Penn State Sports Magazine
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7 4 M A R C H 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M T he Penn State wrestling team boasts something of a unicorn in the col- lege athletics world in head coach Cael Sanderson. Considered one of the best wrestlers and coaches in the world, he has reached the sport's pinnacle on the mat and in support of his athletes on the bench by practicing and then instill- ing in his competitors a simple formula: Know what you want to achieve and then find a way to do it, regardless of the circumstances. The longtime leader of the Nittany Lions' program recently won his 100th Big Ten dual meet. He is on track to win his 200th career dual at Penn State next season, and one needs many more than just 10 fingers and toes to count the number of national champions and All- Americans he's mentored since taking over the PSU program in April 2009. It's a list that will grow this year, too. The 2022-23 dual-meet season is all but over. Penn State has won its ninth Big Ten regular-season title (all since 2012), its third in as many years, and its fourth in the past five. The Lions will head to the confer- ence tournament and then nationals as the favorites to win the team races. Their title bid will be fueled by at least three No. 1 seeds: super senior Roman Bravo-Young at 133 pounds, junior Carter Starocci at 174 and senior Aaron Brooks at 184. Two additional wrestlers were inside the top five in the rankings of their respective weight classes: senior Max Dean at 197 and junior Greg Kerkv- liet at heavyweight. And three more could find themselves in the top 10: ju- nior Beau Bartlett (149), freshman Levi Haines (157) and redshirt freshman Alex Facundo (165). Several of those wrestlers will be fa- vorites to win individual NCAA titles. As many as nine Nittany Lions appear to have realistic All-America aspirations. It's a lineup that is unmatched nation- ally from top to bottom, and it figures to add plenty of hardware to the trophy case inside the Lorenzo Wrestling Com- plex. Many have pondered how Sander- son's team can accomplish such great feats year after year. It only takes a few minutes a week of listening to the head coach to understand not only how it's possible but why it routinely takes place. Starocci, the defending NCAA champ at 174, recently explained it in his words. "It's just that time of year," he said. "Everything else has to be put on the back burner, and it's time to dial in and be clear on what we want and go get it." The goal, of course, is a national title. That requires a relentless drive to be great, a positive attitude, a willingness to accept criticism in order to fix faults, and ultimately, an ability to have fun and leave it all on the mat, win or lose, by giving maximum effort for seven min- utes of regulation time plus any extra periods that may be needed. Sanderson, who is not the most long- winded member of the coaching com- munity, expounded on his philosophy during a recent news conference. Penn State's wrestlers, he said, "know what they want. The dual meets are a lot of fun. And nobody cares more about dual meets than we do. They're a big deal to us, and they're a big deal to our fan base and our alumni. "But the goal, and the dream, is to be an NCAA champion. That's got to be something that is exciting to you. We're not at a point where we've got to mo- tivate these kids to want to be national champions. It's more so just guys find- ing their way. They know what they want. They don't really need to be moti- vated or told anything." The wisdom of that approach can be seen in the team's results. Year after year, Penn State wrestlers find the gas needed to connect on a move and propel a late comeback or use their extreme conditioning to ride out an opponent to advance or win a title. Sanderson speaks often about his approach, which focuses on unlocking each wrestler's potential on the mat and then letting him find it for himself come the postseason. It's simple yet incredibly effective, and it will be on display again in a few short weeks. "There's always room for improve- ment, but we're happy with where we are at this point," Sanderson said in mid-February. "Obviously, we have a lot of work moving forward." ■ O P I N I O N GREG PICKEL GREG.PICKEL@ON3.COM Lions Know What They Want — And How To Get It THE LAST WORD Penn State will be seeking its 10th NCAA championship under coach Cael Sanderson when it heads to nationals in March. PHOTO BY DANIEL ALTHOUSE