Penn State Vs. Lehigh Wrestling Dual Preview & Predictions
Penn State Vs. Lehigh Wrestling Dual Preview & Predictions
A full preview with predictions for the wrestling dual between Penn State and Lehigh on Sunday, December 8.
The Lehigh Mountain Hawks will welcome the Penn State Nittany Lions to the PPL Center for an incredible dual on Sunday, December 8 at 2:00 pm (ET). This match has the potential to feature 15 total ranked wrestlers including three #1 ranked athletes. You can watch this match live on FloWrestling and read the below article for a full preview with predictions for all ten bouts.
Penn State vs Lehigh Projected Lineups
125: #23 Luke Lilledahl, Penn State vs #17 Sheldon Seymour, Lehigh
133: #8 Braeden Davis, Penn State vs #1 Ryan Crookham, Lehigh
141: #3 Beau Bartlett, Penn State vs #28 Malyke Hines, Lehigh
149: #2 Shayne Van Ness, Penn State vs #31 Kelvin Griffin, Lehigh
157: #4 Tyler Kasak/Alex Facundo, Penn State vs Griffin Gonzalez/Logan Rozynski, Lehigh
165: #1 Mitchell Mesenbrink, Penn State vs Thayne Lawrence, Lehigh
174: #2 Levi Haines, Penn State vs Rylan Rogers, Lehigh
184: #1 Carter Starocci, Penn State vs Jack Wilt, Lehigh
197: #21 Josh Barr, Penn State vs #6 Michael Beard, Lehigh
285: #2 Greg Kerkvliet, Penn State vs Calvin Lachman, Lehigh
125: #23 Luke Lilledahl, Penn State vs #17 Sheldon Seymour, Lehigh
Luke Lilledahl will face his toughest opponent of the season in Sheldon Seymour. Entering the dual against Penn State, Seymour is 8-1 with his only loss coming against NC State’s Vincent Robinson but he has notable wins over Jakob Camacho and Nick Babin. Seymour is solid in every position and is difficult to open up on his feet. Despite that, Lilledahl’s neutral offense is top-tier and I expect him to get to his lefty single and win a controlling decision over Seymour.
Match prediction - Lilledahl wins by decision
Team score prediction - Penn State 3, Lehigh 0
Luke Lilledahl's Matches at the Black Knight Invite:
133: #8 Braeden Davis, Penn State vs #1 Ryan Crookham, Lehigh
This match could be the best of the night! Ryan Crookham is coming off an incredible freshman season where he defeated Vito Arujau twice and placed third at the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Crookham is one of the best wrestlers in the country when his opponent is in on his leg and is uniquely able to turn leg defense into his own offense. Beyond that, Crookham is also fantastic on top and frequently turns with a tilt. All of that to say, I think Crookham should be considered a solid favorite heading into the match on Sunday.
As good as Crookham is, Davis is a worthy contender and surprised a lot of people last year during his true freshman campaign. Davis earned the #1 seed at the NCAA Tournament at 125 pounds but failed to place after finishing one match shy of All-American honors. Despite the disappointing finish, Davis recorded wins in the regular season over All-Americans Patrick McKee, Eric Barnett, Michael DeAugustino, and Brandon Kaylor. Davis is a gamer, and I expect a competitive match against Crookham on Sunday.
Match prediction - Crookham wins by decision
Team score prediction - Penn State 3, Lehigh 3
Ryan Crookham's win over Vito Arujau in the 2024 EIWA Finals:
141: #3 Beau Bartlett, Penn State vs #28 Malyke Hines, Lehigh
Two-time All-American and returning NCAA runner-up Beau Bartlett is a big favorite entering the match against Hines. In fact, Bartlett holds a 2-0 record over Hines. Bartlett is currently 4-0 on the year and over the last two seasons his only losses are to Jesse Mendez, Andrew Alirez, Brock Hardy, and Real Woods. In that span of time, Bartlett has tallied up an incredible hitlist that is almost too long to list. The only criticism against Bartlett is that sometimes he wrestles matches closer than he should. This year Bartlett won in overtime over Rutgers Joseph Fongaro and last year he had overtime wins over Vince Cornella and Cleveland Belton. Will Bartlett push for bonus against Hines or will he wrestle this one close?
Though Hines has never reached the podium, he’s a 4-time NCAA Qualifier and finished in the round of 12 in 2023. He also has notable wins in his career over Ryan Jack, Micky Phillippi, Josh Koderhandt, Vince Cornella, and CJ Composto. When he’s wrestling best, Hines is an All-American threat and might be able to challenge Bartlett.
Match prediction - Bartlett wins by decision
Team score prediction - Penn State 6, Lehigh 3
Beau Bartlett's win in the finals of the Black Knight Invite over Todd Carter:
149: #2 Shayne Van Ness, Penn State vs #31 Kelvin Griffin, Lehigh
This will likely be the stretch of the lineup where Penn State could accumulate several bonus points in a row. Though Kelvin Griffin was an NCAA qualifier last year for the Mountain Hawks, Van Ness is on another level and one of the few title contenders at 149 this year. After placing third at the 2023 NCAA Tournament, Van Ness suffered an injury last year but looks to be fully recovered and on a mission this year. After majoring All-American Ty Watters at the All-Star Classic, Van Ness dominantly won the Black Knight Invite two weeks ago by going 4-0 with 3 bonus wins.
Match prediction - Van Ness wins by tech fall
Team score prediction - Penn State 11, Lehigh 3
Shayne Van Ness breaks down his return to college wrestling at the 2024 NWCA All-Star Classic:
157: #4 Tyler Kasak/Alex Facundo, Penn State vs Griffin Gonzalez/Logan Rozynski, Lehigh
The intrigue at 157 lies mainly in who will take the mat for Penn State - will we see Kasak or Facundo take the mat in Allentown? Kasak is the current leader in the battle for the starting spot after defeating Facundo in the finals of the Black Knight Invite, 5-2. Because of that, I am expecting to see Kasak on Sunday and we should see him win in dominant fashion.
Match prediction - Kasak wins by tech fall
Team score prediction - Penn State 16, Lehigh 3
Kasak's win over Facundo in the finals of the Black Knight Invite:
165: #1 Mitchell Mesenbrink, Penn State vs Thayne Lawrence, Lehigh
Mitchell Mesenbrink had an incredible first year at Penn State last season accumulating a 26-1 record and a runner-up finish at NCAAs. Mesenbrink might be the biggest favorite of any wrestler to win an NCAA title this year and he’s definitely in the conversation to win the Hodge Trophy. Mesenbrink is currently 5-0 on the year and has 5 tech falls. Lawrence has already lost by major decision in two of his matches this year and I expect Mesenbrink to win by at least a tech.
Match prediction - Mesenbrink wins by tech fall
Team score prediction - Penn State 21, Lehigh 3
Mesenbrink's win over Gunner Filipowicz in the finals of the Black Knight Invite:
174: #2 Levi Haines, Penn State vs Rylan Rogers, Lehigh
After winning an NCAA title last year at 157, Haines looks fully adjusted to the move up to 174 pounds this year. He’s currently 4-0 on the year with two pins and two tech falls and notably defeated All-American Cade DeVos at the All-Star Classic 7-0. The matchup against Rylan Rogers is interesting considering Rogers was a highly ranked recruit out of high school. Rogers was the #13 overall recruit in the class of 2022 and originally committed to wrestle at the University of Michigan. However, Rogers hasn’t experienced the same level of success in college and is still settling in at 174 after spending the first two years of his college career at 184 and 197. The match against Haines is a big opportunity for Rogers but I’m expecting Haines to control the match from start to finish.
Match prediction - Haines wins by major decision
Team score prediction - Penn State 25, Lehigh 3
Levi Haines breaks down his move up to 174:
184: #1 Carter Starocci, Penn State vs Jack Wilt, Lehigh
Carter Starocci is looking to make history this year as the first-ever 5-time NCAA Champion. After defeating Parker Keckeisen at the All-Star Classic, he dominantly won the Black Knight Invite with two pins and a tech. Starocci should secure bonus points against Wilt and I’d be surprised if this match went the full seven minutes.
Match prediction - Starocci wins by tech fall
Team score prediction - Penn State 30, Lehigh 3
Carter Starocci talks about his win over Parker Keckeisen:
197: #21 Josh Barr, Penn State vs #6 Michael Beard, Lehigh
Along with the match at 133 pounds, the bout at 197 between Beard and Barr might be the most anticipated match of the night. Beard spent his first three years of college at Penn State and is a two-time All-American placing 7th in 2021 and 8th in 2024. Barr is a redshirt freshman and is currently 19-0 in his college career but has never wrestled anyone near Beard’s level. This match on Sunday will tell us whether or not Barr is ready to challenge the best wrestlers in the country at 197 pounds.
So the question is, who wins? Barr is a high-volume attacker and his offense looked as good as ever at the Black Knight invite. There, he went 4-0 with all bonus point wins including major decisions over his teammates Connor Mirasola and Lucas Cochran. While Barr has great attacks, Beard is one of the best counter attackers in the country at 197 pounds making this matchup especially interesting. Beard is also a proficient top wrestler and that could come into play against Barr who doesn’t have the same collegiate experience as Beard. I still think this match will come down to who wins on their feet and I think Barr’s volume offense will play right into Beard’s strength resulting in Beard winning a 4-2 or 6-3 type match.
Match prediction - Beard wins by decision
Team score prediction - Penn State 30, Lehigh 6
Michael Beard's win over Luke Geog in the finals of the 2024 Clarion Open:
285: #2 Greg Kerkvliet, Penn State vs Calvin Lachman, Lehigh
While #10 Owen Trephan committed to transfer to Lehigh from NC State, he won’t be eligible to compete for the Mountain Hawks until the second semester. Because of that, returning NCAA champ Greg Kerkvliet should dominate true freshman Calvin Lachman. Kerkvliet is currently 4-0 on the year with 3 pins and 1 tech. I will be shocked if this match goes 7 minutes on Sunday.
Match prediction - Kerkvliet wins by fall
Final team score prediction - Penn State 36, Lehigh 6
Kerkvliet's win in the semifinals of the 2024 Black Knight Invite:
