The most fun weekend of the year for wrestling fans is here and the big question is will Penn State have 10 All-Americans by the end of the weekend?
Hereโs what Iโm calling for champions Saturday night at the Wells Fargo Center.
125 – Luke Lilledahl, Penn State wrestling: I was dead wrong about Purdueโs Matt Ramos beating Lilledahl in the semifinals at Big Tens. Iโm not going to make that mistake again. Lilledahl may be naturally good enough to get it done in his first crack.
133 – Drake Ayala, Iowa: There are so many possibilities here. It doesnโt feel right picking Ayala after Illinoisโ Lucas Byrd just beat him for the Big Ten Championship but here we are again. I could see Ayala, Byrd and a handful of others making a run for the title.
141 – Jesse Mendez, Ohio State: Remember what I said about 133 pounds where I can see a handful of guys winning? Ditto for 141. Beau Bartlett absolutely could get it done after being upset in the Big Ten Championships.
I havenโt even mentioned Nebraskaโs Brock Hardy yet as the top seed. So many possibilities.
149 – Caleb Henson, Virginia Tech: Weโll go with a repeat champion again like I did with Mendez. Henson is back at it again this year at 18-0, but I could also see Nebraskaโs Ridge Lovett or PSUโs Shayne Van Ness giving him a heck of a match in the finals.
157 – Tyler Kasak, Penn State: Kasak just feels like heโs on a mission this year. Iโve felt that ever since the flex while lifting Iowaโs Jacori Teemer in the dual meet.
You wonโt see many better endings than this. Tyler Kasak lifts Jacori Temmer into the air and fires up the crowd at the same time,
Penn State leads 18-5 going into the break. pic.twitter.com/74TDGsbLbL
— Joe Smeltzer (@joesmeltzer775) February 1, 2025
Maybe he gets tested a couple times along the way, but itโs his bracket to win.
165 – Mitchell Mesenbrink, Penn State: It would be interesting to see Mesenbrink wrestle former Lion Terrell Barraclough in the semis. Barraclough has carved out a great season at Utah Valley. The other half of the bracket opposite of Mesenbrink is rugged and also has a few candidates to make a run.
174 – Keegan OโToole, Missouri: PSUโs Levi Haines has been fantastic in bumping up two weight classes this year. The only problem is thereโs a buzzsaw probably waiting for him in the finals. OโToole has been awesome his whole career. I donโt see that stopping now.
184 – Carter Starocci, Penn State: If you saw the match between Starocci and Northern Iowaโs Parker Keckeisen at the NWCA All-Star match this year, you know that you want to see that again on Saturday night. It was as close as it comes back in November, but I wonโt pick against Starocci until he loses one of these big matches.
How Carter Starocci Went From Isolation to Best in the Nation
197 – AJ Ferrari, Cal State-Bakersfield: No matter what you think about him, Ferrari is an unbelievable talent. Heโs done this before back in 2021, and thereโs a lot of reason to believe he can do it again.
285 – Gable Steveson, Minnesota: Itโs amazing how stacked heavyweight is this year. Greg Kerkvliet is the returning national champion and seeded third. Itโs just so hard to see anyone beating Steveson.ย
Will PSU have 10 All-Americans? No. Only for the reason of the health concerns of Braeden Davis and Josh Barr.
Team champion: Penn State. I donโt think theyโll surpass last yearโs record of beating the second place team by 100 points, but not by much.
Outstanding wrestler: Steveson.
