Four Penn State Wrestling Recruits Win U20 Pan-Am Titles

The future Nittany Lions led a dominant U.S. team at the U20 Pan American Championships in Peru.

Connor Mirasola faces Aaron Brooks in his first match at the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Trials at Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center. / Andy Mason/Herald-Mail / USA TODAY

Penn State wrestling is about to hit the international stage at the 2024 Summer Olympics, where two Nittany Lions national champions will compete for Team USA. As a prelude, four future Nittany Lions won titles at the U20 Pan American Championships.

Luke Lilledahl, PJ Duke, Zack Ryder and Connor Mirasola led a dominant U.S. performance in Lima, Peru, winning freestyle titles at the international competition. Behind the four future Penn State wrestlers, the U.S. men's freestyle team swept all 10 weight classes to claim the team title, more than doubling the points total of runner-up Canada.

Mirasola, a 2024 Penn State wrestling recruit, was named the event's Outstanding Wrestler after winning the 92 kg weight class and outscoring his opponents by a combined score of 51-0. Mirasola won every match in the first period. He is a four-time Wisconsin state champ who competed at the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Trials, where he scored a takedown against Olympian Aaron Brooks.

Ryder, a 2024 recruit, dominated the 79 kg weight class, going 4-0 with three technical falls and a major decision. Ryder is a two-time U17 world bronze medalist and a U.S. Open champ. He began wrestling with his high school team in seventh grade and won four New York state titles before leaving school early to train with the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club.

Lilledahl (57 kg) scored three technical falls to claim his third Pan-Am title. Lilledahl already has an accomplished international resume, having won silver at the 2023 U20 World Championships.

Duke (70 kg) also won his weight class with a series of bonus-point victories and did not give up a point. A junior from New York, Duke has committed to Penn State's 2025 class and is the No. 1 overall recruit, according to MatScouts (subscription required).

All four wrestlers will represent Team USA at the 2024 U20 World Championships in Spain.

Team USA won the overall title with a perfect score of 25 points. Canada was second with 127, and Brazil placed third with 114 points.

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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on X (or Twitter) @MarkWogenrich.