The Nittany Lions are representing Penn State in Newark, New Jersey for the Final X. Of the nine matches ahead, seven Penn State ties will be featured, according to Nittany Sports Now.
Luke Lilledahl v. Spencer Lee
Out of the two, 26-year-old Lee is the most experienced wrestler compared to Lilledahl who's going into his second year at Penn State.
Lilledahl is at a slight disadvantage, going up against a Gold-favored wrestler in the 2028 Summer Olympics. Lee has three national titles, two Hodge Trophies, and an Olympic silver medal on his resume.
The one factor keeping Lilledahl in the match as a serious contender is his freshman success equivalent to what Lee's was at his age. Both went No. 1 overall in their recruiting classes and Lilledahl just finished third overall with Penn State in the 2025 NCAA Championship.
PJ Duke v. Yianni Diakomihalis
Penn State commit Duke is the youngest wrestler in the Final X and the underdog going against Diakomihalis. The just-graduated Duke is also facing one of his role models, one he used to ask for autographs when he was younger.
The upcoming best-of-three 70kg match will decide who will represent Team USA. Diakomihalis, who received an automatic bid to the Final X after his 2025 U.S. Open title victory and also earned silver at the 2025 World Championship, is favored to take the match.
Mitchell Mesenbrink v. David Carr
Mesenbrink and Carr met in the U.S. Open in late April, ending with the Penn State wrestler taking the match. As Carr is out of college and Mesenbrink is still in his college conditioning routine off a national title win, the odds are leaning in favor of the Nittany Lion.
Levi Haines v. Evan Wick
Penn State junior Haines is one of the clearest favorites in the Final X. Under his belt, he has a national championship, is a two-time national finalist, and is a three-time All-American. Wick, on the other hand, while a multi-time All-American, has never accomplished the same victories as the Nittany Lion.
Kyle Dake v. Zahid Valencia
Though Dake didn't attend Penn State, he was a part of the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club. He's a four-time NCAA champion, four-time world champion, and two-time Olympic Bronze Medalist.
Despite an intimidating resume that Dake has, Valencia is a younger wrestler who claims, according to Nittany Sports Now, that right now is his prime. When the two met about a month ago in the 2025 U.S. Open Final, Valencia came away with the win.
Josh Barr v. Trent Hidlay
Penn State's Barr has a similar advantage as teammate Mesenbrink. With Hidlay being out of college and Barr just starting to bump up his list of achievements, a win in this Final X match would kickstart a respectable career for the rising sophomore.
On the flip side, Hidlay was a four-time All-American, four-time ACC Conference champion, and two-time NCAA Division I runner-up during his time at North Carolina State. So Barr's path to victory will have to be earned.
Kyle Snyder v. Hayden Zillmer
Another member of the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club, Snyder, is an Olympic gold medalist and holds three NCAA heavyweight titles for Ohio State. He also won a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Zillmer's accolades will make this match a difficult one to decide. In 2018 he was the Final X runner-up, was an All-American for North Dakota State, and placed third in the U.S. World Team Trials, second in the U.S. World Team Trials in Greco-Roman, and third in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Greco-Roman.