Here’s how five wrestlers with ties to Penn State did at US World Team Trials
The last chance for wrestlers to try to make the United States Senior Freestyle World Team came to a close on Friday afternoon in Louisville, Kentucky.
There were five wrestlers with connections to Penn State that competed in the two-day World Team Trials Challenge tournament. Current Nittany Lions Joe Sealey (74 kilograms) and Cole Mirasola (125 kg), former Nittany Lions Zain Retherford (70 kg) and Greg Kerkvliet (125 kg) and soon-to-be Nittany Lions wrestler Jayden James (74 kg) all looked to win the event to reach Final X — the best-of-three finals to set up the freestyle team.
Retherford and James were the only wrestlers to reach the finals of their respective weights, and Retherford came away as the lone winner.
For Retherford, this was his first time on the mat competitively since he was in the 2024 Olympics in Paris. He wrestled just two matches in his title run.
Retherford, who was the No. 1 seed, had a bye to the semifinals. He edged reigning 157-pound NCAA champion in Oklahoma State’s Landon Robideau. The former Penn State wrestler’s takedown with 1:36 left in the second period was enough for a 3-2 win.
In the finals, Retherford faced Virgina Tech’s Caleb Henson. The former Nittany Lions wrestler got a pushout point early in the first period to hold a 1-0 lead after one period of wrestling. Retherford got a passivity point from Henson in the second to collect a 2-1 victory to reach Final X, where he’ll face former Nebraska wrestler Ridge Lovett.
James, who is just 17 years old, had an impressive run to the finals.
He topped two-time NCAA finalist and former Iowa wrestler Michael Caliendo, 8-3, in his opener. In the quarterfinals, James rang up a 10-0 technical superiority on Sealey, who was the No. 1 seed, in 3:13.
James was trailing Quincy Monday late in their semifinals match, but the Penn State commit put Monday on his back for a pin in 5:30. In the finals, James trailed former Iowa State wrestler David Carr, 9-1, early in the second period. He attempted to mount a rally with a pair of takedowns and push out points, but James came up short in a 9-7 loss.
Sealey worked his way back to a third-place finish after dropping into the consolation bracket with a quarterfinals loss. Mirasola suffered the consolation finals after a quarterfinals loss, but suffered a 13-7 defeat.
Kerkvliet made the semifinals, where he suffered a 6-3 loss to former Michigan wrestler Mason Parris, who was the eventual winner. The former Penn State wrestler injury defaulted to Mirasola in the consolation semifinals.
The Nittany Lions have six wrestlers with ties to the program that will compete at Final X on June 19 in Newark, New Jersey, in Retherford, Luke Lilledahl (57 kg, current), Marcus Blaze (61 kg, current), Levi Haines (79 kg, former and Nittany Lions Wrestling Club member), Kyle Dake (86 kg, NLWC member) and Kyle Snyder (97 kg, NLWC member).
Lilledahl will face former Iowa wrestler Spencer Lee for the world team spot. Blaze faces reigning NCAA 133-pound champion and Oklahoma State wrestler Jax Forrest.
Haines takes on former Lock Haven wrestler Chance Marsteller. Dake takes on former Arizona State wrestler Zahid Valencia. Snyder faces former Iowa wrestler Stephen Buchanan.
