Who are the top rivals for Penn State wrestling?

Penn State wrestling has been the most dominant program in the sport since Cael Sanderson arrived in Happy Valley for the 2009-2010 season. While the Nittany Lions have seen tremendous success over the last decade-plus, there has been some tough competition along the way. As the Nittany Lions prepare for another postseason run, let’s look back on the top rivals of the Penn State wrestling program.

Who ranks among the top rivals for Penn State wrestling?

The last two weeks have brought several significant milestones to Cael Sanderson and the Penn State wrestling program. On February 9, Sanderson became the first Nittany Lions head coach to eclipse the 200-win mark. Three days later, Penn State routed Rutgers in the Bryce Jordan Center to earn the program’s 1,000th career victory.

While the Nittany Lions have made historic achievements look easy this season, the program has taken part in some epic rivalries over the years. Let’s take a look at the top three rivals of the Penn State wrestling program:

No. 3: Lehigh

Those not familiar with college wrestling may be surprised by this one, but Lehigh has been one of the top teams in the sport for a long time. Pennsylvania is one of the top states for wrestling talent in the country, and the Mountain Hawks have benefited over their history.

Lehigh has produced 28 individual National Champions, good for sixth all-time. The Mountain Hawks have also produced 160 All-Americans, which currently is the eight-most in NCAA history. Since 2010, Lehigh has finished in the top 25 at the NCAA Tournament in 12 out of 13 years.

The rivalry with Penn State wrestling dates back to before the Nittany Lions made the move to the Big Ten. The two schools competed as conference foes in the EIWA, a conference that Lehigh still participates in. The Mountain Hawks have dominated the conference, winning league-leading 38 EIWA team championships and 227 individual champions.

But the head-to-head dual record is a little bit of a different story. Penn State wrestling leads the all-time series 74-34-3. The last meeting was a 30-10 Nittany Lion victory on December 3, 2023, at Rec Hall. The 111 meetings are the most of any opponent for either school.

The schools’ proximity and competition for top Pennsylvania recruits is what makes this a fun and regional rivalry. In an age of conference realignment and dying rivalries, it is good to see two schools with so much history continue to wrestle each other each season.

No. 2: Ohio State

The Ohio State rivalry is a newer one and has carried over from other sports. The Buckeyes are the closest geographical rival in the Big Ten for Penn State, and join the Nittany Lions near the top of the conference for many sports.

Ohio State won its first team wrestling NCAA Championship in 2015, ending a run of four consecutive titles for Penn State. The Buckeyes have been steadily adding more and more individual National Champions in recent years and currently have 23, good for 12^th-most in NCAA history.

Ohio State was runner-up in the NCAA Tournament team standings to Penn State for three consecutive years from 2017-2019. This rivalry has featured thrilling duals, as we saw in a narrow one-point win for the Nittany Lions in 2018. It also has had exciting NCAA finals matches, like when Bo Nickal pinned Myles Martin for the 2018 NCAA title at 184 pounds.

Penn State leads the all-time series 26-12. The last meeting was a 28-9 Nittany Lion win earlier this month on February 2, at Rec Hall. This year, Ohio State has a young team full of talented freshman wrestlers. Don’t be surprised if this rivalry gets more competitive over the next few years and the two schools are once again battling it out for the Big Ten and NCAA Championships.

No. 1: Iowa

Iowa has one of the best histories in all of college wrestling. The only team with more accolades than the Hawkeyes is the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Iowa currently has 24 team National Championships, 85 individual National Champions, and 363 All-Americans. All three of those accomplishments rank second all-time.

The Penn State-Iowa rivalry is more recent than the other two on this list. Iowa leads the all-time series 28-12-2 and has certainly been the better program historically. But under Cael Sanderson, the tides have certainly turned. The Nittany Lions have won the last three meetings and five of the last six. The last meeting was earlier this month, where Penn State wrestling took down Iowa 29-6 in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

The two teams have combined for 14 of the past 15 National Championships and often finish No. 1 and No. 2 in the final standings at the NCAA Tournament.

There is also the added element of Cael Sanderson chasing Dan Gable for the most team and individual National Championships as a head coach. Gable finished with 15 team National Championships and 45 individual National Champions when he retired in 1997. His final team also holds the record for the most points scored in an NCAA Tournament, a record that this year’s Penn State wrestling team may challenge.

Cael Sanderson already has 10 National Championships and 34 individual National champions since arriving at Penn State. The Nittany Lions are heavy favorites to win another team title and currently have five wrestlers ranked No. 1 heading into the final week of the dual season. Many feel it is a matter of when, not if, Cael Sanderson catches Gable for both records.

Penn State wrestling still has a lot of ground to make up to match the history of Iowa. The Nittany Lions have 55 individual titles compared to the Hawkeyes’ 85. More importantly, Penn State has 11 team national titles compared to Iowa’s 24. As Cael Sanderson continues to close the gap in the coming years, expect this rivalry to heat up even more off the mat.

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