Penn State wrestling to showcase young talent at Black Knight Invitational

Penn State wrestling is fresh off a dominant 41-3 victory over Drexel to kick off the 2024-25 season. The Nittany Lions remain ranked No. 1 in the country and now will have an opportunity to flex its depth at the Black Knight Invitational Sunday.

Who can we expect to compete this weekend in West Point, New York?

Penn State touts entirely ranked lineup following first dual

For the first time this season, Penn State wrestling has its entire lineup ranked inside the InterMat top 33. Previously, the Nittany Lions had nine out of 10 weight classes represented.

With Luke Lilledahl winning by forfeit at 125 pounds last Sunday, the freshman now slots in at No. 33 this week. Lilledahl will likely continue to rise as he competes in more matches and defeats ranked opponents.

Current Penn State starting lineup

125: No. 33 Luke Lilledahl 1-0

133: No. 7 Braeden Davis 1-0

141: No. 3 Beau Bartlett 0-0

149: No. 2 Shayne Van Ness 0-0

157: No. 4 Tyler Kasak 0-0

165: No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink 1-0

174: No. 2 Levi Haines 1-0

184: No. 1 Carter Starocci 1-0

197: No. 23 Josh Barr 0-0

285: No. 2 Greg Kerkvliet 1-0

Stacked field of Nittany Lions

© ALLYSE PULLIAM/For the Times Herald-Record / USA TODAY NETWORK

Cael Sanderson could end up submitting over 20 wrestlers into the field of this year’s Black Knight Invitational. Each team is allowed to submit more than the usual one per weight class, so this tournament will be a tremendous opportunity for fans to watch younger talent that they otherwise might not see in the duals.

Wrestlers can compete in five scheduled events without losing their ability to redshirt. This weekend will be valuable for freshmen such as Zack Ryder and Cole Mirasola to gain experience without losing future eligibility.

The tournament will also give the Penn State wrestling coaching staff more data points as it narrows down key starting roles, including the ongoing battles at 157 and 197.

We can expect that many of the Nittany Lion starters will likely rest this weekend, creating opportunities for younger wrestlers on the roster. It’s likely that Braeden Davis will not participate, as the 133-pounder did not appear among the tournament’s preseeds after suffering an injury last Sunday. However, we won’t know exactly who will participate until after weigh-ins on Sunday morning.

The potential wrestlers for each weight class based on Friday’s preseeds from FloWrestling are below. Note the rankings shown reflect tournament preseeding:

125: No. 1 Luke Lilledahl/Kurt McHenry

133: No. 3 Gary Steen/Kyison Garcia/Timothy Levine

141: No. 1 Beau Bartlett/Cael Nasdeo

149: No. 1 Shayne Van Ness/Connor Pierce

157: No. 1 Tyler Kasak/No. 2 Alex Facundo

165: No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink/Aurelius Dunbar

174: No. 1 Levi Haines/No. 2 Matt Lee

184: No. 1 Carter Starocci/Zack Ryder

197: No. 1 Lucas Cochran/No. 2 Josh Barr/Connor Mirasola

285: No. 1 Greg Kerkvliet/No. 4 Cole Mirasola

Where to Watch?

The invitational will be streamed live on FloWrestling and begin at 10:00 a.m. ET on Sunday, November 24. The radio broadcast of the event and all future Penn State wrestling events can be heard via LionVision at GoPSUsports.com.

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