Penn State wrestling offseason outlook: What will the Lions do at 157 pounds?

The wrestling world is squarely focused on the Olympics as Team USA readies to compete for gold in Paris. Penn State coaches Cael Sanderson, Cody Sanderson, Casey Cunningham, and Nick Lee are all on hand across the pond as Nittany Lion Wrestling Club members Aaron Brooks, Zain Retherford, Kyle Snyder, and Kyle Dake all prepare to compete for the U.S. while Roman Bravo-Young prepares to take the mat for Mexico. In other words, for most, the next college wrestling season is on the back burner. But, that’s not the case at Blue-White Illustrated. While we will provide full Olympics coverage, we’re also continuing our 2024-2025 outlook series by taking a look at the situation at 157 pounds.

Once you get up to speed on this weight class, be sure to check out our outlooks at 125, 133, 141, and 149 pounds.

Recapping 157 pounds for Penn State in 2023-2024

Pennsylvania native Levi Haines shocked some in the wrestling world, but not many, when he entered the Nittany Lions’ lineup for the Big Ten portion of the dual meet season as a freshman and rolled to a 7-0 conference mark, a Big Ten title, and a runner-up finish at nationals while earning conference freshman of the year honors.

If anyone was unsure of how well he’d perform at the college level, those doubts were erased in 2022-2023, which set up a big 2023-2024. And, Haines delivered. He was a perfect 23-0 en route to a second Big Ten title and his first NCAA championship. He beat Arizona State’s Jacori Teemer 5-0 in the finals to stand on the highest spot of the 157-pound podium in Kansas City.

What is the Lions outlook at 157 pounds for 2024-2025?

There are, arguably, two top talking points when it comes to discussing the next Penn State wrestling lineup. The first is what weight class four-time NCAA champ Carter Starocci will compete in. The second is who will man the 157-pound spot. By all accounts, Haines’ body is maxed out in the weight class. A move up in weight is expected. Whether that is to 165 pounds or perhaps even Starocci’s old 174-pound spot remains to be seen. But, Haines continuing to cut to stay at 157 seems to be out of the question. This leads us to the question of the day: Who will take his spot in the lineup?

All offseason, the going rate has been a simple switch. Haines could bump up to 165 pounds, while 2023-2024 165-pound NCAA runner-up and redshirt sophomore Mitchell Mesenbrink could drop to 157. And, that’s still in the cards. But, the entry list at the U23 U.S. World Team Trials revealed another possibility.

More: Is a contract extension being discussed for Penn State wrestling coach Cael Sanderson following David Taylor’s big deal?

Sophomore Tyler Kasak, who finished third at 149 pounds a season ago, entered at 70 kilograms. If you don’t have a conversion chart handy, that equals out to 154.3 pounds. There are two possibilities here. One is that Kasak simply didn’t want to cut for the freestyle season and thus bumped up. The second is that he bulked up this offseason, which would make him an option at 157 and allow Haines to go up, hence our 174-pound mention from the paragraph above. That would solve two lineup spots for Penn State and allow Mesenbrink to take another run at winning the 165-pound weight class.

This is speculation season, of course. Longtime Penn State coach Cael Sanderson keeps his lineup maneuvering close to the vest in and out of season. So, don’t expect any answers anytime soon. But, the main takeaway is that options abound for the legendary leader of the Lions. And how it all shakes out will be fascinating to follow.