Penn State Fans Should Be Excited After U20 Worlds
Penn State Fans Should Be Excited After U20 Worlds
A breakdown of why Penn State fans should be excited about Luke Lilledahl and Mitchell Mesenbrink after the U20 World Wrestling Championships.
Penn State wrestling fans seem to have endless reasons to look forward to wrestling season. The Nittany Lions have won 10 of the last 12 NCAA titles. Last year's team had 2 NCAA champions with 8 total All-Americans and won the team title by 50 points. This year's team is a big favorite with 2 NCAA champions and 6 All-Americans returning to the starting lineup. And on top of all that, the U20 World Championships just finished up in Amman, Jordan giving Penn State fans even more to be excited about in the future.
Luke Lilledahl - The Answer To Penn State’s 125 Pound Drought
Penn State commit Luke Lilledahl is about to enter his senior year of high school and just won a silver medal at the U20 World Championships. To put that into perspective, only Gable Steveson, Spencer Lee, Kyle Snyder, Aaron Pico, and Ben Kueter made a U20 World finals prior to their senior year of high school. That’s pretty good company to be a part of for Lilledahl. Beyond just making the finals, almost every medalist at U20 Worlds has gone on to experience high-level success at the NCAA Tournament (we broke down that data in this article).
Lilledahl projects as a 125-pounder in college and could be the answer to the Nittany Lions’ recent “struggle” at the weight class. Penn State hasn’t had a 125-pound wrestler earn All-American honors since Nico Megaludis won a national title in 2016. Robbie Howard will man the 125-pound starting spot this year and certainly has the potential to end the All-American drought. However, Howard has struggled with injuries and hasn’t wrestled a collegiate match since March of 2021. Even if Howard stays healthy and gets on the podium this year, Lilledahl’s addition to Penn State’s room will add much-needed depth at 125 pounds for the Nittany Lions.
Watch Luke Lilledahl's epic win in the U20 World Semifinals:
Mitchell Mesenbrink Looks Like An NCAA Champion Right Now
Mitchell Mesenbrink won a gold medal at the U20 World Championships by dominating with 5 techs and outscoring his opponents by a combined score of 59-6. Penn State has seen the dominance of David Taylor, Ed Ruth, Jason Nolf, Bo Nickal, and Zain Retherford. Now, Mesenbrink looks to be the next dominant Nittany Lion in a long line of legendary bonus point machines.
Mesenbrink could wrestle either 157 or 165 next year for Penn State, or he could take an Olympic redshirt and start for the first time in the 2024-25 season. Regardless, Mesenbrink looks ready to win a national title right now and history is on Mesenbrink’s side. Mesenbrink joins Mark Hall, Mekhi Lewis, David Carr, and Keegan O’Toole as the only Americans to win a U20/Junior world gold medal at 74 kg. All of those wrestlers would go on to win an NCAA title and make multiple NCAA finals appearances throughout their college careers. Mesenbrink certainly brings high expectations with him to State College and every sign points to a bright future ahead for the young Nittany Lion.
Watch Mitchell Mesenbrink's win in the U20 World Finals:
The Penn State Train Isn't Slowing Down
Lilledahl and Mesenbrink look like the next big stars for Penn State and could be in the starting lineup together through the 2027-28 season. How many national titles will they win? How many combined points will they score at NCAAs? We don't know the answer to those questions just yet but Lilledahl and Mesenbrink have earned every bit of hype they'll bring with them to State College.