Feb. 13, 2017
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team (13-0, 9-0 B1G), ranked No. 1 in the latest InterMat Tournament Power Index, will trek to Stillwater, Okla., to face No. 2 Oklahoma State (14-0, 6-0 Big 12) for the 2017 NWCA Dual Championship Series crown. The event, one of eight in the annual dual meet event, takes place in Oklahoma State's Gallagher-Iba Arena at 4 p.m. ET/3 p.m. CT.
This will mark the second straight year that the two teams will meet for the title. Penn State won last year's meeting in Rec Hall, 29-18 on Feb. 21, 2016.
The Penn State/Oklahoma State match-up pits the nation's top-ranked Big Ten team against the nation's top-ranked non-Big Ten squad, and the winner of the dual meet will be declared the 2017 NWCA Dual Meet Champion. The Series, in its second season in this new iteration, features eight dual meets across the country. The full 2017 NWCA Dual Championship Series is as follows:
NWCA National Duals Championship Series
presented by Theraworx and the United States Marine Corps
(all times Eastern)
Friday, February 17
#12 Rutgers at #11 Lehigh, 7 p.m.
#16 Michigan at #7 NC State, 7 p.m.
Purdue at #17 South Dakota State, 8 p.m.
Saturday, February 18
#3 Iowa at #24 Edinboro, 7 p.m.
Sunday, February 19 #4 Ohio State at #8 Cornell, 1 p.m.
#2 Penn State at #1 Oklahoma State, 4 p.m.
Indiana at #20 Appalachian State, 3 p.m.
#6 Nebraska at #5 Virginia Tech, 7 p.m.
"We are excited to be wrestling in the title event of the 2017 NWCA Dual Championship Series," said head coach Cael Sanderson. "Dual meets matter and the NWCA Dual Championship Series gives fans one more shot to see 16 of the nation's best teams face off against each other. We are looking forward to an exciting atmosphere in Stillwater and the chance to compete in an outstanding event."
Penn State will enter the season's dual crescendo with a perfect 13-0 mark, 9-0 in the conference and winner of its fourth Big Ten Regular Season (dual meet) Championship, and riding a 30-dual win streak. Oklahoma State enters the dual meet 14-0 having gone 6-0 in Big 12 dual action.
Sunday's title tilt will be the 22nd meeting between the two national powers. The Cowboys own a 13-7-1 lead in the all-time series, including last year's Penn State win in Rec Hall. The Cowboys won the last meeting in Stillwater, a close 21-18 win on Feb. 15, 2015.
The event will not be televised live. A tape delay of the dual will air on Fox College Sports at a later date to be announced. FloWrestling will offer a pay per/subscription live stream of the event at http://www.flowrestling.org/. Fans can, however, listen live for free to Jeff Byers and the Penn State wrestling radio networks broadcast at GoPSUnow /click here!. Again, our radio broadcast will be live and free of charge to all fans.
Penn State Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at @pennstateWREST, on Penn State Wrestling's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/pennstatewrest. The 2016-17 Penn State wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline. This is PENN STATE. WRESTLING lives here.