Welcome to the RTA forum, and thanks for doing a little pre-reading before you posted!
Mapquest is fine for getting directions. They do a decent job of routing you on a fairly direct path to get you where you want to go.
What they don't do a good job of is estimating the time it will take to travel. So while mapquest says the trip will be a little under 16 hours, the reality is that under perfect conditions, you'll really be looking at an 18-19 hour trip, and yes that is too much to do as a solo driver in one sitting.
I'll say that youth does give you an advantage and you might (and I emphasize might) be able to punch this out in a pretty grueling day and a half, but 2 full days would be recommended. If I were in your shoes, I would drive as far as I could the first day, but expect to stop for the night somewhere along the way. Being that this your first trip of this magnitude, you'll have to be careful to feel when you are reaching your limits, and when you start to feel drowsy at all, its time to stop and get some rest.