(Ed. note: Due to technical issues, Bubba is posting this on behalf of Cari. Any copy/paste or formatting issues are his fault.)
Last season, the Nittany Lions kicked off their 2024-2025 campaign with a home
dual against the Drexel Dragons, facing the in-state squad for the first time in over twenty years. This season, Penn State’s first road trip will be to the city where they won the title earlier this calendar year, to face a Drexel team that has more ranked grapplers than last season (as of this writing, two ranked on Intermat).
It’s undisputed that Drexel is a better squad this season; in addition to former NJCAA 2nd place finisher (and current NCAA ranked wrestler) Ibrahim Ameer, sophomore Jasaiah Queen is ranked for the Dragons, and three more of their squad are ranked by Flo (as per usual, all rankings we use in this preview are from Intermat). But while this team is no pushover (it did take one of the bouts last year at 141, against backup Cael Nasdeo), it’s far from a given that they’ll improve on last year’s 41-3 loss or the six takedowns they got against the PSU lineup that day.
The Lions are primed for their second dual of the season after downing a ranked Oklahoma squad followed by a team win at the Black Knight Invitational; the Dragons are already 2-0 with dominant wins over Duke and Morgan State, and an appearance at the Keystone Classic. After this dual, PSU heads home to take on Lehigh, while Drexel has over a week to recover before heading to Piscataway to take on Rutgers.
How To Watch
What: #1 Penn State vs Drexel*
Where: Daskalakis Athletic Center, Philadelphia, PA
When: Friday, December 5, 7:30 PM EST
Audio: Free (via GoPSUSports)
Video: Flowrestling ($$$)
Lineup
125 LBS
Luke may have lost to his teammate in the finals of the Black Knight Invitational, but that doesn’t make him less of a title favorite at 125 this year. Last year, Drexel forfeited this weight instead of trotting out Pleasant; without more insight, and knowing that Luke’s improved over the offseason, how could I not pick a similar result?
Prediction: Lilledahl by major decision
Score: PSU 4, Drexel 0
133 LBS
Waterman is one of the Dragons ranked by Flo, and he did get 5 points off of Braeden Davis last year in this dual (albeit none by takedown)…but this is Marcus Blaze. Blaze is finally ranked but nowhere near as high as we’ll see him go this year, and the first real test on whether he’s a title contender comes tonight.
Prediction: Blaze by major decision
Score: PSU 8, Drexel 0
141 LBS
There were rumors of an injury to Aaron Nagao during the Black Knight Invitational, though there was no “or” listed in PSU’s match notes. If he does go, he’ll face the only Dragon who got a win at Rec Hall last year (and the only Dragon who got multiple takedowns). If Nagao does go, I expect a win by the Lion with a lot of riding time, in classic Nagao fashion.
Prediction: Nagao by decision
Score: PSU 11, Drexel 0
149 LBS
Shayne was another one who sat out this dual last year, though Connor Pierce picked up a win (and gave up a takedown) in his stead. I truly believe that this weight is Van Ness’s to lose this year, and expect the fireworks to flow.
Prediction: Van Ness by pin
Score: PSU 17, Drexel 0
157 LBS
PJ Duke sat out the dual against Oklahoma, whether for rest or weight management, and it’s still an “or” for him and Sealey this week. Sealey really impressed in the first outing of the season, though Duke is now ranked by Intermat. Nichter lost in a decisive decision last year against now-Cowboy Alex Facundo, but if either way, I expect the Nittany Lion to take this bout by bonus.
Prediction: Duke by major decision
Score: PSU 21, Drexel 0
165 LBS
I think my strategy this year will be to predict tech falls for Mitchell Mesenbrink until he proves me otherwise. (Ed note: Didn’t Mitchell get three pins at the Black Knight?) This bout won’t be any different, especially since he TFed Walsh in the beginning of third period last year. But will this bout even get that far?
Prediction: Mesenbrink by tech fall
Score: PSU 26, Drexel 0
174 LBS
This weight is Levi’s nationally this year, though he does face a much better opponent than last year in this bout (when he won via tech without giving up a point, in the second period). Queen is a good wrestler, but he’s got an uphill climb – if he comes to wrestle, as I expect, Haines will make him pay. I expect a counter into some back points and an eventual fall.
Prediction: Levi by pin
Score: PSU 32, Drexel 0
184 LBS
Wilson’s another Dragon ranked by Flo but not by Intermat, so it won’t be a walkover for Welsh’s first road dual in a PSU singlet. I expect Wilson to do just enough to not get bonus, and for Rocco to be hungry to get even better. Wilson is much improved over last year, when he lost to Lucas Cochran by tech fall at a higher weight.
Prediction: Welsh by decision
Score: PSU 35, Drexel 0
197 LBS – Match of the Meet
Connor Mirasola will likely get the start again as Josh Barr continues to heal up, but as the arguably most impressive wrestler in the Oklahoma dual, facing the PSU backup probably won’t help the ranked Ameer much.
Prediction: Connor by major decision
Score: PSU 39, Drexel 0
285 LBS
Cole Mirasola has a ranked win under his belt already this year, and he’ll be facing the last Dragon ranked by Flo but not Intermat. He’s facing a transfer from Iowa State who transferred to Drexel to actually see the mat, so Schon’s well-coached – Cole will gut it out in the end.
Prediction: Cole by decision
Score: PSU 42, Drexel 0
Overall score prediction: Penn State 42, UO 0
*The Penn State athletic department, in its official capacity, uses Intermat’s Tournament Power Index in all its match literature; I’m using Intermat’s Dual Meet Rankings because this happens to be a dual. Penn State is #1 in both rankings; Drexel is unranked in both sets of rankings.
