How Zain Retherford, Penn State wrestling stars dominate Final X field

TL;DR

Zain Retherford and three other Penn State wrestling stars have qualified for the Final X event, aiming to make Team USA. The event will take place on June 19 in New Jersey, featuring a best-of-three finals format.

Key points

Zain Retherford won his World Team Trials final
Final X is set for June 19 in New Jersey
Four Penn State wrestlers are vying for Team USA spots
Jayden James lost narrowly in his qualifying match
Other Penn State wrestlers competed in World Team Trials

Zain RetherfordLuke LilledahlMarcus BlazeLevi Haines

Four current or past Penn State wrestling stars are now in the running to make Team USA next month.

Former Penn State three-time national champion Zain Retherford won his World Team Trials final on Friday in Kentucky to advance to the Final X event next month − the best-of-three qualifying event to make this year's senior world team.

There, he'll join PSU stars Luke Lilledahl, Marcus Blaze and Levi Haines in attempting to win their weight classes in a best-of-three finals format, June 19, in New Jersey's Prudential Center. Nittany Lion Wrestling Club members Kyle Snyder and Kyle Dake also will be wrestling for titles.

Meanwhile, incoming Penn State freshman Jayden James came up excruciatingly short Friday of advancing to Final X. The 17-year-old high school star couldn't finish a furious rally, losing 9-7 to former Iowa State NCAA champ David Carr.

Other Penn State wrestlers in World Team Trials action included redshirt sophomores Joe Sealey, who won his third-place match at 74 kilograms, and heavyweight Cole Mirasola, who finished fourth.

Retherford, who competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics, won his 70 kg finals with a 2-1 victory over Virginia Tech's Caleb Henson. He will face Nebraska’s Ridge Lovett at Final X.

But it was James who nearly pulled off the most memorable World Team Trials performance. The New Jersey native, regarded as one of top recruits ever for coach Cael Sanderson, manhandled his three older competitors in Thursday's opening rounds of the elite freestyle challenge tournament. He beat two-time Iowa NCAA finalist Mikey Caliendo and then the top-seeded Sealey by a combined 18-3 score. He pinned his semifinal opponent, former Princeton All-American Quincy Monday, with less than a minute remaining.

James had won back-to-back state championships at New Jersey's Delbarton High, going 79-0 the past two years at 150 and 165 pounds. He is the nation's No. 3-ranked recruit in the 2026 class, , and won Under-17 titles at the 2025 U.S. Open and World Championships.