at 133 has many similar accom- plishments, but Duke said neither feels any pressure. "Marcus and I have grown up with pressure on us, and we've always been the top guys our whole high school careers. We were always in the top three or what- ever in the country," Duke said. "I think we're just so comfortable with having pressure on us that it doesn't even faze us. "We don't even really notice the crowd when everyone is chanting and go- ing crazy. It's so cool to wrestle in that environment, but we don't let it faze us negatively. When there's more people, I wrestle better. I feel like I'm an athlete, and I can perform when the lights go out." One reason is because Duke says he's in the best wrestling room he's ever been in. "Just to wake up and be in that room every day is such a blessing," he said. "The guys in the room are great wrestlers and even better people. I'm not only growing as a wrestler, but I'm growing as a per- son." 'Everyone's Hungry' Personal growth is something junior NCAA champion Mitchell Mesenbrink stresses constantly and said it is a staple in the practice room. "It's like learning from everybody and continuing to chase your own goals but also making it something more than just yourself and helping other guys enjoy the sport or enjoy life. We can all take from each other," Mesenbrink said. "It's not just a one-way thing where you're older and you can teach or what- ever. PJ can teach me things. Marcus can teach me things. And Levi [Haines, Penn State's senior 174-pounder] can teach those guys things. It's definitely a collab- orative team effort." That's what Duke likes the most. "It's great to be on a team where ev- eryone's hungry and everyone wants to get better and everyone does the right things," he said. "You're around guys who want to be the best in the country, the best in the world. To have like-minded people around you is so important. And that's just a blessing that I've had to be a part of Penn State. "It's not like you're the only guy that's working hard. Everyone is working hard. Everyone is working their butt off every practice. To see these guys, lights-out ev- ery dual, it's so fun." ■ "When there's more people, I wrestle better. I feel like I'm an athlete and I can perform when the lights go out." D U K E