Penn State wrestling notes: Clarifying Landon Sidun's recruitment; who's going to U20 Pan-Ams, Fargo?

The Penn State wrestling fan base was sent on an unnecessary roller coaster ride Friday when a since-deleted report from The Daily Collegian indicated that MatScout’s No. 4 Class of 2027 recruit, Pa., native Landon Sidun, had committed to the Nittany Lions. However, during an interview on the Locked on Lions podcast, the junior-to-be said that he was taking his time with the recruiting process.

“I’m not going to rush it, but let’s just say I meet with everyone, and I’ll commit when I know where I need to be,” Sidun said. “I’ll sit down with my family, think about pros and cons, and that’s when I’ll make my decision.”

Sidun later confirmed to BWI that his recruitment is, of course, still open. Penn State is certainly in the running, of course, along with Iowa, Oklahoma State, and others.

Which Lions are in action at U20 Pan-Ams, Fargo?

Penn State wrestling will return to the International stage this weekend as the U20 Pan-American Championships are held in Lima, Peru. Three Nittany Lions are part of the men’s freestyle Team USA that is competing in the event, which is a precursor to the U20 World Championships this August in Bulgaria.

Penn State will be represented at Pan-Ams by incoming freshman William Henckel and redshirt freshmen Connor and Cole Mirasola. Henckel, a New Jersey native, competes at 79 kilograms (174.1 pounds). As for the Wisconsin twins, Connor competes at 92 kilograms (202.8 pounds) and Cole at 125 kilograms (275.5 pounds). All three are members of the World team already. Their bracket draws for Pan-Ams will be finalized Friday night ahead of a full day of competition on Saturday. The U20 men’s freestyle tournament will take place in a single day. Qualification and repechage rounds start at 11 a.m. ET. The championship finals are at 6 p.m. ET.

Here’s a look at the full Team USA attending the U20 Pan-American men’s freestyle championships, courtesy of USA Wrestling:

57 kg: Antonio Mills, Atlanta, Ga. (Roundtree Wrestling Academy)

61 kg: Kyler Larkin, Gilbert, Ariz. (Valiant WC)

65 kg: Luke Stanich, Succasunna, N.J. (Lehigh Valley WC)

70 kg: Jaxon Joy, Wadsworth, Ohio (Spartan Combat RTC/TMWC)

74 kg: William Denny, Manhattan, Ill. (Victory Elite Wrestling)

79 kg: William Henckel, Southbury, Conn. (Blairstown WC)

86 kg: Adam Waters, Stowe, Pa. (Steller Trained Wrestling)

92 kg: Connor Mirasola, Jackson, Wis. (Nittany Lion WC/TMWC)

97 kg: Justin Rademacher, West Linn, Ore. (Beaver Dam RTC)

125 kg: Cole Mirasola, Jackson, Wis. (Nittany Lion WC/TMWC)

In addition to that group, Penn State Class of 2026 commit Sam Herring is wrestling at Fargo Nationals this weekend. He is in the 132-pound weight class.

This continues a busy freestyle season for Penn State wrestling

If you’ve been following along with our offseason coverage, you know Penn State wrestling has been anything but off since winning its fourth straight NCAA title back in March. Numerous Nittany Lions are on various U.S. National age group teams that will compete at various championships in the months ahead. Here’s the full breakdown:

World Wrestling Championships (Sept. 13 – 21 in Zagreb, Croatia)

PSU ties on Team USA include PJ Duke (70 kilograms), Levi Haines (79 kilograms), and NLWC member Kyle Snyder (97 kilograms)

U23 World Wrestling Championships (Oct. 20-26 in Serbia)

Penn State ties include:

57 kg – Luke Lilledahl (St. Charles, Mo./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC)

65 kg – Marcus Blaze (Perrysburg, Ohio/Perrysburg WC/Titan Mercury WC)

70 kg – PJ Duke (Slate Hill, N.Y./KD Training Center)

74 kg – Mitchell Mesenbrink (Bellefonte, Pa./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC)

79 kg – Levi Haines (Arendtsville, Pa./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC)

86 kg – Rocco Welsh (Fredericktown, Pa./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC)

92 kg – Josh Barr (Davison, Mich./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC)

U20 World Wrestling Championships (Aug. 14-18 in Bulgaria)

PSU ties include Marcus Blaze (61 kilograms), PJ Duke (70 kilograms), William Henckel (79 kilograms), Connor Mirasola (92 kilograms), and Cole Mirasola (125 kilograms)

U17 World Wrestling Championships (July 28 – Aug. 3 in Greece)

Penn State Class of 2026 commit Jayden James will compete for Team USA at 71 kilograms.