Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1543434
7 4 M A R C H 2 0 2 6 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M I t should be scary enough for the rest of the college wrestling world that No. 1 Penn State, which wrapped up an unbeaten dual meet campaign with a 50-0 shutout of Princeton on Feb. 20, has six top-ranked wrestlers heading into the postseason. Beyond that, a team that shattered the points record at nationals each of the past two seasons — and that last year became only the second squad ever to have 10 All-Americans — has nine of 10 current starters inside of the top eight of their respective weight classes, with only 141-pound junior Braeden Davis outside of the cutoff for All-America status. All of that is working to the advan- tage of coach Cael Sanderson's team, and it will likely be more than enough for the Nittany Lions to bring home their fifth consecutive national team title and 13th since 2011. During Sand- erson's tenure, his teams have put together a staggering list of team and individual accomplishments, but even the highly successful squads of the recent past did not have the kind of to- getherness and cohesion that this one possesses. "We have a great team," Sanderson said following Penn State's 36-5 vic- tory over second-ranked Ohio State on Feb. 13. "Our culture, and just the friendship and the camaraderie — I don't think it's ever been anything close to what we have right now. I think a lot of it has to do with all the changes in college athletics. The kids are coming here because they want to be here and be part of something special. "With everything going on, it's a blessing for us, because we're getting a lot of like-minded people who fit in with what we're trying to do. They're just close, and they care about each other, and they want to see each other win. That's what makes your job fun as a coach — seeing a team that cares about each other. Their parents want to see the other kids win, that kind of stuff. It's special." Sanderson didn't elaborate any further. Maybe he will one day, but until then — and at the risk of putting words in the mouth of a man who usu- ally doesn't share many of them but always means what he says — we can only guess that he's talking about how this 2025-26 team is sharing a common focus of appreciating the NIL money that comes their way without letting it become a distraction or an impediment to their ongoing efforts to be the best in their sport. Beyond that — and these are our words — this year's Nittany Lions might have the best finishing ability of any team Sanderson has ever had. Four Nittany Lions scored in either overtime or the final 30 seconds of regulation to beat their Ohio State opponent. That wasn't a coincidence. Over the course of the season, one theme has emerged: When a takedown, reversal or nearfall points are needed to either win a match or claim bonus points, each wrestler gets the job done more often than not. It's why the Nittany Lions won their dual meets by an average of 39.4 points during the regular season. "They get stronger as the match goes on, and so when we find ourselves in a close match late, we've got a lot of con- fidence in our guys," Sanderson said. "That's just what they do, right?" It is what they do. It's hard to rank Sanderson's teams to determine which one is the best. They all have something unique that puts them far ahead of the pack. For this group, it is clearly their bond in the practice room and their ability to be at their best when it matters most. That should scare the rest of the col- lege wrestling world, too. ■ O P I N I O N GREG PICKEL GREG.PICKEL@ON3.COM No 'I' In Team, But Plenty Of 'W's THE LAST WORD Senior 174-pounder Levi Haines holds the Big Ten regular-season trophy, which Penn State clinched with its 36-5 rout of Ohio State on Feb. 13. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS