Nittany Lion Wrestling and Olympic RTC Well Represented as Penn State Hosts 2024 U.S. Team Trials
UNIVERSITY PARK– The Nittany Lion wrestling team and the Penn State Olympic Regional Training Center will be well represented as Penn State hosts the 2024 U.S. Team Trials at the Bryce Jordan Center this weekend. The two-day event determines the United States’ representatives at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games and takes place on Friday and Saturday, April 19-20. A total of 19 wrestlers with ties to Happy Valley have qualified to compete at the event.
Seven current Nittany Lions have qualified for the event. National Champions Aaron Brooks (86 kg), Carter Starocci (86 kg), Greg Kerkvliet (125 kg) and Levi Haines (74 kg) will all compete as will All-Americans Beau Bartlett (65 kg) and Mitchell Mesenbrink (74 kg). Redshirt freshman Alex Facundo (74 kg), 2023 Senior Nationals third place finisher, founds out the current Nittany Lions participating.
Nine members of the Penn State Olympic Regional Training Center will also compete. Former Gold Medalists David Taylor (86 kg) and Kyle Snyder (97 kg) and former Bronze Medalists Kyle Dake (74 kg) and Thomas Gilman (57 kg) will compete in the BJC along with RTC teammates Zain Retherford (65 kg), Nick Lee (65 kg), Jason Nolf (74 kg), Max Dean (86 kg) and Jennifer Page (57 kg).
Three former Nittany Lions will return to Happy Valley to wrestle as well. Mark Hall (86 kg), Vincenzo Joseph (74 kg) and Nico Megaludis (57 kg) all return to the BJC for the event.
The two day event begins on Friday, April 19 with sessions at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Eastern. A free Fan Fest will be held in the Pegula Ice Arena across the street from the BJC between 2 and 6 p.m. Saturday’s action continues with sessions at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Eastern with the Fan Fest taking from 1:30 to 6 p.m. in Pegula.
The event will be broadcast and/or streamed in its entirety. Friday’s first session begins at 10 a.m. Eastern and will feature mat-by-mat streams (four mat setup) as well as a quad box on Peacock. The second session begins at 6:30 p.m. and also features mat-by-mat streaming on Peacock with the Challenge bracket semifinals and finals broadcast on USA Network and Peacock. Saturday’s third session begins at 10 a.m. and, like Friday, will feature mat-by-mat streams (four mat setup and a quad box on Peacock. Session four, featuring the U.S. Olympic Finals, begins at 6:30 p.m. and will air nationally on USA Network and Peacock.
All 18 of Team USA’s representatives will be determined at the event in the BJC (6 men’s freestyle, 6 women’s freestyle, 6 Greco). The Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games begin on July 26. The wrestling portion of the games runs from August 5 through August 11.
The 2023-24 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by the Family Clothesline. Penn State Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via X/twitter at @pennstateWREST, on Penn State Wrestling’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/pennstatewrest. This is PENN STATE. WRESTLING lives here.
Penn State/Penn State Olympic RTC at 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials-Wrestling
April 19-20, 2024 – Bryce Jordan Center – University Park, Pa.
Weight-by-weight competitors and agate:
Thomas Gilman (PSU RTC/57 kg)
Match 1: Friday
Nico Megaludis (Former PSU/57 kg)
Match 1: Friday
Beau Bartlett (Current-PSU RTC/65 kg)
Match 1: Friday
Nick Lee (PSU RTC/65 kg)
Match 1: Friday
Zain Retherford (PSU RTC/65 kg)
Match 1: Friday
Kyle Dake (PSU RTC/74 kg)
Match 1: Saturday (awaits in best-of-three finals)
Alex Facundo (Current -PSU RTC/74 kg)
Match 1: Friday
Levi Haines (Current-PSU RTC/74 kg)
Match 1: Friday
Vincenzo Joseph (Former PSU/74 kg)
Match 1: Friday
Mitchell Mesenbrink (Current-PSU RTC/74 kg)
Match 1: Friday
Jason Nolf (PSU RTC/74 kg)
Match 1: Friday
David Taylor (PSU RTC/86 kg)
Match 1: Saturday (awaits in best-of-three finals)
Aaron Brooks (Current-PSU RTC/86 kg)
Match 1: Friday
Max Dean (PSU RTC/86 kg)
Match 1: Friday
Mark Hall (Former PSU/86 kg)
Match 1: Friday
Carter Starocci (Current-PSU RTC/86 kg)
Match 1: Friday
Kyle Snyder (PSU RTC/97 kg)
Match 1: Saturday (awaits in best-of-three finals)
Greg Kerkvliet (Current-PSU RTC/125 kg)
Match 1: Friday
Jennifer Page (PSU RTC/WFS 57 kg)
Match 1: Friday
