PHILADELPHIA — In historic fashion, the Penn State Nittany Lions claimed their four consecutive NCAA team title and the 13th in program history. Five-time NCAA champion Carter Starocci led the way for the Nittany Lions with his 4-1 win over reigning NCAA champion Parker Keckeisen of Northern Iowa, but he was far from the only Nittany Lion to cement himself in history tonight.
FINAL BRACKETS | FINAL TEAM SCORES
Mitchell Mesenbrink joined Starocci as a Penn State national champion after he beat Iowa’s Michael Caliendo 8-2 for his first individual title.
The Blue and White also put eight additional athletes on the podium over the course of these three intense days in Philly, becoming just the second team in history to accomplish this feat. Freshman Josh Barr took second at 197 pounds, Luke Lilledahl took third at 125 pounds, Braeden Davis took fifth at 133 pounds, Beau Bartlett took third at 141 pounds, Shayne Van Ness took third at 149 pounds, Tyler Kasak took third at 149 pounds, Levi Haines took third at 174 pounds and Greg Kerkvliet rounded out the All-Americans with his sixth-place finish at 285 pounds. The team scored a total of 177 points to break the all-time scoring record for the NCAA tournament.
FIVE TITLES: How Carter Starocci capped off his legendary Penn State career with his title win over Parker Keckeisen
The Nebraska Cornhuskers — who secured two national champions in Ridge Lovett at 149 pounds and Antrell Taylor at 157 pounds — took second as a team with 117 points. Lovett enacted revenge on reigning national champion Caleb Henson 1-0 for his win while Taylor topped No. 8 Joey Blaze of Purdue 4-2 for his title. This is the first time Nebraska has had two NCAA champions in the same tournament since 1984.
The Oklahoma State Cowboys finished behind the Cornhuskers in third with 102.5 points and two champions: Dean Hamiti and 174 pounds and Wyatt Hendrickson at 285 pounds. Hamiti beat two-time NCAA champion Keegan O’Toole 4-1 to claim his first title and head coach David Taylor’s first at the helm of Oklahoma State. Hendrickson followed with an epic finish against No. 1 Gable Steveson, taking down the Olympic champ 5-4 to earn his first title. He also earned Most Dominant Wrestler honors for average 5.15 points per dual meet this season.
DO YOU BELIEVE?!
WYATT KNOCKS OFF THE OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST TO WIN THE HEAVYWEIGHT NATIONAL TITLE!#GoPokes pic.twitter.com/H2IdvqCAfn
— OSU Cowboy Wrestling (@CowboyWrestling) March 23, 2025
The Iowa Hawkeyes, the fourth-place team with 81 points, also had a national champion in 197-pounder Stephen Buchanan who held off Penn State’s Josh Barr 5-2. This is Buchanan’s first national title and allows him to end his career on the top of the podium.
NC State and Illinois also had champions in Vince Robinson at 125 pounds and Lucas Byrd at 133 pounds respectively.
Kelvin Griffin of Lehigh also earned recognition at the end of the tournament for leading the country in falls with 18. Luca Augustine of Pitt earned Elite 90 honors for having the highest cumulative GPA amongst the competitors at the national tournament with his 3.94 GPA in Biology.
Complete individual results below:
WEIGHT Result 125 No. 4 Vince Robinson (NC State) tops No. 7 Troy Spratley, 2-1 133 No. 1 Lucas Byrd (Illinois) beats No. 2 Drake Ayala (Iowa), 3-2 141 No. 3 Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) outscores No. 1 Brock Hardy, 12-9 149 No. 2 Ridge Lovett (Nebraska) upsets No. 1 Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech), 1-0 157 No. 3 Antrell Taylor (Nebraska) tops No. 8 Joey Blaze (Purdue), 4-2 165 No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn State) outlasts No. 2 Michael Caliendo (Iowa), 8-2 174 No. 3 Dean Hamiti (Oklahoma State) upsets No. 1 Keegan O’Toole (Missouri), 4-1 184 No. 1 Carter Starocci (Penn State) beats No. 2 Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa), 4-3 197 No. 2 Stephen Buchanan (Iowa) tops No. 4 Josh Barr (Penn State), 5-2 285 No. 2 Wyatt Hendrickson (Oklahoma State) shocks No. 1 Gable Steveson (Minnesota), 5-4
THIRD PERIOD: Steveson chooses down to start the third period and escapes. He leads 4-2. Hendrickson takes down Steveson! He takes the lead 5-4. Wyatt Hendrickson is a national champion for the Oklahoma State Cowboys 5-4.
SECOND PERIOD: Hendrickson chooses down to start the second period and escapes to narrow Steveson’s lead to one. Shot from Steveson. Hendrickson scrambles away. Another shot from Steveson, but time expires. The Gopher Olympian leads Hendrickson 3-2. Refs review. Call is upheld.
FIRST PERIOD: Shot Gable Steveson! Wyatt Hendrickson works out of the hold and goes in for a shot of his own, but Steveson sprawls out. Stalemate. Shot from Steveson. This time, he converts. Steveson takes the lead 3-0. Hendrickson escapes. Steveson carries a 3-0 lead into the second period.
THIRD PERIOD: Buchanan chooses down to start the third period, and he escapes in time to keep his riding time up over one minute. He leads 4-2. One minute to go. Shot from Barr. Buchanan sprawls. Thirty seconds. Shot from Barr. Ten seconds. Stephen Buchanan holds on. The transfer Hawkeye is an NCAA champion with a 5-2 win.
NATIONAL CHAMPION
STEPHEN BUCHANAN II#Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/3vAWtktza6
— Iowa Hawkeye Wrestling (@Hawks_Wrestling) March 23, 2025
SECOND PERIOD: Barr chooses down to start the second period, and he escapes. Buchanan is warned for stalling. Buchanan pushes riding time up to 57 seconds, but he’s hit with a lock hands penalty point to give Barr a penalty point. The Nittany Lion then escapes to take a 2-0 lead. Takedown Buchanan. He also pushes riding time up over a minute. The Hawkeye is so tough on top. He ends the period with a 3-2 lead and 1:28 of riding time.
FIRST PERIOD: Shot from Penn State’s Josh Barr! Stephen Buchanan fends him off. Lots of speed and aggression but not a lot of points. The first three minutes end scoreless.
SUDDEN VICTORY: This feels like the Big 12 finals all over again. Except this time it’s Dean Hamiti with the takedown. The Cowboy is a national champion! Missouri challenges. The call is confirmed. Hamiti is head coach David Taylor’s first national champion!
DEAN HAMITI IS YOUR 174-POUND NATIONAL CHAMPION!#GoPokes l @HamitiDean pic.twitter.com/7nkYwpCaKj
— OSU Cowboy Wrestling (@CowboyWrestling) March 23, 2025
THIRD PERIOD: O’Toole chooses down to start the third period. He escapes as well to tie the match. Shot from Hamiti! He takes down the two-time champ and leads 4-1 with less than a minute to go in the third period. Challenge Missouri. Call on the mat is reversed. The match remains tied 1-1. We’re heading to sudden victory!
SECOND PERIOD: Hamiti chooses down to start the second period, and he escapes within seconds. He leads 1-0 heading into the third period.
FIRST PERIOD: This is the second conference rematch in a row here at the NCAA finals with Big 12 champion and two-time NCAA champion Keegan O’Toole taking on Big 12 runner-up and three-time All-American Dean Hamiti. O’Toole is in on the first shot. Hamiti is too comfortable up on one leg. He’s showing no fear as O’Toole pulls him across the mat. Hamiti works out of O’Toole’s hold, and the first period ends scoreless.
THIRD PEIROD: Mesenbrink chooses down to start the third period. He escapes to extend his lead 5-2. Shot from Mesenbrink, but Caliendo works out of it. Shot from Caliendo from space. Mesenbrink sprawls out to draw a stalemate. The Hawkeye continues to shoot. One minute remaining. Mesenbrink is warned for stalling. Thirty seconds. Shot from Caliendo again! Another shot from the Hawkeye. Mesenbrink turns it into a takedown for himself to ice the dual, 8-2. He’s a national champion for the Nittany Lions.
In Mesenbrink we trust. 🫡#PSUwr pic.twitter.com/35BScffSs2
— Penn State WRESTLING (@pennstateWREST) March 23, 2025
SECOND PERIOD: Caliendo chooses down to start the second period. He escapes to tie the match. Shot from Mesenbrink. He finishes! The Nittany Lion leads 4-2 after an escape from Caliendo. He carries his 4-2 lead into the third period.
FIRST PERIOD:
Iowa’s Michael Caliendo goes down with an injury off the whistle. Mesenbrink chooses down to start the match after Caliendo took injury time. Mesenbrink escapes to take the early 1-0 lead. Caliendo in on a shot. The wrestlers work out of bounds. The Hawkeye is wrestling fearless against the returning NCAA finalist. Mesenbrink’s escape is the lone point from the first period.
THIRD PERIOD: Blaze chooses down to start the third period and escapes. Taylor still leads 4-1. Shot from Blaze, but Taylor works to turn it into momentum for himself. Out of bounds. Taylor is hit for stalling, and Blaze picks up a point, but Taylor cannot be stopped. He takes the 4-2 win to claim his first national champion and Nebraska’s second individual title of the night.
TURN US UP, TRELLY ‼️
(3) Antrell Taylor of @HuskerWrestling defeats (8) Joey Blaze of Purdue 4-2, become the 2025 national champion at 157. #NCAAWrestling pic.twitter.com/7C0xO5DN7X
— NCAA Wrestling (@NCAAWrestling) March 23, 2025
SECOND PERIOD: Taylor chooses down to start the second period. Blaze is warned for stalling on top. Taylor escapes to extend his lead 4-0. One minute to go. Blaze initiates action at the end of the second period, but Taylor holds on to his 4-0 lead heading into the third.
FIRST PERIOD: Antrell Taylor picks up a huge short time takedown to end the first period with a 3-0 lead.
THIRD PERIOD: Lovett chooses down to start the third period. Henson allows him to escape and will now go to work on his feet. Shot from Lovett. He’s looking for the takedown on the edge. Nebraska wants a stall call against Henson. One minute to go. Thirty seconds. Shot from Henson. Time expires. Ridge Lovett is an NCAA champion for the Big Red 1-0!
Ridge Lovett is a NATIONAL CHAMPION 👏
The @HuskerWrestling 149-pounder defeats the reigning National Champion to secure his first-ever #NCAAWrestling Title 🏆#B1GWrestling pic.twitter.com/jH2AF237HR
— Big Ten Wrestling (@B1GWrestling) March 23, 2025
SECOND PERIOD: The second period starts neutral. Henson gets in on a shot, but Lovett draws a stalemate. Another shot from Henson. This time he converts. The defending champ leads the way 3-0 to end the second period. Nebraska challenges. The call on the mat is overturned. No takedown. The second period ends scoreless.
FIRST PERIOD: This is a rematch of last year’s NCAA semifinal, a match Henson won 1-0 before winning his championship final match against Austin Gomez. Now he goes for Title #2.
THIRD PERIOD: One minute to go. “Go Big Red” chants fill the arena. Thirty seconds. Hardy needs something big. Mendez is warned for stalling. Ten seconds. Shot from Mendez. Hardy picks up a takedown, but Jesse Mendez prevails. He takes the win 12-9 to claim his second national title.
Had to double it 😎
(3) Jesse Mendez of @wrestlingbucks defeats (1) Brock Hardy of Nebraska with a 12-9 decision, securing his second national title. #NCAAWrestling pic.twitter.com/6ahoqjWqMx
— NCAA Wrestling (@NCAAWrestling) March 23, 2025
SECOND PERIOD: Brock chooses down to start the second period and escapes. Mendez responds with a takedown to take the lead 7-6. Mendez has Hardy on his back. He picks up four back points. This is March Mendez Ohio State fans have been looking for. He leads 11-6 going into the third period.
FIRST PERIOD: No. 1 Brock Hardy picks up the first takedown of the match and two near fall points. Mendez escapes. Nebraska challenges, looking for more near fall points. This is the highest pace first period thus far in tonight’s finals. Ruling on the mat stands. Takedown Mendez. He cuts Hardy’s lead down to one heading into the second period.
TIE-BREAKERS: Ayala chooses down to begin the first tie-breaker. He escapes. Byrd shoots, and Ayala is hit for stalling. Byrd picks up a point. Iowa challenges. Call stands. Five seconds. Byrd chooses neutral to begin the second riding time period. Byrd is hit for stalling. Shot from Byrd. He runs out the clock. Lucas Byrd is a national champion for the Fighting Illini 3-2.
NCAA Championship Finals – 133 pounds #NCAAWrestling25 Lucas Byrd (Illinois) won in TB-2 by riding time over Drake Ayala (Iowa), TB-2 (RT) 3-2
Byrd wins his first national title! pic.twitter.com/eCBSf0mIBF
— USA Wrestling (@USAWrestling) March 23, 2025
SUDDEN VICTORY: Byrd goes in for another shot, and again Ayala works out of bounds. The Illinois fan base wants a stall call. Slideby from Ayala. Byrd defends. Now the Illini is in on another shot. Out of bounds. The chants for a stall escalate. One minute to go. Ayala slips, and Byrd tries to capitalize, but Ayala defends. Scrambling! Time for rideouts.
THIRD PERIOD: Ayala chooses down to start the third period. He escapes as well. This one is all tied up 1-1. One minute to go. Thirty seconds. Shot from Byrd. He was in deep, but no points. Ayala works out of bounds. Illinois challenges. Call confirmed. No takedown.
SECOND PERIOD: Byrd chooses down to start the second period. He escapes within five seconds. Bryd’s point serves as the only point of the period. He carries a 1-0 lead into the third.
FIRST PERIOD: This is a Big Ten finals rematch, a meeting with Illinois’ Lucas Byrd won by fall.Iowa’s Drake Ayala competed in the national finals last year at 125 pounds, and he’s been clear that not only does he want another shot at this experience, he wants to experience it against Bryd. He wants that Big Ten match back.
The first period ends scoreless.
SUDDEN VICTORY: Sudden victory ends scoreless. Time for rideouts. Robinson chooses down to start the first tiebreaker. He escapes right away. Big start for the Wolfpack. Spratley chooses neutral. Robinson is warned for stalling, but it doesn’t matter. He’s a national champion for the NC State Wolfpack as a freshman.
Threw him to the wolves, he came back leader of the Pack. 🐺 #PackMentality pic.twitter.com/zH0lO3aUNv
— NC State Wrestling 🤼♂️ (@PackWrestle) March 22, 2025
THIRD PERIOD: Spratley chooses down to start the third period. He escapes quickly as well. This one is tied 1-1. Riding time is not a factor. We’re heading to sudden victory.
SECOND PERIOD: Robinson chooses down to start the second period. He escapes quickly to take the 1-0 lead.
FIRST PERIOD: It will be hard for these athletes to follow the intensity of that last match, but, if any lightweights can do it, it’s these two. Shot from Robinson. He’s in on a leg on the edge. He works to pull Spratley in. Stalemate. Scoreless first period.
THIRD PERIOD: Keckeisen chooses down to start the third period and escapes immediately. Shot from Keckeisen. Starocci responds. Scrambling again. Takedown Starocci. He leads 4-1 with 45 seconds to go in the third period. Northern Iowa challenges. Call is confirmed. Keckeisen escapes. Shot from Keckeisen. Starocci defends. Starocci is hit for stalling, giving Keckeisen the point, but it’s not enough. The Nittany Lion holds on for the win, and he’s a five-time NCAA champion!
CARTER STAROCCI THE 4-3 WIN!
STAROCCI — THE FIRST, AND ONLY, 5X NCAA CHAMPION!#PSUwr pic.twitter.com/aDkNcjkfgW
— Penn State WRESTLING (@pennstateWREST) March 22, 2025
SECOND PERIOD: Starocci chooses down to start the second period and escapes within the first 15 seconds. One minute to go. Starocci’s escape proves to be the only point of the period. He leads 1-0.
These two athletes met earlier this year in an exhibition in November in which Starocci won 4-1 in sudden victory. This match counts though. It’s all real in the NCAA finals. Northern Iowa’s Parker Keckeisen goes in for a shot. Carter Starocci defends. Shot Starocci. He works for a takedown on the edge. Scrambling! Stalemate. This is the kind of defense Keckeisen showed in his semifinal match against No. 3 Max McEnelly of Minnesota in the semifinals, and it’s the kind of defense that helped him win his national title last year. The question is: will these defense help him fend off the four-time champ tonight? The first period ends scoreless.
UPDATED BRACKETS | UPDATED TEAM SCORES
Thursday, March 20
EVENT SITE tIME (Et) TV SCHEDULE Doors Open Wells Fargo Center 10:30 a.m. Session 1:
Pigtails and First Round Competition Wells Fargo Center Noon ESPNU/ESPN+ Doors Open Wells Fargo Center 5:30 p.m. Session 2: Wrestle-Back Prelims (pigtail matches) as needed. Wrestle-Back First Round
Second Championship Round and Consolation Round.
Wells Fargo Center 7:00 p.m. ESPN/ESPN+ Friday, March 21
EVENT site tIME (Et) tv schedule Doors Open Wells Fargo Center 10:30 a.m. Session 3: Quarterfinals
Wrestle-Backs for Second and Third Rounds
Wells Fargo Center Noon ESPNU/ESPN+ Phan-X Opens Lincoln Financial Field 2:00 p.m. Doors Open Wells Fargo Center 6:30 p.m. Phan-X Closes Lincoln Financial Field 8:00 p.m. Session 4: Semifinals Blood Round
Fifth Round Wrestle-Backs
Wells Fargo Center 8:00 p.m. ESPN2/ESPN+ Saturday, March 22
EVENT site tIME (Et) tv schedule Doors Open Wells Fargo Center 9:30 a.m. Session 5: Wrestle-Back Semifinals
Third, Fifth and Seventh-Place Matches
Wells Fargo Center 11:00 a.m. ESPNU/ESPN+ Phan-X Opens Lincoln Financial Field 1:00 p.m. Doors Open Wells Fargo Center 5:30 p.m. Parade of All-Americans Wells Fargo Center 6:35 p.m. Phan-X Closes Lincoln Financial Field 7:00 p.m. Session 6:
Championship Finals
Wells Fargo Center 7:00 p.m. ESPN/ESPN+
The 2025 Division I men’s NCAA wrestling championship finals begin at 7pm ET on ESPN.
Here is the full of competitors battling for an individual national title.
WEIGHT FINALSTS 125 No. 4 Vince Robinson (NC State) vs. No. 7 Troy Spratley 133 No. 1 Lucas Byrd (Illinois) vs. No. 2 Drake Ayala (Iowa) 141 No. 1 Brock Hardy (Nebraska) vs. No. 3 Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) 149 No. 1 Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech) vs. No. 2 Ridge Lovett (Nebraska) 157 No. 3 Antrell Taylor (Nebraska) vs. No. 8 Joey Blaze (Purdue) 165 No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn State) vs. No. 2 Michael Caliendo (Iowa) 174 No. 1 Keegan O’Toole (Missouri) vs. No. 3 Dean Hamiti (Oklahoma State) 184 No. 1 Carter Starocci (Penn State) vs. No. 2 Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) 197 No. 2 Stephen Buchanan (Iowa) vs. No. 4 Josh Barr (Penn State) 285 No. 1 Gable Steveson (Minnesota) vs. No. 2 Wyatt Hendrickson (Oklahoma State)
125 pounds 3rd place match: No. 1 Luke Lilledahl (Penn State) over No. 2 Matt Ramos (Purdue) by FALL 5th place match: No. 3 Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) over No. 8 Sheldon Seymour (Lehigh), 11- 4
7th place match: No. 9 Caleb Smith (Nebraska) over No. 10 Stevo Poulin (Northern Colorado), 18-5
133 pounds 3rd place match: No. 4 Zeth Romney (Cal Poly) over No. 14 Zan Fugitt (Wisconsin), 7-3 5th place match: No. 8 Braeden Davis (Penn State) over No. 6 Connor McGonagle (Virginia Tech), FALL
7th place match: No. 17 Jacob Van Dee (Nebraska) over No. 13 Tyler Knox (Stanford), 7-2
141 pounds 3rd place match: No. 2 Beau Bartlett (Penn State) over No. 10 CJ Composto (Penn), 11-7 5th place match: No. 5 Cael Happel (Northern Iowa) over No. 4 Josh Koderhandt (Navy), 7-2
7th place match: No. 9 Jacob Frost (Iowa State) over No. 6 Vance VomBaur, 17-3
149 pounds 3rd place match: No. 3 Shayne Van Ness (Penn State) over No. 13 Dylan D’Emilio (Ohio State), 15-4 5th place match: No. 6 Lachlan McNeil (North Carolina) over No. 12 Ethan Stiles (Oregon State), 8-4
7th place match: No. 11 Sammy Alvarez (Rider) over No. 22 Gavin Drexler (North Dakota State), 9-6 (SV)
157 pounds 3rd place match: No. 1 Tyler Kasak (Penn State) over No. 20 Trevor Chumbley (Northwestern), 8-0 5th place match: No. 2 Meyer Shapiro (Cornell) over No. 7 Vinny Zerban (Northern Colorado), 11-0
7th place match: No. 11 Matty Bianchi (Little Rock) over No. 12 Caleb Fish (Oklahoma State), 4-2
165 pounds 3rd place match: No. 2 Peyton Hall (West Virginia) over No. 12 Chris Minto (Nebraska),13-5 5th place match: No. 4 Terrell Barraclough (Utah Valley) over No. 7 Hunter Garvin (Stanford), 1-0
7th place match: No. 9 Cam Steed (Missouri) over No. 8 Cameron Amine (Oklahoma State), by FALL
174 pounds 3rd place match: No. 2 Levi Haines (Penn State) over No. 11 Patrick Kennedy (Iowa), 11-3 5th place match: No. 5 Simon Ruiz (Cornell) over No. 13 Cade DeVos (South Dakota State), 2-1
7th place match: No. 14 Matty Singleton (NC State) over No. 7 Danny Wask (Navy), 3-1
184 pounds 3rd place match: No. 3 Max McEnelly (Minnesota) over No. 4 Dustin Plott), 6-5 5th place match: No. 6 Chris Foca (Cornell) over No. 8 Jaxon Smith (Maryland), 7-4
7th place match: No. 12 Silas Allred (Nebraska) over No. 22 DJ Washington, 4-2
197 pounds 3rd place match: No. 3 AJ Ferrari (Cal State Bakersfield) over No. 1 Jacob Cardenas (Michigan), 2-0 5th place match: No. 15 Joey Novak (Wyoming) over Stephen Little, 8-0
7th place match: No. 6 Mac Stout (Pittsburgh) over No. 20 Camden McDanel (Nebraska), 12-3
285 pounds 3rd place match: No. 9 Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State) over No. 7 Isaac Trumble (NC State), 5-3 5th place match: No. 4 Owen Trephen (Lehigh) over No. 3 Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State), MFF
7th place match: No. 6 Josh Heindselman (Michigan) over No. 5 Ben Kueter (Iowa), 2-1
