The preseason wrestling rankings are out, and as we all knew, Penn State stood out.
InterMat has defending national champ Mitchell Mesenbrink (165), 2024 national champ Levi Haines (174) and 2025 runner-up Josh Barr (197) ranked No. 1 at their respective weight classes.
Mesenbrink is thought by many to be the best pound-for-pound wrestler in the land, and nobody will bat an eye if he wins the Hodge Trophy.
Haines won it all at 157 two springs ago and moved up two weight classes last season. He did quite well at 174, too, taking third at the national championships after falling in the semifinals to eventual champ Dean Hamiti.
Barr, also competing at a new weight class, made it all the way to the championship match before losing to Iowa’s Stephen Buchanan.
Buchanan is gone now, so Barr and Iowa State’s Rocky Elam are the two favorites to win it.
ELSEWHERE IN THE RANKINGS
Photo by Penn State Athletics: Luke Lilledahl
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Elsewhere, eight of Penn State’s 10 projected starters are in the top 10. Luke Lilledahl, fresh off a third-place finish at 125 as a true freshman, will start his sophomore season ranked No. 3. Braeden Davis, who took fifth at 133 last year, is ranked No. 9 at 141. At 149, third-place finisher Shayne Van Ness is ranked No. 2 behind defending national runner-up Caleb Henson of Virginia Tech. Also ranked No. 2 is Tyler Kasak at 157, who finished third last season. Kasak is behind only defending champ Antrell Taylor, who he went 2-0 against last season. Another No. 2 is Ohio State transfer Rocco Welsh, who’s succeeding five-time national champ Carter Starocci at 184. Welsh is behind only Minnesota’s Max McEnelly— and ahead of Iowa’s Angelo Ferrari, who he’s slated to meet in Iowa City this winter.
Another new starter, heavyweight Cole Mirasola, is ranked No. 12. Mirasola is projected to succeed five-time All-American and 2024 national champ Greg Kerkvliet.
THE FRESHMEN
Photo by Tony Rotundo: Khaled Dassan and PJ Duke
Two Penn State wrestlers not featured in these rankings are freshmen PJ Duke and Marcus Blaze, who were the top two recruits in the country from the Class of 2025. Duke will battle Kasak for the job at 157, and Blaze is projected to start at 133.
Penn State wrestling will begin its 2025-26 season Nov. 14 against Oklahoma at Rec Hall.
