UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Cael Sanderson will begin 18th season as Penn State’s wrestling coach having successfully defended the national championship in the five previous seasons.
Sanderson is hoping to lead Penn State to its sixth consecutive national championship in March, becoming the first program to do so since Iowa did it between 1995-2000.
The Nittany Lions open it up against Bloomsburg and this is all Sanderson had to say.
Opening Statement — Cael Sanderson:
Just a couple of roster updates.
Marcus Blaze is wrestling at 141 pounds. We felt like it was a good move for him personally and obviously a really strong move for our team as well.
The other thing is that we have two wrestlers this year who are going to take religious mission years: Will Henckel and Cole Mirasola. Both are strong men of faith and felt like this would be a good opportunity for them to go out and share that with the world. Those are their personal decisions, obviously, so they won’t be on our roster this year. You’ll see that when the roster comes out.
We’re excited. We’ve got a big match this week, and we’re getting started.
Marcus Blaze Moving to 141 Pounds
Q: With Marcus moving up to 141, what’s the reasoning behind that decision? What’s the timeframe for his return after competing at the World Championships?
Sanderson: We’re working on the timing of when he comes back.
Obviously, Marcus is a guy who’s ready to go at any time. He’s getting a little bigger. He’s very disciplined in his life, so he could do what he needed to do to get down to 133, but we feel like this was a good move for him.
It just makes sense. He’ll be a good-sized 141-pounder. We’re not worried about his size. He can continue focusing on getting better and competing hard.
We allow our guys to make those decisions about what weight they want to wrestle.
Q: Was he cutting weight to get to 133?
Sanderson: He’s very disciplined. The way he would look cutting weight versus somebody else, or the way he competes, might be different.
He could live a lifestyle to wrestle at 133 or a lifestyle to wrestle at 141. In the long term, as a guy who’s planning on wrestling at 65 kilograms, and with the upcoming Olympic year, the move up makes a lot of sense for him.
Masanosuke Ono’s Availability
Q: Will we see Masa this Thursday, and if so, at what weight class?
Sanderson: Possibly. We still haven’t really set who’s wrestling yet. We’re getting close, and we’re going to have to make those decisions. But he’s wrestling at 133.
Levi Haines’ Eligibility Situation
Q: With the recent court ruling regarding Levi Haines’ potential eligibility, where do things stand?
Sanderson: I don’t know. I don’t really understand that whole process.
I don’t get how some kids in some states, on some teams and in some sports are getting that year, and some aren’t. I haven’t followed it as closely as maybe I should.
Obviously, that’s something you would hope the NCAA would have the ability to enforce. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to give some kids the year and not give it to others.
We’re trying to decide how we proceed from here. We find stuff out at the same time you guys do. I actually heard from my wife.
Levi is obviously a tremendous leader. You see the way he approaches competition. He’s a guy you want around as long as you can have him.
Of course, he’s part of the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club and just won a world championship in very impressive fashion. He’s going to be around the program either way.
As far as pursuing an individual case, it sounds like that would be the next step, which is a sad thing, that every individual around the country has to pursue that.
I don’t really understand how we’re in this situation. It’s weird and unfortunate. We’re trying to decide with him what the next step would be.
Potential Lineup Changes
Q: Will Braden Davis and Nate Desmond be competing at 141? And depending on Levi’s eligibility, would Mitchell Mesenbrink and PJ Duke move up?
Sanderson: I think what people are expecting is pretty accurate.
PJ would move up, and Mitchell would be moving up. That’s their plan.
If Levi comes back, that actually makes things more complicated, but he’s a kid you’re willing to work with. You deal with it and treat every kid like they’re your own.
As a team, we’ve got a pretty solid lineup.
Davis, Desmond and Masa would be the frontrunners at 133.
Desmond has been showing he can wrestle anywhere. He’s a beast all the way around.
Nick Lee’s Influence on Marcus Blaze
Q: With Marcus moving to 141, where Nick Lee had so much success, how have you seen those two work together and make each other better?
Sanderson: Nick Lee is a great competitor, a two-time national champion and, I think, a four-time All-American.
He has a great mindset and an extreme team mentality. That’s why we put him on our staff.
He’s making everyone around him better. Marcus is one of those guys who benefits from having Nick in the room.
Nick Lee has been a tremendous addition to our staff.
Connor Mirasola’s Transition to Heavyweight
Q: With Cole Mirasola leaving on his mission, what have you seen from his twin brother Connor that gives you confidence he can step in as a full-time heavyweight?
Sanderson: Connor’s been trying to — actually, not trying. There’s a difference between trying and doing. He’s just doing.
He’s already made the transition to heavyweight. He’s big and strong, and I’m really excited to see him compete at heavyweight.
He wrestled last spring. I believe he won the University or U23 Nationals. He can wrestle, but he’s put a lot of time and effort into getting bigger.
He’s going to look a little different when you see him. He’s actually bigger than Cole right now.
We try to get those guys to compete with each other in all things, in a good way. They’re twin brothers, so obviously they don’t need any help there.
Cole will be missed, but I think it’s a great opportunity for him and Will. It’s a year they can grow, share their faith, travel and go places. Both of their churches provide those opportunities.
It’s a pretty cool thing.
Connor’s ready to go. He’s tough, he’s a good wrestler, and we’re excited for him. I have a lot of confidence in him.
Q: Do you know roughly what Connor weighs right now?
Sanderson: I have a pretty good idea, but I don’t feel like that’s my place to share that.
Mark Hall’s Coaching Career at Oklahoma
Q: With Penn State traveling to Norman, what has your relationship with Mark Hall been like, and how has it been watching him develop as a coach?
Sanderson: Mark’s obviously a tremendous wrestler. Technically, he’s very good, and he’s got a big heart. He cares about his guys.
It’s good to see him doing well. He jumped into coaching early and knew that’s what he wanted to do.
We’re not texting all the time or anything, but occasionally. We have great love and respect for Coach Mark.
I’m sure he’s doing a fantastic job down there. He knows wrestling, he’s competed at the highest level, and he brings a lot of experience to the table.
Masanosuke Ono’s Transition From Freestyle to Folkstyle
Q: Ono said after his RAF match against Deino that adjusting to folkstyle has been difficult and that he was getting taken down frequently in the wrestling room. What have you seen from his transition, and why is the adjustment challenging even for someone with his international credentials?
Sanderson: Making the transition from freestyle to folkstyle is tough. That’s why you haven’t seen it a whole lot.
In our sport, a lot of the best wrestling countries don’t speak English. Part of the work for him has been going to class and doing well.
He’s had to put in a lot of time in class. He’s gotten A’s and worked really hard, but it’s taken a lot of time.
He’s a great wrestler. He’s put a lot of effort and focus into his folkstyle wrestling. He can wrestle folkstyle.
I don’t see him get taken down too much, and he’s wrestling really good guys.
He’s very humble, very coachable and very grateful. He’s like-minded and fits into our program really well.
Q: Does his willingness to conduct interviews in English, despite the language barrier, demonstrate his personal growth?
Sanderson: I think it shows his desire, passion and willingness to work.
He wants to be an NCAA champion. That’s his goal.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.There are incredible wrestlers at every weight in the NCAA, but I think the biggest challenge for him initially was the language barrier and being able to pass his classes.
There’s no way to take shortcuts there, and he didn’t.
He’s going to class, and then he’s almost going to class all over again to have an interpreter explain what’s going on.
He’s put a lot of time into it. His English has improved drastically, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy.
It shows his commitment and the type of person he is.
He’s had an interest in folkstyle, and you don’t see many international wrestlers come in and do well in folkstyle. It’s tough because the styles are so different.
In freestyle, scoring points involves quick exposure. If you get taken down, you can lie there for 15 seconds and get a restart.
Folkstyle is a lot different. I love folkstyle.
It’s a tough adjustment going from folkstyle to freestyle, too. Our regional training centers are making that transition a little easier for guys across the country at younger ages.
But going from freestyle to folkstyle takes a lot of work and commitment.
He works every day. He listens, and he’s coachable. That’s true in all aspects of his life.
I don’t see him get taken down too much in practice.
Development of Sam Herring and Elijah Brown
Q: What progress have you seen from Sam Herring and Elijah Brown since they arrived at Penn State?
Sanderson: Both have a ton of potential.
Sam was over at the World Championships. If you don’t have your school, academics and life in order, you can’t take two weeks away.
He was Zay’s training partner over there and did a great job. He’s a little behind on getting started, but he’s got a lot of talent, loves the sport and is an outstanding human being.
He’s going to do really well.
Elijah is the same way. He’s putting some weight on, but he’s got the frame. He’s tall, very athletic and very tough on the mat.
If you followed him through the Pennsylvania state championships and what he’s done there, he has a ton of potential.
The sky really is the limit.
That’s a great thing about our sport. It’s up to you to take advantage of the opportunities and resources we have around here and see how good — or how great — you can get.
Ono’s Olympic Aspirations
Q: Ono wants to become an NCAA champion, but he presumably has Olympic aspirations as well. How does Japan’s Olympic selection process fit into his college wrestling schedule?
Sanderson: That’s one of the challenges for him.
The changes in NCAA eligibility probably affect him more than anybody because of their Olympic process and the timing.
They establish their team a lot earlier, and he would be making the cut down to about 57 kilograms, which hasn’t been an easy thing for him to do.
He’s a resilient guy, and he’s going to make the best of whatever comes.
It’s weird when rules change in the middle of things and plans have already been made in so many different ways.
He was probably affected more than anybody by that, and he’s kept a great attitude.
Whatever comes, we’ll love it and move forward.
Nittany Lion Wrestling Club’s World Championships Success
Q: You had six wrestlers medal at the World Championships. Can you speak to the process and how this group continues improving? Was this the best international performance you’ve seen from the club?
Sanderson: I think the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club had a really great year.
Six for six, or five for five? Was it six for six?
Reporter: Roman Bravo-Young as well.
Yeah, good. I’d rather exaggerate it than underdo it.
The guys wrestled great. We have other guys in our room who could have won medals if they were in the tournament — a handful of them, actually.
Freestyle is a tough sport. The referees have a ton of power and control in the matches. It’s a more international, almost corrupt kind of system.
To get in there and win medals is tough. You’ve got to wrestle great, and the guys did a really good job.
I’m really happy for all of them. A couple of them were obviously a second or so away from placing even higher.
It’s an outstanding group of people right now.
With all the rule changes and craziness in college sports and college wrestling, our foundation is strong. It’s built on correct principles.
When you have that kind of base, we’re just going to keep getting stronger and better.
Roman Bravo-Young’s Historic World Championships Performance
Q: Nick Lee was in Roman Bravo-Young’s corner at the World Championships. What was it like watching Roman become Mexico’s first medalist?
Sanderson: It was really cool.
Roman’s incredibly tough, and he’s worked really hard. He’s been very disciplined to get down to that weight class.
It was cool to see Coach Nick there as Mexico’s coach and Roman’s coach.
After Roman made the finals, you could tell it was special. I think he beat the reigning world champion to do that.
He’s gone through a lot and overcome a lot in his life. He’s an incredible story of determination, perseverance and work.
He works. Those guys work.
All six of the guys who won medals work every day. They’re coachable, and they do the little things that make the difference.
There aren’t a lot of secrets to success, although you can do all the little things and still not find the success you want.
It’s good to see, and we’re happy for them. We’re obviously really happy for Roman.
It’s a heck of an accomplishment.
Q: Was it Roman’s decision to have Nick in his corner?
Sanderson: I think we try to do the best we can to cover all our bases.
It’s a little tougher when you have five guys on Team USA, and then you’ve got Team Mexico.
You’re there with them, but you’re also with USA, and then you’ve got Mexico. We’re working together.
I’m obviously Team Roman. Our guys are our guys, and we’re there for them.
It’s about figuring out how to make sure everybody gets what they need. We’re all working closely together.
Additional Options at 141 Pounds
Q: While you’re working out Marcus Blaze’s return timeline, who else could compete at 141 pounds?
Sanderson: In the middleweights, you generally have several tough candidates chomping at the bit to wrestle.
We have a few guys who would love the green light to step out there and compete.
