Penn State Wrestling vs. Princeton Live Updates

The Nittany Lions conclude the regular season with a non-conference match against the Tigers.

Penn State Nittany Lions wrestler Marcus Blaze defeats Ohio State's Ben Davino at 133 pounds during a Big Ten wrestling match at the Bryce Jordan Center. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The top-ranked Penn State wrestling team hosts Princeton tonight at Rec Hall to close out the 2025-26 regular season. The Nittany Lions are heavy favorites to complete their sixth consecutive unbeaten season and extend their NCAA-record win streak that is six years old.

Penn State is expected to wrestle its primary starting lineup, which includes seven undefeated wrestlers and six ranked No. 1. We're updating the match live, so follow along for results and analysis from Penn State's regular-season finale.

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125: No. 1 Luke Lilledahl (PS) by disqualification over No. 12 Marc-Anthony McGowan

Luke Lilledahl forces 5 stalls, wins by DQ.#PSUwr pic.twitter.com/mJI9uiFYif

— Penn State WRESTLING (@pennstateWREST) February 21, 2026

Two high-end prep wrestlers (Lilledahl at Wyoming Seminary, McGowan at Blair Academy) met in the highest-ranked match of the night, which never got off the ground. Lilledahl (17-0) capped a perfect regular season with a frustrating bout that ended with McGowan being disqualified.

McGowan was called for stalling four times in the first two periods, giving Lilledahl a 4-1 lead. Lilledahl attempted to pressure the Princeton sophomore, who consistently backed out of the center and away from his opponent. McGowan also received a technical violation for grabbing Lilledahl's headgear.

Lilledahl led 5-1, with all five points coming via penalties, when McGowan received his fifth warning for stalling as he tried to evade a shot late in the third period. McGowan received his fifth stall warning with 6 seconds left in the third. The bout ended in confusion over how many stalling calls were made, but Lilledahl ultimately gave the Nittany Lions a 6-0 lead without scoring a takedown.

133: No. 2 Marcus Blaze (PS) dec. No. 32 Ethan Rivera 11-3

MARCUS BLAZE pulling in the 11-3 DUB!! 🤝#PSUwr pic.twitter.com/xvv262Pnte

— Penn State WRESTLING (@pennstateWREST) February 21, 2026

Blaze also capped a perfect regular season but with a bit more scoring than Lilledahl was given room to muster. Blaze (19-0) scored takedowns in the first and second periods for a 7-2 lead, then cut Rivera to set up his shot for the major decision.

Blaze patiently waited for his opportunity, which came with 20 seconds left in the third period. He took advantage, hitting the takedown and added to his riding time for an 11-3 major decision. The bonus-point win was Blaze's 16th in a masterful first year.

Penn State (14-0) vs. Princeton (4-10)

The Penn State Nittany Lions wrestling team celebrates with the trophy after clinching its sixth straight Big Ten regular-season wrestling title. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Penn State-Princeton match begins at 7 p.m. ET at Rec Hall, where the Nittany Lions expect to wrestle in front of their 77th straight sellout crowd. There's no linear TV coverage of the match, but BIG+, the Big Ten's subscription streaming platform, will carry the match live. Of course, Jeff Byers has the radio call on the Penn State Sports Network.

Penn State is the overwhelming favorite vs. Princeton. DraftKings lists the Nittany Lions as 47.5-point favorites, a line that has increased during the week. And the line outpaces Penn State's average margin of victory (38.6 points) for the season.

Penn State last week clinched its sixth straight Big Ten regular-season title with a 36-5 victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes. The NIttany Lions went 74-6 in individual matches during their eight Big Ten wins.

With a victory over Princeton, Penn State would extend its NCAA-record win streak to 86 consecutive matches and claim its sixth consecutive unbeaten season. It would be the 10th undefeated season in Cael Sanderson's 17 seasons as head coach.

About the head coaches

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

In his 17th season at Penn State, Sanderson yet again could argue that is his best team. The Nittany Lions should enter the Big Ten Championships with seven undefeated wrestlers, six ranked No. 1 at their weight classes and an entire lineup in the top 12.

With a win over Princeton on Friday, Sanderson would improve his career record at Penn State to 233-16-2, a 92.8 winning percentage. Penn State also would be 81-0 over the past six seasons. Sanderson's team has not lost in more than six years since a February 2020 match against Iowa.

Joe Dubuque is in his thid season as Princeton's head coach. Dubuque was a two-time NCAA champion at Indiana and spent 10 seasons on Princeton's staff before becoming head coach.

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Penn State vs. Princeton matchups to watch

Penn State's Luke Lilledahl celebrates after defeating Ohio State's Nic Bouzakis 4-1 in sudden victory at 125 pounds during a Big Ten wrestling dual at the Bryce Jordan Center. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Princeton's lineup features three wrestlers ranked in the top 20 at their weight classes, according to InterMat Wrestling. All three Tigers will face top-ranked Nittany Lions.

Marc-Anthony McGowan, Princeton's highest-ranked wrestler at No. 12, takes on Luke Lilledahl at 125 pounds. No. 14 Eligh Rivera gets Shayne Van Ness at 149, and 19th-ranked Ty Whalen meets Mitchell Mesenbrink at 165.

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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