Marcus Blaze Secures Spot on Senior World Team After Final X Victory

Penn State wrestler Marcus Blaze has earned his first trip to the Senior World Championships following a series of impressive performances against NCAA champion Jax Forrest. The decisive matches took place on June 19 at the Final X event held in Newark, New Jersey.

Blaze, who previously finished fourth behind Forrest at the NCAA Championships in March, showcased his skill by executing key scoring maneuvers that led to victories in both the first and third matches of their best-of-three series at 61 kilograms (approximately 134 pounds). He clinched the final bout with a score of 5-2, securing his place on Team USA alongside four other wrestlers affiliated with Penn State.

Among the other victorious wrestlers were three-time NCAA champion Zain Retherford at 70 kg, two-time titleholder Levi Haines at 79 kg, and Nittany Lion Wrestling Club members Kyle Dake (86 kg) and Kyle Snyder (97 kg). Blaze, a two-time age-group world champion, is now set to compete at the Senior World Championships in Kazakhstan this October.

This matchup has intensified the rivalry between Blaze and Forrest, with Blaze winning three of their last four encounters, including a showdown during the 2024 Olympic Trials. In the Final X series, Blaze won their opening match on criteria (2-2) but lost the second bout decisively at 6-1.

The only wrestler from Penn State to miss out on a victory at Final X was NCAA lightweight champion Luke Lilledahl, who faced Olympic silver medalist Spencer Lee and lost both of his matches. Lilledahl and Lee were ranked first and second in the world for their weight class, respectively, by FloWrestling.

As both Blaze and Forrest aim for a spot on the 2028 Olympic team in Los Angeles, they are likely to compete at 65 kg (143 pounds), given the limited number of freestyle weight classes in the Olympics. Blaze's journey to Final X included a significant win over Ohio State's Ben Davino for the U.S. Open title in April.

Frank Bodani covers Penn State wrestling for the York Daily Record and the USA Today Network. He can be reached at fbodani@ydr.com and followed on X, previously known as Twitter, @YDRPennState.