Philadelphia, PA - March 22, 2025: The 2025 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships were held March 20-22 at the Wells Fargo Center.
A thirty-three man double elimination tournament bracket was in place for ten weight classes. Approximately seventy different teams competed for the team title while approximately three hundred and thirty wrestlers competed to be crowned a National Champion. The top eight place winners in each weight class were honored as All-Americans.
Penn State University, who went undefeated in the regular season, came into the tournament as the overwhelming favorite. In the end, the Nittany Lions scored a record 177 points to easily win their thirteenth championship in program history. The University of Nebraska was a distant second with 117 points while Oklahoma State was third with 102.5 points. Nebraska and Oklahoma State each had two individual National Champions.
The Nittany Lions became the second program in NCAA history, and the first since 2001, to have ten wrestlers become All-Americans. Leading the way was Erie, Pennsylvania native Carter Starocci who ended his career with a perfect 25-0 record at the tournament. Starocci became the only college wrestler to ever win five national titles. He narrowly defeated the University of Northern Iowa’s Parker Keckeisen 4-3 in the 184 pound final Saturday night.
Starocci, and all the wrestlers impacted by the coronavirus pandemic since 2021, were given an extra year of eligibility. Unfortunately, the wrestlers affected in 2020, when the NCAA canceled the championships, were not given an extra year and their careers ended without a chance to win a national title.
Besides Starocci, Penn State sent two additional wrestlers to the finals Saturday night. Mitchel Mesenbrink, the No. 1 seed, won his bout at 165 over Iowa’s Mike Caliendo by the score 8-2. Josh Barr, the No. 4 seed, lost his bout at 197 to Iowa’s Stephan Buchanan by the score 5-2.
Penn State’s Luke Lilledahl placed third at 125, Braeden Davis placed fifth at 133, Beau Bartlett placed third at 141, Shayne Van Ness placed third at 149, Tyler Kasak placed third at 157, Levi Haines placed third at 174, Josh Barr was runner-up at 197, and Greg Kerkvliet placed sixth at 285.
Penn State, under Head Coach Cael Sanderson, has now claimed twelve of the last fourteen titles while this year’s was their fourth in a row. Many coaches are wondering how they can catch up to the Lions with one coach stating: “It won’t be easy to beat this dynasty.”
University of Minnesota heavyweight Gable Steveson, said during the tournament: “What Cael (Sanderson at Penn State) has done for the program is mind-boggling.”
Steveson, an Olympic Gold Medalist and two-time National Champion, was stunned Saturday night in the final bout of the tournament in what is being called the biggest upset in NCAA wrestling history. Oklahoma State’s Wyatt Hendrickson shocked the wrestling world when with about thirty seconds left in the bout, he hit a double-leg takedown to win 5-4.
After the win, and among the chaos at the Wells Fargo Center, Hendrickson, a U.S. Air Force Second Lieutenant, saluted President Donald Trump who was in attendance. Hendrickson, with the U.S. flag draped over him, then went over to the 47th President and shook his hand.
First-year Oklahoma State Head Coach David Taylor, nicknamed the “Magic Man,” have his Cowboys on a path to challenge Penn State. The Penn State alumni, Olympic and World Champion, had six All-Americans this year, three of which were finalists. Besides Hendrickson, Dean Hamiti Jr. won the title at 174 pounds.
Taylor said afterwards: “Finishing in third place is pretty special because it’s not just about the individuals, it’s a team effort. Obviously, those guys help you win, but you need everyone contributing.”
Lehigh University sent six wrestlers to the championships.
At 125 pounds, Sheldon Seymour, the No. 8 seed, upset the No. 1 seed Luke Lilledahl Friday morning on his way to a 6th place overall finish. Michael Beard, the No. 5 seed at 197, won his first two bouts before falling into the consolations bracket and missing out on making the podium. Owen Trephan, the No. 4 seed at 285, won his first three bouts before losing in the semifinals to Minnesota’s Steveson. Trephan would take fifth place after Penn State’s Kerkvliet, the No. 3 seed, medically forfeited the bout. Malyke Hines at 149 pounds went 3-2 overall, Logan Rozynski at 157 pounds went 1-2, and Caden Rogers at 184 pounds went 1-2.
There were only two wrestlers this year from PIAA District XI. Tyler Kasak of Bethlehem Catholic High School/Penn State was the No 1 seed at 157. Kasak had a 17-1 record coming into the tournament with his only loss being to Maryland’s Ethen Miller by injury default in February. Kasak lost his quarterfinal bout but fought back through the “blood rounds” to claim third place. The sophomore is a two-time All-American.
Lenny Pinto of Stroudsburg High School/University of Nebraska was the No. 8 seed at 174. Pinto, a junior, came into the tournament with a 22-5 record. He lost his first bout of the tournament and had a tough road back. He won his next three bouts in consolations but came up one victory short of being an All-American.
As mentioned, in attendance for the finals Saturday night was President Donald J. Trump. He entered the arena at about 7:19 PM to a loud roar and chants of “USA USA.” The President stayed the entire time and he met with, spoke to, and took photos with most of the All-Americans after each award ceremony.
Carter Starocci said before the start of the finals that he was really looking forward to President Trump being at Nationals. He said: “President Trump came to the Nationals in my sophomore year (Tulsa), and it was really cool. He’s obviously a big fan of combat sports. He’s at all the UFC events. It’s good for our sport.”
Gable Steveson said: “Trump’s attendance was great for college wrestling. It’s a great thing, regardless of who the president is. I think it’s a great factor to even come and support wrestling. Him showing up Saturday night, he’s coming to watch some of the best wrestling on earth.”
There were 41 qualifiers from Pennsylvania, the most from any state. Ohio followed with 28 and New Jersey and California both came in with 26. The NCAA said that over 109,000 fans attended the tournament this year. Next year’s championships are in Cleveland, Ohio at Rocket Arena, March 19-21.