What to Watch: Week 12 of the College Wrestling Season

As Week 12 of the college wrestling season gets underway, teams are diving deeper into their conference schedules, setting the stage for top matchups. This week will be a treat for wrestling fans, with high-ranked teams facing off and conference action continuing. Check out a few events to keep an eye on in week 12.

Date: Friday, January 17

Time: 8 p.m. CT

Location: Devaney Center, Lincoln, Neb.

Where to Watch: B1G Network

Top-ranked Penn State (7-0, 1-0 B1G) travels to Lincoln, Nebraska, to face No. 5 Nebraska (6-1, 1-0 B1G) in a highly anticipated dual on Friday, January 17 at 8 p.m. CT. The Nittany Lions and Huskers both have a full lineup of ranked wrestlers. Two wrestlers hold the top ranking in the nation for Penn State: Mitchell Mesenbrink at 165 pounds and Carter Starocci at 184 pounds. Both teams are coming off victories in their Big Ten openers, with Penn State shutting out Michigan State 55-0, and Nebraska defeating Minnesota 21-13. While Penn State leads the all-time series 12-7-1 and won last year's matchup 22-13 in State College, the Huskers look to build on home advantage. Nebraska’s highest ranked wrestler in the latest rankings was Ridge Lovett, ranked fourth at 149 pounds.

Date: Friday, January 17

Time: 6 p.m. CT

Location: Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa City, Iowa

Where to Watch: B1G Network

Also on Friday, No. 12 Illinois matches up against No. 2 Iowa in Iowa City. The Fighting Illini are coming off of a recent loss to No. 5 Ohio State, while the Hawkeyes look to maintain their perfect season after a dominant 45-0 victory over Wisconsin. Iowa, which has won the last 12 matchups and is led by head coach Tom Brands (13-0 all-time against Illinois), has seven undefeated wrestlers in their lineup, including No. 1 Stephen Buchanan at 197 pounds. Lucas Byrd recently bumped to the top spot at 133 pounds for Illinois.

Date: Saturday, January 18

Time: 6:30 p.m. CT

Location: Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa City, Iowa

Where to Watch: Big Ten Plus

No. 4 Grand Valley State will take on No. 1 Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa, on Saturday. Grand Valley State enters Carver-Hawkeye Arena with a 1-1 dual record and six ranked wrestlers, including top-ranked Sage Mortimer at 110 pounds. The Hawkeyes are fresh off their second consecutive NWCA National Duals title. The event will also feature a neutral site dual between Grand Valley State and Augustana College (IL) before Iowa takes on Grand Valley State. The Hawkeyes match up against Augustana College first, followed by the dual against Iowa and Grand Valley State.

Date: Saturday, January 18

Time: 2 p.m. CT

Location: Halenbeck Hall, St. Cloud, Minn.

Where to Watch: NSIC Network

The No. 1 St. Cloud State Huskies play host to the No. 7 Augustana (S.D.) Vikings on Saturday, January 18. This is a top ten matchup at the NCAA DII level college wrestling fans won’t want to miss. The Huskies are coming off of their eighth NWCA National Duals title, and hold a record of 7-0 overall and 3-0 in conference action. At 149 pounds, SCSU’s Colby Njos holds the top ranking in the country while St. Cloud State is the only DII program with 10 ranked wrestlers in the lineup. The Vikings are 5-5 overall this season with a conference record of 2-0. The dual will be streamed on the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference network, linked above.

Date: Sunday, January 19

Time: 9 a.m. ET

Location: Bristol, Tenn.

King hosts seven programs this weekend for the Tornado Open in Bristol, Tennessee. The following programs are slated to compete at this event: Emmanuel, Emory & Henry, Frostburg State, Huntingdon, King, Mount Olive, Newberry, Schreiner and West Liberty. Action for the one-day tournament begins on Sunday, January 19.