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Marcus Blaze vs. Jax Forrest Highlights Final X Wrestling Event

Blaze and fellow Penn State wrestler Luke Lilledahl face tough challenges to make the U.S. Senior World Team.
Mark Wogenrich|
Penn State Nittany Lions Marcus Blaze competes against Ohio State Buckeyes Ben Davino during the NCAA Wrestling Championship at Rocket Arena.
Penn State Nittany Lions Marcus Blaze competes against Ohio State Buckeyes Ben Davino during the NCAA Wrestling Championship at Rocket Arena. | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

Penn State wrestlers Luke Lilledahl and Marcus Blaze will get fascinating rematches in June at Final X, where the 2026 U.S. Senior World Team will be determined. Though neither wrestled at the Senior World Team Trials Challenge Tournament, both loomed as the matchup for two of the top wrestlers at their weight classes.

Lilledahl will face former Iowa national champion Spencer Lee in the best-of-three Final X series in the 57 kg men's freestyle weight class. Lilledahl defeated Lee at the U.S. Open this spring for the automatic bid to Final X.

Blaze, meanwhile, will take on Oklahoma State freshman Jax Forrest at 61 kg in one of the most compelling duels at Final X. Forrest won the NCAA title at 133 pounds as a freshman, while Blaze fought through the flu to place fourth. Blaze earned the auto bid to Final X by beating Ohio State's Ben Davino 4-1 for the U.S. Open title this spring.

Lilledahl, the defending NCAA champion at 125 pounds, and Blaze seek to qualify for their first U.S. Senior World Teams. Final X is scheduled for June 19 at the Prudential Center in Newark. N.J. Joining them are former Nittany Lions Levi Haines, who will wrestle Chance Marsteller at 79 kg, and Zain Retherford, who will meet Ridge Lovett at 70 kg.

Nittany Lion Wrestling Club members Kyle Dake (86 kg) and Kyle Snyder (97 kg) are in the Final X field as well.

Lilledahl, a three-time age-group world champion, went undefeated last season for the Nittany Lions, who won their fifth straight NCAA team title. At the U.S. Open, Lilledahl trailed Lee in the waning seconds of their final before hitting a headlock for the winning takedown.

Lilledahl returns to Final X to face Lee for the second consecutive year. Lee won the 2025 series with 7-2 and 6-0 decisions. Lilledahl went on to win the U23 world title last year and looks for his revenge vs. Lee in June.

Expectations are even higher for the Blaze-Forrest series, which will feature two of the top freshman wrestlers in the country. The two did not meet at the NCAA Tournament, which Forrest took by storm as the 133-pound champ after enrolling at Oklahoma State in January.

Blaze was the unbeaten and top-ranked wrestler at the weight class entering the Big Ten Championships, where he fell to Davino in the final. Davino also defeated Blaze in the NCAA semifinals, but Blaze countered with a 4-1 win in the U.S. Open final.

"It feels amazing," Blaze said after winning the U.S. Open title in Las Vegas. "It's bittersweet. I wanted to be an NCAA champion, but the flu really does not care what tournament you’re at."

Blaze and Forrest have some history, with Blaze scoring two freestyle wins at previous tournaments. One of those was at Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center, where Blaze defeated Forrest at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials.

Jayden James falls short in upset bid

Jayden James, an incoming Penn State freshman from New Jersey, was the lead story on Day 1 of the Team Trials. James scored three wins over higher-seeded wrestlers, including a major of future teammate Joe Sealey, to reach the final at 74 kg.

There he met two-time NCAA champ David Carr of Iowa State. Carr, the only wrestler to beat Penn State's Mitchell Mesenbrink in college, controlled the bout early, taking a 9-1 lead. But James, at 2025 U17 world champ, tested Carr to the finish. The 17-year-old scored six unanswered points in a 9-7 loss that foreshadowed a potential run to Penn State's starting lineup as a freshman next season.

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Mark Wogenrich
MARK WOGENRICH

Mark Wogenrich is the editor and publisher of Penn State on SI, the site for Nittany Lions sports on the Sports Illustrated network. He has covered Penn State sports for more than two decades across three coaching staffs, three Rose Bowls and one College Football Playoff appearance.

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