NCAA wrestling: Penn State freshman falls in national title finals to Stephen Buchanan

PHILADELPHIA − The Penn State freshman certainly made a gallant run into the finals of these NCAA Wrestling Championships.

Josh Barr just came up a bit short in the end.

Barr lost his 197-pound title bout Saturday night to Iowa senior star Stephen Buchanan in front of President Donald Trump and a packed Wells Fargo Center Crowd. It was his second defeat to Buchanan this season for Barr, who finishes first PSU season with a 20-4 record.

Barr fought a tight, taught match but couldn't quite find a big scoring move after several near-misses. Buchanan, now 26-1 this season, was the one who connected on a takedown near the end of the second for a 3-2 lead.

He would win the national title, 5-2.

Barr's defeat followed the championships finals victories from teammates Carter Starocci (his NCAA-record fifth) at 184 pounds and Mitchell Mesenbrink (his first) at 165.

No matter, Barr was one of the feel-good storylines of this entire tournament. Who could have predicted him to make it to this spot just two weeks ago?

Mar 21, 2025; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Josh Barr of Penn State reacts after a victory in the semifinals of the NCAA Wrestling Championships at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Back then, the Michigan native couldn't even finish his Big Ten Championships, being helped off the mat with an undisclosed leg injury. He recovered enough on short-order to wrestle here in the Wells Fargo Arena this week but nearly didn't make it out of the preliminary rounds − gutting out an overtime victory after taking a hard shot to the head.

He recovered well here, too, though. He was resplendent in his Friday night semifinal over Michigan's Jacob Cardenas, who had beaten him at Big Ten's.

Barr was the Nittany Lions' starter all season at 197 and was ranked No. 2 nationally before that early defeat and injury in the league tournament at Northwestern. He became one of Penn State's record-tying 10 All-Americans during his initial season in Penn State's transcendent lineup.

He was not shy this week about talking about how his faith has powered him to this opportunity, especially with a re-match with Buchanan.

"Tough dude. Penn State, Iowa. He got me once this season. Just excited. He's a man of God, so I'm grateful I get to compete against another man with strong faith. And I'm grateful we get to put on for the Kingdom of Heaven tomorrow, and I hope it's a good show."

Frank Bodani covers Penn State wrestling for the York Daily Record and USA Today Network. Contact him at fbodani@ydr.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @YDRPennState.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: NCAA wrestling, Penn State: Josh Barr loses to Iowa's Stephen Buchanan

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