Three Penn State Wrestlers Win Titles at U23 Pan American Championships
Penn State wrestling kicked off the freestyle season by winning three individual titles at the U23 Pan American Championships. Nittany Lions Luke Lilledahl, Levi Haines and Connor Mirasola helped Team USA dominate the tournament in Mexico.
Lilledahl continued a very freestyle career by winning his fourth age-group title at the Pan American Championships. Lilledahl swept through the 57 kg weight class, winning his three bouts by technical fall with a combined score of 31-0. Lilledahl, a two-time age-group world freestyle champion, won the Big Ten title and placed third at the NCAA Wrestling Championships at 125 pounds in his freshman season at Penn State.
Haines, a 2024 NCAA champion who placed third at this year’s tournament, went 4-0 to claim the 79 kg weight class. Haines scored two pins and a technical fall. Haines is a three-time Big Ten champ at Penn State and was the conference’s freshman of the year in 2023.
Mirasola, who just completed his first season for the Nittany Lions, won the 92 kg title at the Pan American Championships. The freshman won both of his bouts with 10-0 technical falls. Mirasola went 8-0 wrestling for Penn State at 197 pounds last season.
The three Penn State wrestlers competed for a U.S. team that won eight of 10 gold medals in men’s freestyle at the Pan American Championships. According to USA Wrestling, Team USA went 33-2 at the tournament with 18 techincal falls. The U.S. scored 205 team points, with Canada placing second (132).
Since winning its fourth consecutive team title at the NCAA Wrestling Championships, Penn State has begun a busy offseason. The team has received a commitment from Japanese world champion Masanosuke Ono, flipped the commitment of New Jersey high school standout Jayden James, lost three wrestlers to Oklahoma State in the transfer portal and welcomed back former world champion Thomas Gilman as a coach with the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club.
