Penn State wrestling star Luke Lilledahl is going to Hungry.
Lilledahl, who took third at nationals this past March at the 125-pound weight class, will be wrestling in the USA vs. Russia dual, scheduled for Monday at noon in Budapest.
Lilledahl put himself in this position by winning Gold at the Budapest Ranking Series, beating Islam Bazarganov in the final match.
“The pair exchanged shot clock points in each period, Bazarganov scoring in the first frame, Lilledahl the second,” USA Wrestling wrote. “With Lilledahl leading late on criteria, he pounced an errant Bazarganov attack, icing the match with a picturesque blast double in the final moments.
“The victory over Bazarganov proves the young American will continue to be a force on the Senior level internationally. Bazarganov has won back-to-back bronze medals at the European Championships. Lilledahl was runner-up to Olympic silver medalist Spencer Lee at 2025 Final X and is the U.S. representative for the 2025 U23 World Championships. He is a four-time age-group World medalist, earning a silver and gold at both the U17 and U20 levels.”
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Lilledahl will have one match and one match only in Budapest. His opponent will be Russia’s Musa Mekhtikhanov. FloWrestling ranks Lilledahl No. 5 in the world at 57KG and ranks Mekhtikhanov No. 4. So, yeah, it will be a pretty exciting matchup.
We’re getting closer to World Championship season.
The U17, U20, U23 and Senior World Championships will all transpire be for the end of October.
The U17 championships are scheduled to talk place July 28-Aug. 3 in Greece, followed by the U20 in Bulgaria Aug. 14-18. Senior Worlds are scheduled for Sept. 13-21 in Croatia, and U23 Worlds are scheduled for Oct. 20-26 in Serbia.
