Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1532761
6 6 M A R C H 2 0 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M P enn State recently completed its fifth consecutive unbeaten wrestling season and ninth in the past 10 years. However, the top- ranked Nittany Lions will be judged not on what they did from November through February but primarily on what they do in March. Given that Penn State is aiming for its fourth NCAA title in a row and 12th in the past 14 championship tournaments, the Nittany Lions routinely have navi- gated the postseason successfully. But sports fans live in a what-have-you- done-for-me-lately world, and the question remains: What can, and will, Penn State do in the 2025 postseason? Head coach Cael Sanderson's crew has raw numbers that are staggering. The Lions scored 599 points in 15 dual meets and gave up 62. Their 10 regular starters compiled an aggregate record of 157-9, and four wrestlers finished undefeated while four others had just one loss. The team's final eight lineup regu- lars, from 141 through 285 pounds, are ranked either No. 1 or No. 2. And the 10 starters registered 362 takedowns while giving up 18. Penn State won 23 of 30 bouts in dual meets against the Nos. 2, 4 and 5 teams. There have been teams in the past whose balanced lineups made for good dual meet records but didn't transition well in the postseason. This Penn State team has not only the needed balance to win another NCAA crown but the star power for the individual titles that provide the exclamation point as well as team points. "I think the talent and competitive- ness in the wrestling room is unrivaled in wrestling history," said Ryan Hock- ensmith, an enterprise writer for ESPN who has covered Penn State off and on since 1998. "But I also think that the most underrated thing Cael Sanderson has done during this remarkable run is his emphasis on enjoying wrestling. "The Penn State guys have fun wres- tling. For decades, that wasn't the case. Wrestling was a grind, with rampant weight-cutting and brutal 3-2 matches. I don't know that anybody tracks this statistic, but I think Penn State has had far more wrestlers move up in weight class than anybody else. "The coaching staff really wants guys who can enjoy the sport and wrestle unafraid of making mistakes. I think that stuff matters more than we real- ize." After finishing the regular season with a 15-2 record, freshman 125-pounder Luke Lilledahl will be looking to excel at the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS WRESTLING J I M CA R L S O N | B L U E W H I T E C O N T R I B U T O R Showtime After another stellar regular season, Penn State could make history at the NCAA Tournament