Penn State Wrestling Early Lineup Look - 2025-26 Season
Penn State Wrestling Early Lineup Look - 2025-26 Season
A breakdown of the potential starting lineup for the 2025-26 Penn State Wrestling Team.
The Penn State wrestling team is currently one of the best sports dynasties of all time. The Nittany Lions have won 12 of the last 14 NCAA team titles and have won 4 titles in a row. Penn State is the early favorite to win the 2026 team title returning a strong group of wrestlers combined with incredible young talent. Check out the below article to see a full breakdown of Penn State's 2025-26 team.
Penn State’s Potential 2025-26 Lineup
125: Luke Lilledahl
133: Braeden Davis/Masa Ono/Marcus Blaze/Aaron Nagao
141: Braeden Davis/Masa Ono/Marcus Blaze/Aaron Nagao
149: Shayne Van Ness
157: Tyler Kasak/PJ Duke
165: Mitchell Mesenbrink
174: Levi Haines
184: Rocco Welsh
197: Josh Barr/Connor Mirasola
285: Cole Mirasola
125: Luke Lilledahl
Luke Lilledahl will likely return as the starter for the Nittany Lions after a phenomenal true freshman season, during which he finished third at the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Along with the high podium finish, Lilledahl compiled a 26-3 record last season and won the Big Ten Championships with notable victories over Caleb Smith and Matt Ramos. Lilledahl will likely be ranked third to start the season next year behind only NCAA champ Vincent Robinson and runner-up Troy Spratley. This year Lilledahl proved he’s a title contender and he’ll be right in the mix to win a title in 2026.
Lilledahl's win in the third place match at NCAAs over Matt Ramos:
133/141: Braeden Davis/Masa Ono/Marcus Blaze/Aaron Nagao
The roster battle at 133 pounds and 141 pounds is one of the most unique in college wrestling and highlights the incredible depth in the Penn State wrestling room. The Nittany Lions already have two All-Americans in this weight class in Braeden Davis and Aaron Nagao - Davis placed 5th this year and Nagao placed 5th in 2023. Davis won the roster battle this year but Nagao reportedly attempted to wrestle through an injury and didn’t compete in any matches this season. It’s also important to note that Davis has a redshirt available since he wrestled as a true freshman in the 2023-24 season.
What really inserts chaos into the lineup is the addition of Masanosuke Ono and Marcus Blaze. Ono burst onto the international wrestling scene last year when he won both a U20 and Senior world title at 61 kg (134.5 pounds) for Japan. During that run, Ono recorded impressive wins over world/Olympic champ Zaur Uguev (10-2), world champ Vito Arujau (12-0), and Marcus Blaze (7-2). We don’t yet fully know Ono’s eligibility status or how he’ll translate to folkstyle wrestling. However, Ono is one of the best pound-for-pound wrestlers in the world, and if he’s eligible next season, I expect to see Ono in the lineup as a title contender at either 133 or 141 pounds.
Ono's win over Spencer Lee:
Marcus Blaze is the final wrinkle in this two-weight roster battle. Blaze is the #1 ranked overall recruit in the class of 2025 and already has an incredible hitlist as a senior in high school. Blaze finished 3rd at the 2024 Olympic Trials at 57 kg and then 2nd at the 2024 World Team Trials at 61 kg. Between those two competitions, Blaze recorded wins over Daton Fix, Seth Gross, Nahshon Garrett, and Luke Lilledahl. On top of the senior-level results, Blaze is a U17 World Champion (2023) and won silver at the 2024 U20 World Championships. Blaze is coming into college as one of the most highly credentialed high school wrestlers of all time and is absolutely ready to contend for a national title at either 133 or 141 pounds.
Marcus Blaze's win over Daton Fix:
149: Shayne Van Ness
Shayne Van Ness finished his second full year in the Penn State lineup and took home his second third-place finish at the NCAA Tournament. Van Ness finished with a 25-3 record this season with a 75% bonus rate. Those stats were a significant improvement from his freshman season when he was 24-7 with only a 48% bonus rate. With NCAA Champion Ridge Lovett graduating, Van Ness will be right in the mix to win a title next season at 149 pounds.
Van Ness' win over Ty Watters at the 2024 NWCA All-Star Classic:
157: Tyler Kasak/PJ Duke
Penn State has two solid options next season at 157 pounds in either Tyler Kasak or PJ Duke. Like Van Ness, Kasak has two third-place finishes under his belt in his first two years at Penn State. Beyond his finishes, Kasak was the #1 ranked wrestler going into NCAAs this year before getting upset by Purdue’s Joey Blaze in the quarter-finals. Despite that loss, Kasak had an outstanding season and remarkably only gave up 1 takedown the entire year. Kasak notably defeated NCAA Champ Antrell Taylor twice throughout the season and if Kasak is the starter next year, he’ll be one of the favorites to win the 2026 NCAA title.
With all of Kasak’s success, why would PJ Duke be in the mix to start at 157 next season? Simply put, Duke is currently one of the best high school wrestlers in the country and the #2 ranked overall recruit in the class of 2025 (behind only teammate Marcus Blaze). Duke won a bronze medal at the U20 World Championships last season and placed third at the 2024 Senior World Team Trials. At those trials, Duke defeated national qualifier Jarrett Jacques (8-3) and All-Americans Bryce Andonian, Will Lewan (5-2), and Yahya Thomas (5-1). Duke looks poised to make an immediate impact on the college scene.
Duke's win over Bryce Andonian:
It’s also worth noting that Kasak has never redshirted so if Duke starts next season, Kasak would still have two years of eligibility remaining. Beyond that, as a true freshman, Duke could wrestle in 5 dates attached before the coaches make a decision on who they’ll start at 157 pounds.
165: Mitchell Mesenbrink
Mitchell Mesenbrink won the 165-pound NCAA title this year by going 27-0 with a remarkable 89% bonus rate. Mesenbrink finished third in the Hodge vote and will be a huge favorite to win an NCAA title and the Hodge. There’s not that much more to write about Mesenbrink other than that he looks poised to go down as another all-time great for the Nittany Lions.
Highlights of Mesenbrink's win over Mikey Caliendo in the 2025 NCAA Finals:
174: Levi Haines
Levi Haines will enter his final season as the favorite to win 174 pounds. Haines has put together a great career in his first three seasons placing second (2023 at 157), first (2024 at 157), and third (2025 at 174). Haines’ only losses last season were to eventual champ DJ Hamiti and runner-up Keegan O’Toole. Beyond the losses, Haines recorded three wins last season over eventual 4th place finisher Patrick Kennedy who will likely be ranked second to start the season.
Highlights of Levi Haines' win over Patrick Kennedy in the 3rd place match at the 2025 NCAA Tournament:
184: Rocco Welsh
Rocco Welsh is the surprising newcomer to the Penn State lineup and will likely man the starting spot at 184 pounds next season. Welsh spent the first two years of his college career at Ohio State but announced his transfer to Penn State on March 30. Welsh redshirted this past season but finished runner-up at 174 pounds in 2024 where he lost to Carter Starocci in the finals, 2-0. Along with the second-place finish at NCAAs, Welsh recorded notable wins over Simon Ruiz, Patrick Kennedy, Edmond Ruth, and several other ranked wrestlers. Welsh went 15-0 this past season while redshirting and should be considered a national title contender heading into next season.
Rocco Welsh's win over now teammate Josh Barr at the 2023 Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic:
197: Josh Barr/Connor Mirasola
Josh Barr had a fantastic year in his first year starting for the Nittany Lions and finished his freshman year as the 197-pound NCAA runner-up. During the season, Barr recorded several wins over All-Americans including victories over Michael Beard, Stephen Little, Cam McDanel, Jacob Cardenas, and several others. With NCAA Champion Stephen Buchanan graduating, Barr will likely be ranked #1 to start the season and should be considered one of the favorites to win a title next year at 197 pounds.
Josh Barr's win over All-American Michael Beard:
Even with Barr’s success last season, Connor Mirasola is still worth mentioning in this lineup breakdown. Mirasola was the #7 overall recruit in the class of 2024 and went 8-1 in his redshirt year last season. It’s worth noting that his lone loss was against teammate Josh Barr (11-0) but he recorded wins over NCAA qualifiers Patrick Brophy (7-3), Wolfgang Frable (14-4), and Remy Cotton (8-4). Mirasola will likely be the backup behind Barr but Mirasola will likely improve in his second season and will be given the chance to prove himself throughout the year. Even if Mirasola doesn’t earn the starting spot, having him as the backup highlights the incredible depth in Penn State’s room.
285: Cole Mirasola
Cole Mirasola, Connor’s twin brother, looks poised to take over the starting 285-pound spot after Greg Kerkvliet’s graduation. Mirasola was the #15 overall recruit in the class of 2024 and recorded a 6-2 record in his redshirt season. Mirasola’s only losses were to Luke Luffman (4-0) and Nick Feldman (10-3) but he recorded notable wins over NCAA qualifiers Brady Colbert (9-5) and Connor Barket (21-6). Mirasola will likely be the most unproven wrestler in Penn State’s lineup but considering his results from his redshirt season, he’ll be right in the mix to contend for All-American honors at the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
Cole Mirasola's win over #17 Brady Colbert at the 2025 Southern Scuffle:
Can Penn State Break The Team Point Record Again In 2026?
The Nittany Lions have won 12 of the last 14 NCAA Team Titles and are currently riding a 4-year title streak winning every team title from 2022 through 2025. Beyond that, Penn State has set the team point record each of the past two years scoring 172.5 points at the 2024 NCAA Tournament and breaking that record in 2025 with 177 points.
Will Penn State break the record again in 2026? It’s absolutely possible! Though it’s early, Penn State has a legitimate title contender at 9 out of 10 weights and All-American contenders at every weight. At the 2025 NCAA Tournament, all 10 Penn State wrestlers earned All-American honors - only the second time ever accomplished. On top of that, every wrestler placed in the top 6 with 8 finishing in the top 3, and 2 NCAA Champs. That’s a high bar to beat for this team in 2026 but the talent is there and the Nittany Lions are the clear favorites to win another team title next season.