Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1547542
D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 6 4 9 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M each period, and also clinched the team title for Team USA with the victory. It was the Iranian's fourth trip to the finals, where he previously finished with silver three times, in addition to a cou- ple of bronze medal finishes at Worlds. Haines, meanwhile, was back in the title match after finishing with silver during his first Senior Worlds in 2025. Haines rolled into the gold medal match following an unbeaten Saturday. He earned an 8-1 quarterfinal win against Russia's Ismail Khaniev before edging Suldkhuu Olonbayar of Mongolia on cri- teria, 3-3, in the semifinals. Haines erased a 3-1 deficit against Olonbayar with a takedown in the final minute to secure his return to the title match. Five members of Team USA's 10-man men's freestyle squad were from the Nit- tany Lion Wrestling Club. All came home with medals. Kyle Snyder (97 kg) and Kyle Dake (86 kg) both won their fifth World titles. They are tied for the second most in U.S. history, behind only Jordan Burroughs and Adeline Gray, who each have six. Additionally, Zain Retherford took a 70-kg bronze, and current Penn State wrestler Marcus Blaze did the same at 61 kg. Snyder won the 97-kg men's freestyle division by beating Japan's Arash Yoshida on criteria, 4-4. He is now a five-time World champion and nine-time World medalist. Snyder powered his way into the finals with an unbeaten Thursday that included a victory over former World champion Abdulrashid Sadulaev in the quarterfi- nals. Dake, meanwhile, beat 2025 World bronze medalist Arsenii Dzhioev of Azer- baijan for his latest title. In the bronze medal matches, Blaze beat Assyl Aitakyn of Kazakhstan by de- cision, 4-2, to win his first medal at the senior level. Retherford defeated former Michigan wrestler Lachlan McNeil, who competes for Canada, 4-0, to win his first bronze after previously winning silver and gold at the senior level. Former Nittany Lion Roman Bravo- Young took silver and won the first Senior World wrestling medal in Mexico's his- tory after falling to Team USA's Spencer Lee, 10-0, in the 57-kg title bout. At U23 Worlds, Penn State class of 2026 signee Jayden James, who is in State Col- lege training with the Nittany Lion Wres- tling Club before starting his collegiate eligibility clock during the 2027-28 sea- son, took silver at 74 kg. He dropped his final to Russia's Magomed Baitukaev, 5-3, despite having a 3-0 lead in the match. James finished 4-1 with 2 pins. Junior Luke Lilledahl finished fifth at 57 kg, while redshirt sophomore Joe Sealey did not place at 79 kg. Lineup Set For NWCA All-Star Classic Four Penn State wrestlers are listed in the lineup for the 2026 NWCA All-Star Classic. The group scheduled to compete in the Nov. 24 exhibition at Rec Hall in- cludes senior Shayne Van Ness, juniors Rocco Welsh and Josh Barr, and redshirt sophomore Connor Mirasola. Van Ness, a multi-time All-American who is No. 3 in FloWrestling's preseason rankings at 149 pounds, will take on No. 4 Caleb Henson of Virginia Tech. Henson is coming off a redshirt year. Van Ness beat him in the consolation semifinals en route to a third-place finish at nationals in 2023. Welsh will battle Michigan's Brock Mantanona in the 184-pound bout. The second-year Penn State wrestler beat the Wolverine three times during the 2025- 26 season. The victories include an 8-1 decision during the regular season, an 8-5 sudden-victory triumph at Big Tens, and a 4-3 decision at nationals. Barr will take on Stephen Little of Little Rock in the 197-pound match. The Nit- tany Lion beat Little by major decision, 9-1, at last season's Southern Scuffle. Barr also beat Little in sudden victory, 4-1, during a dual meet in 2024-25. FloWrestling's updated lineup lists Connor Mirasola against Wisconsin's Braxton Amos at 285 pounds. Connor and twin brother Cole are battling for the right to be the Nittany Lions' starting heavy- weight after Cole manned the spot a year ago. ■ Senior Shayne Van Ness, ranked No. 3 at 149 pounds by FloWrestling, is scheduled to face No. 4 Caleb Henson of Virginia Tech at the NWCA All-Star Classic on Nov. 24 at Rec Hall. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS 2026-27 Wrestling Schedule Date Opponent Time Nov. 12 BLOOMSBURG 7 p.m./B1G+ Nov. 15 at Oklahoma 7 p.m./ESPN+ Nov. 22 Black Knight Invite* 10 a.m. Nov. 24 FLOWRESTLING ALL-STAR MATCH 6 p.m. Dec. 6 at Lehigh 2 p.m. Dec. 13 WEST VIRGINIA** Noon/BTN Dec. 20 Oregon State^ 11 a.m. Dec. 20 Duke^ 1 p.m. Dec. 20 Binghamton^ 3 p.m. Jan. 9 at Rutgers 4 p.m./BTN Jan. 15 MICHIGAN** 7 p.m./BTN Jan. 17 MARYLAND 1 p.m./B1G+ Jan. 22 at Michigan State 6 p.m./BTN Jan. 24 WISCONSIN 1 p.m./B1G+ Jan. 29 at Minnesota 7 p.m./BTN Feb. 5 IOWA** 8 p.m./BTN Feb. 12 at Ohio State 6 p.m./BTN Feb. 19 N. COLORADO 7 p.m./B1G+ Mar. 6-7 Big Ten Championships^^ TBA Mar. 18-20 NCAA Championships# TBA * at West Point, N.Y. ** at the Bryce Jordan Center ^ Collegiate Wrestling Duals at Vestal, N.Y. ^^ at Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio # at Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Mo.