March in Philadelphia is usually about cheesesteaks and Liberty Bell tours, but in 2025, the Wells Fargo Center turned into a literal pressure cooker. We’re talking about the NCAA Men's Wrestling Tournament 2025, an event that basically redefined how we look at "dominance" in college sports. If you weren't there from March 20 to March 22, you missed a chaotic, beautiful, and sometimes heartbreaking three-day stretch.
Honestly, everyone knew Penn State was going to be the "big bad" again. Cael Sanderson has turned that program into a machine that just doesn't stop. But the 2025 tournament wasn't just a coronation. It was a dogfight. We saw Gable Steveson return to the college mat only to face a massive upset, a five-time champion make history, and the kind of "blood round" drama that makes grown men cry in the stands.
The Penn State Dynasty and the 5-Timer Club
You can't talk about this tournament without starting with Carter Starocci. Going into Philly, the vibe was tense. Could he actually do it? Could he win a fifth national title?
The answer was a resounding yes. Starocci moved up to 184 pounds and looked like he hadn't missed a beat since his 174-pound reign. He didn't just win; he dismantled people. By the time he secured that final takedown on Saturday night, he wasn't just a wrestler anymore—he was a legend. He became the first-ever five-time NCAA champion, a feat enabled by the extra year of eligibility that changed the record books forever.
But the Nittany Lions weren't just the Starocci show.
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- Mitchell Mesenbrink at 165 was a human hurricane. The guy doesn't stop moving. He finished the season undefeated (27-0) and led the entire country in technical falls.
- Tyler Kasak made a huge jump to 157 and grabbed the top spot.
- Luke Lilledahl, the true freshman at 125, proved the hype was real by winning a Big Ten title and then carving through the national bracket.
Penn State eventually put all ten of their wrestlers on the podium. Think about that for a second. Every single guy they sent to Philly came home an All-American. That's only the second time in history a program has pulled that off.
The Heavyweight Shocker Nobody Saw Coming
Okay, let's talk about the elephant in the room. Gable Steveson was back. The Olympic gold medalist returned to Minnesota for one last ride, and for most of the season, it looked like a foregone conclusion that he’d walk away with another trophy.
Then came Wyatt Hendrickson.
The Oklahoma State heavyweight (who transferred in for his final year) pulled off what many are calling the upset of the decade. It wasn't just that he won; it was how he wrestled. He took the fight to Gable. In a tournament filled with surprises, seeing Steveson fall in the later rounds was the "did that really just happen?" moment that shifted the entire energy of the arena. Hendrickson’s win proved that on any given Saturday, nobody is safe.
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Weight Class Wars: The 149-Pound Gauntlet
If you wanted to see the most technical, high-paced wrestling of the weekend, you had to look at 149 pounds. It was a meat grinder. Caleb Henson from Virginia Tech came in as the returning champ, but he had a target on his back the size of a barn door.
The bracket was deep. You had:
- Shayne Van Ness (Penn State) – Returning from injury and looking like a monster.
- Ridge Lovett (Nebraska) – A perennial threat who's always one scramble away from a win.
- Kyle Parco (Iowa) – The transfer who brought a whole new level of grit to the Hawkeye lineup.
Henson and Van Ness ended up in a final that was basically a chess match at 100 miles per hour. Van Ness ultimately took it, capping off a comeback story that had the PSU section of the crowd losing their minds.
Why the 2025 Results Change Everything for 2026
We often look at these tournaments in a vacuum, but Philly set the stage for a massive shift in the landscape. With legends like Starocci and Greg Kerkvliet finally graduating, the "invincible" armor of Penn State might have a few chinks in it for the 2026 season in Cleveland.
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Iowa is reloading. The Hawkeyes saw Drake Ayala and Patrick Kennedy put up huge points, and their incoming freshman class—led by guys like Angelo Ferrari—is scary. Oklahoma State is also back in the conversation under the new era, proving they can still recruit and develop top-tier talent like Hendrickson.
Practical Steps for Wrestling Fans
If you’re already looking ahead or trying to digest what we just witnessed, here is what you need to do to stay ahead of the curve:
- Watch the Redshirt Reports: Keep an eye on the guys who sat out in 2025. Penn State’s Marcus Blaze and Masanosuke Ono are expected to be immediate title contenders in 2026.
- Track the Transfer Portal: The portal opens up right after the championships. Expect high-level All-Americans to move schools as they chase that final bit of glory.
- Secure 2026 Tickets Early: The 2026 tournament is headed to Cleveland at Rocket Arena (March 19-21). If Philly was any indication, tickets will sell out the moment they hit the general public.
- Follow the Freshman Transition: Watch how the 2025 All-Americans like Luke Lilledahl handle the "sophomore slump." Usually, the target only gets bigger once you've stood on that podium.
The 2025 tournament reminded us why we love this sport. It’s brutal, it’s unfair, and it’s arguably the toughest way to earn a trophy in all of college athletics. Whether you're a die-hard Big Ten fan or you follow the underdogs in the ACC and Big 12, the 2025 championships gave us enough highlights to last a lifetime. Now, the countdown to Cleveland begins.