March has been Penn State wrestling coach Cael Sanderson’s month for a long time, and Monday, he discussed what his favorite thing about the month is.
At first, Sanderson talked about some non-wrestling related things that happen in March. These included the start of fishing season— Cael is an outdoorsman— and, oddly enough, new Pokémon cards.
But then, Sanderson started to talk about what he’s said before is “probably my favorite game”: wrestling.
Here’s what Sanderson said on his favorite thing about March.
WHAT CAEL SAID
Photo by Matt Lynch, Nittany Sports Now: Cael Sanderson
Sanderson said that what he loves most about March is the chance for Penn State to compete in the matches it thinks about all season long. These are the Big Ten and NCAA Championships.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.“The bigger the match, the more fun it is,” Sanderson told reporters at his media availability Tuesday. “I mean, we spend every day pretty much preparing and thinking about the big matches and what are the big matches? So, when you actually have an opportunity to go participate and do something about those big matches, I think that’s what it’s all about and kind of what you do this for. We don’t live to prepare for the big matches, we live for the big matches. And that’s just the energy and the mentality.”
For Sanderson, it’s important for him and his program to remember that wrestling is, in the grand scheme of things, just a small part of life.
“But we always keep things in perspective, too,” he said. “This is just a game that is going to come and go and this tournament’s going to go really fast and this season will and it will be all about next year and on and on and on. So you just kind of keep that true but healthy perspective.”
CAEL OWNS MARCH
Photo by Penn State Wrestling: Cael Sanderson
Cael Sanderson won an Olympic Gold Medal in August 2004. The rest of his biggest career achievements have happened in March. That’s where he’s won his 15 total national titles— four as a wrestler, 11 as a coach— along with his 10 Big Ten titles, all while coaching Penn State.
This year’s Big Ten Championships are scheduled for March 8-9 in Evanston, Illinois.
