Penn State wrestling has been on an upward swing for the past four years.
Winning four straight national titles is impressive enough. But each championship win has been more commanding than the last.
After getting back to the mountaintop in 2022, Cael Sanderson’s empire took it up a notch in 2023. That year, Penn State improved its team scoring total from 131.5 to 137.5 and its margin of victory from 36.5 to 55.5.
In 2024, Penn State finished 100 points ahead of the second-place team, setting a new record for both scoring (172.5) and margin of victory. Last year, Penn State broke its own scoring record with 177 points and became just the second team ever (2001 Minnesota) to have all 10 starters become All-Americans.
So how is Penn State going to outdo itself this year?
Well, one of its starters told reporters that the goal is to have not just 10 All-Americans, but national champions.
WHAT LUKE LILLEDAHL SAID
During a pre-NCAA Championships availability Monday, Lilledahl, the No. 1 seed at 125 pounds, was asked about Penn State having seven No. 1s, which is the most a school has ever had.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.“It’s obviously really cool to be part of a team that’s full of a bunch of savages,” Lilledahl said with a laugh. “But at the same time, I feel like none of us really care about the seeds. We just want to go out there and wrestle hard and do our jobs. Obviously, we want to have 10 NCAA champs. So as a team, I feel like if we don’t have 10 NCAA champs, we’re kind of like ‘alright, man, next year, we have to get it done.’ So I think we’re kinda always just looking toward the next thing and trying to become better than the last year.”
The most individual NCAA champions a team has had in a tournament is five, which is shared by Iowa (1986, 1997), Oklahoma State (2005) and, wouldn’t you know it, Penn State (2022).
LILLEDAHL’S QUEST
For Penn State to get 10 NCAA champions, Lilledahl would have to be one of them. The sophomore will be coming into this tournament with somewhat of a chip on his shoulder. Last season, Lilledahl came into the championships as the No. 1 seed. But he fell in the semifinals to Lehigh’s Sheldon Seymour in the quarterfinal before eventually bouncing back to finish third.
Lilledahl didn’t get the chance to avenge his loss to Seymour at this year’s Penn State-Lehigh dual meet in December. He would love to get that chance in March.
“I wanted that rematch at the dual,” Lilledahl said, “so I’d be more than open to seeing him.”
Seymour is seeded fourth, so this match would take place in either the semifinals or the consolation bracket.
The 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships are scheduled for Thursday, March 19, through Saturday, March 21, in Cleveland.
