More Matches at the Bryce Jordan Center? Go for it, Cael Sanderson Says

Penn State's wrestling coach says the program should consider competing at the BJC more often.

Penn State wrestling coach Cael Sanderson loves the tight squeeze and loud environment of Rec Hall, where his team has wrestled in front of 59 consecutive sellout crowds. But Sanderson wouldn't mind scheduling a few more matches at the Bryce Jordan Center, either.

"That's something that we look forward to every year," Sanderson said. "Each year it becomes and feels more like a home environment, and it's something we should probably think about, as a program, having more matches over there."

No. 1 Penn State hosts No. 6 Ohio State on Friday for the annual Bryce Jordan Center dual, which expects a full house for the first time since 2020. That year, the Lions beat Ohio State in front of 15,995 fans, the second-last dual meet of a season that would end with the NCAA championships being canceled.

After wrestling before no fans last season, the Lions have returned to competing in front of sellout crowds at Rec Hall. Now, Penn State has the potential to break its own  NCAA attendance record for an indoor wrestling match.

In fact, the top five indoor wrestling-match crowds all belong to Penn State, including the record of 15,998, which Penn State and Iowa set in 2018.

The top-ranked Lions, which defeated No. 2 Iowa last Friday, bring a 14-0 record into the Big Ten match against the Buckeyes. Nine Lions are ranked, including four at No. 1.

The more people who see his team, Sanderson said, the more they will become fans.

"[Wrestling at the Bryce Jordan Center] gives new opportunities for fans to see the team, and we want to continue to build our fan base," Sanderson said. "And it's hard to do that if people can't get in to watch your matches. We want to make sure we have a big match over there and let as many people fit in there to come watch a match, and hopefully, from there you can hook them and make them wrestling fans and Penn State wrestling fans."

Penn State wrestled its first match at the Bryce Jordan Center in 1996. The team has held annual matches there since the 2013-14 season. That first match, against Pitt, drew 15,996 people, then the largest crowd ever to watch an NCAA wrestling match. It also was the largest crowd to attend a Penn State sporting event on campus outside of Beaver Stadium.

One year later, Iowa and Oklahoma State broke the wrestling attendance record when they drew 42,287 fans to their outdoor match at Iowa's Kinnick Stadium. The two teams will wrestle outdoors again Feb. 12 at Globe Life Field, home of the Texas Rangers.

After wrestling its last three matches on the road, Penn State returns home for its final pair of Big Ten duals this weekend. Here are the details.

FRIDAY

No. 1 Penn State vs. No. 6 Ohio State

• When: 7 p.m.
• Where: Bryce Jordan Center
• TV: Big Ten Network

SUNDAY

No. 1 Penn State vs. No. 7 Nebraska

• When: Noon
• Where: Rec Hall
• TV: Big Ten Network

Read more

No. 1 Penn State ends Iowa's 28-match Big Ten win streak

Penn State football recruiting: A new commit and two interesting portal offers

Six Penn State newcomers to watch in 2022