UNIVERSITY PARK — Penn State wrestling announced its 2024-25 schedule. Head coach Cael Sanderson will lead the Nittany Lions through seven home games and nine neutral/away games.
Penn State will also once again host the NWCA All-Star Classic Exhibition.
NWCA All-Star Classic Exhibition (Home) — Saturday, Nov. 16
To open the season the Nittany Lions will host the NWCA All-Star Classic. This is not an official NCAA event but a great way for Penn State wrestlers to face high-level competition before the regular season. In 2023 athletes came from Arizona State, Oklahoma State, Air Force and more.
Drexel (Home) — Sunday, Nov. 17
The opening dual of the 2024 season is against the Drexel Dragons. It is set to take place at Rec Hall starting at 1 p.m.
Army Black Knight Invitational (Neutral) — Sunday, Nov. 24
The next weekend, the Nittany Lions will travel to West Point, New York. The one-day event will see 10 teams, including Rutgers, Army and Michigan State, compete starting at 10 a.m.
Lehigh (Away) — Sunday, Dec. 8
Penn State’s first away dual will take place at 2 p.m. in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The Mountain Hawks and the Nittany Lions have a storied history, Lehigh and Penn State have met 111 times since 1911 with the Nittany Lions owning a 74-34-3 advantage in the series. Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro also spent a few years on the Penn State staff. Lehigh finished the season ranked No. 17.
Wyoming (Home) — Sunday, Dec. 15
Penn State returns home the following weekend for a dual against Wyoming. The event will take place in Rec Hall at 1 p.m.
Journeymen Collegiate Duals (Neutral) — Sunday, Dec. 22
To wrap up the first semester, the Nittany Lions will travel to Nashville, Tennessee for the Journeymen Collegiate Duals. Penn State will wrestle three dual meets on that day. The first is against Binghamton, followed by Arkansas-Little Rock and Missouri. Missouri finished the 2023-24 season at No. 10.
Michigan State (Home) — Friday, Jan. 10
The Nittany Lions will open in 2025 and Big Ten Conference play with a home dual against Michigan State. The time is still to be determined but the event will be held at Rec Hall.
Nebraska (Away) — Friday, Jan. 17
Penn State travels next weekend to Lincoln, Nebraska to face Nebraska. The all-time dual meet series between these two schools currently stands at 11-8-1 in favor of Penn State. The Nittany Lions won last year’s dual 22-13.
Rutgers (Away) — Friday, Jan. 24
The Nittany Lions remain on the road for a trip to Piscataway, New Jersey where they will take on Rutgers. The Scarlett Knights were hosted in the BJC dual in 2023 where Penn State won 35-3. Rutgers finished the season at No. 14.
Iowa (Home) — Friday, Jan. 31
The first of two duals to take place in the Bryce Jordan Center is against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Iowa leads the all-time series 28–13–2 but Penn State has not lost to the Hawkeyes since 2020. The 2020 dual is still the most-watched Big Ten Network event with 342,955 viewers. Iowa finished last season ranked No. 2.
Michigan (Home) — Friday, Feb. 7
The second dual in the BJC takes place the following week. Penn State will welcome Michigan which finished the 2023 season at No. 9. Last season the Nittany Lions dominated the Wolverines winning eight of 10 bouts in the Big Ten match.
Maryland (Home) — Sunday, Feb. 9
Two days later the Nittany Lions will compete at home once again. Back in Rec Hall Penn State welcomes Maryland.
Ohio State (Away) — Friday, Feb. 14
After three consecutive home duals, Penn State will hit the road to Columbus, Ohio to face off against Ohio State. The Buckeyes finished the prior season at No. 6. The Nittany Lions hold the advantage in the all-time record winning 15 of the prior 20 meetings.
Illinois (Away) — Sunday, Feb. 16
Penn State wraps up regular season Big Ten play two days later in Champaign, Illinois.
American University (Home) — Friday, Feb. 21
The final dual of the 2024-25 regular season will take place in the Rec Hall against American University. The time of the event is still to be determined.
Postseason
Penn State’s postseason play begins with the Big Ten Conference championships. The first two sessions are set for Saturday, March 8, with session three on Sunday, March 9. All sessions will be held in Evanston, Illinois.
Following the Big Ten tournament, the Nittany Lions will focus on the national championships. All sessions will be at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, from Thursday, March 20, to Saturday, March 22. Penn State has won 11 of the past 13 national championships.
