Multiple former Penn State wrestlers qualify for U.S. Senior World team after 'Final X'
Five former Penn State wrestlers and six Nittany Lion Wrestling Club trainees have made the U.S. Senior World team after a big day for the program at ‘Final X.’ The annual freestyle event features the country’s best wrestlers who are all trying to win best-of-three matches to move on to Worlds.
Penn State great Nick Lee kicked things off by taking out former Cornell star Yianni Diakomihalis 2-0. Both bouts were close, but the former Lion came out on top to claim the spot at 65 kilograms.
At 70 kilograms, former Penn State star Zain Retherford crushed his opponent, Tyler Berger, in straight matches. He won the first 11-2 before taking a 4-3 triumph to clinch it.
The first meeting of NLWC trainees came at 74 kilograms. There, Kyle Dake took Jason Nolf in straight matches by scores of 6-0 and 3-0.
Next, multi-time NCAA champ and current Nittany Lion Aaron Brooks faced reigning gold medalist David Taylor. The latter won 6-0 and 5-4 to reclaim his 86-kilogram starting spot on the World team.
Finally, NLWC competitor Kyle Snyder received a no-contest win over J’Den Cox, who could not compete on Saturday inside the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J, in the 97 kilogram final. And, on the women’s side, Jennifer Page won both matches 11-0 to take the 59-kilogram slot.
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“Penn State and the RTC/NLWC will have fully half of the members of Team USA’s men’s freestyle team headed to Belgrade with five of the ten wrestlers training in State College,” a Penn State news release says. In all the RTC/NLWC had six winners at Final X (including Page on the women’s side) and three runners-up.
Two Penn State wrestlers will compete at U20 Worlds
Two future Penn State wrestlers will represent the United States at the U20 World Championships in Warsaw, Poland, this August. Incoming transfer Mitchell Mesenbrink won the 74-kilogram weight class at the U.S. Team Trials on Saturday in Geneva, Ohio, while Class of 2024 star Luke Lilledahl took the top spot at 57 kilograms.
Mesenbrink, who is already a U20 silver medalist, cruised in the finals. He beat Hunter Garvin of Iowa 17-8 and 10-0 to win the best-of-three championship match with ease. The former Cal Baptist wrestler, who is 2-0 in his only pair of college matches, left that school earlier this year and will be at Penn State for the 2023-2024 season.
Lilledalh, meanwhile, swept his best-of-three championship match by knocking off Troy Spratley, a Class of 2022 former Minnesota commit who is now at Oklahoma State.
