Penn State Wrestling HC Cael Sanderson on the Verge of Making History: A Closer Look at His Incredible Journey

Cael Sanderson has been one of the most successful coaches of the Penn State wrestling program. The Olympic gold medalist has secured 10 NCAA National Wrestling Championships for the university, followed by over 30 championships. Continuing down the path of victories today, Sanderson is one day away from reaching yet another milestone as a coach.

So far into the season, the Penn State wrestling team has remained undefeated, contributing well to Sanderson’s near-200 milestone. Now if he were to maintain the streak, the match against Iowa on Friday would imprint an indelible mark on the 44-year-old’s career. With the possibility a day away, here’s a look at the previous stops.

Coach Cael Sanderson and the journey to 200

Cael Sanderson joined the Penn State wrestling program in 2009 becoming the 12th head coach. Prior to that, he remained a head coach in his alma mater, Iowa, where, as a student-athlete, Sanderson recorded career perfect 159-0. In acts of replicating a similarity, across 15 years, the Olympian has accumulated 199 wins. The 1st one of which arrived against Bloomsburg in November 2009. The next milestones of 50,100, and 150 came in a 3-4-year interval.

The first win for Cael Sanderson as a Penn State coach came in a home opener. The Nittany Lion wrestling team won six of the ten bouts to claim a 23-15 victory. Next on the list, in Jan 2013, the Lions delivered a 35-3 loss to the Boilers on their home grounds. It was a dominating start for the team with David Taylor, and Ed Ruth leading the win for the 50th milestone.

While it wasn’t a completely one-sided domination for the Nittany Lions in November 2016, the Cardinals still faced a 36-6 loss to hand Sanderson a 100th win. In Feb 2020, the Lions seized control of the match from the get-go. Winning seven matches and multiple bonus points, Penn State put up a 31-10 victory. The match delivered the celebrated coach his 150th win. Now for his next milestone, Sanderson is to lead Penn State against his alma mater.

Penn State aims victory for self and for coach

On Friday, the No. 1 Nittany Lions will take on the No.3 Iowa Hawkeyes. The rivalry so far has seen the latter take control by owning 28 of the 42 matches between the teams. However, the last 4 of the 5 matches between the two have resulted in Penn State’s favor. The numbers and the matching excellence on both sides are set to carry the tensions to new heights.

Also Read: Can Penn State Wrestling Shatter a Major Iowa Hawkeyes Record and Make Its 2023–24 Roster the All-Time Greatest?

If Penn State were to secure a win, the team will continue on 53 match winning streak and Sanderson will gain his milestone. A win or not, what the coach cherishes more is the memories and the team around him. “They’re by far what I am most grateful for,” he syas.

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