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Penn State wrestling show: Lions updated roster revealed; what's the best starting spot battle?

Greg Pickelby:Greg Pickel•10/31/24•

GregPickel

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Penn State wrestling has reached the end of October, which means just 17 days separate the Nittany Lions from the start of their 2024-2025 season. The defending NCAA and Big Ten champs open the dual meet portion of their latest slate by hosting Drexel on Nov. 17. Three weeks before that, the team released its updated roster for the year ahead. Host Thomas Frank Carr and reporter Greg Pickel cover that and much more on today’s Blue-White Illustrated Penn State wrestling show and podcast.

The pair start by reviewing the comings and goings on the roster. Who graduated or otherwise moved on? From there, they dive into a closer look at the newcomers. Penn State did not add any transfer portal additions like it did a year ago. But, it did bring 10 recruits from the Class of 2024 until campus. That list is as follows:

St. Charles, Mo., native and Wyoming Seminary product Luke Lilledahl: 125 pounds

Williamsport, Pa., native Cael Nasdeo: 133 pounds

State College, Pa., native Hayden Cunningham: 141 pounds

Jersey Shore, Pa., native Brock Weiss: 141 pounds

Centre Hall, Pa., native Ty Watson: 157 pounds

Bear Creek Twp., Pa., native Joe Sealey: 165 pounds

Westtown, N.Y., native Zack Ryder: 184 pounds

Jackson, Wisc., native Connor Mirasola: 197 pounds

Jackson, Wisc., native Cole Mirasola: 285 pounds

St. George, Utah native Dawson Bundy: 285 pounds

Will any of the freshmen find their way into the lineup in year one? And which of the newcomers was a surprise? Carr and Pickel break down the nation’s No. 1 recruiting Class of 2024.

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 pair dive into the confirmed roster changes. They then discuss the projected starting lineup and the best starting spot battle, which is a toss-up between 133 pounds, 157 pounds (if those are even a battle), and 197 pounds (which definitely is). Here’s our starting lineup projection:

Here is where things stand in late October. Rankings are courtesy of FLO:

125 pounds: Luke Lilledahl.

133 pounds: No. 10 Braeden Davis OR Aaron Nagao. Davis is the leader in the clubhouse.

141 pounds: No. 3 Beau Bartlett

149 pounds: No. 2 Shayne Van Ness

157 pounds: No. 4 Tyler Kasak OR Alex Facundo. Kasak is the leader in the clubhouse.

165 pounds: No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink

174 pounds: No. 2 Levi Haines

184 pounds: No. 1 Carter Starocci

197 pounds: No. 20 Lucas Cochran OR Joshua Barr. This is a true toss-up

285 pounds: No. 1 Greg Kerkvliet

The show closes with a review of Mitchell Mesenbrink’s bronze-winning performance at U23 nationals and David Taylor’s time at the non-Olympic weight Senior World Championships.

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