How to watch Penn State wrestling vs. Hofstra: Time, streaming, projected lineups, more

Penn State wrestling has its final dual meet of December today. The No. 1 Nittany Lions beat Lehigh 30-10 in State College last Sunday. Now, they are ready to welcome Hofstra to Rec Hall for their final match on the 2023 portion of the regular season schedule. Head coach Cael Sanderson’s team will not be completely idle after this meeting, of course. But, the full team won’t be back in action after it until a Jan. 5 trip to Oregon State kicks off the 2024 portion of the schedule.

“A lot of our kids are going to the [Senior Nationals Dec. 15-17 in Texas],” Sanderson said Tuesday. “So, we have to make adjustments for those guys. But, wherever we’re at, we’re going to get some work done. Our kids go home for as long of a holiday as we can give them. That’s not always the best training plan. But, we feel like it’s the best long-term plan for them and their mental well-being and just being excited to compete. It’s all about being ready to go in March.”

Before any of that, though, the team must face Hofstra. Get ready for the match below.

Hofstra at Penn State wrestling: Time and TV details

Venue: Rec Hall in State College, Pa.,

Start time: 1 p.m. ET

TV: None

Streaming: BTN+ is streaming the match. Fans can sign up for a subscription HERE. Options include an all-inclusive pass, just Penn State events, or just picking a single sport to subscribe for, such as wrestling.

Radio: Longtime Lions play-by-play voice Jeff Byers will be on the call starting with the pre-match show at 1:40 p.m. ET. You can listen on Lionvision by clicking here.

What are the top matches to watch?

On paper, based on InterMat’s latest rankings, Penn State-Hofstra will feature just one ranked match. It is projected to come at heavyweight. Top-ranked Nittany Lion Greg Kerkvliet is on track to battle No. 21 Keaton Kluever. The graduate senior is 3-1 on the year. Kerkvliet, on the other hand, sports a perfect 4-0 mark.

Beyond that, there is little question that what happens at two different weight classes will be most interesting to Nittany Lion fans. The first question is this: What will Penn State do at 125 pounds? It sent Gary Steen out against Lehigh, and he lost his match. Steen, sophomore Robert Howard, and freshman Braedan Davis are listed as the potential starters this week. That was also the case last week. Who will Sanderson and co., send to the mat this Sunday? Time will tell.

The second line-up decision that will be watched closely comes at 149. Returning All-American Shayne Van Ness is out for the year due to an undisclosed injury that will require surgery. With ‘SVN’ out last week, freshman Tyler Kasak competed at 149 pounds and won. He is the only starter listed at that weight in this week’s match notes. But Sanderson said Tuesday that the program does have options, even if Kasak will likely be the long-term replacement pick.

“There’s definitely potential there,” Sanderson told reporters this week. [Kasak]’s a good-sized kid and was really working hard to get his weight down to 41,” Sanderson said. “He has some potential there. We have some kids that obviously can step in there and compete at 49. … (David) Evans and Connor Pierce. These are all really good kids who have worked really hard and are ready to compete.”

Penn State-Hofstra projected lineups

All of the matchups listed below are subject to change both after weigh-ins and when the time comes for each individual bout. The projections are courtesy of Penn State athletics. All rankings are courtesy of InterMat.

125 pounds: Robbie Howard OR Braeden Davis OR Gary Steen, Penn State vs. Dylan Ryder, Hofstra

133 pounds: No. 4 Aaron Nagao, Penn State vs. Dylan Acevedo OR  Ryan Arbeit, Hofstra

141 pounds: No. 2 Beau Bartlett, PSU vs. Alex Turley, Hofstra

149 pounds: Tyler Kasak, PSU vs. Noah Tapia, Hofstra

157 pounds: No. 1 Levi Haines, PSU vs. Frank Volpe, Hofstra

165 pounds: No. 14 Mitchell Mesenbrink, Penn State vs. Joe McGinty OR Matt Rogers, Hofstra

174 pounds: No. 1 Carter Starocci, Penn State vs. Ross McFarland, Hofstra

184 pounds: No. 2 Bernie Truax, PSU vs. Will Conlon, Hofstra

197 pounds: No. 1 Aaron Brooks, Penn State vs. Nikolas Miller, Hofstra

285 pounds: No. 1 Greg Kerkvliet, PSU vs. No. 12 Keaton Kluever, Hofstra