Penn State wrestling FAQs: How close is the team race? Which Lion can make NCAA history? Who is competing for a championship?

PHILADELPHIA — Penn State wrestling enters the final two sessions of the 2025 NCAA Championships on Saturday at the Wells Fargo Center. The morning one will feature placing matches. The evening one will feature the finals, and three Nittany Lions are still alive for the top spot in their weight class. All 10 of head coach Cael Sanderson’s starters are top-eight finishers and thus All-Americans. Penn State is the second team to ever do that, joining 2001 Minnesota.

“I think that’s a true testament to every single kid in the lineup,” Lions graduate senior Carter Starocci said Friday night. “I think being a part of this team is always special, and our coaching staff, and even guys, too, our practice partners, those guys are in the trenches I would say a lot more than we are because they do all the grunt work and the work that no one wants to do. It’s one thing getting up at 6 a.m. in the morning and having to cut weight and go through the motions, but you get to be out there competing, and those guys are up, and that’s it. They just kind of work us out.

“So a big shout out to everyone that’s involved.”

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of what should be another successful season finale for the Nittany Lions. And, read our full recap of session four here.

Who’s wrestling for a championship?

Penn State went into Friday night’s semifinals with seven wrestlers in the championship bracket. Only a trio of them moved on to the finals.

No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink will take on No. 3 Mikey Caliendo of Iowa in the 165-pound finals. The Nittany Lion beat No. 12 Christopher Minto of Nebraska by major decision in the semifinals while the Hawkeye topped No. 2 Peyton Hall of West Virginia.

Carter Starocci, the four-time NCAA champ and No. 1 seed at 184 pounds, can make history by becoming the first college wrestler to ever win a fifth title. He has the extra year because of the one given to all athletes in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic, of course. The Penn State wrestler popped No. 4 Dustin Plott of Oklahoma State in his semifinal and will face No. 2 Parker Keckeisen of Northern Iowa, who beat No. 3 Max McEnelly of Minnesota in his semi. Keckeisen is the defending 184-pound NCAA champ but he lost to Starocci at the NWCA All-Star Classic in late 2024. Straocci’s first four championships came at 174 pounds.

At 197 pounds, No. 4 Josh Barr will take on No. 2 Stephen Buchanan of Iowa. The Nittany Lion won the season rubber match with No. 1 Jacob Cardenas of Michigan in the semis while the Hawkeye beat No. 3 AJ Ferarri of Cal State Bakersfield.

Seven Nittany Lions can finish as high as third

Session one will start with the consolation semifinals. The winner of those matches will go on to wrestle for third. The losers will wrestle for fifth. Penn State has seven competitors in those matches. They are Luke Lilledahl (125 pounds), Braeden Davis (133), Beau Bartlett (141), Shayne Van Ness (149), Tyler Kasak (157), Levi Haines (174), and Greg Kerkvliet (285). Here’s who each will face:

125 pounds: No. 1 Luke Lilledahl, PSU vs. No. 3 Eddie Ventresca, Virginia Tech*

133 pounds: No. 8 Braeden Davis, Penn State vs. No. 14 Zan Fuggit, Wisconsin*

141 pounds: No. 2 Beau Bartlett, PSU vs. No. 4 Josh Koderhandt, Navy*

149 pounds: No. 3 Shayne Van Ness, Penn State vs No. 12 Ethan Stiles, Oregon State*

157 pounds: No. 1 Tyler Kasak, PSU vs. No. 2 Meyer Shapiro, Cornell*

174 pounds: No. 2 Levi Haines, PSU vs. No. 5 Simon Ruiz, Cornell*

285 pounds: No. 3 Greg Kerkvliet, Penn State vs. No. 9 Cohlton Schultz, Arizona State*

Check back to Blue-White Illustrated shortly after 11 a.m. for live updates.

Will Penn State clinch its fourth straight national title today?

The answer to that question is yes. It’s simply a matter of when. Penn State and Nebraska are the only two teams with enough possible points left to win the title. The Nittany Lions start the day in first with 135.5 points. Nebraska is in second with 101.5.

As noted above, Penn State has three finalists and seven alive in the consolation bracket. The Cornhuskers have three finalists, too, but just five still alive on the backside. The Lions’ built-in lead and larger number of consolation bracket wrestlers means that it’s nearly mathematically impossible for PSU to lose. It’s rather just a matter of when they clinch. It should happen sometime in the first session. But, when exactly it could happen will depend on both outcomes and bonus points.

Full list of NCAA final matchups

Here’s the full list courtesy of On3’s Nick Koskos:

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)

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

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)