When Penn State Wrestling Could Break Oklahoma State's Win Streak Record

The Nittany Lions will host the 2026 Big Ten Wrestling Championships as they seek a fifth straight NCAA title.
The Penn State wrestling team celebrates winning the team title at the 2025 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

Penn State has announced its 2025-26 wrestling schedule, which includes a target date for the Nittany Lions to break Oklahoma State's record for the longest win streak in NCAA Division I men's wrestling. Penn State also announced three home dates at the Bryce Jordan Center ahead of hosting the 2026 Big Ten Wrestling Championships in March.

The Nittany Lions will chase their fifth straight NCAA team title with another stacked roster. They return two national champions (Mitchell Mesenbrink in 2025, Levi Haines in 2024) and five All-Americans who placed fifth or better at their weight classes last season. In addition, Penn State signed former NCAA runner-up Rocco Welsh from Ohio State and 2024 world freestyle champion Masanosuke Ono to its roster.

Here's a look at Penn State's 2025-26 wrestling schedule. Check out the complete Big Ten wrestling schedule here.

Penn State wrestling's noteworthy dates

Penn State's Mitchell Mesenbrink competes against Michael Caliendo of the Iowa Hawkeyes during the 2025 NCAA Championships.
Penn State's Mitchell Mesenbrink competes against Michael Caliendo of the Iowa Hawkeyes during the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championship in Philadelphia. | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

The Nittany Lions will host three matches at the Bryce Jordan Center, including a season-opening date against Oklahoma on Nov. 14. Nebraska visits the BJC for a huge Big Ten dual Jan. 30. The Nittany Lions also will host Ohio State at the BJC on Feb. 13.

Penn State's road schedule is highlighed by a trip to Iowa, where the Nittany Lions and Hawkeyes will square off Jan. 16. Penn State also hosts Lehigh for their long-standing rivalry match Dec. 7 at Rec Hall.

When could Penn State break the record?

Penn State Nittany Lions Wrestling head coach Cael Sanderson looks on during the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Team Trials.
Penn State Nittany Lions Wrestling head coach Cael Sanderson looks on during the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Team Trials at Bryce Jordan Center. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Cael Sanderson enters his 16th season as Penn State's head coach with the nation's longest active winning streak. The Nittany Lions have won 71 consecutive dual matches dating to the 2020 season, the second-longest streak in Division I men's wrestling history. Oklahoma State holds the Division I men's record with 76 consecutive victories, a streak Penn State could break in December.

The Nittany Lions are scheduled to compete at the Collegiate Duals Dec. 20 in Nashville. Penn State will wrestle Stanford and and North Dakota State. If the Nittany Lions win their first four matches of the season, they could break Oklahoma State's win streak at the Collegiate Duals.

Penn State went 15-0 last season on its way to a fourth consecutive NCAA team title. The Nittany Lions have not lost a dual match since falling to then-No. 1 Iowa 19-17 on Jan. 31, 2020, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Penn State to host Big Ten championships

The 2026 Big Ten Wrestling Championships will take place at the Bryce Jordan Center from March 7-8. Penn State is hosting the event for the second time in five years. The Nittany Lions dominated the 2025 tournament, winning five individual titles in claiming their third straight title.

Sanderson is looking for his first Big Ten tournament title in his home building. Penn State last hosted the Big Ten Wrestling Championships in 2022 and '21. The Nittany Lions finished second to Michigan in 2022 and second to Iowa in 2021. Before that, Penn State hosted the event in 2009, when it finished seventh.

Penn State 2025-26 Wrestling Schedule

The Penn State wrestling team celebrates winning the team title at the 2025 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

Here is the complete Penn State wrestling schedule.

Date

Opponent

Location

Nov. 14

Oklahoma

Bryce Jordan Center

Nov. 23

Black Knight Invitational

Army West Point

Dec. 5

Drexel

Philadelphia

Dec. 7

Lehigh

Rec Hall

Dec. 13

Wyoming

Laramie, Wyoming

Dec. 20

Collegiate Duals: Vs. Stanford, North Dakota St.

Nashville, Tennessee

Jan. 10

Rutgers

Rec Hall

Jan. 16

Iowa

Iowa City

Jan. 18

Northwestern

Evanston, Illinois

Jan. 23

Indiana

Rec Hall

Jan. 25

Maryland

College Park, Maryland

Jan. 30

Nebraska

Bryce Jordan Center

Feb. 6

Michigan

Ann Arbor, Michigan

Feb. 13

Ohio State

Bryce Jordan Center

Feb. 20/22

Princeton

Rec Hall

March 7-8

Big Ten Championships

Bryce Jordan Center

March 19-21

NCAA Championships

Cleveland, Ohio

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Mark Wogenrich
MARK WOGENRICH

Mark Wogenrich is the editor and publisher of Penn State on SI, the site for Nittany Lions sports on the Sports Illustrated network. He has covered Penn State sports for more than two decades across three coaching staffs, three Rose Bowls and one College Football Playoff appearance.