Nittany Lion Wrestling Club

2025 Senior World Championship Results

2025-09-16

Senior World Championships

NLWC wrestlers PJ Duke (70 kg), Levi Haines (79 kg), and Kyle Snyder (97 kg) had outstanding performances at the 2025 Senior World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia from Sept. 13-16.

Kyle Snyder

Kyle looked spectacular on his way to winning another world title. He defeated Cristian Sarco Colmenarez (Venezuela) by 10-0 technical fall, Zbigniew Baranowski (Poland) by 5-0 decision, and Arash Yoshida (Japan) by 9-1 decision to reach the finals. In a rematch of last year's world bronze medal match, Kyle came out on top this time in a hard-fought 3-2 decision over Amirali Azarpira (Iran). Congratulations to Kyle on his World Gold Medal!!!

Levi Haines

Levi started the competition with a 5-2 win over Khidir Kurban A Saipudinov (Barhrain) and a 10-0 technical fall over Bumgee Seo (Korea). In the quarter finals, he had a huge 3-2 buzzer beater decision over 2023 World champrion and current European Champion Akhmed Usmanov (UWW), and in the semifinals, he defeated Suldkhuu Olonbayar (Mongolia) 4-1. In the finals, Levi dropped a hard-fought 2-3 decision to Georgious Kougioumtsidis (Greece). Congratulations to Levi on his World Silver Medal!!

PJ Duke

PJ, the reigning U20 World Champion, finished 1-1 at the World Championships. He defeated Shuang Chen (China) by 11-0 technical fall in his first match but dropped his second match by 7-11 decision to the defending World champion Nurkozha Kaipanov (Kazakhstan). When Kaipanov lost in the semifinals, PJ did not get the chance to wrestle back for bronze. Congratulations to PJ Duke on a fine performance at the World championships!!!

Special thanks to the NLWC coaching staff for the tremendous time and effort that they put into preparing and coaching the NLWC wrestlers. Thanks also to the many fine training partners in the Club's Olympic RTC practices who helped prepare these wrestlers for the World championships. And not to be forgotten, a special thank you to the many, many, many donors and supporters of the NLWC that make these opportunities possible!

Congratulations PJ, Levi, & Kyle!!!

Upcoming 2025 Senior World Championships

2025-09-11

Senior World Championships

The 2025 Senior World Championships take place September 13-21 in Zagreb, Croatia. The men's freestyle competition goes from Saturday, September 13 through Tuesday, Sept. 16. NLWC wrestlers

PJ Duke (70 kg), Levi Haines (79 kg), and Kyle Snyder (97 kg) are competing on the U.S. team. Every weight class at these championships is loaded with the top wrestlers in the world, and the competition will be outstanding!

To Watch Live

Men’s Freestyle wrestlers will compete in three waves over the course of the event—group one (61-70-86-125 kg) starting September 13, group two (57-74-79-92 kg) on September 14 and group three (65-97 kg) on September 15. Each bracket will be contested over a two-day stretch, running through semifinals on day one, followed by repechage and medal matches on day two.

The Senior World Championships will be live streamed on FloWrestling. Brackets and updated results will be provided by United World Wrestling.

Schedule *Times listed below are U.S. Eastern Time.

Saturday, September 13 *PJ Duke starts competition.

4:30 a.m. – Qualification Rounds (MFS 61-70-86-125 kg)

1 p.m. – Semifinals (MFS 61-70-86-125 kg)

Sunday, September 14 *Levi Haines starts competition.

4:30 a.m. – Qualification Rounds (MFS 57-74-79-92 kg), Repechage (MFS 61-70-86-125 kg)

10:30 a.m. – Semifinals (MFS 57-74-79-92 kg)

12 p.m. – Medal Matches (MFS 61-70-86-125 kg)

Monday, September 15 *Kyle Snyder starts competition.

4:30 a.m. – Qualification Rounds (MFS 65-97 kg, WFS 55-59 kg), Repechage (MFS 57-74-79-92 kg)

10:30 a.m. – Semifinals (MFS 65-97 kg, WFS 55-59 kg)

12 p.m. – Medal Matches (MFS 57-74-79-92 kg)

Tuesday, September 16

4:30 a.m. – Repechage (MFS 65-97 kg, WFS 55-59 kg)

12 p.m. – Medal Matches (MFS 65-97 kg, WFS 55-59 kg)

Good luck PJ, Levi, & Kyle!!!

Dake and Nickal Win at RAF 01

2025-09-01

Real American Freestyle 01 (RAF 01)

Real American Freestyle, a new professional freestyle wrestling promotion, held its first competition at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 30 in the Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Ohio. The two NLWC athletes competing both had nice wins!

Kyle Dake defeated 2025 NCAA Champion Dean Hamiti from Oklahoma State by 11-0 technicial fall. at 190 lbs.

Bo Nickal won by 6-4 decision over Jacob Cardenas at 205 lbs.

Former NLWC wrestler Jason Nolf came up just short, dropping a 10-8 decsion in an exciting match with 2025 Final X Finalist Evan Wick at 175 lbs.

Congratulations Kyle & Bo!!!

Real American Freestyle 01

2025-08-29

Real American Freestyle 01 (RAF 01)

Real American Freestyle, a new professional freestyle wrestling promotion, will host its first competition at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 30 in the Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Ohio. The NLWC will have two athletes competing: Kyle Dake will face Dean Hamiti at 190 lbs., and Bo Nickal will wrestle Jacob Cardenas at 205 lbs. Former NLWC wrestler Jason Nolf is also competing at 175 lbs.

To Watch Live

Tickets are being sold on Ticketmaster, and the event will be broadcast on Fox Nation.

Rule Changes

There will be three two-minute periods with the tie criteria being the last point scored.

Bout Order

135 lbs. – Nathan Tomasello vs. Matt Ramos

155 lbs. – Yianni Diakomihalis vs. Bajrang Punia

155 lbs. – Lance Palmer vs. Austin Gomez

175 lbs. – Jason Nolf vs. Evan Wick

120 lbs. – Sarah Hildebrandt vs. Zeltzin Hernandez

145 lbs. – Real Woods vs. Darrion Caldwell

190 lbs. – Kyle Dake vs. Dean Hamiti

150 lbs. – Kennedy Blades vs. Alejandra Rivera

205 lbs. – Bo Nickal vs. Jacob Cardenas

Unlimited – Wyatt Hendrickson vs. Mostafa Elders

Good Luck Kyle, Bo, & Jason!!!

Nittany Lions Win 5 Medals At U20 Worlds!

2025-08-20

U20 World Championships

The 2025 U20 Men's Freestyle World Championships took place over the past four days in Samokov, Bulgaria. To say that the performance of the young Nittany Lions was outstanding is an understatement. Five Nittany Lion wrestlers (making up half of the men's freestyle team) competed, and all five won world medals! In addition, the U.S. team won the U20 World Championship!

Marcus Blaze (61 kg) won the gold medal with a 5-0 mark, winning an incredible four matches by technical fall and one by disqualification! In the gold medal match, Marcus won by 10-0 technical superiority over Iran's Ahora Khateri!

PJ Duke (70 kg) also won the gold medal with a 5-0 mark, including two technical falls and a fall. In the finals, PJ scored an exciting 7-5 victory over Alexandr Gaidarl of Moldova!

Will Henckel (79 kg) won 4 straight matches to advance to the finals where he dropped a hard-fought 8-6 decision to Iran's Mahdi Yousefi Hajivar.

Connor Mirasola (92 kg) won his first match by technical fall but lost his second match by a close 7-5 decision to a wrestler from Kasakhstan. He then wrestled back for bronze, defeating Azerbaijan's Ana Jafarli 10-0 in the bronze medal match.

Cole Mirasola (125 kg) had two wins to advance to the semifinals where he lost to a wrestler from Kasakhstan. In the bronze medal match, Cole defeated Narantulga Darmaabazar of Mongolia by 12-2 technical fall.

Congratulations Marcus, PJ, Will, Connor, Cole, and Team USA!!!

2025 U20 World Championships

2025-08-16

U20 World Championships

The 2025 U20 Men's Freestyle World Championships take place August 17-20 in Samokov, Bulgaria. Marcus Blaze (61 kg), PJ Duke (70 kg), Will Henckel (79 kg), Connor Mirasola (92 kg), and Cole Mirasola (125 kg) are all competing on the U.S. team in this extremely tough age-level world championship event.

To Watch Live

The action can be seen live on FloWrestling.

Schedule *Times listed below are U.S. Eastern Time.

Sunday, August 17 ***PJ Duke & Cole Mirasola begin competition.

3 a.m. – Qualification Rounds (MFS 70-74-97-125 kg)

10:15 a.m. – Opening Ceremony

11 a.m. – Semifinals (MFS 70-74-97-125 kg)

Monday, August 18 ***Will Henckel & Connor Mirasola begin competition.

3 a.m. – Qualification Rounds (MFS 57-65-79-92 kg), Repechage (MFS 70-74-97-125 kg)

10 a.m. – Semifinals (MFS 57-65-79-92 kg)

11 a.m. – Medal Matches (MFS 70-74-97-125 kg)

Tuesday, August 19 ***Marcus Blaze begins competition.

3 a.m. – Qualification Rounds (MFS 61-86 kg), Repechage (MFS 57-65-79-92 kg)

9:45 a.m. – Semifinals (MFS 61-86 kg)

11 a.m. – Medal Matches (MFS 57-65-79-92 kg)

Wednesday, August 20

3 a.m. – Repechage (MFS 61-86 kg)

11 a.m. – Medal Matches (MFS 61-86 kg)

Good luck Marcus, PJ, Will, Connor, and Cole!!!

NLWC 2025 Online Auction

2025-08-12

NLWC Fans and Supporters

The Nittany Lion Wrestling Club's first-ever Online Auction is now live and will run through August 22 at 3:00 p.m.

There is a wide variety of very unique items, and this is a great opportunity to provide a one of a kind gift or a memorable experience for yourself or for a family member or friend. At the same time, you are supporting the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club!

We encourage you to bid on auction items and to share the link with any friends or family members who may also be interested in bidding.

The Nittany Lion Wrestling Club thanks the many donors who contributed items for this auction. We greatly appreciate their incredible generosity and support!

Items include:

Dinner for 4 with Penn State Wrestling Coach Cael Sanderson
Signed photographs of Cael Sanderson
Custom made bamboo fly rod engraved with Penn State Wrestling 2025 National Champions and signed by the coaches and team
Guided archery bear hunt with Levi Haines and Tyler Kasak
Signed photograph of Penn State Wrestling Hodge Trophy Winners
2025 Penn State Wrestling National Champions Watch
Mat-side seat beside "The Voice of Penn State Wrestling" Jeff Byers for a home Penn State match during the upcoming season. You can assist Jeff with the Broadcast if you wish.
Nittany Lion Wrestling Experience for 4 People. Watch Olympic Regional Training Center practice and visit with coaches and athletes, transportation to and floor seats for the Penn State Bryce Jordan Center match, and hotel accommodations.
And many, many more...

Click Here to See All of the Auction Items and to Bid!

The NLWC is grateful for the generous support of the sponsors below:

Visit the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club website:

http://nittanylionwrestlingclub.com/

Mesenbrink Wins Bronze

2024-10-30

U23 World Championships

Mitchell Mesenbrink had an outstanding U23 World ChampionshipTournament in Tirana, Albania! Competing at 74 kg, he defeated Murat Dzhakupov (Kazakhstan) 7-2 in his opening match. He fell by 11-8 decision to 2024 Senior Asian Champion Kota Takahashi (Japan) in the quarterfinals. When Takahashi advanced to the finals, Mitchell was brought back into the repechage. To advance to the bronze medal match, he beat Ali Rezaeiaghouzgeleh (Iran) by a 16-7 score.

In the bronze medal match, Mitchell defeated Magomedrasul Asluev (Bahrain) 6-0!

Congratulations to U23 World Bronze Medalist Mitchell Mesenbrink!!!

NLWC Truck Raffle Winner

2024-09-06

Congratulations to Dave Cipriani on winning the 2024 NLWC Truck Raffle that was held at Toftrees Golf Course on August 29, 2024!

Thank you to everyone who participated in the truck raffle and made it a successful event!

Zain Retherford Secures Olympic Spot for Team USA at 65kg

2024-05-18

The Nittany Lion Wrestling Club (NLWC) proudly announces that Zain Retherford has qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris at the 65 kg weight class. Retherford's remarkable journey to the Olympics was cemented after a stellar performance at the Last Chance Olympic Qualifier in Istanbul, where he secured a crucial victory over Niurgun Skriabin of Belarus in his final match.

This accomplishment adds Retherford to the elite list of Penn State representatives at the upcoming Olympics, joining fellow Nittany Lion Aaron Brooks. Brooks earned his Olympic spot by defeating former Penn State wrestler David Taylor at the Olympic Team Trials for Wrestling held in the Bryce Jordan Center this past April.

Retherford's path to the Olympics has been a testament to his perseverance and skill. After triumphing in his weight class at the team trials, Retherford faced the daunting task of qualifying the weight category for the country. His journey in Istanbul began with strong victories in his first two bouts. However, a setback came in his third match, where he fell to Tulga Tumur-Ochir of Mongolia. Despite this, Retherford's Olympic dreams were reignited when Tumur-Ochir advanced to the finals, allowing Retherford to enter the repechage bracket.

In the repechage, Retherford showcased his resilience and determination. He embarked on a winning streak, defeating four consecutive opponents, culminating in his decisive victory over Skriabin. This win not only secured the 65 kg weight class for Team USA but also earned Retherford his well-deserved spot in Paris.

Retherford's qualification marks a significant achievement for Penn State wrestling, which will now have two representatives competing on the global stage at the 2024 Olympics. His success also highlights the strength and depth of the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club, which continues to produce world-class athletes capable of competing at the highest levels.

In Istanbul, Retherford was accompanied by another notable American wrestler, Spencer Lee, a former Iowa Hawkeye. Lee also secured his Olympic berth with a victory in the semifinals over Rakhat Kalzhan of Kazakhstan. Both Retherford and Lee have established themselves as key members of Team USA's freestyle wrestling squad, bringing their exceptional talents to the Olympic mat.

As the excitement builds for the upcoming Olympics, Retherford and Lee will continue their rigorous training and preparation. The men’s freestyle wrestling competition at the Olympics is set to begin on August 8, where Retherford will compete for Olympic glory and aim to bring home a medal for Team USA.

The entire Nittany Lion Wrestling Club community extends its heartfelt congratulations to Zain Retherford on his incredible achievement. His journey from collegiate wrestling standout to Olympian is an inspiration to aspiring wrestlers everywhere. The NLWC is immensely proud to have such a dedicated and talented athlete representing both the club and the country on the world stage.

Stay tuned for more updates on Retherford's road to the Olympics and other exciting news from the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club.