Spring semester classes have started to pick up, and so have sports. Several of Penn State’s sports teams are in the full swing of things, and some are just getting their seasons started.

While you’ve probably heard about some of the more dominant wins by Penn State sports teams (wrestling, anyone?), let’s check up on all of the teams.

Men’s Basketball

In Big Ten play, the Nittany Lions have been struggling a bit. On January 24, Penn State hoops suffered a 20-point loss to Rutgers.

After a few days off to practice and regroup, the team pulled off a win against Michigan on Sunday, January 29, in the annual THON game.

Just a few weeks after the two teams met at the Palestra in Philadelphia, Penn State had the opportunity for a rematch with No. 1 Purdue. The Boilermakers are a strong team, though, and with only one loss to their name coming from Rutgers a few weeks earlier, the Nittany Lions couldn’t withstand the storm. Penn State lost 80-60 to Purdue.

To close out the week, Micah Shrewsberry’s team headed out to Nebraska. In an interesting game, the Nittany Lions were unable to pull out a win and lost 72-63 to the Cornhuskers. While the team previously had a chance for a spot in the NCAA Tournament bracket, the future is now much more uncertain.

Lady Lions

To start the week, Carolyn Kieger’s team also had some trouble with Rutgers. A close match between the Nittany Lions and the Scarlet Knights went into overtime, but Penn State ultimately fell 86-82.

On Monday, January 30, the Lady Lions traveled to No. 8 Maryland. Unfortunately, the team wasn’t able to overcome the Terps, who have been quite successful in conference play so far, losing 87-66.

Finally, Kieger’s team secured a win against Northwestern on Thursday, February 2. The Lady Lions hosted the Wildcats in the Bryce Jordan Center, where they were able to break their losing streak with a 74-64 win.

On Sunday, February 5, Penn State hosted Iowa, where they moved back into a serious slump, falling to the Hawkeyes 95-51 in the annual Pink Zone game.

Wrestling

In case you missed it, Penn State wrestling is an absolute unit. The team hosted No. 2 Iowa in a sold-out Bryce Jordan Center for the most anticipated dual of the season on January 27. With a 23-14 win, head coach Cael Sanderson secured his 100th career Big Ten win.

The following weekend, Sanderson’s team traveled to No. 4 Ohio State, but this didn’t seem like a challenge either. Penn State held the Buckeyes to single digits and easily clinched the match 29-9.

On Sunday, February 5, the Nittany Lions faced yet another Big Ten opponent, and if two top-10 opponents couldn’t provide a challenge for the team, neither could No. 22 Indiana. Penn State swept the Hoosiers 35-8 to remain undefeated.

Men’s Hockey

Under Guy Gadowsky, Penn State men’s hockey was ranked No. 9. However, the Big Ten is competitive. On Friday, January 27, the team opened a series with No. 7 Michigan but fell 7-3 after a defensive struggle. Following another loss to Michigan on Saturday, the team officially suffered its first series loss of the season.

Following the loss, the team fell to No. 9 in the USCHO poll, released on January 30.

This past weekend, the team faced off against No. 7 Ohio State. The Nittany Lions claimed a very necessary statement win on Friday night with their 4-3 win. Penn State split the series, though, losing 4-2 on Saturday night.

Women’s Hockey

Penn State women’s ice hockey finished up a series against Mercyhurst in Erie on Monday, January 23. The Nittany Lions clinched the series sweep with a 3-2 win in overtime.

The following weekend, the Nittany Lions hosted Lindenwood, and the team had no problems completing yet another series sweep with big wins on both Friday and Saturday.

On Friday, February 3, women’s hockey traveled to Syracuse, absolutely dominating with a 7-0 win on Friday and a 4-1 win on Saturday. With that win, the Nittany Lions clinched the CHA regular-season title and have not lost a game since November 25.

Men’s Volleyball

The No. 4-ranked men’s volleyball team had been undefeated all season, even against other ranked opponents. However, a match against No. 3 Long Beach State proved to be too much for the Nittany Lions, as they were handed their first loss 3-1 on Wednesday, January 25.

Not to worry, though — the Big Ten/Pac 12 Challenge, hosted in Rec Hall on February 3 and 4, offered the team plenty of redemption opportunities. The Nittany Lions secured a 3-1 win over No. 10 USC on Friday and then followed it up with another 3-1 win against No. 2 UCLA on Saturday. UCLA was previously undefeated on the season.

Men’s Gymnastics

The men’s gymnastics team hosted Nebraska in Rec Hall to kick off Big Ten matchups on January 28. The meeting provided close competition for both teams, but the Nittany Lions fell 399.550-398.000.

The following weekend, the team traveled to Illinois. While this meet still resulted in a loss for Penn State, the end score was still an improvement from the meet at Nebraska. Illinois won the meet 408.800-402.400.

Women’s Gymnastics

The women’s gymnastics team has also opened up conference competition, facing off against Rutgers at home on Monday, January 30. The team fought the Scarlet Knights to a win, securing a comfortable 196.550-195.150 victory.

No. 13 Michigan State hosted the Nittany Lions on Saturday, February 4. Penn State’s gymnasts couldn’t keep up with the Spartans, and, with a bit of a wider spread in the scores, tumbled to a 197.450-195.475 loss.

Swimming and Diving

Villanova traveled to McCoy Natatorium on January 27 to face off against Penn State’s swimming and diving team. Both the men’s and women’s teams swam away with wins, barely giving Villanova a fighting chance. The women’s team finished with a score of 183-106, while the men’s team finished with 179.5-111.5.

The team then traveled south to West Virginia for a diving-only meet. Both teams were successful against the Mountaineers. The regular season is now over for the swimming and diving team, and they will now begin prepping for the Big Ten championships, which will be held beginning February 22.

Track and Field (Indoor Season)

Penn State hosted the Penn State National Open on January 27 and 28, which featured athletes from all across the country hailing from a slew of universities. Many Nittany Lions had impressive finishes, but notable achievements came from Lance Hamilton, who placed first in the triple jump, and Mallory Kauffman, who took home her fourth win of the season.

On Saturday, February 4, Penn State played host again for the Sykes and Sabock Competition. Luke Knipe took home a win in the pole vault, and the women swept both the mile and the 200m.

Men’s Tennis

It seems that the men’s tennis team may also be flying under the radar as one of Penn State’s sports teams to watch. On Saturday, January 28, the team easily secured both a 6-1 win against Duquesne and a 7-0 win against Saint Francis at home.

After a week to rest, the team was back at it for another set of matches against Mount St. Mary’s and Drexel. The team won both matches with ease, scoring 7-0 against both schools.

Penn State was handed its first loss of the season on Sunday, February 5, against Penn, with a 4-2 score. Later in the afternoon, the team bounced back, grabbing a 6-1 win over Villanova to move to a 7-1 record.

Women’s Tennis

Like the men, the women have also put up an impressive performance so far. The Nittany Lions faced Harvard on the road, where they walked away with a 7-0 win on January 28.

The following day, Penn State faced LSU in Baton Rouge, where perhaps a tough road environment led to a 5-2 loss for the Nittany Lions.

The Nittany Lions competed against Marshall in West Virginia on Saturday, February 4, where they clinched a 4-3 win. On Sunday, they headed to West Virginia University and capped off the weekend with a 6-1 victory.

Men’s Golf

It may not feel like spring, but it’s apparently time for spring sports.

Penn State men’s golf kicked off its season with a match against Michigan in which they lost 3-2. Continuing their play in the Big Ten Match Play Championship, the Nittany Lions played another match against Maryland. The teams tied 2.5-2.5, but Penn State won the tiebreaker to walk away with the win.

To finish up their showing in Palm Coast, Florida, the Nittany Lions faced off against the Nebraska Cornhuskers, where they won 4-1.

Men’s Lacrosse

Men’s lacrosse kicked off their season this weekend with a game against Lafayette College. After a bit of a rough season in 2022, the team had a strong showing in its first match, winning 21-11.