Penn State extends its lead, semifinals set at 2025 NCAA Div. I National Championships in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The No. 1 Penn State Wrestling team pushed to a strong lead in the team race after Session III at the 2025 NCAA DI National Championships in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The Nittany Lions sent seven wrestlers to the semifinals, including No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink at 165 pounds, No. 1 Carter Starocci at 184 pounds and No. 4 Greg Kerkvliet at 285 pounds, a trio of age-group World Champions.

Starocci continues the quest for his fifth NCAA National title, and meets 2024 NCAA national finalist No. 4 Dustin Plott of Oklahoma State in the semifinals later this evening. Previous NCAA champions to advance to the semifinals in addition to Starocci and Kerkvliet included Jesse Mendez of Ohio State, Caleb Henson of Virginia Tech, Keegan O’Toole of Missouri, Levi Haines of Penn State, Parker Keckeisen of Northern Iowa, AJ Ferrari of CSU Bakersfield, and Gable Steveson of Minnesota.

Age-group World Champions to advance to the semifinals included Mendez, Meyer Shapiro of Cornell, Mitchell Mesenbrink of Penn State, O’Toole, Steveson, Hendrickson and Kerkvliet.

In the team race, Penn State holds a 25-point lead over second place Nebraska. Oklahoma State sits in third after three sessions just 2.5 points behind the Huskers with 63 points. Iowa is in the fourth spot with 42 points, and not far behind them is Northern Iowa with 37.5 points to round out the top five teams.

Seventeen teams have at least one wrestler in the semifinals. Teams with multiple semifinalists include Penn State (7), Nebraska (4), Iowa (3), Oklahoma State (3), Minnesota (2), Lehigh (2), Virginia Tech (2), Ohio State (2), and Northern Iowa (2).

All of the semifinal winners have clinched All-American status, placing at worst in sixth place, but still with their national title dreams intact.

Weight Class Summaries

125 pounds

No. 8 Sheldon Seymour of Lehigh defeated No. 1 Luke Lilledahl of Penn State with nine seconds of riding time in tie breakers. Across the way, it was No. 4 Vincent Robinson of NC State ending No. 12 Dean Peterson of Rutgers’ time on the championship side of the bracket. Robinson built a lead in the second period with a takedown, shutting down Peterson’s offense to become an All-American for the first time in his career. No. 3 Eddie Ventresca of Virginia Tech made his way into the semifinals with a takedown sudden victory to knock off No. 6 Jett Strickenberger of West Virginia. He will face No. 7 Troy Spratley of Oklahoma State in the semifinals. Spratley defeated No. 2 Matt Ramos of Purdue, a 2023 NCAA finalist and age-group World Champion, holding on to a lead created by a takedown in the first period.

133 pounds

No. 1 Lucas Byrd picked up a major decision over No. 8 Braeden Davis of Penn State, 12-1. No. 4 Zeth Romney of Cal Poly put a stop to No. 21 Angelo Rini of Indiana’s run on the championship side with an 8-2 decision over the Hoosier. No. 14 Zan Fugitt of Wisconsin continues to have an impressive tournament, pinning No. 6 Connor McGonagle of Virginia Tech in the first period after taking a 6-1 lead with a pair of takedowns. Returning national finalist at 125 pounds, Drake Ayala of Iowa, the No. 2 seed at a new weight, defeated No. 7 Nic Bouzakis of Ohio State, 23-10.

141 pounds

No. 1 Brock Hardy of Nebraska dominated No. 9 Jacob Frost of Iowa State, securing a hefty 7-0 lead before pinning Frost in the second period. Hardy is a 2023 U23 World bronze medalist for the Huskers. Northern Iowa’s Cael Happel, seeded fifth, bested No. 4 Josh Koderhandt of Navy in tie breakers, and will face Hardy in tonight’s semifinal session. On the other side, fans will see yet another matchup between conference foes No. 3 Jesse Mendez of Ohio State and No. 2 Beau Bartlett of Penn State. Mendez defeated No. 6 Vance VomBaur in the quarterfinals, 17-5, while Bartlett shut out No. 10 CJ Composto of Penn.

149 pounds

Defending national champion and No. 1 seed Caleb Henson of Virginia Tech advanced to the semifinals with a win in sudden victory overtime over No. 8 Jordan Williams of Little Rock. Williams proved to be a tough challenge for Henson, taking the lead in the first period. Henson’s second period escape tied it up at 5-5, and a takedown in overtime secured the win. No. 13 Dylan D’Emilio of Ohio State is Henson’s semifinal opponent, and reached the semifinals after taking out No. 12 Ethan Stiles of Oregon State, 7-3. Penn State’s Shayne Van Ness, the No. 3 seed, scored two takedowns in the third frame to extend his lead over No. 6 Lachlan McNeil of North Carolina. Van Ness matches up against No. 2 Ridge Lovett of Nebraska in the semifinals. Lovett secured a 12-0 major decision over No. 7 Kannon Webster of Illinois, improving on a 1-0 decision earlier in the postseason, where Lovett defeated Webster for a Big Ten title.

157 pounds

No. 8 Joey Blaze of Purdue used a takedown with 48 seconds remaining to take out No. 1 Tyler Kasak of Penn State. He will face No. 20 Trevor Chumbley of Northwestern in the semifinals. Chumbley defeated No. 12 Caleb Fish of Oklahoma State, 6-4. No. 2 Meyer Shapiro of Cornell, a 2024 NCAA All-American with a third place finish at last year’s tournament, got by No. 7 Vinny Zerban of Northern Colorado in the quarterfinals, 9-4. Shapiro, a 2023 U20 World Champion for Team USA, will take on No. 3 Antrell Taylor of Nebraska in the semis.

165 pounds

No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink of Penn State shut out No. 8 Cameron Amine of Oklahoma State, 5-0. Mesenbrink, also a 2023 U20 World Champion alongside Shapiro, continues his undefeated streak on the season. His semifinal opponent will be No. 12 Christopher Minto of Nebraska, who defeated No. 4 Terrell Barraclough with a takedown in the final seconds of the match. No. 3 Mike Caliendo of Iowa is set to take on No. 2 Peyton Hall of West Virginia in the semifinals.

174 pounds

No. 1 Keegan O’Toole of Missouri advanced to the semifinals after defeating No. 24 Lennox Wolak of Virginia Tech, 13-1. O’Toole is one of 12 age-group World Champions in the field, as a 2021 Junior World champion and 2023 U23 World Champion in men’s freestyle. He is set to face No. 13 Cade DeVos of South Dakota State in the semifinals. DeVos defeated No. 5 Simon Ruiz, 4-3. No. 2 Levi Haines of Penn State, a 2024 NCAA National Champion, defeated No. 7 Danny Wask of Navy. Haines will face No. 3 Dean Hamiti of Oklahoma State in the semifinals. Hamiti knocked No. 11 Patrick Kennedy of Iowa out of the championship side with an 8-6 decision.

184 pounds

In the first weight class of the afternoon to have all top four seeds advance to the semifinals, No. 1 Carter Starocci of Penn State continued his dominant run at this weight with a 9-1 victory over No. 8 Jaxon Smith of Maryland. Starocci secured a takedown at the end of the first period, and was able to build on a lead to remain in the hunt for a fifth NCAA National title. Dustin Plott of Oklahoma State, the No. 4 seed and a 2024 NCAA National finalist, defeated No. 12 Silas Allred, 12-5. Starocci and Plott will face off in the next session. No. 3 Max McEnelly of Minnesota will meet No. 2 Parker Keckeisen of Northern Iowa, the returning NCAA National champion at this weight. McEnelly scored a 10-7 decision over No. 6 Chris Foca in the quarterfinals, while Keckeisen defeated No. 10 Edmond Ruth by 13-5 major decision.

197 pounds

Top seed Jacob Cardenas of Michigan claimed an early lead over No. 24 Gabe Sollars of Indiana in the quarterfinals. Sollars was unable to close the gap, and Cardenas secured the 10-5 decision. In the semifinals, Cardenas will face a familiar foe in No. 4 Josh Barr of Penn State. The pair are 1-1 this season, with Barr defeating Cardenas in sudden victory overtime in the Michigan-Penn State dual, and Cardenas securing a 4-1 victory over Barr in the semifinals of the Big Ten Championships. No. 3 AJ Ferrari of CSU-Bakersfield will square off against No. 2 Stephen Buchanan of Iowa in the semifinals. Ferrari defeated No. 6 Mac Stout of Pittsburgh, while Buchanan won by technical fall over No. 23 Seth Shumate of Ohio State.

285 pounds

There were a total of six age-group World Champions at this weight entering the tournament, and all six advanced to the quarterfinals. Three remain in contention for a NCAA National title. No. 1 Gable Steveson of Minnesota, a 2021 Tokyo Olympic champion for Team USA in men’s freestyle, showcased his skillful offense in a 20-5 technical fall over No. 9 Cohlton Schultz of Arizona State. Schultz is a 2017 Cadet World champion in Greco-Roman, and a current member of the Greco-Roman Senior National team. Steveson will face No. 4 Owen Trephan of Lehigh, who defeated No. 5 Ben Kueter of Iowa in the quarterfinals, a 2022 U20 World Champion in men’s freestyle. No. 3 Greg Kerkvliet of Penn State capped off the session for the Nittany Lions with a 5-0 decision over No. 6 Josh Heindselman of Michigan. In a battle of U23 World champions, No. 2 Wyatt Hendrickson of Oklahoma State pinned No. 7 Isaac Trumble of NC State to advance. Both were members of the 2023 U23 World Championship team in men’s freestyle.

Two consolation rounds were held in Session III, setting up for a big night. The 8:00 p.m. ET session will feature the semifinals and consolation rounds, including the All-American “blood round.” Catch all the action on ESPN and ESPN+.

Team Standings

1               Penn State, 90.5 points

2               Nebraska, 65.5 points

3               Oklahoma State, 63.0 points

4               Iowa, 42.0 points

5               Northern Iowa, 37.5 points

6               Ohio State, 37.0 points

7               Minnesota, 35.5 points

8               Illinois, 33.5 points

9               Cornell, 29.5 points

10             Michigan, 27.5 points

Semifinal Pairings

125 pounds

No. 8 Sheldon Seymour (Lehigh) vs. No. 4 Vince Robinson (NC State)

No. 3 Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) vs. No. 7 Troy Spratley (Oklahoma State

133 pounds

No. 1 Lucas Byrd (Illinois) vs. No. 4 Zeth Romney (Cal Poly)

No. 14 Zan Fugitt (Wisconsin) vs. No. 2 Drake Ayala (Iowa)

141 pounds

No. 1 Brock Hardy (Nebraska) vs. No. 5 Cael Happel (Northern Iowa)

No. 3 Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) vs. No. 2 Beau Bartlett (Penn State)

149 pounds

No. 1 Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech) vs. No. 13 Dylan D`Emilio (Ohio State)

No. 3 Shayne Van Ness (Penn State) vs. No. 2 Ridge Lovett (Nebraska)

157 pounds

No. 8 Joey Blaze (Purdue) vs. No. 20 Trevor Chumbley (Northwestern)

No. 3 Antrell Taylor (Nebraska) vs. No. 2 Meyer Shapiro (Cornell)

165 pounds

No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn State) vs. No. Christopher Minto (Nebraska)

No. 3 Mike Caliendo (Iowa) vs. No. 2 Peyton Hall (West Virginia)

174 pounds

No. 1 Keegan O`Toole (Missouri) vs. No. 13 Cade DeVos (South Dakota State)

No. 3 Dean Hamiti (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 2 Levi Haines (Penn State)

184 pounds

No. 1 Carter Starocci (Penn State) vs. No. 4 Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State)

No. 3 Max McEnelly (Minnesota) vs. No. 2 Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa)

197 pounds

No. 1 Jacob Cardenas (Michigan) vs. No. 4 Josh Barr (Penn State)

No. 3 AJ Ferrari (CSU Bakersfield) vs. No. 2 Stephen Buchanan (Iowa)

285 pounds

No. 1 Gable Steveson (Minnesota) vs. No. 4 Owen Trephan (Lehigh)

No. 2 Wyatt Hendrickson (Oklahoma State) vs. No. 3 Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State)

Quarterfinal Results

125 pounds

Sheldon Seymour (Lehigh) won in TB-3 by riding time over Luke Lilledahl (Penn State), TB-3 (RT) 2-2

Vincent Robinson (NC State) dec. Dean Peterson (Rutgers), 4-2

Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) won in sudden victory over Jett Strickenberger (West Virginia), SV-1 4-1

Troy Spratley (Oklahoma State) dec. Matt Ramos (Purdue), 5-2

133 pounds

Lucas Byrd (Illinois) maj. dec. Braeden Davis (Penn State), 12-1

Zeth Romney (Cal Poly) dec. Angelo Rini (Indiana), 8-2

Zan Fugitt (Wisconsin) pin Connor McGonagle (Virginia Tech), 2:30

Drake Ayala (Iowa) maj. dec. Nic Bouzakis (Ohio State), 23-10

141 pounds

Brock Hardy (Nebraska) pin Jacob Frost (Iowa State), 4:13

Cael Happel (Northern Iowa) won in tie breaker over Josh Koderhandt (Navy), TB-1 2-1

Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) maj. dec. Vance VomBaur (Minnesota), 17-5

Beau Bartlett (Penn State) dec. CJ Composto (Pennsylvania), 5-0

149 pounds

Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech) won in sudden victory over Jordan Williams (Little Rock), SV-1 8-5

Dylan D`Emilio (Ohio State) dec. Ethan Stiles (Oregon State), 7-3

Shayne Van Ness (Penn State) dec. Lachlan McNeil (North Carolina), 7-2

Ridge Lovett (Nebraska) maj. dec. Kannon Webster (Illinois), 12-0

157 pounds

Joey Blaze (Purdue) dec. Tyler Kasak (Penn State), 5-4

Trevor Chumbley (Northwestern) dec. Caleb Fish (Oklahoma State), 6-4

Antrell Taylor (Nebraska) dec. Matty Bianchi (Little Rock), 4-3

Meyer Shapiro (Cornell) dec. Vinny Zerban (Northern Colorado), 9-4

165 pounds

Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn State) dec. Cameron Amine (Oklahoma State), 5-0

Christopher Minto (Nebraska) dec. Terrell Barraclough (Utah Valley), 8-7

Mike Caliendo (Iowa) dec. Beau Mantanona (Michigan), 7-2

Peyton Hall (West Virginia) dec. Hunter Garvin (Stanford), 6-5

174 pounds

Keegan O`Toole (Missouri) maj. dec. Lennox Wolak (Virginia Tech), 13-1

Cade DeVos (South Dakota State) dec. Simon Ruiz (Cornell), 4-3

Dean Hamiti (Oklahoma State) dec. Patrick Kennedy (Iowa), 8-6

Levi Haines (Penn State) dec. Danny Wask (Navy), 7-2

184 pounds

Carter Starocci (Penn State) maj. dec. Jaxon Smith (Maryland), 9-1

Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State) dec. Silas Allred (Nebraska), 12-5

Max McEnelly (Minnesota) dec. Chris Foca (Cornell),10-7

Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) maj. dec. Edmond Ruth (Illinois), 13-5

197 pounds

Jacob Cardenas (Michigan) dec. Gabe Sollars (Indiana), 10-5

Josh Barr (Penn State) maj. dec. Michael Beard (Lehigh), 14-3

AJ Ferrari (CSU Bakersfield) dec. Mac Stout (Pittsburgh), 2-0

Stephen Buchanan (Iowa) tech. fall Seth Shumate (Ohio State), 18-3

285 pounds

Gable Steveson (Minnesota) tech. fall Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State), 20-5

Owen Trephan (Lehigh) dec. Ben Kueter (Iowa), 4-2

Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) dec. Joshua Heindselman (Michigan), 5-0

Wyatt Hendrickson (Oklahoma State) pin Isaac Trumble (NC State), 2:15