It wasn’t a fun year to be a Penn State fan, folks.

Despite multiple teams crumbling under immense expectations, there were still fun moments all across the athletic program that, for some teams, allowed a brief moment of respite in a season filled with despair, while for others, it was a crowning accomplishment in a fun, thrilling campaign.

Here are the top 10 best moments from the 2025-26 Penn State athletic season.

No. 10: Michael Anderson Breaks Penn State Baseball’s Single-Season Home Run Record

In a year full of disappointment for the baseball program, there was one shining light all season long, and that was Arkansas transfer Michael Anderson.

Penn State entered 2026 as one of three Big Ten programs to never have a hitter with 20 home runs in a season. That changed in early May, as Anderson put a bow on a historic season with his 20th home run off Maryland reliever Andrew Koshy, breaking Ben Heath’s record of 19 set back in 2010.

The record-setting homer!!!@Michael_A110 #WeAre pic.twitter.com/ZqtdUlyU91

— Penn State Baseball (@PennStateBASE) May 14, 2026

Anderson finished the season as one of the Big Ten’s best sluggers, being named to First-Team All-Big Ten.

No. 9: Kiyomi McMiller Scores 40 In Signature Win Over USC

It was another forgettable season for Penn State women’s basketball, as the Lady Lions missed the Big Ten Tournament and saw a coaching change, with alum Tanisha Wright replacing Carolyn Kieger.

Still, there was a signature moment late in the season, as Rutgers transfer Kiyomi McMiller’s late-season scoring binge reached its pinnacle at Rec Hall against USC on February 25.

As huge 14.5-point underdogs, the Lady Lions trailed by as much as 12 in the third quarter before going on a run to tie it early in the fourth, ultimately pulling off the upset against a Trojans squad that won a game in the NCAA Tournament.

McMiller had 40 when it was all said and done on 15-for-24 from the field with seven three-pointers. It’s the fifth-ever 40-piece in Lady Lions history, and the first in Big Ten play since Kelly Mazzante scored 49 in 2001.

McMiller entered the transfer portal following Kieger’s dismissal and will spend the 2026-27 season in Gainesville at Florida.

No. 8 Penn State Wrestling Dominates ‘Dual Of The Century’

Any time that you get No. 1 vs. No. 2 in any sport, it’s a spectacle.

Now imagine that spectacle in wrestling, in front of a record-breaking crowd at the Bryce Jordan Center, between the unstoppable dynasty and an undefeated bitter rival that’s trying to end a historic winning streak. At one point in the season, the projected matchups made this feel like one of the closest duals we’d see in years.

And then, it fell flat.

Sure, we got the blockbuster matchups between Nic Bouzakis and Luke Lilledahl and Marcus Blaze and Ben Davino, both going to the Nittany Lion in overtime, but multiple Buckeyes were scratched before the dual that made it all but academic the moment Lilledahl beat Bouzakis.

Still, there were two signature moments late that sent a message. First, undefeated Ohio State transfer Rocco Welsh rallied back from an early deficit against Dylan Fishback to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat against his former team at 184 pounds.

And in the main event, at heavyweight, redshirt freshman Cole Mirasola picked up a signature win against No. 3 Nick Feldman, ending the dual meet with a vicious 36-5 score and showing everyone that there are levels to this sport.

No. 7: Penn State Men’s Volleyball Wins EIVA Title In Mark Pavlik’s Final Home Match

What’s the best way to say goodbye to a coaching legend? A national championship would probably do it. But what’s the next best thing?

Mark Pavlik has led Penn State men’s volleyball for 32 years, winning 74% of his matches, making 26 NCAA Tournament appearances, 21 Final Four appearances, 4 title game appearances, and winning a national championship in 2008. He was the program, so when he announced that 2026 would be his final season, there was an obligation to give him something good to go out on.

Well, the Nittany Lions rolled through the EIVA in the regular season, earning the right to host the tournament at Rec Hall. After winning a competitive, five-set match against Charleston in the semifinal, they swept Princeton two nights later to win Pavlik’s 27th conference title in 32 years and earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament in his final home match.

Your EIVA champions the Nittany Lions #WeAre pic.twitter.com/Ysyzcpp7lq

— Penn State Men's Volleyball (@PennStateMVBALL) April 26, 2026

No. 6: Penn State Men’s Lacrosse Wins Second Big Ten Tournament Title

It was a chaotic season for Jeff Tambroni and Penn State men’s lacrosse, as a complicated resume showed both tremendous high-end ability with three top-10 wins, while also suffering three crushing upset defeats that had their NCAA Tournament hopes in a tenuous position entering the Big Ten Tournament.

A close win over Maryland in the semifinal likely secured their spot as an at-large, but the team saw an opportunity to prove themselves against top-seeded Johns Hopkins in the Big Ten Championship Game. In an offensive masterpiece, the Nittany Lions scored 16 goals on a cloudy day in Piscataway to handily secure their second-ever Big Ten title and an auto bid into the national tournament.

No. 5: Mitchell Mesenbrink Dominates On Way To Second National Championship

Individual dominance is the norm in Penn State wrestling, so while any other school getting a national champion is a big deal, the culture that Cael Sanderson has created in Happy Valley has made it the expectation.

Still, what Mitchell Mesenbrink did to Michael Caliendo in the 2026 NCAA Championship Final at 165 pounds took it to a whole different level.

Entering the matchup, Mesenbrink was 8-0 against Caliendo in their careers with two technical falls and three major decisions. There was a time that Caliendo appeared to be bridging the gap, especially when he heavily limited Mesenbrink’s offense in the 2025 NCAA Final, but Mesenbrink had earned bonus points in both of their meetings in 2025-26.

Yet, I don’t think anyone saw this coming. In their final collegiate matchup, Mesenbrink dominated from start to finish, securing a 20-4 tech fall in just over five minutes to secure his second title in a row. He led by 14 points after two periods. It’s the first time a wrestler has won a national championship via tech fall since 1998.

No. 4: Kayden Mingo Calls Game Against Minnesota

There weren’t many great moments for Penn State men’s basketball this season, especially when considering that almost every player from this year’s roster has either transferred or graduated. Even then, there was one moment that, at the time, gave you hope for the future and reminded you of the good ol’ days of Jalen Pickett and company.

When Minnesota came to State College on February 1, they were facing a Penn State team that had lost eight consecutive games and was an abhorrent 0-10 in Big Ten play. But with Minnesota entering at 3-7 themselves, this game appeared winnable, and the Nittany Lions were up to the task, leading for much of the game.

Despite building a 10-point lead with under five minutes to play, the offense ground to a halt, only scoring four points in the next 4:40 to allow the Golden Gophers to tie the game at 75 late in the second half. After Langston Reynolds mercifully missed the second free throw with 31 seconds left, freshman guard Kayden Mingo meticulously worked the clock down and scored an impossible layup with 1.4 seconds to go to win the game.

Mingo decided to transfer to Baylor to play with his brother in 2026-27, but the highest-rated recruit in program history at least delivered one big moment in his lone season.

No. 3: Gavin McKenna’s Beaver Stadium Moment

After reloading a roster coming off a Frozen Four berth with several NHL draft picks and the consensus No. 1 prospect in the 2026 NHL Draft, the expectation for Penn State men’s hockey in 2025-26 was a national championship. While they fell short of that goal by a disappointing amount, the increased media coverage and momentum still brought the program forward.

Look no further than the extremely hyped game at Beaver Stadium, where the Nittany Lions hosted No. 2 Michigan State in a barnburner of a game in front of almost 75,000 fans.

After an up-and-down first half of the season, Penn State had regained serious momentum with a strong January that included a road sweep over future national runner-up Wisconsin heading into this major series. After Michigan State won the first game, this one became imperative to the team’s hopes of being a legitimate contender.

And for a little while, it seemed like they’d have it. Down 2-1 midway through the second period, McKenna got his signature moment, ripping a loose puck in front of the net past Trey Augustine to tie the game and send Beaver Stadium into a frenzy.

BEAVER STADIUM IS GOING CRAZY @spittinchiclets' Mike Grinnell was in the student section when Gavin McKenna tied things up for @PennStateMHKY. pic.twitter.com/ZBuhZcTvHa

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) January 31, 2026

Penn State would fall in overtime after blowing a lead late in the second period, a perfect microcosm of how this season felt: so close, yet so far.

No. 2: Amare Campbell’s Scoop And Score Into Bowl Eligibility

Penn State football’s 2025 season was the biggest on-field disaster in the history of this athletic program. That much isn’t debatable. There are so many things that went wrong for a team that was supposed to compete for a national championship.

One of the things that gave fans a chance to smile, at least, was the way interim head coach Terry Smith rallied the team down the stretch. While half of them were one foot out the door with the transfer portal looming in January, he got them to pick themselves up off the mat after a 3-6 start and win three consecutive games to earn bowl eligibility.

But that doesn’t happen without one specific play in the fourth quarter at SHI Stadium in Piscataway. For the first time in a decade, Rutgers was legitimately putting a scare into Penn State, as their offense moved through Jim Knowles’ defense like a hot knife through butter. Rutgers’ 36 points were the most they had ever scored in 35 all-time meetings.

And it looked like they weren’t done yet. The Scarlet Knights had the ball on the Penn State 33 with under eight minutes to go and a three-point lead at home. A touchdown probably seals it, given the Penn State defense’s struggles. Despite no way to stop the run game or even the pass game, they got a gift from Athan Kaliakmanis.

This week's Snickers Most Satisfying Play of the Game goes to Amare Campbell's game-winning scoop and score.

Snickers Satisfies.#WeAre | @SNICKERS pic.twitter.com/cNsKctgbqJ

— Penn State Athletics (@GoPSUsports) December 2, 2025

The presence of Dani Dennis-Sutton spooked Kaliakmanis into fumbling the football. Zuriah Fisher tried to fall on it, but missed. That wound up being a good thing, as Amare Campbell came in from the second level to scoop up the loose ball and return it 61 yards for what turned out to be the game-winning touchdown.

Rutgers still hasn’t beaten Penn State in football since 1988 and has never beaten them in New Jersey.

No. 1: Tessa Janecke’s Frozen Four Breakaway

There’s no other answer. After all, it created one of the biggest crowd pops in Penn State history.

Penn State women’s hockey enjoyed the best season in program history in 2025-26, steamrolling its way through the AHA en route to home-ice advantage all the way through the NCAA Tournament, by way of hosting the Frozen Four.

That streak of good fortune allowed the team to create a home environment for the Frozen Four semifinal against No. 2 Wisconsin, a back-and-forth thriller.

These two teams went toe-to-toe, and despite Wisconsin leading in the third period with a significant shot share, the Nittany Lions put considerable pressure on them down the stretch. That culminated in a breakaway chance for Tessa Janecke, the greatest player in program history and Olympic gold medalist. The 89th goal and 201st point of her collegiate career would prove to be the biggest one:

Absolute SCENES here at Pegula #WeAre #HockeyValley pic.twitter.com/rmOVZXWItG

— Penn State Women’s Hockey (@PennStateWHKY) March 21, 2026

Ultimately, the Badgers got a power play early in overtime and capitalized, winning the game and going on to win the national championship. Pegula Ice Arena was heartbroken, as even Penn State athletics’ greatest moment of the season still ended in disappointment.