How to Watch Penn State Wrestling's Opener vs. Bloomsburg: Viewing Options, Lineup

The top-ranked Penn State wrestling opens its NCAA title defense Thursday, when it hosts Bloomsburg at Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions will compete in two matches over four days, as they head to Oklahoma for a ranked match Sunday night.

There's plenty of anticipation for Penn State's opening match, which could feature the debut of Japanese world champion Masanosuke Ono, who is expected to make his NCAA wrestling debut. Here's everything you need to know about Thursday's Penn State-Bloomsburg match.

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How to watch, stream the Penn State vs. Bloomsburg match

Penn State hosts Bloomsburg for its season-opening match, scheduled for a 7 p.m. ET start at Rec Hall. Penn State has sold out 80 consecutive matches at Rec Hall.

The match will air on B1G+, the Big Ten's subscription streaming service. Fans who can't attend or watch should listen to Jeff Byers on the Penn State Sports Network.

Penn State-Bloomsburg coaching matchup

Penn State Nittany Lions wrestling coach Cael Sanderson answers questions during a post-match press conference. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Penn State coach Cael Sanderson enters his 18th season with the Nittany Lions, whom he has built into college wrestling's most dominant program. Penn State won 13 national championships in Sanderson's previous 17 years, including the last five straight.

Sanderson has a 233-16-2 career record at Penn State ,and his team has won an NCAA-record 86 consecutive matches since the 2020 season. Penn State has not lost a match since January 2020 against Iowa.

Sanderson's wrestlers have won 44 NCAA individual titles and 109 All-America honors. Last season he led Penn State to one of the most dominant seasons in NCAA wrestling history, which included a 15-0 record and third straight scoring title at the NCAA Wrestling Championships.

John Stutzman is in his 11th season overall as Bloomsburg's head coach sandwiched around an 11-year stretch at the University of Buffalo. Stutzman has a 110-89 career record with the Huskies, who went 11-18 last season.

Penn State and Bloomsburg are wrestling for the 23rd time and first since 2011. The Nittany Lions lead the series 16-5-1.

Penn State wrestlers to watch

Penn State wrestler Masanosuke Ono lifts the championship trophy at the NCAA Wrestling Championships at Rocket Arena. | Mark Wogenrich | Penn State on SI

Penn State fans packing Rec Hall will be anticipating the college debut of Masanosuke Ono, who committed to the Nittany Lions in March 2025 but has yet to compete for them. A 2024 Senior world champion, Ono is a freestyle magician who has yet to compete in a folkstyle match. Ono is set to start for Penn State at 133 pounds.

The Nittany Lions also will have a newcomer at heavyweight in Connor Mirasola, who takes over for twin brother Cole. Connor Mirasola went 6-1 at 197 pounds last season but began his move up to heavyweight by winning the U23 national title this offseason. Cole Mirasola is taking the year off for a mission trip, Sanderson said.

Otherwise, the Penn State lineup is loaded with eight All-Americans, three returning NCAA champions and two national finalists. Some are getting new weight classes, though.

That includes two-time NCAA champion Mitchell Mesenbrink, the defending Hodge Trophy winner who moves from 165 to 174. Mesenbrink begins his fourth season at Penn State with an 82-1 record, with his only loss to David Carr in the 2024 NCAA final.

With Ono at 133, sophomore Marcus Blaze, who placed fourth there last season, is moving up a weight class to 141. Blaze might not wrestle Thursday as he continues on his weight plan. Also moving up is PJ Duke, who will wrestle at 165 after placing third at 157 pounds last season.

Duke's move reopens 157 for Tyler Kasak, a two-time All-American who has a career record of 47-7. Kasak, who redshirted last season, went 24-2 and placed third at NCAAs in 2024.

Luke Lilledahl (125) and Josh Barr (197) seek to defend their NCAA titles, while returning finalists Shayne Van Ness (149) and Rocco Welsh (184) remain at the same weight classes.

About the Bloomsburg Huskies

Day 2 Part 2… help us in welcoming Morgan Schwarz to the Husky family! 2x NJ state medalist… expect big things from Morgan throughout his career! pic.twitter.com/oVARV1i8Xx
— Bloomsburg Wrestling (@BloomWrestle) August 27, 2026

Bloomsburg brings a 2-1 record to Rec Hall, including a pair of shutout victories over Sacred Heart (45-0) and Duke (41-0) at the Journeymen WrangleMania in Bethlehem. Bloomsburg fell to Wisconsin 32-7 in its season-opening match.

A few Bloomsburg wrestlers to watch:

Justin Jones (125) opened the season with a 5-1 record with two technical falls and a major decision. He went 3-0 to win his bracket at the recent Journeymen Collegiate Classic.

Eric Alderfer, a senior at 157 pounds, is 5-2 and won his bracket at the Journeymen Collegiate Classic. He likely will get Kasak in the Penn State wrestler's return after a year off.

Freshman Morgan Schwarz (165) is 3-0 with a ranked win over Wisconsin's Cody Goebel (No. 26, according to InterMat). Schwarz will take on PJ Duke in the sophomore's move up to 165.

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