Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1547107
4 4 N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 6 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M I mpressively strong wrestling line- ups throughout the Cael Sanderson coaching era have led to remarkable statistics, and there's little reason to think this season will be any different for top- ranked Penn State. The Nittany Lions began last season at No. 1 and finished on top for the fifth consecutive year, winning a 13th NCAA title in 15 years in Cleveland. Only two- time champ Levi Haines leaves the Li- ons' lineup this year, which means trouble for hard-charging teams like Oklahoma State, Nebraska and Virginia Tech. Penn State has thrived on elite talent and the next-man-up type of depth to navigate through five consecutive un- beaten seasons and an NCAA-record dual-meet winning streak of 86. A 16-match schedule this season is unlikely to give the Nittany Lions a le- gitimate threat to their ongoing reign; no team on the November and Decem- ber slate has the talent to hang with Penn State. While Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa and Ohio State in January and February will boast some legitimate stars and cre- ate a number of entertaining individual matchups, their overall team depth is un- likely to stack up against the Lions. If a sixth consecutive unbeaten sea- son comes to fruition, the Lions' 100th victory within that streak would come against Iowa on Feb. 5 at the Bryce Jordan Center, one of three matches set for the BJC this year. West Virginia on Dec. 13 and Michigan on Jan. 15 are the others. Penn State's lineup will be unveiled during the team's opener on Nov. 12 against in-state foe and Mid-American Conference member Bloomsburg. Un- til then, some educated guesses can be made, and here they are: 125 pounds: Not much guesswork re- quired here. Defending NCAA champion Luke Lilledahl begins his junior season with a 27-bout win streak and is ranked No. 1. It would behoove the Nittany Lions to keep Lilledahl healthy, because while team depth improves each season, it's not plentiful in the lower weight classes. 133 pounds: USA Senior World team member Marcus Blaze is the likely choice to spend his sophomore season at 133 once again, with an eye toward improving on his fourth-place NCAA finish. Japanese WRESTLING PROOF POSITIVE A battle-tested lineup looks to keep the Nittany Lions on top in 2026-27 J I M CA R L S O N | B L U E W H I T E C O N T R I B U T O R Josh Barr is set to return for his junior season at 197 pounds after going unbeaten last year en route to his first NCAA championship. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/ PENN STATE ATHLETICS