What to Know About the 2025 Big Ten Wrestling Championships

The No. 1 Penn State wrestling is the overwhelming favorite to win its third consecutive team title this weekend at the Big Ten Wrestling Championships. The Nittany Lions won their fifth consecutive conference regular-season crown by going undefeated through the dual-match schedule, outscoring eight Big Ten opponents by a combined score of 279-40. No Big Ten team won more than three bouts in a match vs. the Nittany Lions, who finished the regular season 15-0.

Now, Penn State begins what could be another record-setting postseason. The Nittany Lions have won the past two Big Ten Tournament titles and three straight NCAA Tournament team championships. Last season, Penn State set NCAA Tournament records for scoring and margin of victory. Here's what to know, and how to watch, the Big Ten Wrestling Championships at Northwestern University.

When is the 2025 Big Ten wrestling tournament?

The Big Ten will hold its annual conference wrestling tournament March 8-9 at Northwestern University's Welsh-Ryan Arena. The tournament will determine the Big Ten's automatic qualifiers to the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, scheduled for March 20-22 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Here's a look at the Big Ten Wrestling Championships schedule:

Saturday, March 8

• Session 1 (11 a.m. ET): First round, quarterfinals, wrestlebacks

• Session 2 (6 p.m.): Consolations rounds, wrestlebacks

• Session 2 (8 p.m.): Semifinals

Sunday, March 9

• Session 3 (1 p.m.): Consolation semifinals, 7th-place bouts

• Session 4 (5:30 p.m.): Championship, 3rd- and 5th-place bouts

How to watch the 2025 Big Ten Wrestling Championships

Big Ten Network has exclusive rights to the two-day tournament and will broadcast and stream the event across multiple platforms. Fans will have access to every individual mat via the B1G+ streaming service. BTN's Shane Sparks, Jim Gibbons and Zach Mackey will be on the broadcast.

BTN will carry Saturday's first round and quarterfinals live beginning at 11 a.m. ET Saturday, along with the semifinals at 8 p.m. Mat-side cameras from the first round and consolation-round bouts will be available Saturday on B1G+.

BTN's Sunday coverage will begin at 5:30 p.m. ET for the championship round. B1G+ will stream the consolation semifinals and medal-round bouts beginning at 1 p.m.

What's at stake at the Big Ten Wrestling Championships?

In addition to conference medals, Big Ten wrestlers are vying for bids to the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships. The Big Ten was awarded the most pre-allocations, or automatic bids, to nationals. The conference received at least seven pre-allocations in each weight class and 10 each at 133 pounds, 197 and 285. That means at least 10 Big Ten wrestlers in those weight classes will qualify for nationals. More could advance through the at-large system, which awards four additional bids in each weight class. A total of 33 wrestlers qualifies for nationals in each weight class.

Who are Penn State's top wrestlers at the Big Ten Championships?

Penn State is a medal contender in every weight class, as all 10 Penn State starters are ranked among the top 8 at their weight classes, according to InterMat Wrestling. Penn State also has eight wrestlers ranked either first or second nationally at their weights, meaning that the team is favored to send eight wrestlers to the Big Ten finals.

Penn State returns four Big Ten champions from its 2024 team: Braeden Davis, now wrestling at 133, won at 125 as a true freshman; Levi Haines, wrestling at 174 this season, won at 157; Mitchell Mesenbrink is the defending champ at 165 and Greg Kerkvliet is the defending champ at 285. Penn State placed nine wrestlers among the top 3 at their weight classes last year. The only wrestler who didn't medal was Carter Starocci, a two-time Big Ten champion who took injury defaults out of the tournament. He returned two weeks later to win his fourth NCAA title in 2024.