Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1518105
4 6 A P R I L 2 0 2 4 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Pyles, an editor and content producer for the national website FloWrestling, said that's a key aspect to Penn State's success. "This is the height of their powers right now," Pyles said. "They were ex- tremely good in 2011, but now it's hit- ting another echelon. They established the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club, and they've got the best senior-level guys. Iowa had that during their heyday." Both teams, Iowa then and Penn State now, Pyles said, had/have that sense of inevitability. "It's almost hopeless for other teams. It feels hopeless com- ing into the year, and it feels hopeless if you've got them in the NCAAs," Pyles said about Penn State wrestlers. "I think Iowa had that mystique. "The big difference is, it feels like Iowa wore the villain thing like a badge of honor almost. Penn State doesn't play that character, and it feels like the wrestling community doesn't really view them like that either. I think every- one is just in awe of their dominance." Pyles termed the annual NCAA Championships as "pure chaos" for everyone but the Nittany Lions. Penn State, he said, "consistently bucks the trend of chaos and just wrestles their best at the hardest tournament there is every single year. They've had so many transcendent legends. It's unbelievable to see them do it so consistently." It's All About Development Norm Palovcsik, another longtime observer of the program, and a Penn State wrestler from 1969-73, publishes Pennsylvania Wrestling Roundup. He cites the current Penn State staff's abil- ity to recruit and develop athletes ca- pable of strong performances at the na- tional tournament. "Back then, Iowa was dominating the NCAA Tournament, and they were dominating with guys who were more physically powerful and intimidating," Palovcsik said. "Their style was more of a brawling style, whereas the Penn State kids — present day — have more techni- cal superiority than the Iowa era. "Cael, Casey and all those guys ex- cel in developing national-caliber wrestlers. If you look at Nick Lee, he didn't come to Penn State as a national championship-caliber wrestler, but he developed into a two-time national champion [2021-22]. There's a differ- ence between having talented athletes in the program and taking them to the next level, and that's the difference I see today." While there's no reason to think things will change within the Penn State program, the question typically looms about when, or if, it will end. Penn State sophomore Levi Haines, who placed second as a freshman and first this season at 157, is a big part of the future. "There could always be an end to ev- erything," Haines said. "But I like to be- lieve as long as Coach Cael is there, it's probably going to keep going on." ■ NCAA Tournament Team Results Place Team Points 1. Penn State 172.5 2. Cornell 72.5 3. Michigan 71 4. Iowa State 68.5 5. Iowa 67 6. Arizona State 64.5 7. Virginia Tech 64 8. Ohio State 62 9. Nebraska 60.5 10. Oklahoma State 56 Penn State's team championship was its 11th in 13 tournaments under coach Cael Sanderson and its 12th all time. Sanderson is closing in on Iowa's legendary Dan Gable, who coached the Hawkeyes to 15 NCAA titles. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS