Four Penn State commits set to compete at Ironman Wrestling Tournament

Four Penn State wrestling recruits are set to compete in the prestigious Ironman Wrestling Tournament this weekend in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. The action starts Friday morning. By the end of today, the semifinals will be set. Those will then take place on Saturday morning before the finals on Saturday night.

The list of former Nittany Lions who will be at the Walsh Jesuit High School for the two-day event includes Class of 2026 signee Jayden James, in addition to Class of 2027 verbal commits Grey Burnett, Gavin Mangano, and Clinton Shepard. Here is where each is in the preseeds:

Jayden James – No. 2 at 165 pounds behind only No. 1 Melvin Miller, a Virginia Tech commit.

Grey Burnett – No. 2 at 126 pounds behind only No. 1 Paul Kenny, an Iowa commit.

Clinton Shepherd and Gavin Mangano – These two share a weight class. Shepherd is No. 3 and Mangano No. 4 at 144 pounds. They are behind Oklahoma State commit Jordyn Raney and Minnesota commit Tyler Dekraker.

Many are hoping to see Miller vs. James. This tournament could feature many highly anticipated matches. But, that one likely leads the list of bouts fans would want to see most.

Discuss the tournament with Penn State fans and get results on The Wrestling Room forum.

“This match has unquestionably the most anticipated match in high school for at least a year,” Mason Lindenmuth writes for FLO. “These two have been on a collision course while dominating their competition. Miller is a three-time Fargo champion, two-time Super 32 champion, and a two-time PIAA champion but still is looking for his first Ironman title after third and second place finishes the last two seasons. James dominated his way to his first New Jersey state title last season, and then followed that up with a U17 World gold medal at 70 kg in Athens this summer along with a runner-up finish at the U20 World Team Trials.

“If we are to get this match in the finals this weekend, it should absolutely be the main event, with the winner coming away with the #1 ranking at 165 pounds.”

Brackets and a live stream of the tournament will be available on FLO. Click here to access both. And catch up on the latest Penn State wrestling news by watching this week’s BWI wrestling show and podcast. Host Thomas Frank Carr and reporter Greg Pickell discuss recent results, recruiting, this weekend’s dual at Wyoming, and more! Click here to see it.