Penn State collects 7 No. 1 seeds for 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships
The 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships get underway next Thursday inside Rocket Arena in Cleveland. And, on Wednesday night, all 10 of Penn State’s wrestlers as well as a trio of former Centre County athletes learned their paths toward an NCAA crown.
The Nittany Lions saw seven of their wrestlers get No. 1 seeds at their respective weight classes in Luke Lilledahl (125 pounds), Shayne Van Ness (149), PJ Duke (157), Mitchell Mesenbrink (165), Levi Haines (174), Rocco Welsh (184) and Josh Barr (197). That is the most for any school during the NCAA era.
Marcus Blaze (3rd, 133 pounds) was the only other Penn State wrestler seeded in the top five. Cole Mirasola earned the No. 9 seed at 285 pounds as Braeden Davis came in at the No. 14 seed at 141 pounds.
Lilledahl will open his run against the winner of Bloomsburg’s Jace Schafer and Missouri’s Mack Mauger. Blaze takes on Oregon State’s Gabe Whisenhunt in his first NCAA tournament.
Davis takes on Utah Valley’s Haiden Drury. Van Ness faces the winner of Michigan State’s Clayton Jones and Brown’s Austin McBurney.
Duke opens with the winner of Morgan State’s Yannis Charles and Bellarmine’s Jeb Prechtel. Mesenbrink begins his title defense against the winner of VMI’s Ryan Vigil and Drexel’s Cody Walsh.
Haines starts his final NCAA tournament with the winner of Bellarmine’s Grant O’Dell and Wisconsin’s Luke Condon. Welsh, who is fresh off his first Big Ten title, faces the winner of Indiana’s Sam Goin and Utah Valley’s Caleb Uhlenhopp.
Barr, who was the NCAA runner-up last year, opens with the winner of Air Force’s Karson Tompkins and Kent State’s Blake Schaffer. Mirasola takes on Duke’s Connor Barket in his opener.
Bellefonte graduate Jude Swisher, who competes for Penn, earned the No. 6 seed at 157 pounds. He’ll face No. 27 Dylan Evans of Pitt in his second NCAA championships opener.
Penns Valley graduate Malachi Duvall, who wrestles for George Mason, was tabbed the No. 25 seed at 184 pounds. He’ll open his second NCAA championships against No. 8 Silas Allred of Nebraska, whom Duvall nearly beat in last year’s championships.
State College graduate Pierson Manville, who competes for Arizona State, got the No. 28 seed at 141 pounds. He’ll take on No. 5 Luke Stanich of Lehigh in his first NCAA championships opener.
Some former Penn State wrestlers also made the tournament in Utah Valley’s David Evans (No. 9, 149 pounds), Oklahoma State’s Alex Facundo (No. 8, 174) and Zack Ryder (No. 22, 184).
