Penn State wrestling earned its fifth consecutive national title last year, with three wrestlers being crowned national champions. Luke Lilledahl at 125 pounds, Mitchell Mesenbrink achieving his second win at 165, and Josh Barr at 197 pounds.

The three will return to defend their titles, along with many other Nittany Lions like Marcus Blaze and Tyler Kasak who have the potential to stack on to the team’s individual winners.

Here are the names across the country that could compete against the blue and white for a national victory.

125

While Lilledahl will return to the mat as the No. 1-ranked wrestler in the country and is projected as the season winner, he will once again meet up with his competitors from last year, who will no doubt be out for redemption after falling to Lilledahl last season.

Princeton’s Marc-Anthony McGowan lost to Lilledahl in the finals, placing second in the tournament. He still earned his second Ivy League championship and finished the season 17-6. His strong defense limited Lilledahl in the finals, and it could play a factor in future matches.

Stanford’s Nico Provo is also out for the trophy after losing in the Round of 16 to McGowan last season. Provo placed third overall after winning all six of his consolation matches, and defeating Vincent Robinson of NC State for third place. Provo helped Stanford earn its sixth-place finish at the championships, the Cardinal’s highest in program history.

133

Blaze is one of Penn State’s top promising contenders for a national championship and is a projected starter after finishing out his first collegiate season with a national fourth-place finish.

Only a second-year athlete, Blaze is ranked No. 4, but has tough competition from his fellow sophomore class. Blaze fell 5-0 against Aaron Seidel of Virginia Tech, who placed third last year after losing to Ohio State’s Ben Davino.

All three of the wrestlers fell to Jax Forrest of Oklahoma State, who took the national title as a freshman, after his undefeated run last year, joining the Cowboys for the second half of the season.

Forrest will be a force to be reckoned with at such an early point in his career, becoming one of Oklahoma State’s three true freshman national champions, and contributed an overall 26 points to the team standings.

141

While the starter for the Nittany Lions is unknown, there is potential for wrestlers like Braeden Davis to earn his way on to the podium. Davis went 14-7 in the regular season and 2-2 in the National Championships. Penn State could put out Nate Desmond, Masanosuke Ono or even a jump in weight by Blaze at the spot.

Nevertheless, it will be a hard climb as third-place finisher Luke Stanich of Lehigh will return as one of the favorites to win the title. Virginia Tech true freshman Bo Bassett is also a major threat. Bassett defeated Stanich 13-9 in the opening week, just days after winning a Senior World Championship.

149

Shayne Van Ness will be a starter for the Nittany Lions after a second-place finish at nationals last year, proving that he can handle himself on the big stage.

Van Ness will start the season ranked No. 4 as redshirt Caleb Henson returns to the mat as the projected champion.

Henson won the championship as a sophomore before returning and losing in the finals in 2025. He will compete against the No. 2-ranked Sergio Vega of Oklahoma State after he took the championship last year.

Vega made the jump to 149 pounds this season after winning at 141 last year, joining Forrest again on the strong Oklahoma State roster. He went 24-0 last season while never surrendering a takedown.

Stanford’s Aden Valencia beat out Van Ness in the finals last year to win it all. He returns for his sophomore season on a strong Cardinal squad and could be a threat to win it all again.

157

After a redshirt season last year left him off the mat, Kasak will come back as the No. 2 seed behind reigning champion Landon Robideau. He’s just ahead of 2026 runner-up Antrell Taylor of Nebraska.

Kasak earned third in the championships during the 2024 season, after clinching the Big Ten title and earning first-team All-Big Ten honors. He will come back hungry to climb the podium and finish at the top.

However, Robideau won’t make it easy. The third true freshman Oklahoma State Cowboy is gritty, being able to avenge both his losses from the regular season to come out on top and earn the title.

He made up one of the three true freshman national champions, and brought home the win from the U20 World Team Trials, and finished third at the U20 World Championships.

165

PJ Duke is another star athlete for Penn State, after a first-place finish in the Big Ten Championships and a third-place podium finish on the national stage at 157 pounds as a first-year.

Duke will move up in weight classes this year to replace standing national champion Mitchell Mesenbrink, as he likely moves up to 174 pounds.

The Slate Hill, New York, native is ranked No. 1 as a sophomore and was a key starter for Penn State last season. However, No. 2 Arizona State junior Nicco Ruiz is no stranger to winning at 165, taking both the Big Twelve and 2026 U23 Freestyle National Championships.

Purdue’s Joey Blaze will be another name to watch, as he finished sixth in the country last year after going 25-4 on the season. Blaze was Purdue’s fourth undefeated regular-season athlete, going 18-0 without surrendering a takedown. Now in his second year at the weight, he could pose another threat to Penn State’s 165-pound title hopes.

174

With the graduation of two-time champion Levi Haines from Penn State last season, teammate and two-time 165-pound champion Mitchell Mesenbrink will step up to take his place.

Mesenbrink has been one of Penn State’s most decorated athletes, having won back-to-back National Championships and Big Ten tournament titles since transferring in his sophomore year.

Mesenbrink will no doubt bring the same grit he’s carried with him into the class. However, new faces and a heavier weight could pose a challenge to the 165 veteran.

Nebraska’s Christopher Minto was no stranger to Haines, with the two being rivals throughout their collegiate careers. Minto fell short to Haines last season in both the Big Ten Championships and in the National Championships, losing by a close 2-1.

With Haines gone, Minto will have the chance to come back stronger and will be hungry to finally claim a championship for his own.

184

Rocco Welsh has been a big name for Penn State since transferring from Ohio State. Welsh boasted a second-place finish against Minnesota’s Max McEnelly in the national finals, after a close 4-3 decision.

Welsh won the Big Ten Tournament last year over McEnelly and dominated the field with a 24-1 record on the season and a 59-6 career record.

The two will face off again this season, as McEnelly will look to repeat his time as a national champion and continue to lead his program at Minnesota. He was the school’s first-ever champion at 184, and national title holder since 2022.

197

Josh Barr is no stranger to victory, and is the favorite at 197 pounds after winning the Big Ten National Championships last season.

Barr finished his junior season at 24-0, with six being major decision wins. The points he earned at nationals were a large contribution and factor in Penn State earning their 14th national team title.

Oklahoma State sophomore Cody Merrill could pose a threat to Barr, after a hard-fought 6-3 decision loss left him as runner-up. Merrill still finished his freshman season as an All-American and with a 21-5 record.

With Merrill already performing this well against a top competitor in his first year at the collegiate level, there is a high chance the two could battle it out this season, with Merrill coming out on top as a sophomore.

285

After the graduation of heavyweight champions Issac Trumble and Wyatt Hendrickson, the floor is now open for new competition to land their spot on the podium.

Oklahoma State’s Konner Doucet joins his teammates as the No. 1 seed, after being a starter last season. He dominated his competition in duals, going 14-2, and earning more bonus-point wins in the season than in his last four years combined.

Doucet will be a force to reckon with for either of the twins, Cole or Connor Mirasola, with Cole failing to reach the podium in his first year as a starter.

If Doucet is the starter — given that heavyweight freshman Dreshaun Ross could also start — he’d be in contention for the title alongside some returning Big Ten heavyweights. Iowa’s Ben Kueter, Ohio State’s Nick Feldman and Wisconsin’s Braxton Amos could also push to be at the top of the podium.

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