Penn State wrestling roster: New weights confirmed, full freshmen list, starting lineup projection
Penn State wrestling released its 2024-2025 roster on Wednesday. What does it tell us about Cael Sanderson's latest team?
Penn State wrestling roster: New weights confirmed, full freshmen list, starting lineup projection
- Thread starter GregPickel
- Start date
lol, I've been checking daily for the roster to be updated, but didn't check today.
Is it my imagination, or didn't the roster used to be updated the same day that the schedule was released?
Not a lot of surprises in the roster. Often we'll learn of multiple guys we didn't know were joining the team.
As for weights, there had been rumblings that Facundo would be down at 157. I still find that hard to believe, but I guess it's legit. Ryder at 184 is a tad higher than I thought he would start at, but his being with the NLWC and not competing in HS as a senior made his weight a tad more difficult to project.
Good stuff, @GregPickel
Is it my imagination, or didn't the roster used to be updated the same day that the schedule was released?
Not a lot of surprises in the roster. Often we'll learn of multiple guys we didn't know were joining the team.
As for weights, there had been rumblings that Facundo would be down at 157. I still find that hard to believe, but I guess it's legit. Ryder at 184 is a tad higher than I thought he would start at, but his being with the NLWC and not competing in HS as a senior made his weight a tad more difficult to project.
Good stuff, @GregPickel
Last edited:
Thanks Tom! Last couple of years the roster has been updated right about now. Used to be the same day as the schedule.
I had several things on my plate today, so I'm just getting to having time to look more closely at the 2024-25 roster. I give my thoughts by position.
125
Luke Lilledahl
Kurt McHenry
Branden Wentzel
Changes from last year:
- Robbie Howard is no longer on the roster (I have no idea what his situation is. He still lists himself as "Wrestler at Pennsylvania State University" on Twitter, but he hasn't posted anything on Twitter in almost a year.)
- Marco Vespa (we knew he was graduating)
- Gary Steen has moved up to 133
- Braeden Davis has moved up to 133
Steen and Davis (mostly Davis) did a nice job at this weight last year, with Davis earning the #1 seed at NCAAs. It's interesting that both of them have moved up a weight class, though in Davis's case, there were rumblings at the end of last season that this was likely to happen. PSU rarely has a lot of depth at this weight, and that still seems to be the situation. But Lilledahl is as good of an incoming freshman as there is.
133
Braeden Davis
Kyison Garcia
Timothy Levine
Aaron Nagao
Cael Nasdeo
Karl Shindledecker
Gary Steen
Changes from last year:
- Baylor Shunk (we knew he was graduating)
- Sean Wang has moved to 141
- Levine was listed at 141 last season. He only wrestled 2 Open tournaments (Edinboro & Mat Town), and I think he was at 149 in them, so unlike most kids his age, he seems to be losing weight
We have a surprising amount of depth at this weight class. Davis and Nagao are excellent wrestlers. Steen has done a descent job. Nasdeo gray shirted last year -- it will be interesting to see how he does in Opens. Garcia wrestled 2 Opens last season -- I think he was 5-4 in them.
141
Beau Bartlett
Hayden Cunningham
Sean Wang
Brock Weiss
Changes from last year:
- David Evans has moved to 149
- Timothy Levine has moved to 133
- Tyler Kasak has moved to 149/157 (he was listed at 141 last season, though he moved up to 149, and placed 3rd at NCAAs, after Shayne Van Ness got injured early in the season)
Not a lot of depth here. Last year it was basically Beau, with a good incoming freshman (Kasak). This year, it's pretty much the same, though neither Weiss nor Cunningham had quite the success that Kasak did at PIAAs, so I don't think they would be considered as being at quite the level that Kasak was.
149
David Evans
Connor Pierce
Matt Rodriguez
Shayne Van Ness
Tyler Kasak (he's listed as 149/157)
Changes from last year:
- Imran Heard (we knew he was graduating)
It seems like it's SVN and Kasak. SVN has had an elite career. Kasak had an amazing run as a freshman (who was expected to RS, and ended up filling in as an emergency replacement).
157
Tyler Kasak (he's listed as 149/157)
Alex Facundo
Ty Watson
Changes from last year:
- Levi Haines has moved to 174
- Mitchell Mesenbrink has moved to 165 (more of a technicality for accuracy. He was listed 157/165 last season, though he wrestled @ 165
This seems to be a battle between Kasak and Facundo. I'm surprised that Kasak can handle 157, as he seemed small at 149. And I'm surprised that Facundo can cut to 157. It should be interesting to see what happens at 157.
I'll do the rest of the weight classes in a separate post.
125
Luke Lilledahl
Kurt McHenry
Branden Wentzel
Changes from last year:
- Robbie Howard is no longer on the roster (I have no idea what his situation is. He still lists himself as "Wrestler at Pennsylvania State University" on Twitter, but he hasn't posted anything on Twitter in almost a year.)
- Marco Vespa (we knew he was graduating)
- Gary Steen has moved up to 133
- Braeden Davis has moved up to 133
Steen and Davis (mostly Davis) did a nice job at this weight last year, with Davis earning the #1 seed at NCAAs. It's interesting that both of them have moved up a weight class, though in Davis's case, there were rumblings at the end of last season that this was likely to happen. PSU rarely has a lot of depth at this weight, and that still seems to be the situation. But Lilledahl is as good of an incoming freshman as there is.
133
Braeden Davis
Kyison Garcia
Timothy Levine
Aaron Nagao
Cael Nasdeo
Karl Shindledecker
Gary Steen
Changes from last year:
- Baylor Shunk (we knew he was graduating)
- Sean Wang has moved to 141
- Levine was listed at 141 last season. He only wrestled 2 Open tournaments (Edinboro & Mat Town), and I think he was at 149 in them, so unlike most kids his age, he seems to be losing weight
We have a surprising amount of depth at this weight class. Davis and Nagao are excellent wrestlers. Steen has done a descent job. Nasdeo gray shirted last year -- it will be interesting to see how he does in Opens. Garcia wrestled 2 Opens last season -- I think he was 5-4 in them.
141
Beau Bartlett
Hayden Cunningham
Sean Wang
Brock Weiss
Changes from last year:
- David Evans has moved to 149
- Timothy Levine has moved to 133
- Tyler Kasak has moved to 149/157 (he was listed at 141 last season, though he moved up to 149, and placed 3rd at NCAAs, after Shayne Van Ness got injured early in the season)
Not a lot of depth here. Last year it was basically Beau, with a good incoming freshman (Kasak). This year, it's pretty much the same, though neither Weiss nor Cunningham had quite the success that Kasak did at PIAAs, so I don't think they would be considered as being at quite the level that Kasak was.
149
David Evans
Connor Pierce
Matt Rodriguez
Shayne Van Ness
Tyler Kasak (he's listed as 149/157)
Changes from last year:
- Imran Heard (we knew he was graduating)
It seems like it's SVN and Kasak. SVN has had an elite career. Kasak had an amazing run as a freshman (who was expected to RS, and ended up filling in as an emergency replacement).
157
Tyler Kasak (he's listed as 149/157)
Alex Facundo
Ty Watson
Changes from last year:
- Levi Haines has moved to 174
- Mitchell Mesenbrink has moved to 165 (more of a technicality for accuracy. He was listed 157/165 last season, though he wrestled @ 165
This seems to be a battle between Kasak and Facundo. I'm surprised that Kasak can handle 157, as he seemed small at 149. And I'm surprised that Facundo can cut to 157. It should be interesting to see what happens at 157.
I'll do the rest of the weight classes in a separate post.
Last edited:
Continuing the closer look at the roster:
165
Aurelius Dunbar
Mitchell Mesenbrink
Joe Sealey
Changes from last year:
- Terrell Barraclough (he portaled to Utah Valley)
- Matt Lee has moved to 174
- Alex Facundo has moved to 157 (he was on the roster last season, though he used an Olympic redshirt)
- Erik Gibson has moved to 174
It's hard to believe that Mesenbrink is just a sophomore. Sealey is a great prospect. I suspect both Mesenbrink and Sealey will benefit from going up against each other all season in the room.
174
Brian Borden
Erik Gibson
Levi Haines
Matt Lee
Changes from last year:
- Joe Lee (we knew he was graduating)
- Carter Starocci has moved to 184
- Aurelius Dunbar has moved to 165
Starocci has been a fixture at this weight for 4 years, so it's strange to not see him there for PSU. I'm still a little nervous about Haines going up 2 weight classes. That's more so on moving up two weight classes than on whether Haines can be successful. He's finished 2nd & 1st the past two seasons (@ 157), so he deserves the benefit of the doubt.
184
Jack Kelly
Zack Ryder
Carter Starocci
Changes from last year:
- Donovon Ball (we knew he was graduating)
- Josh Barr has moved to 197
- Bernie Truax (we knew he was graduating)
- Lucas Cochran has moved to 197 (he was listed as 184/197 last year)
Starocci is seeking to be the 1st 5-time NCAA champ. Ryder should learn a lot going up against him in practice every day.
197
Josh Barr
Lucas Cochran
AJ Fricchione
Connor Mirasola
Changes from last year:
- Aaron Brooks (we knew he was graduating, but we'll definitely miss him)
Probably the weight for PSU that has the biggest question marks. Barr did well in Opens last year, but not at 197. Cochran had a crazy season in 2024. He appeared in 3 Opens, winning all but 1 of his matches. He also appeared in the Lehigh dual (losing to Michael Beard), the MSU dual (@ 285, and won), and in the Rutgers dual (@285, upsetting Yaraslau Slavikouski). Fricchione also had an interesting season. He appeared in the Hofstra dual (@285, and he got pinned), and went 2-2 in the only Open he was in. As @GregPickel indicated, it looks to be a battle between Barr and Cochran for the spot.
285
Dawson Bundy
Greg Kerkvliet
Cole Mirasola
Changes from last season:
- AJ Fricchione has moved to 197 (kind of a technical point, as he was listed as 197/285 on last year's roster)
Bundy was the surprise. His last season in HS was 2022, so it appears he went on a Mission after HS. PSU was thin @ 285 last season, so it's nice to see Bundy and Mirasola on the roster giving Kerk a workout, and learning from Kerk as well as from the coaches.
Overall: no surprise, but this is a really talented roster. Lilledahl may hit some road bumps, but his prep and international career suggest that he could also navigate the season without hitting any serious bumps. 133 is a bit of a mystery as there are rumors that Nagao may have a lingering injury. 133 is loaded, so either Nagao or Davis will have their work cut out for them. Beau has been so, so close, and is definitely in the top 3. Only time will tell how his season ends. I expect SVN at 149, but Kasak is certainly talented. 157 is a curiosity, but I'm confident that between Facundo and Kasak, PSU will have a very talented wrestler at that weight class. Mesenbrink has a few things to work on, but 165 (or 165, 184 & 285) is as close to a shoe-in as there is in NCAAs. I want to see how Haines does at 174, but as mentioned above, he's earned the benefit of the doubt. 184 seems like a shoe-in, though I'm curious to see how Starocci does up a weight class. 197 is where I have my biggest concerns. Neither Barr nor Cochran have much of a track record in college, and Barr seems somewhat slim to be trying to beef up to 197. Plus, 197 is also somewhat loaded on the national level. Lastly, at 285 there is Kerk, and everyone else, until some wrestler proves otherwise. My only fear with Kerk is that he stays injury free, or as free as one can be over the course of a wrestling season.
165
Aurelius Dunbar
Mitchell Mesenbrink
Joe Sealey
Changes from last year:
- Terrell Barraclough (he portaled to Utah Valley)
- Matt Lee has moved to 174
- Alex Facundo has moved to 157 (he was on the roster last season, though he used an Olympic redshirt)
- Erik Gibson has moved to 174
It's hard to believe that Mesenbrink is just a sophomore. Sealey is a great prospect. I suspect both Mesenbrink and Sealey will benefit from going up against each other all season in the room.
174
Brian Borden
Erik Gibson
Levi Haines
Matt Lee
Changes from last year:
- Joe Lee (we knew he was graduating)
- Carter Starocci has moved to 184
- Aurelius Dunbar has moved to 165
Starocci has been a fixture at this weight for 4 years, so it's strange to not see him there for PSU. I'm still a little nervous about Haines going up 2 weight classes. That's more so on moving up two weight classes than on whether Haines can be successful. He's finished 2nd & 1st the past two seasons (@ 157), so he deserves the benefit of the doubt.
184
Jack Kelly
Zack Ryder
Carter Starocci
Changes from last year:
- Donovon Ball (we knew he was graduating)
- Josh Barr has moved to 197
- Bernie Truax (we knew he was graduating)
- Lucas Cochran has moved to 197 (he was listed as 184/197 last year)
Starocci is seeking to be the 1st 5-time NCAA champ. Ryder should learn a lot going up against him in practice every day.
197
Josh Barr
Lucas Cochran
AJ Fricchione
Connor Mirasola
Changes from last year:
- Aaron Brooks (we knew he was graduating, but we'll definitely miss him)
Probably the weight for PSU that has the biggest question marks. Barr did well in Opens last year, but not at 197. Cochran had a crazy season in 2024. He appeared in 3 Opens, winning all but 1 of his matches. He also appeared in the Lehigh dual (losing to Michael Beard), the MSU dual (@ 285, and won), and in the Rutgers dual (@285, upsetting Yaraslau Slavikouski). Fricchione also had an interesting season. He appeared in the Hofstra dual (@285, and he got pinned), and went 2-2 in the only Open he was in. As @GregPickel indicated, it looks to be a battle between Barr and Cochran for the spot.
285
Dawson Bundy
Greg Kerkvliet
Cole Mirasola
Changes from last season:
- AJ Fricchione has moved to 197 (kind of a technical point, as he was listed as 197/285 on last year's roster)
Bundy was the surprise. His last season in HS was 2022, so it appears he went on a Mission after HS. PSU was thin @ 285 last season, so it's nice to see Bundy and Mirasola on the roster giving Kerk a workout, and learning from Kerk as well as from the coaches.
Overall: no surprise, but this is a really talented roster. Lilledahl may hit some road bumps, but his prep and international career suggest that he could also navigate the season without hitting any serious bumps. 133 is a bit of a mystery as there are rumors that Nagao may have a lingering injury. 133 is loaded, so either Nagao or Davis will have their work cut out for them. Beau has been so, so close, and is definitely in the top 3. Only time will tell how his season ends. I expect SVN at 149, but Kasak is certainly talented. 157 is a curiosity, but I'm confident that between Facundo and Kasak, PSU will have a very talented wrestler at that weight class. Mesenbrink has a few things to work on, but 165 (or 165, 184 & 285) is as close to a shoe-in as there is in NCAAs. I want to see how Haines does at 174, but as mentioned above, he's earned the benefit of the doubt. 184 seems like a shoe-in, though I'm curious to see how Starocci does up a weight class. 197 is where I have my biggest concerns. Neither Barr nor Cochran have much of a track record in college, and Barr seems somewhat slim to be trying to beef up to 197. Plus, 197 is also somewhat loaded on the national level. Lastly, at 285 there is Kerk, and everyone else, until some wrestler proves otherwise. My only fear with Kerk is that he stays injury free, or as free as one can be over the course of a wrestling season.
Last edited:
I assume you mean Robert Howard? If so, he retired from wrestling due to injuries.
Latest posts
Get unlimited access today.