How to Watch, Stream Penn State at the 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships

Penn State wrestling seeks to punctuate one of the greatest seasons in program history at the 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships. After one of their most dominant regular seasons, the Nittany Lions head to Rocket Arena in Cleveland with an opportunity to make more history.

Penn State is the overwhelming favorite to win its fifth straight team title and 13th under Cael Sanderson, who is in his 17th season as the Nittany Lions' head coach. With seven No. 1 seeds and six undefeated wrestlers, Penn State is on the verge of another huge weekend at nationals.

To get ready, here's everything you need to know about the 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships.

How to watch, stream the NCAA Wrestling Championships

The Penn State wrestling team celebrates winning the team title at the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships. | Mark Wogenrich/Penn State on SI

ESPN once again is the broadcast partner for the NCAA Wrestling Championships, providing comprehensinve linear and streaming coverage of the three-day event. ESPN will carry multiple sessions live on network platform while streaming every mat on ESPN+. Here's a look at the daily broadcast schedule. All times are Eastern:

Thursday, March 19

Noon: Session 1, preliminaries and first round: ESPN2

7 p.m.: Session 2, second round and consolations: ESPN

Friday, March 20

Noon: Session 3, quarterfinals and consolations: ESPNU

8 p.m.: Session 4, semifinals and consolations: ESPN2

Saturday, March 21

11 a.m.: Session 5, consolation medal finals: ESPNU

6:30 p.m.: Session 6, championship finals: ESPN

In addition, ESPN+ will carry streaming coverage of each bout from all eight mats during the first three sessions, all six mats from Session 4 and all four mats from Session 5.

How to get tickets to the NCAA Wrestling Championships

Tickets remain on sale for all six sessions, including Saturday night's championship round. Tickets are available through the NCAA's official ticketing partner. All-session passes are available as well.

On the resale market, all-session passes start at about $300 at StubHub, and championship finals tickets begin at about $160. Rocket Arena's seating capacity is about 19,000 for basketball and hockey.

Where are the NCAA Wrestling Championship brackets?

The NCAA released seeds and brackets for the tournament March 11. Download the brackets here.

Each bracket consists of 33 wrestlers, with one preliminary bout to determine who wrestles the top seed in the first round. The top eight wrestlers in each weight class earn All-America status.

Penn State wrestlers to watch

Penn State Nittany Lions wrestler Mitchell Mesenbrink has his arm raised after winning at the Big Ten Wrestling Championships — Penn State Nittany Lions wrestler Mitchell Mesenbrink gets his arm raised after winning the 165-pound title at the Big Ten Wrestling Championships at Bryce Jordan Center. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Eight Nittany Lions are seeded in the top three of their respective weight classes, and six enter NCAAs undefeated. That ranges from a senior looking for his second NCAA title and two freshmen chasing their first.

The Nittany Lions could dominate from 165-197 pounds, where they have four undefeated top seeds. The headliner is junior Mitchell Mesenbrink, who has scored bonus points in every bout he has wrestled this season at 165 pounds. Mesenbrink is the weight class' defending champ and a huge favorite to repeat.

Likewise, Josh Barr (197) enters nationals with a perfect bonus-rate record of 19-0 and the weight class' top seed. He scored three technical falls to win the Big Ten title. Barr placed second last season despite getting injured at Big Tens.

Levi Haines (21-0) is the only senior in Penn State's lineup and the top seed at 174. He's competing for his second NCAA title, having won at 157 in 2024. Haines finished third at 174 last season, his first at the weight class.

Rocco Welsh, a first-year Penn State wrestler and Ohio State transfer, earned his top seed after scoring three overtime wins at Big Tens. The No. 1 seed at 197 pounds enters nationals calloused to close bouts. He finished second at nationals in 2024, falling to Penn State's Carter Starocci in the 174-pound final.

Two of Penn State's most intriguing wrestlers are freshmen. PJ Duke (157) asserted himself at Big Tens, beating the nation's former top-ranked wrestler and the defending NCAA champ to earn the No. 1 seed in his first college season. At 133, third-seeded Marcus Blaze looks forward to a potential third matchup with Ohio State's Ben Davino. They split their two bouts this season, with Davino winning at Big Tens.

Luke Lilledahl (125) and Shayne Van Ness (149) round out Penn State's top seeds. Both are undefeated and won Big Ten titles with dramatic victories. Lilledahl scored a takedown in sudden victory, and Van Ness clinched a pin after two comeback decisions in the previous rounds.

Sign up to our free Penn State Nittany Lions newsletter and follow us on social media.