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Penn State

How many Penn State wrestlers will make the US U20 World Team? And who's competing at U23 Nationals?

Greg Pickelby: Greg Pickel05/30/25GregPickel
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Perrysburg's Marcus Blaze celebrates his win over St. Edwards’s Bradly Eaton on day three of the 2025 OHSAA State Wrestling Championships, Sunday, March 9, 2025, at the Jerome Schottenstein Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus. (ANDREW DOLPH/TIMES-REPORTER / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Penn State wrestling will be well-represented this weekend at yet another domestic freestyle event with U.S. World team implications. The U20 Team Trials, which will create Team USA for that age group, are on Saturday in Geneva, Ohio. The U23 Nationals, which will in part set that age group’s World team, will take place Saturday and Sunday. And, current and future Nittany Lions will be taking part in both tournaments.

Our weekend preview starts with U23 Nationals. By being in Final X, which will set the Senior Team USA, next month, Penn State sophomore Luke Lilledahl (at 57 kilograms), freshman PJ Duke (70kg), redshirt junior Mitchell Mesenbrink (74kg), senior Levi Haines (79kg), and redshirt sophomore Josh Barr (92kg) have already earned U23 Team spots if they choose to accept them.

Another incoming Penn State wrestler, Marcus Blaze, could join them should he win a true third-place match at Final X next month. He’ll face Nebraska’s Brock Hardy in it. As for who is looking to join that group by winning their weight class this weekend, here’s a rundown:

70 kilograms (154.3 pounds): Connor Pierce
74 kilograms (173.1 pounds): Ty Watson
79 kilograms (174.1 pounds): Sam Beckett
86 kilograms (189.5 pounds): Rocco Welsh
125 kilograms (275.5 pounds) Dawson Bundy

Of that group, Welsh is the only one with the highest PIN, which is USA Wrestling’s data-driven performance metric, in his weight class. Thus, he’s the only favorite to make the U23 Team.

Learn more about the Penn State wrestling connections competing this weekend by watching the latest BWI wrestling show below! You can also find it in podcast form on Apple and Spotify

Moving on to U20 Team Trials, that team will be set in Geneva, Ohio on Saturady. Multiple Penn State wrestlers are sitting out until the best-of-three finals. That group includes freshmen PJ Duke and William Henckel at 70 and 79 kilograms, respectively, and redshirt freshmen Connor and Cole Mirasola at 92 and 125 kilograms, respectively.

Duke, Henckel, and Connor Mirasola are all favored to earn a title and thus a U23 Team USA spot in their weight class. Cole Mirasola probably is, as well. But the heavyweight field is loaded. It includes the likes of Oklahoma State commit Dreshaun Ross, Iowa commit Michael Mocco, Minnesota’s Koy Hopke, and Cornell signee Rocco Dellagatta. 

As for Penn State connections who are in the U20 field vying to earn a spot in the finals, freshman Marcus Blaze is in the 61 kilogram bracket. He’ll hope to win enough matches to eventually have a shot at taking out Arizona State’s Kyler Larkin in the finals. Nittany Lion Class of 2026 commit Sam Herring is also in the 61kg bracket. And, PSU Class of 2026 commit Jayden James and redshrit freshman Joe Sealey are in the 74 kilogram bracket, where future Cowboy Ladarion Lockett sits out until the finals.

Blue-White Illustrated will have complete coverage of the U20 Team Trials and U23 Nationals this weekend.

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