Penn State to host 2026 Big Ten Wrestling Championships. What to know
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- Penn State will host the 2026 Big Ten Wrestling Championships on March 7-8.
- The Bryce Jordan Center last hosted in 2021 without spectators due to COVID-19.
- Penn State returns four conference champs and aims for a 10th Big Ten title.
What has long been expected became official Wednesday afternoon — Penn State will host the 2026 Big Ten Wrestling Championships at the Bryce Jordan Center.
The Big Ten announced the location of the event taking place from March 7-8, which will come five years after the venue last hosted Big Tens. However, spectators were unable to attend that year due to the COVID pandemic, leaving a strong likelihood that it would return to University Park sooner rather than later.
This will be the fourth time the BJC hosts the event — with the Nittany Lions failing to capture the conference title in each of the other three instances in 1998, 2009 and 2021.
That streak should end this time around, with Penn State the heavy favorites to win not just the conference, but the national title as well. The program is returning four defending conference champions in Luke Lilledahl (125 pounds), Tyler Kasak (157 pounds), Mitchell Mesenbrink (165 pounds) and Levi Haines (174 pounds). Mesenbrink is also a returning national champion.
The team will be defending its collective crown at the BJC, with the Nittany Lions winning the last three conference titles. They’ll be seeking their 10th overall conference championship under head coach Cael Sanderson.
This story was originally published August 6, 2025 at 1:52 PM.
