The Penn State Wrestling team has received its draws for the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships. Here's a look at all ten wrestlers' paths through the brackets.

2025 NCAA Wrestling Championship Brackets

Interactive brackets are available on Trackwrestling here. 

The 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships will be broadcast on ESPN and ESPN plus. For fans looking to follow the NCAA Championships comprehensively, tune into our live watch party for a fun second-screen experience.

125 lbs - #1 Luke Lilledahl (#1 seed)

Luke Lilledahl's Big Ten title performance was enough to earn him the top seed at 125 lbs. He'll be heavily favored in his first two bouts then will likely face familiar foe Caleb Smith in the quarterfinals. Lilledahl bested Caleb Smith 4-2 in January during a dual and 4-3 in the Big Ten finals.

Luke Lilledahl vs Caleb Smith in the Big Ten finals

Should Lilledahl improve his record against Smith to 3-0, he'll be seeded to see either #4 seed Vincent Robinson or #5 seed Richard Figueroa in the semis. He has yet to face either opponent in college. Robinson, like Lilledahl is a freshman, but Figueroa is the returning NCAA champion at this weight. Lilledahl certainly has his hands full from the quarterfinals on, but he's in a good position to make the finals.

133 lbs - #5 Braeden Davis (#8 seed)

Davis earned the #8 seed and has a path that could be lined with familiar opponents. Should he get past Kurt Phipps in the first round, he'd be seeded to see #9 seed Braxton Brown in round 2. Davis and Brown had an entertaining 9-7 bout in the Big Ten consi semis. If Davis notches another victory over Brown, he'd be seeded to see top-seeded Lucas Byrd in the quarterfinals. Byrd beat Davis 7-1 in their lone meeting this season, so Davis will need to make some adjustments should they square off.

The top seeded wrestlers in the other top-half quarterfinal are Zeth Romney and Dom Serrano, so Davis could wrestle one of them should he reach the semis. If Davis falls to Byrd in the quarterfinal, he'll drop into the impossible-to-predict consolation bracket. Some of the most likely opponents on the way to becoming an All-American include Evan Frost and Zan Fugitt. He has yet to face either wrestler.

141 lbs - #1 Beau Bartlett (#2 seed)

Returning NCAA finalist Beau Bartlett earned the #2 seed and will begin his tournament against West Virginia's Jordan Titus followed by either Joseph Olivieri or Julian Tagg. Bartlett is a heavy favorite against all of those opponents. His most likely quarterfinal opponent is Oklahoma State's Tagen Jamison who he has yet to face in his career. Jamison is coming off a runner-up performance at Big 12s where he upset 2023 NCAA champ Andrew Alirez.

If Bartlett can get by Jamison, he could see returning NCAA champ Jesse Mendez for the sixth time in his career. Each wrestler owns three wins in that series. The likely finalists on the top half of the bracket include Brock Hardy, Andrew Alirez, Cael Happel, and Josh Koderhandt.

149 lbs - #3 Shayne Van Ness (#3 seed)

Shayne Van Ness will begin his tournament against Wyoming's Gabe Willochell followed by either Cal Poly's Chance Lamer or Rutgers' Andrew Clark. He owns victories over all three of them. In the quarterfinals, he could see North Carolina All-American Lachlan McNeil who he has yet to face in his career.

Should he reach the semis, Van Ness is most likely to face one of the two Big Ten finalists as Ridge Lovett and Kannon Webster are seeded 2nd and 7th. Van Ness beat Lovett twice last season and majored Webster in a dual, but he has also fallen to both Lovett and Webster this season. If Van Ness reaches the final, which is entirely possible, the most likely finals opponent is returning NCAA champ Caleb Henson of Virginia Tech who Van Ness beat at the 2023 NCAA Championships.

157 lbs - #1 Tyler Kasak (#1 seed)

Top seeded Tyler Kasak will be a big favorite over either Richard Fedalen or Landen Johnson in the first round then will see either DJ McGee or Cody Chittum in round two. Chittum is about as dangerous a 16 seed as you can find, but Kasak will still be expected to advance to the quarterfinals where he could see Tommy Askey or Joey Blaze who he has yet to wrestle despite both being Big Ten opponents.

Potential semifinal opponents for Kasak include Brandon Cannon, who he defeated in the Big Ten finals, and the always-dangerous Rafael Hipolito of Virginia Tech. The four highest seeded finals opponents from the bottom half of the bracket include Meyer Shapiro, Antrell Taylor, Ryder Downey, and Vinny Serban.

Kasak's Big Ten finals victory over Brandon Cannon

165 lbs - #1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (#1 seed)

Mesenbrink is #1 in America and the #1 seed in this bracket. He's won all but one match this season by bonus points, and he's unlikely to be tested early in this tournament. Potential semifinals opponents include Oklahoma State's Cam Amine and Missouri's Cam Steed. Mesenbrink hasn't faced Steed in his career, but he's 2-0 against Amine.

In the semifinals, Mesenbrink could face Cornell's Julian Ramirez or former teammate, now Utah Valley starter, Terrell Barraclough. Mesenbrink and Barraclough wrestled in the 2023 Black Knight Invitational finals in one of the most competitive bouts  he's had in the last two seasons. Prospective finalists from the other side of the bracket could include Michael Caliendo of Iowa, Peyton Hall of West Virginia, Beau Mantanona of Michigan, and Hunter Garvin of Stanford.

Mitchell Mesenbrink vs Terrell Barraclough in the Black Knight Invitational finals

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174 lbs - #2 Levi Haines (#2 seed)

Second seeded Levi Haines will be heavily favored from the first round through the quarterfinals. He could have a battle with Navy's tough 174-pounder Danny Wask in the quarters, but even in that match, Haines is likely to win convincingly. His potential semifinal bout against Oklahoma State's Dean Hamiti will be one of the most highly anticipated bouts of the tournament. Haines keeps incredible position, and Hamiti is known for his offense. He nearly beat two-time NCAA champion Keegan O'Toole in the Big 12 finals last weekend. If Haines gets past Hamiti, he could see O'Toole in the finals in a rematch from their dual earlier this season. O'Toole is the only wrestler to defeat Haines this season.

184 lbs - #1 Carter Starocci (#1 seed)

Like Haines, Starocci is unlikely to be tested early in this bracket. He will face wither TJ McDonnel or Caden Rogers in the first round followed by either Shane Cartegena-Walsh or All-American Gavin Kane in round #2. Jaxon Smith and Reece Heller are likely quarterfinal opponents. Starocci's potential semifinal matchups are more interesting. He could see either Dustin Plott or South Dakota State's Bennett Berge. Those were the second and fourth place finishers at this weight a year ago, and Starocci hasn't faced either of them.

In order to become the only five-time NCAA champion of all time, Starocci will likely need to defeat returning NCAA champ Parker Keckeisen or freshman Max McEnelly in the finals. Starocci has won highly competitive bouts against each wrestler this season. Keckeisen took Starocci to overtime at the NWCA All-Star Classic, and McEnelly is the only wrestler to take Starocci down this year.

Starocci's NWCA All-Star Classic bout against Parker Keckeisen

197 lbs - #3 Josh Barr (#4 seed)

Freshman Josh Barr has established himself as a title contender at 197 lbs, but he left the Big Ten Championships with an injury that forced him to default from his consolation semifinal and medically forfeit from the 5th place bout. The Penn State medical staff has proven themselves to be highly equipped to deal with serious injuries (think Jason Nolf or Carter Starocci), but Barr's draw is still highly interesting.

Barr sits in the #4 spot where he'll see Lock Haven's Tucker Hogan right away. Hogan is a tough Pennsylvania product with serious top game, but Barr will be heavily favored. in the second round, he'll either see Nebraska freshman Camden McDanel or Oregon State All-American Trey Munoz. Neither of those opponents are slouches, so Barr will need to be on his A game.

In the quarterfinals, Barr could see All-Americans Michael Beard or Stephen Little. He can take confidence from having defeated both wrestlers earlier this season. His most likely semifinal opponents include Jacob Cardenas (who he split with this season) and Oklahoma State's scrambley Luke Surber.

If Barr can navigate the top half of the bracket, he might expect to see either 2021 NCAA champ AJ Ferrari or Iowa's Stephen Buchanan who beat him in the Iowa vs Penn State Dual this year.

285 lbs - #2 Greg Kerkvliet (#3 seed)

Kerkvliet, last year's NCAA champ at heavyweight, earned the #3 seed this year after a runner-up finish at the Big Ten Championships. He will be heavily favored against Sam Mitchell in round one, either Cory Day or Gavin Hoffman in round two, and against opponents like Jim Mullen or Josh Heindselman in the quarterfinals.

Wrestling fans will look forward to a potential semifinal between Kerkvliet and Oklahoma State's Wyatt Hendrickson in the semifinals. Kerkvliet has gotten the better of Hendrickson in the past, so Penn State fans can feel confident in his chances of reaching the NCAA finals for the third straight year. If he gets there, Kerkvliet is almost certain to see Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson in the finals. Steveson is currently 3-0 in college against Kerkvliet with 9-4, 8-3, and 10-3 decisions.