Penn State wrestling at the Senior World Team Trials today: Who's in, the schedule, brackets, and more

Penn State wrestling will be represented by past, current, and future Nittany Lions at the 2026 Senior World Team Trials. The two-day event that will set the remaining matchups for Final X starts this morning in Louisville, Ky.

Five members of the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club are already in the best-of-three Final X finals in their weight class. The winners of those matches will make this year’s Senior Team USA. The list is as follows:

—Luke Lilledahl will face the Trials winner at 57 kilograms (125.6 pounds).

—Marcus Blaze will do the same at 61 kilograms (134.4).

—Levi Haines, Kyle Dake, and Kyle Snyder, then, both already know their foes. The former will take on Chance Marstellar in the 79-kilogram Final X match. Dake will face Zahid Valencia in the 86-kilogram final, And, Snyder has Stephen Buchanan in the 97-kilogram matchup.

Which Penn State connections are at the World Team Trials?

A total of 11 Nittany Lion Wrestling Club members met one of the numerous criteria neccessary to be able to enter the Trials. The five who will be on hand are, per the pre-seeds, are:

70 kilograms/154.3 pounds: Nittany Lion alum Zain Retherford

74 kilograms/163.1 pounds: Penn State redshirt sophomore Joe Sealey, freshman Jayden James

125 kilograms/275.5 pounds: Nittany Lion redshirt sophomores Connor and Cole Mirasola

The list of wrestlers who could go but decided not to includes PJ Duke, Mitchell Mesenbrink, Tyler Kasak, Josh Barr, Shayne Van Ness, and Will Henckel.

Kasak and Barr are dealing with injuries from the US Open. Further, Barr’s weight is not being contested at the Trials. Van Ness has shown little freestyle interest. Duke pulled out of the tournament on Wednesday. Henckel will focus on U23s instead of taking another swing at the senior level.

Mesenbrink skipping out is a big surprise, of course. He would have been the favorite to win the 74-kilogram Team USA spot. But, he clearly wants some time off after a long freestyle season in 2025 before winning a 2026 NCAA title.

Last but not least: Connor Mirasola did receive a pre-seed. But, Penn State did not include him on its list of competitors on Wednesday afternoon. So, time will tell whether or not he actually takes the mat.

Time, streaming, and bracket info

Here is the schedule for this year’s Trials (all times Eastern):

Thursday, May 14

10 a.m. – Preliminaries, quarterfinals, consolations

4 p.m. – Semifinals, consolation semifinals

Friday, May 15

Noon – Senior women’s freestyle finals, third place matches

1:30 pm. – Senior men’s freestyle finals, third place matches

FLO will stream the event to its subscribers. USABracketing.com will house matchups and results. A free account is neccessary to see them. They should come out shortly before the action begins.

A closer look at the Penn State group at the Trials

Retherford will return to the international freestyle for the first time in a couple of years. US Open runner-up Caleb Henson is a top contender in the 70-kilogram bracket. Retherford is No. 1 in the preseeds. Henson is No. 2.

The 74-kilogram bracket is full of talent. But, not as much as it would have if Mesenbrink and Duke were in action. Sealey is the No. 1 seed and James the No. 9. Reigning Team USA member David Carr, who Sealey beat in the third place match at the US Open, is the two seed.

Connor Mirasola moving up to 125 kilograms is interesting, as well, regardless of whether or not he takes the mat. His usual weight, 92 kilograms, is not being contested here. How might he perform in the same weight class as his brother in a strong field? We might or might not see today.

“The 14-man weight class is the biggest of the five and could be one of the more open divisions,” USA Wrestling notes. “Olympian Mason Parris headlines the 125 kg field, but comes in following a loss to Coby Merrill – who is also entered in the weight class – at the U.S. Open. Three age-group World champions in Anthony Cassioppi, Daniel Kerkvliet, Jr. and Isaac Trumble are also set to compete at the World Team Trials.

“2022 World Team member and U.S. Open runner-up Hayden Zillmer moves up from 97 kg to 125 kg, with the Final X matchup at 97 kg already set. Demetrius Thomas, who has finished second at the U.S. Open each of the last two years, looks for his breakthrough tournament victory.”