9 Penn State wrestlers set to compete at the Southern Scuffle this weekend
Head coach Cael Sanderson’s 6-0 Penn State wrestling team kicks off the 2025 portion of its dual meet schedule next Friday when it hosts Michigan State at 8 p.m. ET inside of Rec Hall to start Big Ten action. However, multiple Nittany Lions will be taking the mat elsewhere earlier in the new year. According to Flo Wrestling, nine members of the team, none of whom are starters, will compete at the prestigious Southern Scuffle tournament on Saturday and Sunday. The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga hosts the annual event. Update: Kysion Garcia is no longer competing. Additionally, Cael Nasdeo and Sam Beckett are at the Edinboro Open.
Brackets should be out Saturday morning after weigh-ins. Here’s who is making the trip. Note that the Nittany Lions received no pre-seeds.
125 pounds: Senior+ Kurt McHenry
133 pounds: Senior Timothy Levine and junior Garry Steen
149 pounds: Sophomore Connor Pierce
165 pounds: Senior Aurelius Dunbar
174 pounds: Junior Jack Kelly
184 pounds: Freshman Zack Ryder
197 pounds: Freshman Connor Mirasola
285 pounds: Freshman Cole Mirasola
FloWrestling is the exclusive streaming home of the Southern Scuffle. The action starts at 9 a.m. ET Saturday inside of McKenzie Arena.
What should Penn State fans be watching for at the Scuffle?
It goes without saying that extended action for the three first-year Penn State wrestlers, Ryder and the Mirasola twins, headlines the event for ‘Nittany Nation.’ Jon Kozak of Flo Wrestling thinks Ryder may be the tournament favorite at 184 pounds.
“Though still a true freshman only three college matches deep into his career (though he did win two college opens as a high school senior), Zack Ryder may be the favorite to win 184 pounds at the Southern Scuffle,” he writes. “Ryder made the Black Knight Invite finals earlier this year (he and teammate Carter Starocci had a ‘no contest’ finals), defeating both of Rutgers’ rankable 184-pounders, Brian Soldano and Shane Cartegena-Walsh.
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“Ryder will likely have to go through two ranked wrestlers to officially win the first tournament of his Nittany Lion career, as three other top 25 opponents are expected to populate the bracket.”
Connor Mirasola should hit the podium but his weight class is loaded. Cole Mirasola, on the other hand, is certainly a contender to take the heavyweight title.
“Mirasola’s toughest competition could come from another unranked wrestler in Hunter Catka,” Kozak writes. Catka wrestles for Virginia Tech. “Hunter’s teammate, Jim Mullen, currently occupies the #16 slot in the rankings, explaining Catka’s absence of a national rank. Catka is a three-time NCAA qualifier and reached the bloodround just last season.
McHenry’s tournament will be worth following, too. If anything would happen to starter Luke Lilledahl, he is the only other 125-pounder on the Penn State roster.
