Penn State wrestling pod: Previewing the U.S. Olympic Team Trials at the BJC

The Penn State wrestling program and its affiliated Nittany Lion Wrestling Club will be well-represented at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials this Friday and Saturday at the Bryce Jordan Center. State College will be the epicenter of the freestyle wrestling world for two days, as the team will be set for this year’s Olympic games in Paris, France. That’s the topic of this week’s Blue-White Illustrated Penn State wrestling podcast.

Host Thomas Frank Carr and Greg Pickel kick off the show by offering their thoughts on one non Team Trial topic. Since the two last talked, Arizona native and multi-time NCAA All-American Beau Bartlett announced that he would be coming back for a final season with the Nittany Lions. What does it mean for Cael Sanderson’s team? Pickel and Carr discuss. From there, the duo dives straight into the team trials. How many Penn State representatives could make the Olympic team? Pickel offers a weight-by-weight breakdown for the six divisions that make up the freestyle tournament.

You can watch this week’s show in video player above and also on YouTube. Or, you can listen at your favorite destinations for audio like SPOTIFY and APPLE.

Breaking down Penn State seeds at 57-74 kilograms

At 57 kilograms, Penn State ties include Nittany Lion Wrestling Club member Thomas Gilman, alum Nico Megaludis, and Class of 2024 commit Luke Lilledahl. Gilman is the No. 2 seed. The favorite to win here was Cornell product Vito Aruja, who was the 2023 61-kilogram Worlds winner, but he opted out of the event. Jt means Illinois product Zane Richards, who was the 2023 US champ at 57 kilograms, and Gilman, who was a bronze medalist at the 2020 games and 2023 Pan American Championships winner at 57 kilograms, are the favorites. Megaludis and Lilledahl are the Nos. 5 and 9 seeds, respectively.

The 65 kilogram division features Penn State alums Nick Lee and Zain Retherford plus Nittany Lion wrestler Beau Bartlett. Retherford already has a spot in the semifinals by virtue of being the 2024 World Champ at 70 kilograms. Lee is the No. 1 seed, which makes him the favorite on the side of the bracket opposite Retherford. Bartlett is the No. 5 seed, which keeps him away from a number of similarly talented wrestlers until later in the bracket. He could see Lee in the semifinals.

The division with the most Penn State ties is 74 kilograms. The bracket for this weight class includes Nittany Lion wrestling club member Kyle Dake, current Penn State wrestlers Mitchell Mesenbrink, Alex Facundo, Levi Haines, plus alums Jason Nolf and Vincenzo Joseph. Dake, as the reigning 2023 World silver medalist, already has a spot in the finals wrapped up. Those favored to possibly meet him there include Nebraska alum Jordan Burroughs, the top seed, and Nolf, who is the No. 2 seed. Currently Nittany Lions Mitchell Mesenbrink, Alex Facundo, and Levi Haines are the Nos. 5, 9, and 10 seeds, respectively. This is a hotly-contested field where numerous upsets would not be a surprise.

Breaking down the Lions’ seeds and connections at 86-125 kilograms

At 86 kilograms, former Penn State star and 2023 Olympic gold medalist David Taylor leads the field. Also, the 2023 World Champ in this weight class, he already has a spot in the best-of-three finals. Other Nittany Lion representatives at 86 kilograms include four-time NCAA champs Aaron Brooks, who is the No. 1 seed, and Carter Starocci, who is No. 6, alums Mark Hall and Max Dean, who are Nos. 5 and 7, respectively, and Class of 2024 commit Connor Mirasola, who is the No. 9 seed. Taylor is the favorite. Brooks will likely be his biggest challenger. Starocci is bumping up for this event.

Nittany Lion Wrestling Club member and defending U.S. Team member Kyle Snyder is the only Penn State tie at 97 kilograms. The 2023 Worlds medalist already has his spot in the finals. He will be the favorite to represent his country in this weight class. Other names to know include Missouri product J’Den Cox and N.C. State alum Isaac Trumble.

Defending NCAA champ and current Penn State heavyweight Greg Kerkvliet is the lone Lion at 125 kilograms. He is the No. 3 seed. Michigan alum Mason Parris, the 2023 Worlds Bronze medalist, already has his spot in the finals and will be the favorite here.