Penn State Wrestling Wins 2022 NCAA Team Title
Penn State’s strongest dynasty is still very much alive.
On Saturday, the Nittany Lions’ wrestling team clinched the 2022 NCAA Championships team title during the wrestlebacks. Penn State has now won a whopping nine national championships since head coach Cael Sanderson took over the team in 2010.
The Nittany Lions lead Michigan in the team race with 115.5 points so far. The Wolverines, who sit in second with 89.5, needed bonus points in each of their consolation bracket bouts to have a chance for the championship. Michigan’s Will Lewan couldn’t hold up his end of the bargain despite a 4-2 decision for fifth place at 157 pounds.
Penn State racked up a program-record 146.5 team points during 2017’s national tournament. Although five wrestlers will compete for individual titles Saturday night, Penn State’s highest possible point total sits at 144.5.
More or less, Penn State has dominated the 2022 tournament. The Nittany Lions’ nine qualifying wrestlers have, so far, posted a 28-7 record in the tournament. Six of Penn State’s stars became All-Americans this weekend, too.
Penn State’s national title is the team’s first since 2019. Despite crowning four individual champions in 2021, the Nittany Lions fell just behind Iowa in the tournament’s team race.
Under Sanderson’s leadership, Penn State has produced 27 individual national titles, and a few more could be on the way tonight. Follow Onward State’s live coverage of the NCAA Championships finals to see how the Nittany Lions’ five finalists end their tournaments.
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