It was a day full of highs and surprises at the U20 World Championships in Samokov, Bulgaria. For Penn State, the news couldn’t have been better. Sunday morning, August 17, kicked off with a buzz at the World Championships, and two out of Penn State’s five wrestlers for Team USA were already in action. All eyes turned to freshman P.J. Duke in the 70-kilogram men’s freestyle bracket. Could a rookie really handle all that pressure? Could he rise to the occasion? By the end of the day, the answer was crystal clear.

Session One saw Duke announcing himself to the world. Duke advanced to the semifinals as he dominated Abdoullah Nakaev of France 14-4 in a technical fall and pinned Mexico’s Gabriel Alejandro Sanchez Zepeda in just 43 seconds. Next up: Iran’s Ebrahim Elahi Chouran, the 2025 U20 Asian champion and 2022 U17 world champion. A daunting opponent for a freshman—but could Duke handle it?

The semifinal was pure edge-of-your-seat wrestling. Duke and Elahi finished 2-2, but Duke won on the criteria. Elahi got an early point for Duke’s inactivity, but Duke turned it around, scoring a takedown near the edge to lead 2-1 at the break. Elahi tied it with a stepout, but Duke kept control of the criteria. They battled in and out of bounds, each second ratcheting up the tension. Could the Penn State freshman hold his nerve under that kind of pressure?

In the finale, Elahi thought he had the win and erupted in celebration, only to realize that Duke had advanced. The 2-2 criteria victory sent Duke into the gold medal match, advancing it to the U20 World Championship finals, giving Penn State a moment to savor and Team USA a reason to cheer. And Duke wasn’t alone: Team USA stormed the first session with an 8-1 record. So, who are the other winners for Team USA?

Along with Penn State athletes, Team USA’s next generation makes a statement at the U20 Worlds

It was also a dominant day for another Oregon State University athlete, Justin Rademacher, at the 2025 U20 World Wrestling Championships. Rademacher punched his ticket to the finals with a 16–5 semifinal win over Georgia’s Konstantine Petriashvili. He led 4–3 after the first period and then took full control in the second. Rademacher scored multiple takedowns, go-behinds, and a single-leg attack to push the score to 10-3. Even Petriashvili’s late two-point effort couldn’t slow him down. Hence, Rademacher added three more takedowns to seal the victory and keep Team USA’s momentum roaring.

Rademacher’s path to the semifinals had been just as impressive. In the Round of 16, he pinned Turkey’s Ibrahim Benekli 17-8, and in the quarterfinals, he dominated Greece’s Nikolaos Karavanos 9-1. Meanwhile, Oregon State University athlete, Cole Mirasola (125 kg) faced a tougher challenge in his semifinal against Kazakhstan’s Yedige Kassimbek, ultimately losing by technical fall, 11-0. Kassimbek established early control with a single-leg takedown and continued to dominate with upper-body throws and leg attacks.

Even in defeat, Mirasola fought smart, keeping the score close and setting himself up for a shot at bronze. Reaching the semifinals of a world championship is no small feat. His performance highlights his rising presence on the international stage, following in the footsteps of Penn State legends.