The banner is being raised in Rec Hall this week as PSU wrestling kicks off their 2026-27 season against in-state foe Bloomsburg.
It’s early in the season, but there won’t be too many questions for Penn State. Of them, the Nittany Lions likely won’t be at full strength yet, with returning All-American Marcus Blaze still getting back up to speed after scoring a bronze medal in the senior World Championships a few weeks ago – Blaze has been announced as bumping up to 141 pounds this year, so who will
take his place in the lineup until he’s back? There’s also a question mark at Blaze’s former weight, 133, where world champion Masa Ono might be taking the mat for the first time – if Ono goes, he’ll likely quickly become a fan favorite (at least of this fan). 133 is the only weight that doesn’t feature a Nittany Lion in the top 6 – or at all – just yet.
Since as of now Levi Haines hasn’t been cleared for a fifth season, there’s less of a traffic jam in the middle weights with returning 2025 All-American Tyler Kasak back in the lineup at 157, last year’s third place finisher PJ Duke bumping up to 165, and returning Hodge Trophy winner Mitchell Mesenbrink slotting into Haines’ former spot, 174. The only other change is at heavyweight, where Cael Sanderson confirmed returning starter Cole Mirasola will be taking the year off to go on a mission, with his twin brother, Connor (last year at 197), stepping in in his stead. Cole is still ranked in the Intermat rankings, which should flip over to the other brother fairly soon.
How To Watch
What: #1 Penn State vs Bloomsburgh*
Where: Rec Hall, University Park, PA
When: Thursday, November 12, 7pm EST
Audio: Free (via GoPSUSports)
Video: B1G+ ($)
Lineup
125
Fresh off a bronze medal match appearance in the U23 world championships, Luke Lilledahl looks to solidify his dominance at what he’s called his weight in the NCAA. He’ll look to set the tone early on against an overpowered Husky.
Prediction: Lilledahl by tech fall
Score: PSU 5, BU 0
133 LBS
It may be my wishful thinking, but I’m really expecting Ono to finally get the go here, his first time wrestling folkstyle in a competition. It’s a good time to get those first match jitters (which only us fans likely would have) out of the way. Ono is so good that this could easily be a tech fall, but I’m going conservative here as I’m not sure yet what to expect.
Prediction: Ono by major decision
Score: PSU 9, BU 0
141 LBS
Mitch Mesenbrink’s best friend is my best guess to take over for Blaze until the latter is back in the lineup. There’s potential here for it to be over early, but again, since it’s early in the year without the PSU full lineup, I’m going to conservative here as well and pick Sam Herring by just a single bonus point.
Prediction: Herring by major decision
Score: PSU 13, BU 0
149 LBS
Shayne Van Ness is back for his final season and looking to improve upon his last few years, where he’s come up just shy of his ultimate goal. He’ll start off this season ranked well below where he finished, due to Caleb Henson and Aden Valencia’s return to the lineup for Virginia Tech and Stanford, respectively – what was last year a cake walk to the finals will be much deeper this year, but SVN is up to the challenge. I expect fireworks early.
Prediction: Van Ness by pin
Score: PSU 19, BU 0
157 LBS
Tyler Kasak came practically out of nowhere in 2025 to be in the national title mix before ultimately finishing third; he took a redshirt last year, clearing the way for PJ Duke’s ascendancy, but is back this year and taking back his old weight. He should look to shake any rust off early, and I expect he will, though it likely will last all seven minutes.
Prediction: Kasak by major decision
Score: PSU 23, BU 0
165 LBS
After a controversial and disappointing end to his first NCAA tournament, PJ Duke will now step into Mesenbrink’s former weight, clearing the logjam at 157. The move up into a less competitive weight means this one is Duke’s for the taking, and he’ll take advantage early. He’s up against Bloomsburg’s second best wrestlers, who got an upset in their dual against Wisconsin a few weeks ago – but it won’t make a difference.
Prediction: Duke by pin
Score: PSU 29, BU 0
174 LBS
Mesenbrink will be looking to be Penn State’s third multiple-time Hodge winner as he takes the mat having only lost one time (in 2024) in a PSU singlet. He’s going up a weight and faces one of two potential Huskies, but is so technically proficient and with a constant motor that any weight discrepancies likely won’t make any bit of difference here. I’ll still pick a tech for Mitch until he proves me otherwise.
Prediction: Mesenbrink by tech fall
Score: PSU 34, BU 0
184 LBS
Penn State Rocco #1 is back for his second season in a PSU singlet and looking to improve on his two second place finishes. If this is the Huskies’ previous starter, this should be over early; if transfer Woodward gets the go, it could last longer but will likely still be bonus.
Prediction: Welsh by tech fall
Score: PSU 39, BU 0
197 LBS
I expect Josh Barr to once again be the most quietly dominant wrestler in this stacked lineup. No one came close to challenging him last year, and this year should be more of the same. He’ll challenge for the least amount of mat time this year (if Mesenbrink was still at 165, they’d be neck and neck) and woe is his opponent this first week.
Prediction: Barr by pin
Score: PSU 45, BU 0
285 LBS
Last year, Connor Mirasola was the backup to Barr; this year, it sounds like he may actually weigh more than his brother, who’s taking a gap season. He’s not yet ranked, but I expect that to change pretty quickly; he faces Bloomsburg’s only ranked wrestlers, and while it might be the lowest scoring bout of the night, ultimately it won’t be in doubt at all.
Prediction: Connor by decision
Score: PSU 48, BU 0
Overall score prediction: Penn State 46, Bloomsburg 0
*The Penn State athletic department, in its official capacity, usesIntermat’s Tournament Power Index in all its match literature; I’m usingIntermat’s Dual Meet Rankings because this happens to be a dual. Penn State is #1 in both rankings; Bloomsburg is unranked in both rankings.
