Penn State wrestling sets new team scoring record at the NCAA Championships; here's the number it'll chase next year
PHILADELPHIA — Penn State wrestling set a new NCAA team scoring record in 2024. It broke it in 2025. The Nittany Lions surpassed the previous mark of 170 held by the 1997 Iowa team, with 172.5 points, at last year’s championships in Kansas City. It topped that total this year at the Wells Fargo Center. Head coach Cael Sanderson’s team scored 177 points en route to its fourth straight title, its 12th in 14 years, and its 13th in program history. The Lions blew out the field. Nebraska and Oklahoma State finished second and third with 117 and 102.5, respectively. Only two other teams, Iowa and Minnesota, eclipsed 50 points at the tournament.
Penn State finished with two champs (Mitchell Mesenbrink at 165 and Carter Starocci at 184), a runner-ups (Josh Barr at 197), five third place finishers (Luke Lilledahl at 125 pounds, Beau Bartlett (141), Shayne Van Ness (149), Tyler Kasak (157), and Levi Haines (174), a fifth-place finisher (Braeden Davis at 133), and a sixth-place finisher (heavyweight Greg Kerkvliet). The Nittany Lions are also just the second team in college wrestling history to finish with 10 All-Americans. They join the 2001 Minnesota team.
“Our team effort is 100 percent every time,” Barr said on Friday. “I wrestle with the best team in the whole world, best ten guys in the starting lineup, the best 30, 40 guys, however many guys are on the team, in the whole world. Best coaching staff, best trainers, best support system.
Top 10
- 1Breaking
JuJu Watkins injury
Devastating news on USC star
- 2Hot
Ugly exchange
USC, Miss. State handshake gets heated
- 3
Josh Pastner
Former GT coach hired
- 4
Bob Huggins
Emerges as head coach candidate
- 5Trending
UConn SID
Threatens reporter over video
Get the On3 Top 10 to your inbox every morning
By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.
“The effort is there every single time. NCAAs is a really freaking tough tournament, as you have seen. So, yeah, the effort is there every time. Our dudes wrestle as hard as they can, and that’s all we can do.”
Fun facts about the Penn State team points total, title
Penn State is the eighth team in college wrestling history to score at least 149 points in a single tournament. This marks the second time the Lions have won four straight national championships under Cael Sanderson. It’s the fifth time a team has put together a streak of four titles or more in a row since the tournament was first contested in 1928. Penn State is also the first time in college wrestling history to have all 10 wrestlers finish in the top six.
Check Blue-White Illustrated’s home page for more from the team’s latest championship.
Want breaking news like this delivered straight to your inbox for FREE? Sign up today for the BWI breaking newsletter! You’ll also get daily updates with the top headlines of the day five times a week. Click here to sign-up!
