Who to Watch From Penn State Wrestling at the 2026 U.S. Open

More than a dozen current and former Nittany Lions will compete at the major freestyle event in Las Vegas.

Penn State Nittany Lion Luke Lilledahl has his arm raised after winning the 125-pound title at the 2025 Big Ten Wrestling Championships. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

After dominating the NCAA Wrestling Championships, Penn State turns to the freestyle season, which gets underway in April with the first major event of the season. More than a dozen wrestlers representing Penn State and the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club are scheduled to compete at the 2026 U.S. Open. But one major name apparently will not compete.

Mitchell Mesenbrink, the defending U.S. Open Senior freestyle champ at 74 kg, is not in the field for the April 24-25 event in Las Vegas. Mesenbrink is the two-time defending NCAA champ at 165 pounds and won the Hodge Trophy as the top college wrestler this past season.

The absence of Mesenbrink, the defending U23 world champion at 74 kg, looms large at the start of the freestyle season. The U.S. Open serves as the qualifier for Final X, which USA Wrestling uses to determine the 2026 Senior World Team.

Since he did not medal at Senior Worlds in 2025, Mesenbrink did not receive an automatic bid to the 2026 Final X. Levi Haines, who capped his Penn State career by winning the 174-pound NCAA title, has accepted an auto bid to Final X.

Penn State and the NLWC had a terrific freestyle season last year, winning 11 world medals, including six golds. Here's who to watch from Penn State as the 2026 freestyle season begins at the U.S. Open.

Luke Lilledahl, 57 Kg

Penn State Nittany Lions wrestler Luke Lilledahl celebrates winning the 125-pound title at the Big Ten Wrestling Championships at Bryce Jordan Center. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Lilledahl made USA Wrestling history last year, becoming the first U.S. wrestler to win three different age-group titles. The defending U.S. Open champ now begins pursuing his first Senior World title.

Lilledahl is coming off an undefeated college season, in which he won the NCAA title at 125. He is in a weight class with Spencer Lee, Anthony Knox and Vincent Robinson.

Marcus Blaze, 61 Kg

Penn State Nittany Lions wrestler Marcus Blaze competes against Stanford’s Tyler Knox during their 133-pound match at the NCAA Wrestling Championships at Rocket Arena. | Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Blaze won gold at U20 worlds last year before putting together an exceptional freshman season with the Nittany Lions. He was undefeated entering the Big Ten Championships, where he finished second, and placed fourth at nationals.

Blaze also competed on the U.S. U23 world team with seven other Nittany Lions last year. He's in a fascinating class at 61 kg that includes NCAA champ Jax Forrest, runnerup Ben Davino and veterans Austin DeSanto and Nathan Tomasello.

Nate Desmond, 65 Kg

Nate Desmond, Penn State - 65 kg Sr Freestyle
1 of 16 Nittany Lions Registered for US Open this Week@pennstateWREST @NittanyLionWC @USAWrestling @desmondredhawk pic.twitter.com/MXJJ1YjmqC

— Penn State/NLWC Fan (@NlwcFan) April 20, 2026

Desmond was a potential All-American on Penn State's roster despite redshirting last season. He was the only wrestler to beat Lilledahl (at an early season tournament) and then went 4-0 wrestling dual matches at 141 pounds.

Desmond and teammate Kyison Garcia are registered at 65 kg with 2025 U.S. Open champ Joey McKenna and NCAA champs Aden Valencia and Jesse Mendez.

Tyler Kasak, 70 Kg

Penn State Nittany Lions wrestler Tyler Kasak celebrates after a win vs. the Iowa Hawkeyes in 2025. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Remember Kasak? He is Penn State's two-time All-American who redshirted last season while freshman PJ Duke finished third at NCAAs at 157. Kasak did not compete at all for the Nittany Lions last season, so the U.S. Open will offer a first glimpse at Kasak since the 2025 NCAAs.

Penn State junior Connor Pierce is in the U.S. Open field at 70 kg with Kasak, Ridge Lovett and Caleb Henson.

Rocco Welsh, 86 Kg

Penn State Nittany Lions wrestler Rocco Welsh is introduced prior to the 184-pound final at the Big Ten Wrestling Championships at Bryce Jordan Center. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Welsh begins the freestyle season after losing just one match in his first year at Penn State. Welsh fell to Minnesota's Max McEnelly in the 184-pound NCAA final for his second career runnner-up finish.

Welsh competed on the U.S. team at U23 worlds last year and seeks to make his first Senior world team. The 86 kg field is loaded, led by two-time Olympic medalist Kyle Dake of the NLWC and four NCAA champions, including McEnelly.

Josh Barr, 92 Kg

Penn State Nittany Lions wrestler Josh Barr reacts after winning a match at the NCAA Wrestling Championships at Rocket Arena. | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

Barr (24-0) was a finalist for the Hodge Trophy after winning the 197-pound NCAA title by scoring bonus points in every bout but the championship final. Barr was arguably as dominant as Mesenbrink during the season.

Barr made the U.S. U23 team last year and headlines a U.S. Open weight class that includes Aeoden Sinclair, Jacob Cardenas and Cody Merrill.

Elsewhere, Penn State freshman Will Henckel is in the field at 79 kg after winning silver at U20 worlds last year. Twin brothers Connor (97 kg) and Cole Mirasola (125) will compete as returning U20 world bronze medalists.

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