Penn State had current, future and past collegiate wrestlers compete in the US Open over the weekend, with multiple wrestlers coming out victorious.
The Nittany Lion Wrestling Club saw each of its members make the podium, as five members and two future members competed.
Luke Lilledahl (57 kg)
After an impressive freshman season, Lilledahl competed once again in US tournaments — competition he’s known for succeeding in.
That success continued as he decided to compete at the senior level despite being eligible for junior competition. Lilledahl received the top seed and backed that seeding up with multiple tech falls.
The St. Charles, Missouri, native avenged his loss against Ohio State’s Brendan McCrone with a 10-0 tech fall just three minutes into the bout.
Lilledahl rolled to a championship victory over Nebraska RTC’s Liam Cronin with yet another 10-0 tech fall. The freshman allowed just four points throughout his tournament run, outscoring the opposition 40-4.
Lilledahl will compete against Iowa legend Spencer Lee in Final X on June 14.
Marcus Blaze (61 kg)
Similarly to Lilledahl, Blaze received the top seed at the senior level at 61 kilograms. The incoming freshman opted for the senior-level competition and proved he can hang with the big guys.
Blaze opened his tournament with two tech fall victories, 10-0 and 11-1. The Perrysburg, Ohio, native narrowly defeated Nathan Tomasello, 2-1, earning a berth in the semifinals.
That’s where his run would come to an end. Blaze fell to Seth Gross by pinfall at the six-minute mark, ending his chances at a championship.
However, Blaze responded in the consolations with a 10-0 tech fall and a 7-0 decision, solidifying his mark in international competition before ever competing in college.
Beau Bartlett (65 kg)
Bartlett’s run in the US Open was very similar to his NCAA Tournament run in his final season at Penn State. The 65-kilogram wrestler won his first match in just 55 seconds before narrowly defeating Oklahoma State’s Carter Young.
That set up yet another edition of the Bartlett-Mendez rivalry. It wouldn’t be a match between the two wrestlers without a low-scoring affair. Jesse Mendez edged out Bartlett, 4-2, sending the Nittany Lion down to the consolation bracket.
The Tempe, Arizona, native fell in his first match in the consolation bracket to Real Woods, sending him to the fifth-place bout. Bartlett defeated Young once again, 7-1, earning the fifth-place position at 65 kilograms.
Mitchell Mesenbrink (74 kg)
Despite being the reigning champion at 165 pounds and dominating his weight class, Mesenbrink was the No. 2 seed at 74 kilograms for the US Open. The No. 1 seed, David Carr, took down Mesenbrink in the 2024 NCAA Finals.
Mesenbrink got an opportunity to avenge that loss from over a year ago. The Hartland, Wisconsin, native rolled to four tech falls, only allowing one point in his semifinal matchup against Quincy Monday.
That set up Mesenbrink and Carr in the finals for the 74-kilogram championship. Mesenbrink dominated once again with yet another tech fall, defeating Carr, 16-6, at 5:32. Five tech fall victories were the difference maker as Mesenbrink maintained the same success from his collegiate season.
Rocco Welsh (86 kg)
Welsh will join Penn State for the 2025-26 season, but first competed in the US Open. Similar to the other Penn State wrestlers, Welsh defeated his first two opponents by tech fall.
The future Nittany Lion faced off with Northern Iowa’s Parker Keckeisen. Welsh fell to Keckeisen, 4-1, sending him to the consolation bracket. The Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, native fell to Chance Marsteller and competed in the fifth-place match.
Welsh took down Marcus Coleman in the fifth-place bout in a close 6-5 match. In the first competition as a Nittany Lion wrestler, Welsh finished in fifth place in a loaded 86-kilogram weight class.
Kyle Dake (86 kg)
Despite wrestling collegiately at Cornell, Dake is a member of the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club and has been wrestling in the Penn State wrestling room for many years.
The No. 1 seed at 86 kilograms, Dake dominated his way to the semifinals, earning three tech fall victories. He limited his opponents to just one combined point, outscoring them 30-1 through three bouts.
Dake then battled Keckeisen. The Northern Iowa star came off a victory over Welsh, but couldn’t get past Dake. The Ithaca, New York, native downed Keckeisen, 8-1, to reach the finals.
Dake battled Zahid Valencia in the finals and lost the match, 8-4. Dake has dominated US and international competition, but Valencia got the best of him in Saturday night’s bout. However, Dake will have a chance for revenge if he qualifies for Final X.
Kyle Snyder (97 kg)
Similar to Dake, Snyder didn’t compete for Penn State in college, but joined the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club as a heavyweight member.
Snyder shut out his opponents en route to a championship appearance as the top seed, winning by tech fall in each of his three matches.
Those victories set up a battle with Penn RTC’s Jonathan Aiello in a battle between Pennsylvania wrestling clubs.
Snyder rolled to yet another tech fall, shutting out Aiello, 11-0. Snyder didn’t allow a point throughout his run, winning the 97-kilogram weight class in commanding fashion.
This won’t be the end of the road for any of the wrestlers who didn’t finish first, as there’s another opportunity to get into Final X in June. However, the winners are already solidified for a spot in Final X.
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