Penn State's Carter Starocci wrestlers Parker Keckeisen of the Northern Iowa Panthers at the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships in Philadelphia. Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Big Ten Wrestling Championships Headed to Penn State

Originally posted on Penn State Nittany Lions on SI
By Mark Wogenrich | Last updated Aug 6, 2025 4:49 PM ET

Penn State will entertain the best of Big Ten wrestling in 2026. The Big Ten Wrestling Championships return to Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center for the first time since 2022. The tournament is scheduled for March 7-8, 2026.

Penn State is pursuing its fourth straight team title, and 10th under head coach Cael Sanderson, at the Big Ten Wrestling Championships. The Nittany Lions crowned five individual winners at last season's Big Ten tournament

Interestingly, Sanderson has never won a Big Ten tournament title in his home building. Penn State last hosted the Big Ten Wrestling Championships in 2022 and '21. The Nittany Lions finished second to Michigan in 2022 and second to Iowa in 2021. Before that, Penn State previously hosted the event in 2009, when it finished seventh.

Penn State pursues its fifth straight NCAA team title

The Nittany Lions will chase their fifth straight NCAA team title with another stacked roster. The Nittany Lions return two national champions (Mitchell Mesenbrink in 2025, Levi Haines in 2024) and five All-Americans who placed fifth or better at their weight classes last season. In addition, Penn State signed former NCAA runner-up Rocco Welsh from Ohio State and 2024 world freestyle champion Masanosuke Ono to its roster.

According to FloWrestling's latest college rankings, five Nittany Lions rank among the top-20 nationally pound-for-pound, with Mesenbrink staking he No. 1 spot overall. Haines is third, followed by Tyler Kasak at No. 12, Shayne Van Ness at No. 14 and Josh Barr at No. 18.

Penn State also two of the top freshmen in college wrestling with Marcus Blaze and PJ Duke, who will be busy on the world stage before the season. Duke is scheduled to compete at three world championships, including Senior Worlds in Croatia in September. In addition, 70 percent of the U.S. men's freestyle team competing at the U23 World Championships wrestle for Penn State.

Sanderson enters his 16th season as Penn State's head coach with the nation's longest active winning streak. The Nittany Lions have won 71 consecutive dual matches dating to the 2020 season, the second-longest streak in Division I men's wrestling history. Oklahoma State holds the Division I men's record with 76 consecutive victories, a streak Penn State could break early in its season.

The 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships will be held March 19-21 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland.

This article first appeared on Penn State Nittany Lions on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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