Current, future Penn State wrestlers earn spots to represent Team USA at Final X
The United States wrestling world team had the potential to have several Penn State wrestlers on it heading into Final X Saturday in Newark, NJ.
When the dust settled, the Nittany Lions’ Levi Haines (79 kilograms), and soon-to-be Nittany Lion PJ Duke (70 kg), secured spots to represent the country at the Senior World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia on Sept. 13-21.
Penn State had seven wrestlers connected to the program compete for world team spots, which included current Nittany Lions Mitchell Mesenbrink (74 kg), Josh Barr (92 kg) and Luke Lilledahl (57 kg), along with Nittany Lion Wrestling Club members Kyle Snyder (97 kg) and Kyle Dake (86 kg). Snyder was the only other wrestler to claim a spot on Team USA.
For Haines and Duke, this will be the first time they represent the U.S. on the senior freestyle stage.
The current Nittany Lion swept his best-of-three series with former Wisconsin wrestler Evan Wick. Haines opened by collecting a 10-0 technical superiority.
The second match saw Haines control throughout in a 6-1 win.
The future Penn State wrestler had a tough one on his hands when he took on former Cornell wrestler Yianni Diakomihalis.
Diakomihalis rolled up a 10-0 technical superiority on Duke in the first bout of their best-of-three series. In the second match, it was a scorefest with the 18-year-old in Duke coming out on top, 17-10.
Duke put an emphatic close on the series when he pinned Diakomihalis in 4:07.
Snyder, whose temporary suspension from competition was recently lifted after a May arrest in a prostitution sting in Ohio, had no problems in his best-of-three series with Hayden Zillmer.
Snyder rolled to two easy victories over Zillmer, 8-0 and 8-2.
Mesenbrink, Barr, Lilledahl and Dake were all swept in their best-of-three series.
Here’s who will compete for the USA in Zagreb, Croatia
57kg: Spencer Lee
65kg: Real Woods
70kg: PJ Duke
74kg: David Carr
79kg: Levi Haines
86kg: Zahid Valencia
92kg: Trent Hidlay
97kg: Kyle Snyder
125kg: Wyatt Hendrickson
