Penn State wrestling learns seeding for NCAA Championships

In eight days, Cael Sanderson will look to lead Penn State wrestling to the program’s fourth consecutive national championship and 12th in the previous 14 seasons when the NCAA Championships kick off in Philadelphia. For the second successive year, the Nittany Lions have qualified a wrestler at all ten weight classes. On Wednesday night, we learned the path to a national title for each Penn State wrestler as the NCAA released the seeding for this year’s tournament.

Where do Nittany Lion wrestlers fall in the 2025 NCAA seeding?

After claiming another Big Ten title last weekend, Penn State wrestling is in prime position heading into the NCAA Championships. Nittany Lions claim the top seed in 4 of the 10 weight classes:

125: No. 1 Luke Lilledahl

133: No. 8 Braeden Davis

141: No. 2 Beau Bartlett

149: No. 3 Shayne Van Ness

157: No. 1 Tyler Kasak

165: No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink

174: No. 2 Levi Haines

184: No. 1 Carter Starocci

197: No. 4 Josh Barr

285: No. 3 Greg Kerkvliet

Penn State wrestling is chasing its own record

© Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports

Penn State wrestling will head to Philadelphia with a chance to break the NCAA points record that last year’s squad set at the NCAA Championships. The 2025 Nittany Lions are perhaps even deeper than the team that scored 172.5 points in Kansas City a year ago.

The ability to break that record will largely hinge on the health of 197-pounder Josh Barr. The redshirt freshman suffered a leg injury during the consolation rounds of the Big Ten Championships.

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Heading into the conference tournament, Barr was ranked No. 2 and projected to be a serious contender to win the national championship at 197 pounds. Not considering bonus points, Barr would score at least 16 points for the Nittany Lions if he made it to the NCAA Final. If he can’t go and those points are removed from the team score, Penn State will have to make up the ground in other places.

The Nittany Lions have multiple wrestlers favored to win the national championship at their weight class, including Tyler Kasak, Mitchell Mesenbrink, and Carter Starocci. Penn State wrestling fans can also expect to see Luke Lilledahl, Beau Bartlett, Shayne Van Ness, and Levi Haines in the title discussion, as all four are poised for deep runs in the tournament.

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