New Penn State wrestling date, opponent, locked in for 2025-2026 dual meet schedule

Penn State wrestling will host a familiar EIWA foe during the December portion of its 2025-2026 dual meet schedule. As Blue-White Illustrated reported back on Sept. 16, the Nittany Lions will welcome Lehigh to State College on Dec. 7. The Mountain Hawks made the news official when they posted their rundown of regular season dates on Thursday.

Lehigh has been a staple on the Penn State schedule for years and vice versa. This will be the 113th meeting between the schools. The Lions hold a 75-34-3 all-time advantage in the series, including last year’s 36-3 triumph at the PPL Center in Allentown. It was the 14th consecutive win for PSU over the Mountain Hawks, who are led by former Penn State assistant Pat Santoro. He enters his 17th season at the helm of that program.

An early look at Penn State-Lehigh

As is often the case when Cael Sanderson’s team takes the mat, and especially during the non-conference portion of its schedule, Penn State will be the favorite in this dual. But, Lehigh always brings a battle to the mat. Additionally, it will have multiple ranked wrestlers in its lineup, including a few national title contenders, per the preseason rankings. Here’s a weight-by-weight breakdown, using InterMat’s initial rankings:

125 pounds: No. 3 Luke Lilledahl, PSU vs. No. 5 Sheldon Seymour, Lehigh

133 pounds: TBD (likely Marcus Blaze, Penn State) vs. No. 3 Ryan Crookham, Lehigh

141 pounds: No. 9 Braeden Davis, PSU vs. No. 3 Luke Stanich, Lehigh

149 pounds: No. 2 Shayne Van Ness, Penn State vs. TBD

157 pounds: No. 2 Tyler Kasak, PSU vs. No. 23 Logan Rozynski, Lehigh

165 pounds: No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink, Penn State vs. No. 12 Max Brignola, Lehigh

174 pounds: No. 1 Levi Haines, PSU vs. TBD

184 pounds: No. 2 Rocco Welsh, PSU vs. TBD

197 pounds: No. 1 Josh Barr, PSU vs. JT Davis, Lehigh

285 pounds: No. 12 Connor Mirasola, PSU vs. Nathan Taylor, Lehigh

Lehigh is No. 7 in InterMat’s preseason tournament and dual meet rankings. Penn State, of course, is No. 1 in both.

What else do we know about the Lions’ 2025-2026 schedule?

Per the usual, Penn State has not yet put out its 2025-2026 schedule. But, we do know some dates already.

The Lions will host Oklahoma in State College on Nov. 14. They will travel to Drexel on Dec. 5 before hosting Lehigh on Dec. 7. And, they will complete a two-year home-and-home series with a trip to Wyoming on Dec. 13 after the Cowboys came to the Bryce Jordan Center a year ago.

Penn State is also likely to return to the Army Black Knight Invitational. That is set for Sun., Nov. 23 in West Point, N.Y.

As for the Big Ten schedule, it has not been released yet. But, we do know who head coach Cael Sanderson’s team will face.

Home Big Ten duals: Ohio State, Nebraska, Indiana, and Rutgers.

Away Big Ten duals: Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, and Northwestern.