Intermat Preseason '25-'26 Rankings

[Tom McAndrew]

were released. They can be found at the below link. Keep this statement from Intermat in mind when looking at the rankings:

"These rankings will be updated at least once, perhaps twice, before the first matches. There are plenty of coaches I've spoken with who are uncertain about weight changes and have multiple rankable wrestlers vying for the starting role. So, there could be a lot of movement before November."

Also, this qualifier on their rankings:

"Remember, we don't rank true freshmen and there are definitely some that will likely make a significant impact this season. Even trophy contenders like Penn State and Oklahoma State could have prominent true freshmen starting, so they could shake up the team rankings. As usual, I tend to be conservative with redshirt freshmen (though there are some exceptions)."

NCAA DI

09/05/2025

intermatwrestle.com

PSUers in the Rankings:

125: Luke Lilledahl - 3rd
133: No PSUer
141: Braeden Davis - 9th
149: Shayne Van Ness - 2nd
157: Tyler Kasak - 2nd
165: Mitchell Mesenbrink - 1st
174: Levi Haines - 1st
184: Rocco Welsh - 2nd
197: Josh Barr - 1st
285: Cole Mirasola - 12th
Tournament: PSU - 1st
Dual: PSU - 1st

 

[Cali_Nittany1]

Intermat team points

1	Penn State	Big Ten	125.5
2	Nebraska	Big Ten	94
3	Iowa State	Big 12	86.5
4	Iowa	Big Ten	79
5	Ohio State	Big Ten	64.5
6	NC State	ACC	61.5
7	Lehigh	EIWA	45.5
8	Oklahoma State	Big 12	41
9	Michigan	Big Ten	40
10	Virginia Tech	ACC	39.5

 

[Roar More]

Intermat team points

1	Penn State	Big Ten	125.5
2	Nebraska	Big Ten	94
3	Iowa State	Big 12	86.5
4	Iowa	Big Ten	79
5	Ohio State	Big Ten	64.5
6	NC State	ACC	61.5
7	Lehigh	EIWA	45.5
8	Oklahoma State	Big 12	41
9	Michigan	Big Ten	40
10	Virginia Tech	ACC	39.5

Just imagine the Cowboy angst at their ranking.

 

[Misalorales]

I

were released. They can be found at the below link. Keep this statement from Intermat in mind when looking at the rankings:

"These rankings will be updated at least once, perhaps twice, before the first matches. There are plenty of coaches I've spoken with who are uncertain about weight changes and have multiple rankable wrestlers vying for the starting role. So, there could be a lot of movement before November."

Also, this qualifier on their rankings:

"Remember, we don't rank true freshmen and there are definitely some that will likely make a significant impact this season. Even trophy contenders like Penn State and Oklahoma State could have prominent true freshmen starting, so they could shake up the team rankings. As usual, I tend to be conservative with redshirt freshmen (though there are some exceptions)."

NCAA DI

09/05/2025

intermatwrestle.com

PSUers in the Rankings:

125: Luke Lilledahl - 3rd
133: No PSUer
141: Braeden Davis - 9th
149: Shayne Van Ness - 2nd
157: Tyler Kasak - 2nd
165: Mitchell Mesenbrink - 1st
174: Levi Haines - 1st
184: Rocco Welsh - 2nd
197: Josh Barr - 1st
285: Cole Mirasola - 12th
Tournament: PSU - 1st

The thing about putting Kasak at 2 is that basically no one would pick Taylor over Kasak if they wrestled today. He's shown he's better multiple times. Just gotta get it done in March,if he is the starter.

Dual: PSU - 1st

 

[Lil Nicky Scarfo]

Intermat team points

1	Penn State	Big Ten	125.5
2	Nebraska	Big Ten	94
3	Iowa State	Big 12	86.5
4	Iowa	Big Ten	79
5	Ohio State	Big Ten	64.5
6	NC State	ACC	61.5
7	Lehigh	EIWA	45.5
8	Oklahoma State	Big 12	41
9	Michigan	Big Ten	40
10	Virginia Tech	ACC	39.5

I’m gonna make a bold prediction that the gap (again discounting bonus) will be larger than that.

But I like to live dangerously

 

[jack66]

With that line-up, we could sweep 149-197

Mitch, Levi and Barr are favorites
SVN's kriptoniyte has graduated, and he is 1-0 against Henson
Kasak's toughest challenge might be getting into the line-up
Rocco's defense will keep him in every match, but he'll need to add some offense to win it all

 

[Goggles Paisano]

The thing about putting Kasak at 2 is that basically no one would pick Taylor over Kasak if they wrestled today. He's shown he's better multiple times. Just gotta get it done in March,if he is the starter.

The only kid that has a chance of beating Kazak this year is on the same roster.

Heck, IMO Tyler was the best 157 in the country last year. If you go back and look at his Quarters loss at Nationals, it seems pretty clear he must have gone out the night before and had a large pizza and ice cream for dinner, then had to spend a few late night hours with the cut. He went out, got the takedown and then hit a serious wall. He was totally gassed in the second, and faded from there. Just watching him broken with his head on the mat to end that 1 point match was distressing and atypical for sure. I can't recall a single match where he faded to that extreme in the past two years. Something was seriously off with his gas tank, and it wasn't really discussed much, but that was not prime Kasak by any means.

It was definitely the worst Friday Nationals performance for the whole team in recent memory, both morning and evening sessions, with 7 total losses by my count.

Lilledahl was the other noticable aberration, losing to a lesser wrestler as a result of match mis-management IMO. I thought he too should have definitely been a national champ.

Maybe the whole team got food poisoning or something but it was a very strange Friday nonetheless.

Back to Kasak. Either he or PJ will be a national champ at season's end if healthy.

 

[Matter7172]

Maybe the whole team got food poisoning or something but it was a very strange Friday nonetheless.

The only good part about Friday night was that it set up what I still think was the best team performance ever on a Saturday morning at NCAAs.

 

[NoVaLion]

The only good part about Friday night was that it set up what I still think was the best team performance ever on a Saturday morning at NCAAs.

Certainly the best PSU performance on Saturday AM. OK State had a real good Saturday AM in 2013 in Des Moines.

 

[El_Jefe]

The thing about putting Kasak at 2 is that basically no one would pick Taylor over Kasak if they wrestled today. He's shown he's better multiple times. Just gotta get it done in March,if he is the starter.

Agreed. Taylor is the champ and therefore should be the 1 until he loses. And that will happen vs either Kasak or Duke.

 

[El_Jefe]

I’m gonna make a bold prediction that the gap (again discounting bonus) will be larger than that.

But I like to live dangerously

 

[Nitlion1986]

Certainly the best PSU performance on Saturday AM. OK State had a real good Saturday AM in 2013 in Des Moines.

A nice difference is PSU's Saturday run helped set the scoring record, and Okie State's Saturday run helped them finish 2nd and get close enough to PSU to scare the PSU faithful a little bit.

 

[Lil Nicky Scarfo]

 

[Matter7172]

Certainly the best PSU performance on Saturday AM. OK State had a real good Saturday AM in 2013 in Des Moines.

I have a DNP, 5th, DNP, Champ, 3rd, 3rd, Champ, DNP, 8th and 3rd for OSU in 2013. So nowhere even close to what PSU did in 2025.

 

[ScottishSteel]

The only good part about Friday night was that it set up what I still think was the best team performance ever on a Saturday morning at NCAAs.

I cannot recall specifics but that 2001 Minnesota team that also had 10 AAs didn't have a finalist; so I suspect they had a pretty good Saturday AM as well

 

[Tom McAndrew]

I cannot recall specifics but that 2001 Minnesota team that also had 10 AAs didn't have a finalist; so I suspect they had a pretty good Saturday AM as well

For Minny:

125: Leroy Vega
- he lost in the semis, then won the consi-semi and consi-final, to finish 3rd
133: Brett Lawrence
- he lost in the Round of 16, won 3 bouts in the consis, then lost in the consi-quarters, and then lost the 7/8 match to finish 8th
141: Chad Erikson
- he lost in the quarters, won 1 bout in the consis, then lost in the consi-quarters, and then lost the 7/8 match to finish 8th
149: Jared Lawrence
- he lost in the semis, then lost the consi-semi, and then lost the 5/6 match to finish 6th
157: Luke Becker
- he lost in the semis, then won the consi-semi, then lost the consi-final to finish 4th
165: Brad Pike
- he lost in the semis, then won the consi-semi, then lost the consi-final to finish 4th
174: Jacob Volkmann
- he lost in the quarters, then won 3 consis, then los the consi-final to finish 4th
184: Damion Hahn
- he lost his R1 match, then won 5 consis, then lost the consi-semi, then won the 5/6 match to finish 5th
197: Owen Elzen
- he lost in the semis, then won the consi-semi and the consi-final, to finish 3rd
285: Garrett Lowney
- he lost in the semis, then won the consi-semi and the consi-final to finish 3rd

 

[Matter7172]

I cannot recall specifics but that 2001 Minnesota team that also had 10 AAs didn't have a finalist; so I suspect they had a pretty good Saturday AM as well

It's kind of ironic, but about half the Minnesota guys lost their last match (six of the ten). They finished 3rd, 8th, 8th, 6th, 4th, 4th, 4th, 5th, 3rd and 3rd. So 2-0, 0-1, 0-1, 0-2, 1-1, 1-1, 1-1, 1-1, 2-0 and 2-0. Total of 10-8 for Saturday morning vs. PSU's 2-0, 1-1, 2-0, 2-0, 2-0 and 2-0 or 11-1 total. I'm not counting Kerk's two MFFs.

 

[PennState1985]

The only kid that has a chance of beating Kazak this year is on the same roster.

Heck, IMO Tyler was the best 157 in the country last year. If you go back and look at his Quarters loss at Nationals, it seems pretty clear he must have gone out the night before and had a large pizza and ice cream for dinner, then had to spend a few late night hours with the cut. He went out, got the takedown and then hit a serious wall. He was totally gassed in the second, and faded from there. Just watching him broken with his head on the mat to end that 1 point match was distressing and atypical for sure. I can't recall a single match where he faded to that extreme in the past two years. Something was seriously off with his gas tank, and it wasn't really discussed much, but that was not prime Kasak by any means.

It was definitely the worst Friday Nationals performance for the whole team in recent memory, both morning and evening sessions, with 7 total losses by my count.

I watched that match from 25 yards away, and told the guy next to me that Tyler was the better wrestler in that bout but you can't overcome that many brainfarts and win at that level. I didn't notice the gassing as much as making poor decisions that he normally doesn't make.

 

[PennState1985]

It's kind of ironic, but about half the Minnesota guys lost their last match (six of the ten). They finished 3rd, 8th, 8th, 6th, 4th, 4th, 4th, 5th, 3rd and 3rd. So 2-0, 0-1, 0-1, 0-2, 1-1, 1-1, 1-1, 1-1, 2-0 and 2-0. Total of 10-8 for Saturday morning vs. PSU's 2-0, 1-1, 2-0, 2-0, 2-0 and 2-0 or 11-1 total. I'm not counting Kerk's two MFFs.

10-8 versus 11-1.

 

[Matter7172]

If anyone starts getting nostalgic for the Sunderland years, they should just take a look at the 2001 AA's. That'll cure them quickly.

 

[Nitlion1986]

If anyone starts getting nostalgic for the Sunderland years, they should just take a look at the 2001 AA's. That'll cure them quickly.

The Sunderland years? 1990 - 1993!
Anything past 1993 was a combination of purgatory and hell.