Just when it seems Penn State wrestling has reached its peak, the program somehow manages to set the bar even higher. Head coach Cael Sanderson and his team continued their historic run at the Big Ten Championships, capturing their fourth straight conference title and setting a school record with seven individual champions. With the conference title secured, the Nittany Lions turn their focus to the NCAA Championships this weekend.  

The NCAA released all 33 seeds across the 10 weight classes, with Penn State earning seven No. 1 seeds. No wrestler is seeded lower than No. 14.  

No. 1 Luke Lilledahl: 125 pounds

Sophomore Luke Lilledahl enters the NCAA tournament as one of the few wrestlers still undefeated this season. Lilledahl delivered an impressive performance at the Big Ten Championships, capturing his second Big Ten title. He will open the tournament against the winner of the bout between No. 32 Jace Schafer of Bloomsburg and No. 33 Mack Mauger of Missouri. Lilledahl could see Ezekiel Witt of North Dakota State, who gave him a tough match earlier in the season. In the quarterfinals, Lilledahl could potentially face Dean Peterson of Iowa for the third time this season.  

No. 3 Marcus Blaze: 133 pounds

True freshman Marcus Blaze earned the No. 3 seed after suffering his first loss of the season in the finals of the Big Ten Wrestling Championships, where he fell to Ben Davino of Ohio State in tiebreakers. Blaze will open the tournament against No. 30 Gabe Whisenhunt of Oregon State. His path to the finals will not be easy, as he could face Drake Ayala of Iowa in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Blaze could see either defending national champion Lucas Byrd of Illinois or a potential rematch with Davino.  

No. 14 Braeden Davis: 141 pounds

Braeden Davis earned the No. 14 seed after placing seventh at the Big Ten tournament. Davis will open the tournament against No. 19 Haiden Drury of Utah Valley. If Davis wins his first-round match, he is likely to face Brock Hardy of Nebraska in a rematch from earlier this season, when Davis was defeated by Hardy via fall.  

No. 1 Shayne Van Ness: 149 pounds

After a series of close matches at the Big Ten Championships, Shayne Van Ness claimed the title, pinning Ethan Stiles of Ohio State. Van Ness enters the NCAA tournament as the No. 1 seed and will face the winner of the bout between No. 32 Clayton Jones of Michigan State and No. 33 Austin McBurney of Brown.   

No. 1 PJ Duke: 157 pounds

True freshman PJ Duke was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler at the Big Ten Championships after dominating his opponents in an impressive showing. Duke enters the NCAA tournament as the No. 1 seed and will face the winner of the bout between No. 32 Jeb Prechtel of Bellarmine or No. 33 Yannis Charles of Morgan State. Duke could face a challenging quarterfinal matchup against Brandon Cannon of Ohio State or Daniel Cardenas of Stanford, both of whom he has already defeated earlier this season.    

No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink: 165 pounds

It’s no surprise that Mitchell Mesenbrink earned the No. 1 seed after defeating Mikey Caliendo to capture his third Big Ten Championship. Mesenbrink is set to face the winner of the bout between No. 32 Cody Walsh of Drexel and No. 33 Ryan Vigil of Virginia Military Institute. 

No. 1 Levi Haines: 174 pounds

Levi Haines will enter the NCAA tournament as a No. 1 seed after becoming only the fourth wrestler in program history to claim four Big Ten Championship Titles. Haines will open the NCAA tournament against the winner of the bout between No. 32 Luke Condon of Wisconsin and No. 33 Grant O’Dell of Bellarmine.  

No. 1 Rocco Welsh: 184 pounds

Rocco Welsh navigated a tough Big Ten tournament, going into overtime in all three of his matches. Despite the challenges, Welsh found a way to win each bout, earning a No. 1 seed for the NCAA tournament. He will open the tournament against the winner of the matchup between No. 32 Caleb Uhlenhopp of Utah Valley and No. 33 Sam Goin of Indiana. In the semi-finals, Welsh could face Dylan Fishback of Ohio State in the semifinals, who he narrowly defeated 7-6 in the regular season after securing a takedown on a late go-behind.  

No. 1 Josh Barr: 197 pounds

Josh Barr enters the NCAA tournament as a No. 1 seed after dominating the Big Ten Championships, including a 19-4 technical fall over Camden McDanel of Nebraska to claim the Big Ten title. Barr will open his NCAA tournament run against the winner of the matchup between No. 32 Blake Schaffer of Kent State and No. 33 Karson Tompkins of Air Force. 

No. 9 Cole Mirasola: Heavyweight

Mirasola enters the NCAA tournament as the No. 9 seed after placing fifth at the Big Ten Championships. He will open his tournament run against No. 24 Connor Barket of Duke. Mirasola could face a challenging second-round matchup against Ben Keuter of Iowa. Earlier in the season, Mirasola defeated Keuter in a 4-3 decision, but he fell to him 2-0 at the Big Ten tournament.   

The NCAA Championships will take place at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The first session is set to begin at noon on Thursday, March 19.