Penn State has been the team to beat for a long time now. Winning 3 straight NCAA titles in 3 years! Can they make it 4 straight? Lets take a look. Breaking an NCAA Tournament record with 8 All-Americans and 4 NCAA champs all while under the leadership of Cael Sanderson. Unbelievable numbers with Josh Barr, Levi Haines, and Greg Kerkvliet having undefeated seasons, who can come against this team?
125-Braeden Davis had an outstanding freshman year winning the Big 10 Championship, and falling just short of becoming an all-american. Even with all that success, I don’t expect to see him as the starter this year. Not at 125 anyway. At 125 I believe we will see U20 World Champion Luke Lilledahl get the nod. Luke is the real deal, and will be a serious contender this year. Robert Howard and Gary Steen will also see mat time.
133-Aaron Nagao Is a talented wrestler and former all-american. I expect Nagao to get the starting spot here. However Davis will also contend for the spot. Either wrestler is capable of reaching the podium. Ultimately I think Davis ends up redshirting.
141-Beau Bartlett is a returning NCAA finalist and is back for his senior season. Anything else than a national title will be a disappointment for Beau.
149-Shayne Van Ness had a stellar freshman year, but missed last season while having knee surgery. I expect Shane to see limited action until the Big 10 tournament. It will be interesting to see how he wrestles after recovering from injury. During the 22-23 season Van Ness finished 24-7 and had an impressive run at the national tournament, going 5-1 and finishing 3rd.
157-Tyler Kasak filled in for Van Ness last season at 149 and had an outstanding season, earning all-american honors with a 3rd place finish. Word on the street is that he is walking around at 168 and will likely be competing at 157 this season. Alex Facundo has certified at 157 this year as well, and I expect him to get the nod and Kasak to redshirt.
165-Mitchell Mesenbrink did absolutely phenomenal in his freshman year with a staggering 26-1 season losing only to David Carr (Iowa State) in the NCAA finals I expect Mesenbrink to have very few challenges this season and fully expect him to cruise to his first NCAA title.
174-Levi Haines The defending 157 lb NCAA Champion, is moving up 2 weight classes here after out growing his former weight class. Levi is an absolute stud, but 174 is also completely loaded this year. I expect a stronger and more aggressive Haines this season. Last year he was drained making the cut to 157.
184-Carter Starocci returns chasing history, looking to become the first ever 5X NCAA Champion. While Carter appears to be the odds on favorite Parker Keckeisen is a formidable opponent. Zack Ryder will also be in the lineup, however I expect him to redshirt.
197-Josh Barr had an impressive 15-0 record last year while redshirting. Josh recently competed in the U20 World Championships, where he earned a Silver Medal. Barr is a very talented wrestler, however he will be wrestling up a weight from his natural class at 184.
285-Greg Kerkvliet is the defending NCAA Champion and will hold down this weight for the Nittany Lions all season. I could see Greg winning his second title however I would be surprised to see him anywhere in the top 4.
Once again PSU brings out a loaded team and is a heavy favorite to win a fourth straight team title. This team has a realistic chance of having 10 all-americans.