Penn State Sports Magazine
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M A Y 2 0 2 6 4 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M to bulk up to 165 for the 2027-28 sea- son, it makes things easier. No matter who wrestles here, a high NCAA finish is probable. 165 POUNDS So, who asks Hodge Tro- phy winner Mitchell Mesenbrink to gain 9 pounds as a senior? That would enable coach Cael Sanderson to use Kasak at 157 and Duke at 165, but it might not be the best move for Mesenbrink, the three- time finalist and two-time champ who almost surely would like to stay close to his freestyle weight of 74kg (163 pounds). With either Duke or Kasak replacing Mesenbrink, there is little to no drop-off. But it's probably a big ask of Mesenbrink. 174 POUNDS A third consecutive weight of uncertainty. Mesenbrink's as- cension could solve a problem or two, but he and the staff must ensure that it makes sense. The same goes for a poten- tial two-weight jump for Duke or Kasak. Will Henckel, a two-time national Prep champ and U-20 world silver med- alist, is a strong candidate for this spot after going 9-0 while redshirting as a true freshman. One of Henckel's class- mates, Asher Cunningham, is a South- ern Scuffle champ who beat American University All-American Caleb Campos. If he's able to drop 10 pounds, Cunning- ham's unorthodox style could cause a lot of problems for opponents. All told, there are five guys who could vie for this spot. 184 POUNDS OK, back to normal. Two-time NCAA runner-up Rocco Welsh isn't moving. The rising junior was outstanding this past season in his first year at Penn State after transfer- ring from Ohio State. Welsh's offensive weaponry grew, and his defense is largely sturdy. 197 POUNDS Rising junior Josh Barr, another Hodge Trophy finalist after his championship season, has two more years of holding off teammate Connor Mirasola while attempting to win three consecutive NCAA crowns. 285 POUNDS Cole Mirasola will be a redshirt sophomore and is the heir ap- parent. It would behoove him to bulk up to at least 240 with another 12 pounds of muscle. Incoming freshman Elijah Brown of Belle Vernon won a PIAA title at 215, so it will take a solid year or more to prepare his body for a collegiate season as a heavyweight. But Brown, a Pitt flip, is a rising star. With so much talent returning, the Nittany Lions will be favored to win their sixth consecutive NCAA team title. However, Oklahoma State is on the move and on the prowl as it prepares for its third season under the leadership of head coach David Taylor, an Olympic gold medalist and two-time national cham- pion at Penn State. The Cowboys return 116 team points and could earn more at 165 and 184 than they did this past season, while Penn State conceivably could score more at 141 and 285. Virginia Tech will have more star power but most likely not enough depth. Nebraska lost a ton of talent but did pick up 2025 NCAA champ Vincent Robinson from NC State. Stanford just had a good tournament, but a couple of Cardinal wrestlers hit the portal. Iowa picked up Lehigh All-American Ryan Crookham from the portal but lost major points at 133, 165 and 174. ■ Lilledahl, Blaze Claim Titles At U.S. Open Penn State wrestlers Luke Lilledahl and Marcus Blaze will join former teammate Levi Haines at Final X in June. Both Nittany Lions won their U.S. Open title matches April 24 in Las Vegas. Lilledahl, the reigning 125-pound NCAA champ, took out Spencer Lee, 5-4, in the 57-kilogram final. Lee was the 2024 Olympic silver medalist, and he built an early 4-0 lead. His Nittany Lion opponent cut it to 4-3 then hit a late headlock for a two-point takedown and the victory. Lilledahl, who will be a sophomore in 2026-27, went 4-0 at the U.S. Open with 2 technical falls. Blaze, another rising sophomore, earned his Final X spot by taking out Ben Davino of Ohio State, 4-1, in the 61kg final. He went 4-0 at the U.S. Open with a pair of tech falls. As senior U.S. Open champs, Lilledahl and Blaze will move on to Final X, where the U.S. Senior World Freestyle Team will be decided on June 9. They'll join Haines, who accepted an automatic bid after wrapping up his college career in March by winning the 174-pound title at the NCAA Tournament. Other current Penn State wrestlers who competed at the U.S. Open included redshirt sophomore Joe Seeley (third at 74kg), redshirt freshman Will Henckel (fifth at 79kg) and redshirt sophomore Connor Mirasola (fifth at 97kg). Junior Rocco Welsh (86kg), junior Josh Barr (92kg) and senior Tyler Kasak (70kg) all were forced to medically forfeit and finished sixth in their respective weight classes. Former Nittany Lions Beau Bartlett and David Evans finished third and fourth, respec- tively, at 65kg. In the U20 bracket, sophomore Asher Cunningham went 6-1 with 5 tech falls in the 79kg class and finished second. — Greg Pickel Luke Lilledahl followed up his NCAA 125-pound championship in March by going 4-0 and claiming the 57-kilogram title at the U.S. Open in Las Vegas. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETIC