After beating NCAA champions to qualify for Final X, Penn State's PJ Duke makes feelings known about his accomplishment

PJ Duke was the star of the show at the U.S World Team Trials. The 18-year-old wrestler defeated two NCAA Champions to earn a spot at the Final X, which will commence on June 14 at Prudential Centre in Newark, New Jersey.

The Penn State freshman defeated Antrell Taylor in the quarterfinal of the freestyle bout in the 70 kg division. With only a few seconds left, Duke hit a four-point move, winning against the 2025 157-lbs NCAA Champion from Nebraska, Antrell Taylor. He then faced another NCAA Champion, Ridge Lovett, and once again emerged victorious over the 149-pound NCAA Champion, 3-2.

The wrestler shared the glimpses of his bouts from last weekend in Louisiana, where the four-time New York state wrestling champion secured a win over Bryce Andonian, winning 4-1 by decision. Duke shared:

"Had a great weekend in Louisville. See you at FinalX!"

The four-time New York State Wrestling champion will go in best-of-three against Yianni Diakomihalis, a world silver medalist and a three-time NCAA Champion for Cornell University.

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PJ Duke secures a spot at the U23 World Team, heading to Serbia

The 18-year-old Penn State wrestler, PJ Duke, represented the KD training center on his singlet in the competition. The young wrestler trains with the KD Training Centre, run by Coach Khalel Dassan.

In a recent Instagram post, KD Training Center's page celebrated the victorious campaign of PJ Duke, in a post they shared:

"Congrats to PJ Duke on a truly historic weekend. While still in high school PJ defeated multiple current NCAA champions, All-Americans and world medalists to win the Senior World Team Trials! His victory qualifies him for Final X in Newark, New Jersey where he’ll compete for the opportunity to represent Team USA at the senior level. He’s also officially secured his spot on the U23 World Team heading to Serbia."

Duke has registered a significant achievement, becoming one of the youngest wrestlers to reach the final step of earning a place on the Senior World Team. Taking on the NCAA Champions and securing victories at World Team Trials have made him a strong candidate for upcoming international wrestling competitions as well.

The powerhouse wrestler from Minisink High School is committed to Penn State Wrestling. He will train under the guidance of legendary coach Cael Sanderson. David Taylor, Zain Retherford, Bo Nickal, and more recent wrestlers like Carter Starocci are some of the many talented wrestlers from Penn State.