UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team (14-0, 8-0 Big Ten) will close out its regular season Friday night against the Princeton Tigers at Rec Hall, seeking to complete an undefeated regular season and extend its winning streak to 86 matches.
The dual meet, scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, will also serve as Senior Night, recognizing Levi Haines, Lucas Cochran, and Sam Beckett for their contributions to the program. Penn State is currently ranked No. 1 nationally and has sold out 76 consecutive matches at Rec Hall.
Head coach Cael Sanderson’s squad clinched the 2026 Big Ten Regular Season Championship last Friday with a 36-5 victory over Ohio State, marking the sixth consecutive and 12th overall Big Ten title for the Nittany Lions since Sanderson’s arrival in 2009-10. The team is aiming for its eighth shutout of the season against Princeton (4-10).
Penn State boasts ten ranked wrestlers, including six holding the No. 1 spot in their respective weight classes: Luke Lilledahl (125), Marcus Blaze (133), Shayne Van Ness (149), Mitchell Mesenbrink (165), Levi Haines (174), and Josh Barr (197). Rocco Welsh is ranked No. 1 at 184, while Cole Mirasola holds the No. 6 ranking at 285. Braeden Davis is No. 12 at 141 and PJ Duke is No. 4 at 157.
Following the win over Ohio State, Cole Mirasola was named the Big Ten Wrestler of the Week after a 4-1 sudden victory over previously ranked Nick Feldman, improving his record to 13-4 and climbing to No. 6 in the InterMat Wrestling rankings. Freshman Marcus Blaze earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors after a 3-2 tiebreaker win over Ben Davino, remaining undefeated at 18-0.
Princeton enters the match after a 23-14 win over Penn, its first victory over the Quakers since 2020. The Tigers have three ranked wrestlers: Marc-Anthony McGowan (No. 12 at 125), Eligh Rivera (No. 10 at 149), and Ty Whalen (No. 19 at 165). All three are scheduled to face Penn State’s top-ranked competitors.
The match will be streamed exclusively on BIG+, the Big Ten’s subscription streaming service. Fans unable to watch can listen live on the Penn State Sports Network, with Jeff Byers providing commentary.
DraftKings has established a betting line for the match, with Penn State favored by 46.5 points.
Penn State will next host the Big Ten Wrestling Championships on March 7-8 at the Bryce Jordan Center.
