Atrás
Penn State wrestling returns Thursday, as the Nittany Lions kick off the 2026-27 season against Bloomsburg at Rec Hall. Penn State is the nation's top-ranked team after winning its fifth straight NCAA title with a roster that could be one of its best.
Penn State coach Cael Sanderson has a loaded lineup with two returning NCAA champions, two runners-up and eight wrestlers who have been All-Americans. The Nittany Lions also are poised to add 2024 World champion Masanosuke Ono to their formidable lineup.
Here's a look at Penn State's projected wrestling lineup this season with a caveat that it might not be the lineup that competes in the first two matches this week vs. Bloomsburg and Oklahoma.
The defending NCAA champ at 125 of course returns as the nation's top-ranked wrestler, according to Intermat. Lilledahl officially went 25-0 last season (though he lost to teammate Nate Desmond at a tournamant) and was dominant in Cleveland in winning his first NCAA title.
For Lilledahl, who has two years of eligibility remaining, that was just the start. He said at nationals that he wants to be the preeminent wrestler at 125 for multiple years. His top competition is Princeton's second-ranked Marc-Anthony McGowan, who Lilledahl beat in the NCAA final.
Sanderson teased the "possibility" of Ono making his Penn State debut on Thursday night, nearly 20 months after the Japanese phenom committed to wrestle folkstyle with the Nittany Lions. The head coach likes to keep his lineup under wraps as much as possible, but it's difficult to suppress the anticipation college wrestling has to see Ono.
He's unranked at 133 pounds, simply because he hasn't wrestled a folkstyle match yet, but Ono should move up the rankings in a loaded weight class nationally with experience. Ono is a decorated freestyle wrestler, having won a 2024 world title. Sanderson also said that versatile wrestler Nate Desmond could compete at this weight class as well.
Blaze moves up a weight class to 141 after placing fourth at 133 during an electric freshman season. He was the top-seeded wrestler for the Big Ten Championships and reached the NCAA semis, where he competed with the flu.
Blaze later called that run to fourth place "bittersweet" after defeating NCAA runnerup Ben Davino in a freestyle event for the U.S. Open title. Blaze also defeated NCAA champ Jax Forrest at Final X on his way to placing third in his Senior World championships.
Blaze likely won't wrestle in at least Penn State's first two matches as he winds down from a busy freestyle season and acclimates to 141. But Sanderson said the move is the best both for Blaze and for Penn State. He's already ranked No. 3 at 141, according to Intermat. Desmond, who got some matches at 141 last season, could wrestle there until Blaze returns.
Van Ness returns for his final shot at an NCAA title after placing second last year, falling to Stanford's Aden Valencia in the 2026 final. Van Ness is a three-time All-American, finishing third or better three times since 2023.
Van Ness can be a boom-or-bust wrestler who scores a lot of points but also forces himself into tought comeback situations. Still, he went 25-1 last season, losing only in the final, and is 28-1 in the Big Ten over the past two seasons. Van Ness is fourth in the early Intermat rankings behind three NCAA champs: Virginia Tech's Caleb Henson (149 in 2024), Oklahoma State's Sergio Vega (the defending 141-pound champ) and Valencia.
Kasak, a two-time NCAA bronze medalist, returns after a redshirt season in 2025. He had an exceptional first two seasons for Penn State, going 47-7 and rallying twice in the consolation bracket to place third. As a freshman, Kasak lost his opening match at NCAAs before going 7-0 in the wrestlebacks for the medal.
Kasak, who was the nation's top-ranked 157-pounder in 2025, is ranked second to start this season behind defending champ Landon Robideau of Oklahoma State and ahead of 2025 champ Antrell Taylor of Nebraska.
At the 2026 NCAA Championships, Duke discussed the challenges he faced maintaining his weight at 157, where he placed third as a freshman and went 24-2. The move up to 165 should suit him well.
Duke also should be fresh after a summer off from freestyle competition. He's ranked No. 1 at 165, where he takes over for Penn State's two-time defending champ Mitchell Mesenbrink.
The nation's top-ranked wrestler pound-for-pound, according to FloWrestling, Mesenbrink returns to punctuate one of Penn State's finest careers. He has career record of 82-1, losing only to Iowa State's David Carr on riding time in the 2024 NCAA final.
Since then, Mesenbrink compiled two straight unbeaten seasons and won the Hodge Trophy last year as the nation's best college wrestler. He moves up to a weight class where he immediately became No. 1, replacing former teammate Levi Haines, who most likely will not compete this season.
A two-time NCAA finalist, Welsh returns at 184 seeking his first NCAA title. Welsh made an unbeaten run to the 184-pound final last season, losing to Minnesota's Max McEnelly to finish 24-1.
He now has two silver medals, having lost to Penn State's Carter Starocci as a freshman at Ohio State in 2024. Welsh transferred to Penn State last season, and Sanderson said the wrestler fits the program's ethos perfectly. Welsh, ranked second to McEnelly, has a career record of 60-6.
Barr completed a perfect 24-0 season with a dominant 6-3 win over Oklahoma State's Cody Merrill in the final. He received one first-place vote for the Hodge Trophy after winning 23 of his 24 bouts with bonus points. That included 12 technical falls.
The senior is firmly atop Intermat's rankings at 197 pounds as he looks to become a two-time national champion.
A first-year starter for the Nittany Lions, Mirasola replaces twin brother Cole in the lineup at heavyweight. Sanderson said that Cole Mirasola will take the year off from competition to perform a mission trip.
This move appeared on the horizon during the freestyle season, when Connor Mirasola scored a major win at heavyweight at the U23 Nationals. Until this season, Connor has wrestled exclusively at 197 pounds for Penn State. He brings a 14-1 record into the season.
Atrás
Top
| Declaración de privacidad Términos del servicio Contacto |
Refresca
|
All the best breaking news stories from Apex Scores Lite. Optimised for feature phones and low end Android devices, Apex Scores Lite helps users with legacy devices and poor network connectivity access the latest football news and live scores. Particularly relevant for breaking football news in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa.