Top coach, Olympic gold medalist Sanderson eager to start new era for Penn St. wrestling

Top coach Sanderson eager for start at Penn St.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Cael Sanderson settled into a chair at the head of a conference table, cameras recording his every word. Penn State’s new wrestling coach fidgeted with his fingers under the table, out of sight from the cameras.

A star in wrestling circles, Sanderson is eager to launch a new era for Penn State wrestling.

“I’m anxious just to see where we’re at just as much as anyone else is,” Sanderson said at the team’s media day Tuesday.

The season begins in less than three weeks, but Sanderson’s tenure is off to a good start. Recruiting services have ranked Penn State’s freshman class as one of the best in the nation, including the addition of top prospect David Taylor.

It’s the impact that many wrestling aficionados thought Sanderson could have when the 30-year-old coach made his surprise jump last spring from Iowa State to Penn State. Sanderson led the Cyclones to top-five finishes at nationals in each of his three years as coach at his alma mater.

His hiring was a coup for athletic director Tim Curley, a century after Penn State started its wrestling program.

The Nittany Lions finished in the top 10 at the NCAA championships for most of the 1980s and 1990s before becoming inconsistent during the 11-year tenure of Troy Sunderland, who resigned in April.

In came Sanderson, an Olympic gold medalist and undefeated four-time NCAA champion during his own days on the mat.

Dan Vallimont, a 165-pound senior, said the intensity at practice has picked up under the new regime.

“It’s exciting. Too bad I only have one year left,” Vallimont said. “We’ve been training like mad men since he got here.”

Sanderson’s arrival should also continue to help give Penn State a better shot at keeping in-state talent closer to home. Scholastic wrestling has a loyal following in Pennsylvania.

“Penn State is some place that people will come to in the eastern United States,” Sanderson said. “We got to have two or three top classes in the area to have a shot at winning the national championship.”

The Nittany Lions won their only NCAA title in 1953.