Penn State wrestling is the odds-on favorite to win its 12th national title in 14 seasons.
InterMat’s individual rankings reflect that.
Three of Penn State’s 10 projected starters are ranked No. 1, and the rankings list doesn’t even include Luke Lilledahl, who could be an instant star at 125.
Penn State is never lacking in star power, and this lineup has the potential to go down as one of, if not the best in program history.
Time will tell but for now, here’s where Penn State’s stars stand in InterMat’s preseason rankings.
PENN STATE WRESTLING
This is intriguing for a few reasons. First, Davis was Penn State’s starter at 125 last season and did an admirable job as a true freshman, winning the Big Ten and entering the NCAA Championships ranked No. 1. But Penn State has the No. 1 Class of 2024 recruit coming in, a guy named Luke Lilledahl, who happens to compete at 125. Another reason Davis’ ranking is interesting is because Penn State’s starter at 133, last season Aaron Nagao, is a former All-American. These are the type of changes that happen when the room is as loaded as Penn State’s.
PENN STATE WRESTLING
The situation at 141 is more stable. Bartlett came within one match of winning a national title last season and spent a good bit of the regular season ranked No. 1. Unfortunately for Bartlett, the guy who beat him for the title, Ohio State’s Jesse Mendez, is still in college. He’s ranked No. 2. The man ranked No. 1, Northern Colorado’s Andrew Alirez, won the title at 141 in 2023. Alirez beat Bartlett in the 2023 semifinals and again at the Olympic Trials held at Penn State this past April. So it will be tough for Bartlett, but he’s an elite talent himself, so there’s no reason to think he can’t bring home a national title.
PENN STATE WRESTLING
He’s backkkk. After missing all of last season with an injury, Van Ness, who finished fourth at 149 during the 2023 national championships, is slated to reclaim is starting spot. We’ll learn a little about Van Ness Nov. 16 at the NWCA All-Star classic, which will be held at Rec Hall. Van Ness will take on West Virginia’s Ty Watters, who finished fourth at 149 last season. Van Ness came into last season ranked No. 2 as well before having the campaign stolen from him. The only person ranked ahead of Van Ness before this season is Virginia Tech’s Caleb Henson, who won the national title last season. To repeat, Henson could well have to go through Van Ness, which wouldn’t be easy.
PENN STATE WRESTLING
It looks like the guy who stepped in for Van Ness at 149 will move up to 157. Kasak not only held down the fort as a a true freshman last season, he became a star, finishing third at 149 after losing his first match at the NCAA Championships and reeling off seven straight wins. If this projection holds true, Kasak will succeed defending national champ Levi Haines (more on him later). It would have been hard to imagine Kasak not being in Penn State’s lineup after what he did last year but again, those are the type of questions asked about a room that’s so talented. Kasak would have been one of the favorites at 149 had he stayed but it would have been hard to see anybody but Van Ness in that spot. The four ahead Kasak in the preseason rankings are Nebraska’s Antrell Taylor, Ohio’s Peyton Keller, Cornell’s Meyer Shapiro and top-ranked Jacori Teemer of Iowa. There’s a good chance Kasak faces Teemer and Taylor during the regular season, since Iowa and Nebraska are each on the schedule. Get your popcorn ready.
165
No surprises here. Mesenbrink nearly beat Iowa State’s David Carr in last season’s national title match. Now, Carr is gone, so there shouldn’t be anything in Mesenbrink’s way.
174
No. 2 Levi Haines
Seeing Haines at No. 2 might make some do a double take but remember, he’s at a new weight class. Haines dominated at 157, winning two Big Ten titles, making two national title matches and winning the whole thing last season. Now, he’s at a new weight class and only Missouri’s Keegan O’Toole ranks ahead of him.
About that, Haines and O’Toole wrestled at the World Team Trials earlier this month and beat him 6-0.
184
Starocci had hinted that he’d compete at 197 for his last season of eligibility. It looks like he’ll instead be at 184, which is still 10 pounds up from the class he won four national titles at. The new weight class shouldn’t change much for Starocci, and there’s no reason not to believe he’ll win an unprecedented fifth national championship.
197
Barr has yet to prove himself as a full-time starter but this Starocci quote from last season is pretty eye-opening, in a good way.
“I think he’ll be a multiple time national champ for sure,” Starocci told reporters after the Indiana dual meet in which Barr took care of Indiana’s Roman Rogotzke with a 13-4 major decision.
For Starocci, Barr is “one of those kids.”
“You just got to kill him because he’s going to keep coming after you just nonstop. When I wrestle someone for the first time, just to see their breaking point. He just never stopped. I think having that (mentality), the skills are going to keep adding on every single practice.”
285
No. 1 Greg Kerkvliet
The defending heavyweight champ is back, and there’s no reason to think he won’t repeat.
