Iowa–Penn State wrestling rivalry

The Iowa–Penn State wrestling rivalry is an American collegiate wrestling rivalry between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Penn State Nittany Lions. The two programs are some of the most successful in the history of NCAA Division I wrestling. The Hawkeyes and Nittany Lions have the second- and third-most team national championships, with 24 and 10 respectively, only trailing Oklahoma State's 34 titles. The series ascended to the national stage in the past decade with Penn State's rise to the top of the wrestling world, as they won 8 of 10 team titles during the 2010s. Fellow Big Ten schools Iowa and Ohio State were the only other teams to win during the 2010s.

Iowa–Penn State wrestling rivalry

Iowa Hawkeyes Penn State Nittany Lions
Sport	Wrestling
First meeting	1982 Iowa 34, Penn State 9
Latest meeting	January 27, 2023 Penn State 23, Iowa 14
Statistics
Meetings total	42
All-time series	Iowa 28–12–2
Largest victory	Iowa, 36–3 (1990)
Longest win streak	Iowa, 8 (1998–2005)
Current win streak	Penn State, 2 (2022–present)

The rivalry began in 1982 and has been wrestled annually. It was amplified when Penn State joined the Big Ten Conference in 1993. It has been described as "the nation’s fiercest wrestling rivalry",[1] and has resulted in sold out venues due to the popularity of dual meets.[2][3] While the Hawkeyes dominated the early stages of the rivalry, it has become more balanced of late, with Penn State taking 6 of the last 13 matches.[4] Since 2008, the rivalry has consistently been a Top 10 matchup. The 2020 contest between #1 Iowa and #2 Penn State became the most-watched wrestling telecast in the history of the Big Ten Network, drawing 342,955 viewers.[5] The Hawkeyes prevailed over the Nittany Lions by a score of 19 to 17 in the most highly anticipated contest[6] in the rivalry's history.[7] The 1988 contest would be the first and only loss for Iowa at home during the Dan Gable Era.