Penn State Wrestling: True Freshman Phenom Shines in Nittany Lions Debut
Penn State Wrestling has been blessed with immense success both on the mat and on the recruiting trail under Head Coach Cael Sanderson.
However, you could make a case that Luke Lilledahl is perhaps the most decorated incoming recruit in Nittany Lion wrestling history.
Lilledahl was the No. 1 recruit in the 2024 recruiting class according to FloWrestling. Furthermore, he was highly considered one of the top pound-for-pound guys in that class as well. So it’s no surprise the Penn State Wrestling coaching staff wanted him in Happy Valley.
However, there were loads of other top schools who also wanted Lilledahl’s services in their wrestling room. So much so that there are some wild rumors at the lengths Iowa was willing to go to snag him.
And all of this makes sense when you look at Luke’s list of accomplishments before he entered college:
-High School record of 89-4 and four-time state champion (CBC and Wyoming Seminary)
-2023 & 2024 SB Nation National Champion
-Super 32, Journeymen, Ironman, and National Preps Champion
-2021 U17 Pan-Am double Gold Medal (freestyle and Greco)
-2021 U17 Worlds Silver Medal
-2022 U17 Worlds Gold Medal
-2023 US Open Gold Medal
-2023 U20 Pan-Am Gold Medal
-2023 U20 Worlds Silver Medal
-2024 US Open Gold Medal
-2024 U20 Worlds Gold Medal
So yeah. He’s what the experts would call “good”.
Where does Luke Lilledahl fit in Penn State’s lineup?
This is perhaps the easiest question I’ve had in quite a while.
With Braeden Davis moving up to 133 pounds and with only three guys listed on the roster at 125 (Lilledahl, Branden Wentzel, and Kurt McHenry), he was immediately slotted into the starting lineup.
Excitement among the Nittany Lion faithful for Luke’s wrestling debut was about as high as I’ve seen in quite sometime. And I thought for sure it would have happened during Penn State’s 41-3 drubbing of Drexel last Sunday. However, he was awarded the forfeit as the Dragons didn’t have anyone to go at 125.
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Debut at the 2024 Black Knight Invite
You know the saying “good things come to those who wait”, right? Of course you do.
Well, that can definitely be applied to Luke Lilledahl when he made his Penn State Wrestling debut in the 2024 Black Knight Invite from this past Sunday.
Following a first-round bye, the No. 1 seed got right to work in his second-round match. Let me just say that “Lightning” Luke Lilledahl is a very apt nickname.
Lilledahl snagged his first Penn State takedown only 27 seconds into the first period against Gardner-Webb’s Jeffrey Jacome. Luke proceeded to cut loose, takedown, cut loose, takedown, before a strong ride on top to finish the rest of the first period.
The second period was more of the same as Lilledahl quickly escaped from bottom position. He then landed another takedown 30 seconds later. Another strong ride ensured and Jacome escaped with 29 seconds left in the second.
No worries.
Luke kept up the pressure and scored his fifth takedown of the match just as time expired. Then after giving up a quick escape in the final period, Lilledahl dropped the hammer with his sixth takedown to seal the 19-4 technical fall at the 5:38 mark.
Semifinals Match
His win then set up a very intriguing semifinal match between Nittany Lion teammates. And hey, I give Kurt McHenry a lot of credit because he went toe-to-toe with Lilledahl for the first five minutes. But Luke was simply too much to handle in the third period.
Lilledahl got on the board first with a quick escape in the third period from bottom position. He then immediately landed a shot on McHenry to build his lead to 4-0. Kurt escaped but was then slapped with another stall warning to make the score 5-2 with roughly a minute to go in the match.
Luke continued to pile on the pressure and he secured the win with his second takedown of the match. His 8-2 wrestle-off win over McHenry then moved him into the finals.
Finals Match
The finals in the 125 bracket pitted true freshman Luke Lilledahl up against Army’s seasoned veteran, Charlie Farmer. Would the pressure of the situation get to Luke?
Nope.
This is a four-time Worlds medalist we’re talking about. I highly doubt he gets nervous in any situation.
And only 36 seconds into the match it was Lilledahl who again landed a committed shot. Luke continued to pile it on the rest of the match as he deployed the standard “takedown, cut loose, takedown” strategy.
With the final period winding down, Luke secured his sixth takedown of the match to clinch the technical fall and the title at 125 pounds at the 2024 Black Knight Invite.
In three total matches, Luke outscored his opponents 46-8, he landed 14 takedowns without surrendering a single one, and he looked strong from a lot of positions.
To say his performance was impressive is an understatement.
What does the future hold for Lightning Luke?
Now, I fully understand that Lilledahl is going to go up against much stiffer competition this year than he did this past Sunday. But his poise on the mat and the experience he already has under his belt fully shows when he’s out there competing.
When you have a top-flight talent being coached up by the best coaching staff in the country, that tends to be a pretty good recipe for success. It also doesn’t hurt when he’s going up against the nation’s best competition in his own wrestling room.
Will there be any bumps in the road?
Of course. That’s just wrestling. Very few guys are able to come into collegiate wrestling and walk through all of their opponents.
But if everything breaks right for Luke, I don’t see a reason why he won’t be competing for a B1G and/or an NCAA title this season. That’s just how good he is.
As always time will tell. So for now Penn State Wrestling fans, just enjoy the ride of watching Luke Lilledahl wow the crowd every time he’s out on the mat!
MORE: The Inside Story of Mitchell Mesenbrink’s Journey to College Wrestling Stardom
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Education: Penn State University
Location: State College, PA
Even though he had no prior journalism experience, Chris has now covered Penn State Wrestling and Penn State Football for the past three years, including as the Penn State Wrestling Beat Writer for VictoryBellRings.com, part of the FanSided network.
And it's clear he also likes constant torture as he's been a PSU Basketball fan for way too long.
Several years back, Chris made the seamless transition from PGA Professional to computer programmer and thoroughly enjoys following and writing about all things related to Penn State sports during his spare time.
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