Penn State to kick off wrestling season inside BJC with new faces in lineup
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Penn State opens wrestling season Friday at Bryce Jordan Center vs Oklahoma.
- Sanderson cites transfer additions and lists up to seven potential All-Americans.
- Freshmen Marcus Blaze and PJ Duke could debut; twin Mirasola brothers may start.
With the Penn State football team’s season taking a tumultuous turn, many Nittany Lions fans have been waiting for the wrestling season to finally begin.
The time has come, as the Nittany Lions take on Oklahoma at 6 p.m. Friday inside the Bryce Jordan Center.
During Tuesday’s media day, Penn State coach Cael Sanderson called Oklahoma “a strong team” that has had success in the transfer portal.
“They picked up like five or six really good quality guys, so it’s going to be a good test for us,” Sanderson said. “Oklahoma is one of the traditional powerhouses in the sport of wrestling, so we’re excited. Coach Mark Hall is on their staff, so we got to be ready to go.”
The Nittany Lions’ lineup could have seven All-Americans in it this year, but it’s likely that only six will hit the mat against the Sooners: Luke Lilledahl, Aaron Nagao (Minnesota, 2023), Shayne Van Ness, Mitchell Mesenbrink, Levi Haines and Rocco Welsh (Ohio State, 2023).
Josh Barr would’ve been the seventh, but Sanderson said Tuesday that Barr suffered a rib injury during the U23 World Championships that’s going to force him out for some time.
Penn State could see some true freshmen make their debuts in Marcus Blaze (133 pounds) and PJ Duke (157).
“Marcus Blaze is as good of a wrestler as there’s ever been. He’s a great kid, great person and tremendous competitor,” Sanderson said. “We have all the confidence in the world in Marcus. We’re glad this guy is on our team.”
Twin brothers Cole (285) and Connor (197) Mirasola may hit the mat Friday night. Should that happen, it’ll be the first time brothers don the blue and white at the same time in the starting lineup since Dylan and Andrew Alton in 2013.
Connor is expected to start in Barr’s absence. However, Cole is in a lineup battle with Lucas Cochran.
“We’re prepared. We’re ready. It’s what we’ve been preparing for,” Connor Mirasola said Tuesday. “We’re excited to compete and excited to show what we got.”
No. 22 Oklahoma (0-0) at No. 1 Penn State (0-0)
When: 6 p.m. Friday Where: Bryce Jordan Center, University Park Radio: Big Foot Legends (103.7 & 104.3 FM) TV: Big Ten Network Online: Radio, Lionvision at GoPSUsports.com X: @byncobler, @pennstatewrest
| Nittany Lions | Sooners |
|---|---|
| 125: No. 3 Luke Lilledahl (0-0) | Conrad Hendriksen (4-1) OR Sebastian Degennaro (3-1) |
| 133: Kyison Garcia (0-0) OR Marcus Blaze (0-0) | Tyson Charmoli (0-0) |
| 141: No. 11 Aaron Nagao (0-0) | Tyler Wells (2-1) OR Alex Braun (2-2) |
| 149: No. 1 Shayne Van Ness (0-0) | Layton Schneider (2-2) |
| 157: PJ Duke (0-0) OR Joe Sealey (2-1) | Landyn Sommer (0-2) |
| 165: No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (0-0) | Owen Eck (4-2) |
| 174: No. 1 Levi Haines (0-0) | No. 33 Carter Schubert (2-1) |
| 184: No. 2 Rocco Welsh (0-0) | No. 13 Brian Soldano (2-1) OR Anders Thompson (2-3) |
| 197: No. 1 Josh Barr (0-0) OR Connor Mirasola (0-0) | No. 8 DJ Parker (3-0) |
| 285: No. 11 Cole Mirasola (0-0) OR Lucas Cochran (0-0) | No. 24 Juan Mora (3-0) |
