Penn State will have four number one seeds and nine competitors inside of the top four seeds of their respective weight classes when the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championshipsstart next Thursday at the Wells Fargo Arena in Philadelphia.
Get caught up on where each Nittany Lions is in his bracket in addition to every first round opponent by clicking here. And, find our five thoughts on the list below.
Davis’ draw is brutal
Penn State 133-pound starter Braeden Davis missed some time during the dual meet portion of the season. Then, at Big Tens, he fell in the quarterfinals and was pinned in the third place match. His starting spot at nationals reflects the difficult season he has had. The sophomore is the No. 8 seed, which means if the chalk holds, he will face the top seed in the bracket, Illinois’ Lucas Byrd, in the quarterfinals. His time in the championship bracket figures to end there, as he’s already lost to Byrd 7-1 this season. Of course, just getting to that bout will be no easy feat, as, again, if the seeds hold, the Nittany Lion will face No. 9 Braxton Brown of Maryland in the second round. Davis nipped the Terrapin at Big Tens, 9-7, by building an early lead before holding on late.
It’s easily one of the toughest draws of the tournament for Penn State.
One Penn State wrestler could meet his finals opponent from a year ago in this year’s semis
Penn State senior Beau Bartlett drew the No. 2 seed. He is behind No. 1 Brock Hardy of Nebraska but ahead of No. 3 Jesse Mendez of Ohio State. That means, if the seeds hold at 141 pounds, a rematch of last year’s NCAA finals would take place in the semifinals. The Nittany Lion has had recent success against the Buckeye, including two straight wins. But, he’s never an easy out. Then again, either is Bartlett. It would be a tremendous semifinal.
