Penn State's PJ Duke Wins Another USA Wrestling Award

PJ Duke hasn't taken the mat for the Penn State wrestling team but will bring some serious credentials to the room this fall. Duke, who will be a freshman for the Nittany Lions in 2025, won his second USA Wrestling Athlete of the Week award after claiming a spot on the U.S. Team for the 2025 Senior World Championships.

Duke defeated four-time NCAA champ, and 2022 world silver medalist, Yianni Diakomihalis at Final X to earn his first trip to Senior Worlds. After losing the opener of their best-of-three 70 kg men's freestyle series, Duke ralled for two stunning wins to earn the trip to Croatia.

Diakomihalis scored a 10-0 technical fall over Duke in the first match and led the second match 9-2 in the second period. That's when Duke responded. He scored on a pair of four-point moves, rallying for a 17-10 victory to force the decisive third match.

Then Duke produced the show-stopper, pinning Diakomihalis to clinch the series win.
Diakomihalis had not been pinned during his college career at Cornell, where he went 115-2 and was named to FloWrestling's Quarter Century Team. Diakomihalis had been somewhat of a mentor to Duke, since both were high school wrestling stars in New York state.

"Yianni's one of those people I looked up to my whole youth and middle school career," Duke said at the U.S. World Team Trials in May. "... Yianni's one of the best wrestlers I've ever seen, so to be able to compete against him, I'm so honored."

USA Wrestling also recognized Duke with its weekly award after the 18-year-old won his weight class at the Senior Team Trials to earn his spot at Final X. At the Trials, Duke defeated two 2025 NCAA champions from Nebraska (Antrell Taylor and Ridge Lovett) before scoring a 4-1 decision over Bryce Andonian, a three-time NCAA All-American at Virginia Tech, in the final.

Duke has qualified for two world events before Penn State wrestling opens its 2025-26 season. He is scheduled to compete at the U20 World Championships in Bulgaria in August before heading to Croatia for Senior Worlds in September.

Duke has been among the most talked-about wrestlers of the freestyle season. He is the youngest member of the U.S. Team that will compete at worlds, and his dramatic wins over Diakomihalis prompted a breathless reaction.

"We never thought he would do it," seven-time world and Olympic champ Jordan Burroughs said on the FloWrestling broadcast at Final X. "He's proven to be not only the match of the night but also the superstar looking forward for Team USA. It's insane. He's 18 years old. ... We've got a superstar in the making here."

Duke, who likely will wrestle at 157 pounds for Penn State, joins a team seeking its fifth consecutive NCAA championship. The Nittany Lions broke their own scoring record at the 2025 NCAA Championships in Philadelphia and can set the Division I men's record for consecutive duals victories next season.

"I'm off to a great place [at Penn State], and I think I'm ready for the best in the world," Duke said at Final X.