UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State track & field team, led by Head Coach John Gondak, announces its complete 2025-26 indoor/outdoor competition schedule, including four total home meets in Happy Valley.
“We are excited about the schedule we put together this year as it is a great mix of home competitions and heading to locations that will help our athletes prepare for the post-season," said Gondak. "We always enjoy hosting at the Ashenfelter Indoor Track and look forward to having our typical high-quality competitions at home again in 2026."
Penn State will open up its indoor season with a split-squad affair the weekend of December 5-6, 2025. Part of the group will travel to Lewisburg, Pa. for the Bucknell Opener, while another group will head to Philadelphia, Pa., for the Penn Opener. The last group will be going to the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener in Boston, Mass.
The indoor season continues after the new year when Penn State will host its first of four indoor home meets in the 2026 season. The Nittany Lion Challenge will take place on Jan. 17 at The Multi-Sport Facility & Horace Ashenfelter III Indoor Track.
Following their first home meet, the Nittany Lions will travel to Philadelphia to race in the Penn 10 Team Elite on Jan. 24 at the Ott Center for Track and Field. Penn State will then host two consecutive home meets in The Multi-Sport Facility & Horace Ashenfelter III Indoor Track. The first is the Penn State National Open slated for January 30-31, with the Sykes & Sabock Challenge taking place the following week on Feb. 7.
The last split-squad weekend of the indoor season will take place February 13-14. Select Nittany Lions will travel to Arkansas to compete in the Tyson Invitational while others will see action in the David Hemery Valentine Invite in Boston. The Tyson Invitational will take place at the Randal Tyson Track Center, host site for 2026 NCAA Indoor Championships.The Nittany Lions’ return home for their last regular regular season meet, the Penn State Tune Up, hosted on February 20 at The Multi-Sport Facility & Horace Ashenfelter III Indoor Track.
For the second straight season, the Big Ten Indoor Championships are set to be contested in Indianapolis, Indiana from February 27-28. Last season, the Penn State women's team finished seventh while the men finished 12th in the new-look Big Ten. Pending qualification, Penn State will then head to the NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark., hosted by Arkansas.
Penn State’s outdoor season starts on March 21, when the team heads back to Philadelphia for the Penn Challenge. Then the Nittany Lions will stay on the road for their only split-squad weekend of the spring. Part of the squad will head to North Carolina for the Raleigh Relays on March 26-28 while others will head to Orlando, Fla., for the Knights Invite on March 27-28.
On April 3-4 the Nittany Lions will head down to Gainesville, Fla. for the Florida Relays before returning back to Pennsylvania for the Bison Outdoor Classic on Aprill 11-12 hosted by Bucknell in Lewisburg, Pa.
In late April, Penn State will participate in the Virginia Challenge on April 17-18 in Charlottesville, Va. and then the Penn Relays on April 23-25 in Philadelphia before rounding out the regular season. Their final regular season meet will be at the Larry Ellis Invitational on May 1-2 in Princeton, N.J.
The outdoor postseason schedule will begin with the Big Ten Outdoor Championships from May 15-17, hosted by Nebraska in Lincoln, Neb. Last season, Penn State’s Allon Clay won the Big Ten Outdoor 800.
Select Nittany Lions will then make the trip to Lexington, Ky., for the NCAA East First Round meet from May 27-30. Pending final qualification, the Nittany Lions will conclude their season at the 2026 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, which return to Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon from June 10-13.
FULL SCHEDULE
Indoor Season
Dec. 5-6 – Penn Opener | Philadelphia, Pa.
Dec. 6 – Bucknell Opener | Lewisburg, Pa.
Dec. 6 – Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener | Boston, Mass.
Jan. 17 – Nittany Lion Challenge | University Park, Pa.
Jan. 24 – Penn 10 Team Elite | Philadelphia, Pa.
Jan. 30-31 – Penn State National Open | University Park, Pa.
Feb. 7 – Sykes & Sabock Challenge | University Park, Pa.
Feb. 13-14 – Tyson Invitational | Fayetteville, Ark.
Feb. 13-14 – David Hemery Valentine Invitational | Boston, Mass.
Feb. 20 – Penn State Tune-Up | University Park, Pa.
Feb. 27-28 – Big Ten Indoor Championships | Indianapolis, Ind.
Mar. 13-14 – NCAA Indoor Championships | Fayetteville, Ark.
Outdoor Season
Mar. 21 – Penn Challenge | Philadelphia, Pa.
Mar. 26-28 – Raleigh Relays | Raleigh N.C.
Mar. 27-28 – Knights Invite | Orlando, Fla.
Apr. 3-4 – Florida Relays | Gainesville, Fla.
Apr. 11-12 – Bison Outdoor Classic | Lewisburg, Pa.
Apr. 17-18 – Virgnia Challenge | Charlottesville, Va.
Apr. 23-25 – Penn Relays | Philadelphia, Pa.
May 1-2 – Larry Ellis Open | Princeton, N.J.
May 15-17 – Big Ten Outdoor Championships | Lincoln, Neb.
May 27-30 – NCAA East First Round | Lexington, Ky.
June 10-13 – NCAA Outdoor Championships | Eugene, Ore.