After already securing the team crown, Penn State wrestling won two individual national titles and the Nittany Lions set a team points record on Saturday night at the 2025 NCAA Championships at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
Carter Starocci made history by becoming the first wrestler to win five national titles, defeating Parker Keckeisen of Northern Iowa in the 184 pound final. Starocci, who finished his final collegiate season with a 26-0 record, was named Outstanding Wrestler of the NCAA Championships.
Mitchell Mesenbrink, meanwhile, won his first national title after finishing as runner-up last year, defeating Iowa’s Michael Caliendo 8-2 in the 165 pound championship bout. Mesenbrink received the award for most technical falls on the season with 18.
Redshirt freshman Josh Barr finished second in his first NCAA Tournament after dropping a 5-2 decision to Iowa’s Stephen Buchanan in the 197 pound title match.
Penn State now has 61 NCAA wrestling champions, including 40 during Cael Sanderson’s tenure as head coach.
The Nittany Lions’ 177 points — boosted by all 10 wrestlers becoming All-Americans and finishing in the top six — eclipsed the previous national record of 172.5 set by Penn State in 2024. Nebraska finished second with 117, followed by Oklahoma State (102.5), Iowa (81), Minnesota (51.5) and Ohio State (51.5) to round out the top five.
Penn State locked up the team title earlier Saturday during consolation action, nearly eight hours before the championship bouts started. It is the program’s fourth consecutive national championship, 12th in 14 years and 13th overall.
The Nittany Lions went 11-3 during Saturday’s final consolation rounds, including two medical forfeit losses by heavyweight Greg Kerkvliet. Luke Lilledahl (125), Beau Bartlett (141), Shayne Van Ness (149), Tyler Kasak (157) and Levi Haines (174) each claimed third-place, Braeden Davis (133) took fifth and Kerkvliet finished sixth. In the six medal round bouts wrestled, the Nittany Lions went a combined 6-0 with two falls and four major decisions.
CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS
184 Pounds
In a scheduling twist, the night started off with the much anticipated 184 pound title bout between No. 1 seed Carter Starocci, a four-time champion at 174 pounds, and No. 2 seed Parker Keckeisen of Northern Iowa, the defending champion at 184.
A physical first period saw Starocci get a good low shot that Keckeisen deftly fought off near the edge of the mat, and the bout went to the second period scoreless. Starocci’s escape was the only scoring of the second period, and he took a 1-0 lead into the third. Keckeisen needed only a second to escape and tie the bout 1-1 at the start of the third.
With under a minute remaining, Starocci shot in on a single and fought through Keckeisen’s defense to get control for the bout’s only takedown. Keckeisen escaped and added a point on a second stall warning, but Starocci emerged with the 4-3 decision for an unprecedented fifth national championship.
In a program littered with legendary wrestlers over the past 15 years, Starocci left his mark among the best of the best. The five-time All-American and three-time Big Ten champion finishes his Penn State career 25-0 in NCAA Championships and 104-4 overall, with two of those losses coming on injury defaults in last year’s conference tournament.
165 Pounds
No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink and No. 3 Michael Caliendo met for the 165 pound title in a rematch of the Big Ten championship match won by the Nittany Lion. An early takedown by Mesenbrink was waved off because it came after a head collision. Out of injury time for Caliendo, Mesenbrink chose the bottom position and escaped to a 1-0 lead.
Caliendo escaped to start the second and tie the bout, but with under a minute left in the period Mesenbrink drove through on a single leg and scored the bout’s first takedown. Caliendo escaped and Mesenbrink took a 4-2 lead into the third.
Mesenbrink quickly escaped to start the final period and extend his lead to 5-2. With 10 seconds remaining, Mesenbrink countered a Caliendo shot with an inside trip for a takedown to seal an 8-2 decision and his first national title.
The Nittany Lion redshirt sophomore and two-time All-American finished the season with a 27-0 record.
197 Pounds
Making his first NCAA finals appearance, No. 4 seed Josh Barr took on No. 2 Stephen Buchanan of Iowa for the 197 pound title. Following a scoreless first period, Barr chose the down position, got a point on a locked hands call and escaped just under a minute into the second. Moments later, however, Buchanan shot in on a double leg for the bout’s first takedown and held on through the end of the period with a 3-2 lead.
The Hawkeye escaped to a 4-2 lead at the start of the third and fended off Barr the remainder of the way, adding a riding time point for a 5-2 decision and the title.
Barr ends his redshirt freshman season with a national runner-up finish and 20-4 record.
CONSOLATION BRACKET
125 Pounds
No. 1 seed Luke Lilledahl and No. 3 seed Eddie Ventresca of Virginia Tech traded escapes to head to sudden victory tied 1-1 in their consolation semifinal bout. Converting an ankle pick for a takedown in the extra period, the Nittany Lion redshirt freshman advanced to the third-place bout with a 4-1 decision.
Facing No. 2 seed Matt Ramos of Purdue, Lilledahl took a 5-3 lead into the third. Lilledahl then got in on a takedown and turned Ramos to his back for the pin at 6:18.
Lilledahl claimed a third-place finish and ends his first collegiate season with a 25-3 record.
133 Pounds
No. 8 seed Braeden Davis met No. 14 seed Zan Fugitt of Wisconsin in the consolation semifinals. Fugitt’s opening takedown and a Davis escape gave the Badger a 3-1 lead heading into the second. An escape and a second takedown by Fugitt in the middle period widened his lead to 7-1. Davis scored a late takedown in the third but couldn’t overcome the deficit and dropped an 8-5 decision.
In the fifth-place bout, Davis led No. 6 seed Connor McGonagle of Virginia Tech 3-1 early in the second when he worked the Hokie into position for a pin at 2:33.
Davis ended a solid NCAA Tournament with a fifth-place finish and 17-7 record on the year.
144 Pounds
Looking to bounce back from a semifinal loss in his final NCAA tournament, No. 2 seed Beau Bartlett took on No. 4 seed Josh Koderhandt of Navy. After trading takedowns and escapes, the bout was tied 4-4 heading after one, and Koderhandt took a 5-4 lead with an escape in the second. Bartlett’s reversal to start the third period followed by Koderhandt’s escape sent the bout to sudden victory tied 6-6. In the extra period, Bartlett countered a Koderhandt shot for a takedown and two near fall points near the edge of the mat to take an 11-6 decision.
In the third-place bout, Bartlett scored an opening takedown against No. 10 seed CJ Composto of Penn in the first period and led 3-1 heading into the second. After Composto escaped to start the middle period, Bartlett got the bout’s second takedown and turned Composto for four near fall points to extend his lead to 10-2. A Bartlett escape to start the final period sealed an 11-2 major decision and the Nittany Lion senior’s 100th career victory in his final collegiate bout.
Bartlett completes his Penn State career as a three-time All-American with NCAA finishes of third, second and third and a record of 100-20.
149 Pounds
No. 3 seed Shayne Van Ness made quick work of No. 12 Ethan Stiles of Oregon State in their consolation semifinal. The Penn State sophomore locked up a cradle and put Stiles on his back for the fall at 1:06 to advance to the third-place bout.
Van Ness scored an early takedown against No. No. 13 Dylan D’Emilio of Ohio State in the medal round and took a 3-1 lead into the second. After a D’Emilio escape, Van Ness went turned up the offense for a takedown and two near fall points to open up an 11-3 lead. Another takedown and a riding time point wrapped up a 15-4 major decision and third place for Van Ness.
With his second All-America finish, Van Ness ends the year with a 25-3 record.
157 Pounds
In one of the most highly anticipated matchups of the consolation bracket, No. 1 Tyler Kasak took on No. 2 Meyer Shapiro of Cornell in the semifinals. Kasak got control out of a scramble late in the first period for a takedown and a 3-0 lead and added a hard-fought escape in the second to move ahead 4-0. Shapiro chose the down position to start the third and escaped midway through the final period. Kasak was hit with a stall point but held on for the 4-2 decision.
Kasak got a takedown early against No. 20 Trevor Chumbley of Northwestern and stayed in control on top for a 3-0 lead after one. Chumbley chose down to start the second and Kasak executed a full-period rideout to carry over four minutes in riding time into the third. A takedown in the final period and the riding time point gave Kasak an 8-0 major decision and his second national third-place finish.
The two-time All-American ends his sophomore season with a record of 23-2.
174 Pounds
Tied 1-1 late in the third period of their consolation semifinal, No. 2 seed Levi Haines and No. 5 Simon Ruiz of Cornell went back and forth on shots before Haines countered for the bout’s only takedown and a 4-1 decision.
In the third-place bout, Haines scored the opening takedown against No. 11 Patrick Kennedy of Iowa and took a 3-1 lead into the second. Haines escaped to start the middle period then got in for his second takedown and took a 7-2 lead after two. Kennedy escaped to start the third, but in the waning moments of the bout Haines scored a final takedown and added a riding time point for an 11-3 major decision.
The Nittany Lion junior earned his third All-America honor and finished the season 25-2.
Heavyweight
No. 3 seed Greg Kerkvliet, who appeared to be wrestling injured in his semifinal loss on Friday night, took medical forfeits in the consolation semifinal against No. 9 Cohlton Shultz of Arizona State and the fifth place bout.
Kerkvliet’s ends his Nittany Lion career as a five-time All-American with a national title in 2024 and a record of 92-13.
