Penn State wrestling eyeing record-breaking NCAA Championships

Penn State wrestling will be looking to win the 12^th NCAA title in program history starting on Thursday in Kansas City. The Nittany Lions will be trying to make it three in a row and 11 in 13 years under head coach Cael Sanderson. But, there’s much more on the line for the Nittany Lions this weekend. There are multiple significant records within Penn State’s reach at the 2024 NCAA Championships.

Iowa’s team total in the crosshairs

The potential to set a new team total points record has been one of the most highly discussed topics since the preseason when considering the depth of the Penn State wrestling lineup. Even with the loss of Shayne Van Ness to a season-ending injury earlier in the year, the Nittany Lions still have a legitimate shot at breaking the record.

The current record is held by the Iowa Hawkeyes, who scored 170 points during the 1997 NCAA Championships. The record has held up relatively easily, with the two closest teams being Oklahoma State with 153 points in 2005 and the Nittany Lions with 146.5 points in 2017.

Penn State will have its best shot under Cael Sanderson to finally break this record this year. The Nittany Lions have a legitimate chance to have All-Americans at all 10 weight classes, and will certainly have a shot for bonus points throughout the tournament.

InterMat currently has Penn State wrestling projected to score 154 points based on its own rankings. This total projection includes five individual champions, two runners-ups, and 10 All-Americans. What it doesn’t take into account, though, is the bonus points that will be picked up throughout the tournament, making the 170-point threshold definitely within reach if seeding holds this weekend.

Extending the gap from No. 2

Penn State wrestling won’t just aim to score the most points in NCAA Championships history. The Nittany Lions could also have the highest winning margin. The current record was also set by the Iowa Hawkeyes, back in 1986, winning by 73.75 over second-place Oklahoma State.

This season, the gap between Penn State wrestling and the field has grown, putting this point differential record in jeopardy. Most projections currently have NC State in second with 69 points. The 85-point gap would crush the current record.

Again, InterMat’s projections don’t consider bonus points picked up throughout the NCAA Championships. Simply put, Penn State should have more wrestlers with opportunities to score bonus points than almost anyone else in the field. This record is a lock to be broken if the Nittany Lions hit the 170+ point threshold because of the lack of a dominant second team this season.

Penn State wrestling could set two records in the finals of the NCAA Championships

The record for most individual titles by one team in NCAA Championships history is five. Iowa first did it in 1986, Oklahoma State followed up in 2005, and Cael Sanderson and Penn State have done so twice, in 2017 and 2022. The Hawkeyes also had a record six finalists in that historic 1986 tournament.

The Nittany Lions will have a great chance to break both the finalist and champion records this weekend. Penn State has four wrestlers seeded No. 1: Braeden Davis (125), Levi Haines (157), Aaron Brooks (197), and Greg Kerkvliet (285). The Nittany Lions also have Beau Bartlett (141) and Mitchell Mesenbrink (165) as two-seeds entering the tournament.

All six wrestlers are contenders to make the finals and win championships. That doesn’t even factor in three-time National Champion Carter Starocci, who is a No. 9-seed due to his injury default. Bernie Truax (No. 6) and Tyler Kasak (No. 7) are longer shots to make the finals, but both are still possibilities.

You can watch Penn State wrestling go for all these records at the NCAA Championships beginning on Thursday at noon on ESPNU/ESPN+.

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