Penn State Wrestling Looks to Be Even More Dominant in 2026

After yet another weekend of Big Ten wrestling dominance, even Penn State wrestling coach Cael Sanderson had to sheepishly admit the obvious.

"We have a special thing going here," he said.

The top-ranked Penn State wrestling team yet again cemented its grip on the sport during a weekend road trip to Iowa and Northwestern. The Nittany Lions defeated fourth-ranked Iowa and Northwestern by a combined score of 83-3, adding to their long run of dominant performances. They're doing it again this season, just with even more emphasis.

"There is a gap between Iowa and Penn State," Hawkeyes coach Tom Brands said after their match at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

And between Penn State and everyone else. The Nittany Lions (9-0) have shut out five opponents this season and outscored their scheduled 381-19 so far. Over the past two seasons, no team has won more than three individual bouts against the Nittany Lions in any match. Penn State's starters are 49-1 in the team's last five matches and 84-6 on the season.

According to the latest InterMat Wrestling rankings, six of Penn State's starters are ranked No. 1 at their weight classes, with Luke Lilledahl (125 pounds) and Rocco Welsh (184) ascending after big wins at Iowa.

The Nittany Lions have won an NCAA-record 80 consecutive matches and four straight NCAA team titles. They have set NCAA tournament scoring records in consecutive years and can do so again this March in Cleveland. According to Wrestlestat, five of the top eight contenders for the Hodge Trophy wrestle for Penn State.

So what's the secret sauce? According to Mitchell Mesenbrink, a 2025 NCAA champion who is 68-1 in three seasons at Penn State, it's that none exists.

"I don’t think there’s any secret sauce," Mesenbrink told reporters at the team's weekly media availability in State College. "Just keep doing the same things and focusing on the bigger picture of things in preparing for the mext match. It's instilling values into your day-to-day that mean something to you and mean something to God and make a difference. Everybody knows them. They're not just some crazy fable or message that you've never heard. What's the quote? 'Extraordinary is just ordinary over and over.'"

Penn State's Mitchell Mesenbrink controls Iowa's Michael Caliendo in their 165-pound match at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. — Penn State's Mitchell Mesenbrink (top) controls Iowa's Michael Caliendo in their 165-pound match at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Sanderson shared Mesenbrink's evaluation, saying that Penn State succeeds by recruiting the right wrestlers, training them to internalize daily habits and incrementally tiering their focus for the NCAA Championships. Sanderson has maintained that approach even in the NIL era.

"I think I have a pretty good idea of what we’re doing and what we’re not doing," said Sanderson, whose teams have won 12 NCAA titles. "In this era of NIL and all the different motivations to go to different programs, our kids know they're coming here because they want to be the best wrestlers that they can possible be.

"... The chemistry is really incredible right now in the program. Just a lot of good kids who are here for the right reasons. Kids who could have named their price and gone to other schools are here just because of what the program represents and stands for. Those are the kids who are going to care about one another and care about the team. When you do that, obviously you’re going to get your best self."

Penn State Nittany Lions head coach Cael Sanderson watches his team wrestle the Iowa Hawkeyes at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

Penn State wrestles two more matches this weekend, hosting Indiana on Friday and visiting Maryland on Sunday. After that, the Nittany Lions will host their two biggest matches of the home season.

No. 5 Nebraska visits the Bryce Jordan Center on Jan. 30, and second-ranked Ohio State visits Feb. 13 for the Big Ten finale. Penn State then hosts the 2026 Big Ten Wrestling Championships on March 7-8.

"What Cael has done for the program is mind-boggling," former Minnesota heavyweight Gable Steveson said at the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships. "Seeing a coach bring a group of guys together and dominate a collegiate sport is just crazy. It reminds me of Alabama football or Coach K [Mike Krzyzewski] at Duke in basketball, just taking over the game and running with it."

Sanderson frames Penn State's success in less grand terms.

"I think when we look back, we’ll see that this era has been good to us because we do our best to follow the rules, and we’re going to get the kids who are coming here for the right reasons," Sanderson said. "... I think it will be an advantage to us because kids are coming here with very high character wanting to be the best wrestlers in the world."

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