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NCAA Wrestling Championships finals bout order: When will the Penn State wrestlers go for a title tonight?

Greg Pickelby:Greg Pickel•03/22/25•

GregPickel

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Redshirt freshman Josh Barr, the No. 4 seed at 197, met No. 1 Jacob Cardenas of Michigan in the semifinals. Barr celebrates after moving into the NCAA finals in his first trip to nationals with a 5-3 win.The Nittany Lions moved three individuals through to the Championship Finals at the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships in Philadelphia on Saturday March 21, 2024. (Photo by Mark Selders)

PHILADELPHIA — Penn State wrestling will lead off the final round of the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships. According to ESPN analyst/rules expert Rock Harrison, the 10-bout lineup will start with No. 1 Carter Starocci of Penn State opposite No. 2 Parker Keckeisen of Northern Iowa in the 184-pound final. The Nittany Lion is looking to become the first five-time champ in college wrestling history. Keckeisen, then, is aiming to defend his 184-pound title from a year ago. Starocci beat him at the NWCA All-Star Classic earlier this year by decision, 4-1, in sudden victory.

“I think it’s something that the other top guys, they need to put their foot out there,” Starocci said Friday night when asked to reflect on the match from earlier this year. “You get high-level competition. And for me, I’ll see him again.

“As far as what I take from that match, I mean, he’s obviously a tough kid, but to be a national champ, it takes a lot more than toughness. So we will find out tomorrow night.”

Keckeisen was also asked about the upcoming matchup.

“I’m going to have to get forward pressure and trust myself more,” he said. “He’s a great competitor. I feel like I’m a great competitor. And just have that confidence going out there that I can wrestle the best and beat the best.”

The final session starts at 7 p.m. ET. ESPN is televising it. Before that, the medal round session starts at 11 a.m. ET on ESPNU.

What is the official bout order and when will other Penn State finalists go?

Per Harrison, after the Starocci/Keckeisen match, the NCAA will return the finals to a normal order. They will go next to 125 pounds, and run all the way back to heavyweight, without a stop at 184 pounds, of course. Here’s the finals rundown in order:

184 pounds: No. 1 Carter Starocci (Penn State) vs. No. 2 Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa)

125 pounds: No. 4 Vince Robinson (NC State) vs. No. 7 Troy Spratley (Oklahoma State)

133 pounds: No. 1 Lucas Byrd (Illinois) vs. No. 2 Drake Ayala (Iowa)

141 pounds: No. 1 Brock Hardy (Nebraska) vs. No. 3 Jesse Mendez (Ohio State)

149 pounds: No. 1 Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech) vs. No. 2 Ridge Lovett (Nebraska)

157 pounds: No. 3 Antrell Taylor (Nebraska) vs. No. 8 Joey Blaze (Purdue)

165 pounds: No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn State) vs. No. 3 Mikey Caliendo (Iowa)

174 pounds: No. 1 Keegan O’Toole (Missouri) vs. No. 3 Dean Hamiti (Oklahoma State)

197 pounds: No. 2 Stephen Buchanan (Iowa) vs. No. 4 Josh Barr (Penn State)

285 pounds: No. 1 Gable Steveson (Minnesota) vs. No. 2 Wyatt Hendrickson (Oklahoma State)

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