Final X Preview: A look at every Penn State standout competing for a Team USA spot this weekend

The Team USA roster for the Senior World Wrestling Championships will be set this weekend in Newark, N.J. Penn State standouts and Nittany Lion Wrestling Club members are competing at Final X. Some are vying for a backup spot on the early portion of the day-long card. Others are seeking a starting spot on the national team for this year’s championships, which are set for September in Croatia.

We preview Saturday’s action on a fresh episode of the Blue-White Illustrated Penn State wrestling show.

Host Thomas Frank Carr and reporter Greg Pickel start by taking a look at the true third place matches. Those start at 12:30 p.m. ET. Multiple wrestlers, including incoming freshman Marcus Blaze and five-time NCAA champ Carter Starocci, are competing for a backup spot on Team USA. Blaze is in the 65 kilogram (143.3 pounds) true third place match opposite Nebraska’s Brock Hardy. Starocci, then, has a familiar foe in Parker Keckeisen of Northern Iowa in the 86-kilogram (189.5 pounds) true third place match. A win would mean Blaze and Starocci have national team resources for the next year. And, for Blaze in particular, it would mean the U23 Team USA spot at 65 kilograms is his to turn down.

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Once those matches are done, the action turns to the best-of-three championship finals for the starting spot on the World team. Penn State connections are in seven of the nine men’s freestyle matches. Here’s the list (in the order that the matches will be take place):

74 kg – Mitchell Mesenbrink (Bellefonte, Pa./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. David Carr (Ames, Iowa/Cyclone RTC/Titan Mercury WC)

79 kg – Evan Wick (San Gabriel, Calif./Askren Wrestling Academy/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Levi Haines (Arendtsville, Pa./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC)

92 kg – Trent Hidlay (Raleigh, N.C./Wolfpack WC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Joshua Barr (Davison, Mich./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC)

97 kg – Kyle Snyder (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Hayden Zillmer (Deerwood, Minn./Gopher WC/Titan Mercury WC)

57 kg – Spencer Lee (Iowa City, Iowa/Hawkeye WC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Luke Lilledahl (Saint Charles, Mo./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC)

86 kg – Zahid Valencia (Stillwater, Okla./Cowboy RTC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. Kyle Dake (Port Matilda, Pa./Nittany Lion WC/Titan Mercury WC)

70 kg – Yianni Diakomihalis (Rochester, N.Y./Spartan Combat RTC/Titan Mercury WC) vs. PJ Duke (Slate Hill, N.Y./KD Training Center/Titan Mercury WC)

How will the Penn State connections perform? Check out Pickel’s thoughts in the video above. And, return to Blue-White Illustrated this weekend for picks and predictions and complete coverage from Final X.