CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team capped off its fifth straight NCAA team title by claiming four individual titles in the national finals at the 2026 NCAA Championships. Mitchell Mesenbrink, Levi Haines, Josh Barr and Luke Lilledahl all won in the national finals as Penn State went 4-2 with a record-tying six national finalists.
With the four titles won this year, the Nittany Lions now have 65 NCAA champions, 44 since Sanderson’s arrival as head coach (this is his 17th season at Penn State). Penn State’s Mitchell Mesenbrink was named the 2026 NCAA Championship Outstanding Wrestler and PJ Duke was named the 2026 Gorriaran Award winner (most falls in the least amount of time) at the tournament’s conclusion. Mesenbrink was also awarded the NCAA Most Dominant Wrestler Award, a season long award given by the NCAA.
The Nittany Lions won the team race, clinching it early on March 21, with 181.5 points, over 50 points ahead of the second place score of 131.0. The team point total of 181.5 is a new NCAA record, breaking the mark of 177.0, set by Penn State last year in Philadelphia. The Nittany Lions now own the top three point totals in NCAA history, all consecutively in the last three seasons (181.5 this year, 177.0 last year and 172.5 in 2024).
Penn State has now won 13 of the last 15 contested NCAA championships (no event in 2020) and its fifth straight for the first time in school history. Sanderson is now second in all-time NCAA history with 13 head coaching titles to his credit. The NCAA record is 15. The Nittany Lions have won the NCAA championship 2026, 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011 and 1953. Penn State totaled eight All-Americans this year. The Nittany Lions now have 272 All-Americans, 109 under Sanderson in just 17 seasons.
Sanderson’s 17-year head coaching ledger for team finishes at NCAAs since arriving at Penn State is as follows: 2010 (9th), 2011 (1st), 2012 (1st), 2013 (1st), 2014 (1st), 2015 (6th), 2016 (1st), 2017 (1st), 2018 (1st), 2019 (1st), 2020 (no tourn.), 2021 (2nd), 2022 (1st), 2023 (1st), 2024 (1st), 2025 (1st), 2026 (1st).