Before the start of the 2024-25 Penn State wrestling season against Drexel, five Penn State wrestlers will take part in the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) All-Star Classic at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
The exhibition, which takes place in Rec Hall, highlights 32 top men’s and women’s wrestlers before the official start of the season. Penn State’s Beau Bartlett, Shayne Van Ness, Tyler Kasak, Levi Haines and Carter Starocci will be among those taking to the mat.
141 Pounds: No. 2 Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) vs. No. 3 Beau Bartlett
In a rematch of the 141-pound NCAA Championship bout, Bartlett will face Ohio State rival Jesse Mendez.
The pair faced one another three times in 2024: the Penn State vs. Ohio State dual, the Big Ten finals, and the NCAA finals. Bartlett was 1-2 with a win against Mendez in the dual meet and the Buckeye taking the two title matches, so he has a chance to make a big splash to start his senior campaign.
149 Pounds: No. 2 Shayne Van Ness vs. No. 3 Ty Watters (West Virginia)
Van Ness will wrestle for the first time in about a year after suffering a leg injury at the beginning of the 2023-24 season. Reclaiming his spot at 149 pounds, Van Ness faces the 2024 NCAA All-American fourth-place wrestler Ty Watters.
Watters, a true sophomore, will be tested against Van Ness. On the other hand, the Nittany Lion gets a long-awaited taste of Rec Hall once again.
157 Pounds: No. 4 Tyler Kasak vs. No. 5 Peyten Kellar (Ohio)
One of the multiple Nittany Lions switching weight classes, Kasak will wrestle his first match at 157 pounds after finishing third at 149 pounds at the NCAA Championships last season. Peyten Kellar is a veteran at 157 pounds with a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Championships in 2024.
Kasak stepped up for injured teammate Van Ness last season and has a chance to make his path as a starter this season.
174 Pounds: No. 2 Levi Haines vs. No. 3 Cade DeVos (San Diego State)
Haines, defending national champion at 157 pounds, is another Nittany Lion to debut in his new weight class. The junior finished off the 2023-24 season with a win against Arizona State’s Jacori Teemer 5-0 in the championship bout. Cade DeVos ended the 2023-24 season as an All-American in fifth place at the NCAA Championships.
184 Pounds: No. 1 Carter Starocci vs. No. 2 Parker Keckseisen (Northern Iowa)
Starting the road to a potential fifth national championship, Starocci will have his first dual at 184 pounds. The highly-anticipated matchup comes against the 184-pound defending national champion Parker Keckseisen.
The Nittany Lion shared some choice words at the first media event of the season when asked about Keckeisen saying, “That guy was pretty dominant all of last year, so I’m excited to go out and show him that I’m the dominant one.”
The NWCA All-Star Classic can be streamed on the FloWrestling website.
