Penn State nears fourth straight men's wrestling national title after 10 earn All-American status
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Penn State is closing in on its fourth straight Division I men’s wrestling championship and its 12th in 14 years under coach Cael Sanderson.
All 10 Penn State wrestlers earned All-American status Friday. The Nittany Lions join Minnesota's 2001 squad as the only teams to have that many All-Americans in one season.
Penn State got just three of its wrestlers through to Saturday's finals, but the Nittany Lions have a comfortable lead with 135.5 points. Nebraska is in second place with 101.5 points and Oklahoma State is in third with 91.
One of Penn State's finalists is Carter Starocci, who remains in contention for an unprecedented fifth national title. He defeated Oklahoma State’s Dustin Plott 9-3 in the semifinals to advance to the final at 184 pounds.
Starocci will face Northern Iowa's Parker Keckeisen, the defending champion at 184, in the final. Starocci's four championships were all at 174.
Penn State's top-seeded Mitchell Mesenbrink reached the 165 final and will face Iowa's Mike Caliendo. Another Nittany Lion, Josh Barr, defeated the No. 1 seed, Michigan's Jesse Cardenas, 5-3 to advance. He will face Iowa's Stephen Buchanan in the 197 final.
Nebraska is solidly in second place after a dominant performance Friday that saw three Cornhuskers reach the finals.
Two of Nebraska's wrestlers will face defending national champions as the Cornhuskers try to add to an impressive performance.
Nebraska's Brock Hardy will face Ohio State’s Jesse Mendez, the defending champion at 141, in the final at that weight. Nebraska’s Ridge Lovett meets Virginia Tech’s Caleb Henson, the defending champ at 149, in that final. Nebraska's Antrell Taylor will face Purdue's Joey Blaze for the national title at 157.
Oklahoma State, under first-year coach David Taylor, did its part to make things interesting by putting three wrestlers in the finals — Dean Hamiti, Troy Spratley and Wyatt Hendrickson.
Hamiti defeated Penn State's Levi Haines, a returning national champion at 157, 4-2 in the semifinals at 174. He will face Missouri's Keegan O'Toole, a national champion at 165 in 2022 and 2023, in the 174 final.
Spratley will wrestle North Carolina State’s Vincent Robinson in the 125 final.
Iowa is in fourth place with 73.5 points and sent three wrestlers to the finals. Iowa's Drake Ayala won his semifinal at 133 and will face Illinois' Lucas Byrd. Buchanan defeated Cal State Bakersfield's A.J. Ferrari, a 2021 national champion, 3-0 in a 197 semifinal to advance and join Caliendo in the finals.
Minnesota’s Gable Steveson, who has returned to college after retiring in 2022, could win his third heavyweight title. He extended his win streak to 70 matches with a 13-5 win over Lehigh's Owen Trephan in a semifinal. He'll face Oklahoma State's Hendrickson, a transfer from Air Force, in the final. Hendrickson beat defending national champion Greg Kerkvliet of Penn State 8-2 in a semifinal.
Topics
-
Penn State goes 20-0, takes lead on the opening day of Division I men's wrestling championships
Penn State is well-positioned to claim its fourth straight national championship after having a perfect opening day Thursday at the Division I Men’s Wrestling Championships. It was the first time ...Yahoo Sports - 1d -
Penn State wrestling closing in on another NCAA championship
Penn State wrestling matches NCAA record for most All-Americans and closes in on NCAA championship.Yahoo Sports - 3h -
Penn State wrestling injury update: How does Josh Barr look for NCAA Championships?
Penn State coach Cael Sanderson gives a positive outlook for injured star Josh Barr in this week's NCAA Championships.Yahoo Sports - 4d -
NCAA Wrestling Championships: Schedule, rules, scoring, stats
The NCAA men's Division I wrestling championships start Thursday; here's how to watch Penn State, Iowa and more.ESPN - 23h -
What happened to Penn State wrestling? Suffers upsets, builds lead at NCAA wrestling
Despite losses by No. 1 wrestlers Luke Lilledahl and Tyler Kasak, Penn State still built its NCAA Championships lead in quarterfinal round.Yahoo Sports - 16h -
Penn State wrestling at the NCAA Championships: Two Lions to enter transfer portal?
Penn State wrestling expects to lose two backups through the NCAA transfer portal.Yahoo Sports - 21h -
Penn State wrestling: How Josh Barr's resolve led record-setting NCAA Championships start
See how Josh Barr gutted out a final victory to keep Penn State perfect on the opening of the NCAA Wrestling Championships.Yahoo Sports - 1d -
Penn State will not play in the NIT
Penn State's men's basketball season is officially over for the 2024-25 season.Yahoo Sports - 5d -
Penn State wrestling in NCAA Championships: What makes Mitchell Mesenbrink so dominant?
The curious story of how Mitchell Mesenbrink came to Penn State wrestling and became a star.Yahoo Sports - 5d
More from Yahoo Sports
-
Saints showing strong interest in BYU offensive tackle prospect with rare measurables
The New Orleans Saints have had many meetings at many events during the 2025 offseason, several of which focused on a BYU offensive line prospect.Yahoo Sports - 8m -
St. John's player did a 'sniper' bench celebration that disappointed fans
St. John's player Brady Dunlap did a sniper celebration that March Madness fans didn't love.Yahoo Sports - 11m -
Michael Page targets Colby Covington or Kamaru Usman for next UFC fight
LONDON – Michael Page wants his next fight to be against an elder statesman of the UFC welterweight division. Page (23-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC), who's coming off a unanimous decision victory over Shara ...Yahoo Sports - 13m -
Updated NCAA Tournament East Region bracket, television schedule entering round of 32
An updated look at what the Wisconsin Badgers face en route to the Sweet 16, Elite Eight and beyond. Complete with a full second-round TV scheduleYahoo Sports - 14m -
Another former Bengals player joins Texans in NFL free agency
Former Bengals players keep going to Houston in free agency.Yahoo Sports - 17m
More in Sports
-
Saints showing strong interest in BYU offensive tackle prospect with rare measurables
The New Orleans Saints have had many meetings at many events during the 2025 offseason, several of which focused on a BYU offensive line prospect.Yahoo Sports - 8m -
St. John's player did a 'sniper' bench celebration that disappointed fans
St. John's player Brady Dunlap did a sniper celebration that March Madness fans didn't love.Yahoo Sports - 11m -
Michael Page targets Colby Covington or Kamaru Usman for next UFC fight
LONDON – Michael Page wants his next fight to be against an elder statesman of the UFC welterweight division. Page (23-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC), who's coming off a unanimous decision victory over Shara ...Yahoo Sports - 13m -
Updated NCAA Tournament East Region bracket, television schedule entering round of 32
An updated look at what the Wisconsin Badgers face en route to the Sweet 16, Elite Eight and beyond. Complete with a full second-round TV scheduleYahoo Sports - 14m -
England thrive in Thomas Tuchel's debut as Jude Bellingham stars and an answer at left back finally emerges
Tuchel led his side to a solid 2-0 win over Albania as England began World Cup qualifyingCBS Sports - 14m