Penn State assistant Nick Lee not listed in Senior World Team Trials field; Three NLWC members are top pre-seeds: See the full list here
Penn State wrestling will be well represented at the 2025 U.S. World Team Trials this weekend in Louisville. But one expected participant is no longer taking part in the men’s freestyle event, which is a stepping stone to June’s Final X in New Jersey, where this year’s World team will be set.
Nittany Lion assistant coach and 2025 Pan American champion Nick Lee is not listed among the field of 54 registered and seeded competitors released by USA Wrestling. He was among the reported entries earlier in the week. It’s unclear why he will no longer be on hand. But, it opens up the 65 kilogram bracket, which is led by Ohio State national champ Jesse Mendez and also includes Penn State alum Beau Bartlett and incoming freshman Marcus Blaze, who are the Nos. 6 and 8 seeds, respectively.
Three Nittany Lion Wrestling Club members, Luke Lilledahl (57 kilograms), Mitchell Mesenbrink (74kg), and Kyle Snyder (97kg), have already qualified for Final X, which is the best-of-three matches event in June that sets the U.S. World team for this cycle. Snyder is still expected to compete at the event after he was arrested in a prostitution sting in Columbus. Lilledahl and Mesenbrink will definitely be there. The former knows he will face former Iowa star Spencer Lee in the 57kg finals. Mesenbrink and Snyder will learn their foes this weekend when the Team Trials challenge ends.
Numerous NLWC and Penn State connections are in the field at the US Team Trials
The list includes:
Penn State signee Marcus Blaze and program alum Beau Bartlett – 65 kilograms. (143.3 pounds)
Nittany Lion signee PJ Duke – 70 kilograms (154.3 pounds)
Penn State senior Levi Haines – 79 kilograms (174.1 pounds)
Nittany Lion alum Carter Starocci and NLWC member Kyle Dake- 86 kilograms (189.5 pounds)
Penn State redshirt sophomore Josh Barr – 92 kilograms (202.8 pounds)
Haines is the top seed in his weight class, as are Dake and Barr. Duke is No. 2 behind James Green of the Nebraska RTC. Starocci, then, is No. 3 in the five-man 86kg field. And, as noted above, Bartlett and Blaze are Nos. 6 and 8 in theirs, respectively.
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See the full seeds list here. The competition starts Friday at 10 a.m. ET. Semifinals are Friday at 4 p.m. And the finals are at Noon on Saturday. FLO is streaming the event to its subscribers.
On this episode of the Blue-White Illustrated wrestling show, which was recorded before Lee dropped out, host Thomas Frank Carr and reporter Greg Pickel discuss the seeding situation in Louisville and what Penn State fans can expect. How many more wrestlers with PSU ties will find their way to Final X? The duo discusses all of that to kick off the show.
You can watch this week’s Penn State wrestling show in the video player below and also on YouTube. Or, you can listen at your favorite destinations for audio like SPOTIFY and APPLE.
From there, the conversation moves on to offseason news you may have missed. The transfer portal is officially closed. Who joined and who left Penn State? Pickel provides a recap before sharing that five-time NCAA champ and now Penn State alum Carter Starocci is The Open Mat’s Division I wrestler of the year.
