PREVIEW: Penn State wrestling battles American on senior day

Penn State wrestling looks to move one match closer to Oklahoma State’s record 76 dual winning streak, vying for the program’s 71st consecutive victory on Friday night against American University. After claiming the Big Ten Dual Season Championship last weekend, the Nittany Lions will look to close out their fifth straight undefeated season with a dominant senior day performance.

What should we expect from the Nittany Lions against the Eagles?

Penn State vs. American preview

Penn State enters this dual with a 14-0 (8-0 Big Ten) record and is fresh off a pair of victories against No. 8 Ohio State and No. 13 Illinois last weekend. American is 10-9 and is coming off a 2-1 weekend with wins over Bucknell and George Mason and a loss to Virginia.

Friday will be only the second meeting all-time between the two schools. Penn State wrestling won the first dual 40-3 on February 23, 2020.

The Nittany Lions will enter with all 10 wrestlers ranked inside the top nine of the latest InterMat rankings. Eight of those wrestlers are currently ranked in the top two of their respective weight classes. Heavyweight William Jarrell is the lone ranked wrestler for American, coming in at No. 32.

Match to watch

Penn State wrestling heavyweight Greg Kerkvliet. © Chris Eutsler / Basic Blues Nation, 2025.

285: No. 2 Greg Kerkvliet 15-0/Cole Mirasola 6-2 (PSU) vs No. 32 William Jarrell 20-9 (AU)

The talent discrepancy between these two teams makes highlighting a specific notable matchup difficult. If Cael Sanderson puts out his entire starting lineup, there won’t be any weight where the outcome will be competitive.

However, injury questions remain at 133 and 157, as well as the health of heavyweight Greg Kerkvliet, who was out last weekend with an illness. If the fifth-year senior is a go for his final bout in Rec Hall, this will be the only ranked matchup of the dual.

Kerkvliet currently sits at No. 2 in the country, behind only Gable Steveson. He has a 15-0 record and an 80% bonus. William Jarrell is 20-9 with a 41.38% bonus. Against common opponents, Kerkvliet is 13-0, while Jarrell is 2-13.

If Kerkvliet is still recovering ahead of the postseason, we could also see Penn State wrestling start Cole Mirasola. The true freshman has lost two matches in a row and is 6-2 on the season with a 62.5% bonus.

This match will likely end in a pin or tech fall if Kerkvliet wrestles. Jarrell is likely more competitive against Mirasola. With losses to two top-10 wrestlers last weekend, it is challenging to determine where Mirasola stands as his first year in a Nittany Lions uniform comes to a close. He ranks No. 29 on WrestleStat, while William Jarrell is listed as No. 41 in the country. That would make me lean towards a decision for Penn State if Mirasola gets the start.

Projected Penn State vs American wrestling lineups:

125: No. 9 Luke Lilledahl 15-2 (PSU) vs Coen Bainey 10-9 (AU)

133: No. 7 Braeden Davis 8-3 vs Raymond Lopez 15-10 (AU)

141: No. 1 Beau Bartlett 17-0 (PSU) vs Cael McIntyre 6-10 (AU)

149: No. 2 Shayne Van Ness 16-1 (PSU) vs Gage Owen 7-15 (AU)

157: No. 1 Tyler Kasak 14-1/Connor Pierce 7-3/David Evans 0-0/Joe Sealey 0-2 (PSU) vs Jack Nies 8-15 (AU)

165: No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink 18-0 (PSU) vs Kaden Milheim 9-11 (AU)

174: No. 2 Levi Haines 16-1 (PSU) vs Caleb Campos 18-10 (AU)

184: No. 1 Carter Starocci 17-0 (PSU) vs Lucas White 5-11 (AU)

197: No. 2 Josh Barr 16-1 (PSU) vs Carston Rawls 5-12 (AU)

285: No. 2 Greg Kerkvliet 15-0/Cole Mirasola 6-2 (PSU) vs No. 32 William Jarrell 20-9 (AU)

Penn State vs. American predictions:

125: No. 9 Luke Lilledahl (PSU) by tech fall

133: No. 7 Braeden Davis (PSU) by tech fall

141: No. 1 Beau Bartlett (PSU) by tech fall

149: No. 2 Shayne Van Ness (PSU) by tech fall

157: No. 1 Tyler Kasak 14-1/Connor Pierce 7-3/David Evans 0-0/Joe Sealey 0-2 (PSU) by major decision

165: No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (PSU) by tech fall

174: No. 2 Levi Haines (PSU) by fall

184: No. 1 Carter Starocci (PSU) by fall

197: No. 2 Josh Barr (PSU) by fall

285: No. 2 Greg Kerkvliet/Cole Mirasola (PSU) by tech fall

Final Score: No. 1 Penn State 52 – American 0

Historically, Penn State wrestling ends the dual season with a lighter matchup, allowing its wrestlers to recover from the grueling Big Ten schedule and perform one more time before the Rec Hall crowd. However, that also means we could see several backups in the lineup on Friday, especially those in their final year of eligibility.

Nevertheless, there isn’t much reason to think that American can score in this dual. Most of their wrestlers have losing records. The Eagles with solid seasons are set to face some of the biggest names in the Nittany Lions’ lineup.

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While not completely ruling out that American could get on the board, Penn State wrestling has proven that it has a deep and talent-rich bench. I predict that the Nittany Lions will score over 50 points for the fourth time this season. The only question remaining is how many points they will ultimately score.

If we see the full starting lineup – including Davis, Kasak, and Kerkvliet – this match will be over quickly. We saw this earlier in the year with a 54-0 win over Wyoming and a 55-0 win over Michigan State. The Wyoming dual lasted only one hour and 15 minutes, including the intermission.

Any match that doesn’t end in a tech fall would be surprising. The tricky thing to predict is where the pins will come into play. I figure Haines, Starocci, and Barr will have the best chance out of the entire lineup.

How to watch:

Date: February 21, 2025

Time: 7:00 p.m. ET

TV: BTN+

Location: Rec Hall

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