Penn State’s return to the NWCA All-Star Classic picked up another wrinkle on Tuesday, when Connor Mirasola was added to the heavyweight matchup against Wisconsin’s Braxton Amos.
That gives the Nittany Lions four wrestlers in Tuesday, November, 24’s event at Rec Hall, after the initial lineup released Monday listed three Penn State stars: NCAA Champion Josh Barr, plus national runners-up Shayne Van Ness and Rocco Welsh. The heavyweight slot was left open at first, then filled with Mirasola a day later.
The added bout also puts one of the more unsettled spots in Penn State’s lineup on display early. Mirasola, heading into his third year in Happy Valley, is moving up from 197 to heavyweight after winning U23 Pan-American gold at 125-kilograms. On the other side, Amos arrives as the No. 6 wrestler in the weight, a redshirt senior who was sixth at the Big Ten Championships last season and finished 20-7.
Here’s how Penn State’s matchups now look at Rec Hall:
149: No. 3 Shayne Van Ness vs.
No. 4 Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech)
184: No. 2 Rocco Welsh vs.
No. 5 Brock Mantanona (Michigan)
197: No. 1 Josh Barr vs.
No. 3 Stephen Little (Arkansas Little Rock)
285: Connor Mirasola vs. No. 6 Braxton Amos (Wisconsin)
Several of those pairings come with recent history baked in. Van Ness and Henson met once before, at the 2023 NCAA Championships, where Van Ness won 5-3 to reach the third-place match. That duel now serves as an early benchmark in a weight class that could get crowded fast, with Jesse Mendez of Ohio State and Sergio Vega of Oklahoma State both expected to move up to 149 after their own championship runs.
Welsh and Mantanona have been down this road plenty. They wrestled three times last season, all Penn State wins, as Welsh powered through a year that ended with an NCAA runner-up finish.
He beat Mantanona 8-1, 8-5, and 4-3 in the NCAA semifinals. The two are also expected to cross paths again when Penn State hosts Michigan in a dual on January 15.
Barr’s matchup with Little also brings a familiar name back into the picture. Barr’s surge during the 2024-25 season started with a 4-1 win over Little at the Journeyman Collegiate Duals, and he later finished as NCAA runner-up before winning the title last year. They met again in January 2026 at the Southern Scuffle, with Barr taking that one 9-1.
For Mirasola, the opportunity is bigger than a single exhibition match. He and his twin brother Cole are competing for Penn State’s heavyweight job after Cole held the spot last season. Cole went 19-8 as a redshirt freshman and was 2-2 in his first NCAA Championships appearance, so a strong showing from Connor against Amos would immediately sharpen the picture.
Penn State’s lineup is less settled than usual, and events like the NWCA All-Star Classic should help Cael Sanderson sort through the early-season puzzle - especially at heavyweight, where the Mirasola twins are still sorting out who gets the nod.
In Other News...
Penn State May Have Finally Fixed One Defensive Problem
Penn State has spent much of the season shuffling pieces on defense, and the latest adjustment points to how much the staff is still trying to settle the middle of the unit. Head coach Matt Campbell said Marcus Neal Jr. has been moved from safety to off-ball linebacker, a move intended to add depth after injuries and some uneven play have thinned that group. It is the kind of in-season switch that can say as much about necessity as it does about development.
Zion Tracy is going the other direction, sliding to safety in an effort to steady that spot and give the defense a more workable rotation. The changes underscore how fluid Penn States personnel plan has been as the season has unfolded, with the staff continuing to tweak both roles and scheme to find a combination that holds up better week to week. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State's Quarterback Search Just Got More Pressing For Matt Campbell
Penn States quarterback pursuit in the 2027 class just got a little more complicated during the Week 8 bye, when Matt Campbell and his staff tried to make a late push for Braylen Warren. The four-star quarterback has been on Missouris board for a while, and the Tigers have been his commitment since December 2025, leaving Penn State to keep searching for a long-term answer under center.
The urgency is easy to see from Penn States side. The Nittany Lions still do not have a committed quarterback in the 2027 class after Will Wood decommitted, and Warren would have represented a major addition with the kind of production that made him such a sought-after prospect. Instead, Penn State is back in the market, and the next move in that search will matter plenty for a program still trying to lock down its future at the most important position on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Finally Gets Linebacker Help Before A Suddenly Crucial Test
Penn State is trying to patch up the middle of its defense in a hurry, and the timing could hardly be more important. Iowa State transfer Marcus Neal, Jr. has been moved from safety to linebacker, a switch confirmed by head coach Matt Campbell, as the Nittany Lions look for answers in a group that has been leaning on just three main players.
The boost is coming alongside the expected return of backup linebacker Cam Smith, who has missed the past five games because of injury. Even with those pieces in place, Penn State still has some proving to do before it can feel comfortable about its depth, and the next stretch will show whether these adjustments are enough to stabilize a unit that suddenly matters even more. [Read more 🡒]