Everything Cael Sanderson said after Penn State won the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships

PHILADELPHIA — Penn State wrestling coach Cael Sanderson was in a good mood as he strolled into the media room at the Wells Fargo Center Saturday night. He had a good reason to be, of course. His Nittany Lions had just won their fourth straight team title, crowned two national champions, and became the second team ever to finish an NCAA Wrestling Championships with 10 All-Americans.

“Just really happy for our team, proud of them,” Sanderson said in his opening statement. “They went out here and really competed hard this weekend against, obviously, great competition. All 10 guys gave a great effort. Super proud of them. Happy for them.”

He was then asked to put into words what it means to have 10 top-eight finishers.

“Yeah, it’s been a great year,” he said. “Just a lot of fun people to work with. Obviously the team, our staff, just from top to bottom. I mean, we’re just constantly kind of thinking ahead and just everything’s preparation for the next thing. So we don’t really kind of stop and reflect a whole lot. Obviously we’re learning as we go and we’ll continue to do that. That’s the name of the game.

“But, yeah, this was a really fun year with some new faces, like a Luke Lilledahl and a freshman, [Josh] Barr. And then you’ve got a guy like Carter [Starocci], who wins his fifth national title. All the way up and down the lineup everyone gave a great effort. And it was a lot of fun.

More: Penn State star Carter Starocci is the first five-time champ in NCAA Wrestling history

“Obviously our coaching staff, Coach Cody [Sanderson] and Coach Casey [Cunnngham], and Nick Lee was a great addition this year. With Cody and Casey, I just try to stay out of their way and let them do their thing. They’re the best coaches in the world. It’s been a lot of fun to work with them.”

Read everything else Sanderson had to say and watch a video of his news conference below.

Did Sanderson see Carter Starocci’s third period takedown coming to beat Parker Keckeisen?

“It’s kind of what he does,” Sanderson said. “He’s such a competitor. I think you think, hey, he’s won four, he’s going to automatically win five. But I don’t think he — as soon as they knew there was that COVID year, he probably heard about that every day, where someone is, like, you can be the first five-time NCAA champion. And he’s, let me win my second first and then my third, or wherever that came along.

“So that was a heck of a feat. That’s really special. It takes a lot of mental toughness and focus. Super happy with him. But shocked. You’ve got two of the best wrestlers in the country, first match-up, which is kind of weird. That was a great match-up. And that reshot Carter hit, that’s as good as it gets.”

Did it bother Sanderson that Starocci’s match was first and not last?

“Yeah, it’s not a big deal,” Sanderson said. “I mean it’s you know when we told Carter, he was like, oh, really. It’s not a big deal. You know whatever it is. Usually events build up to the big match. But it doesn’t matter. Whatever. We just show up.

“And Carter shows up every day. That’s why he — and you see him compete all year long for five years. He competes every match and whenever, wherever. So it’s pretty special. That’s how you do what he just did. But we’re not worried about those kinds of things, really. It’s not a big deal.”

Does Sanderson see any of himself in Starocci?

“Well, he’s a competitor,” Sanderson said. “I mean, there’s certain things where you hate to lose so much that you will do whatever it takes — diet, training, anything within the rules, of course.

“Most people don’t have that. He does. He’s a competitor. He puts the time in and he does what he thinks he needs to do to be ready mentally and physically. And then he goes out there and he competes hard every time. I mean, every time he competes he’s giving a great effort.”

When did he realize he had that in Carter?

“I think he continued to get better,” Sanderson said. “He’s very coachable. His technique improved over time, which you don’t see that a lot. Obviously if you follow wrestling, I mean — and everything kind of cycles and goes in peaks and valleys and waves — he was consistently working to get better all the time, which is obviously what it takes.”

How hard is is to stay even keel as a coach during the ups and downs of a tournament like Penn State had?

“It’s tough,” Sanderson said. “I mean, your heart’s with each individual. I mean, you look at them. We spent so much time with these guys. You want to see them happy and reaching their goals. And in a sport like this, any sport, you’re talking one second here, one second there was the difference. So, yeah, some tough losses but everybody kind of rebounded well.

“Even coming into the tournament, Greg hurt his knee last week in practice. We weren’t even sure if he was going to be able to wrestle. First match we weren’t sure if he was — he just got tough for the team, went out there and made the semifinals. Josh Barr, the same thing. We didn’t know how he was going to wrestle the first match. We were hoping that he could compete. Then he makes it to the Finals as a freshman with a gutsy performance. Obviously really impressive there. And just up and down the lineup.

More: Penn State wrestling sets new team scoring record at the NCAA Championships; here’s the number it’ll chase next year

“Luke Lillidahl, getting better every match. He’s a pleasure to have on the team. Davis had a great tournament. Beau Bartlett wrestled great. A couple seconds away from being in the finals. That’s life. That’s sports. Van Ness wrestled great. Kasak, just a scramble here, a couple seconds away from moving on. That’s how it goes. And Mitchell winning the nationals. Obviously Levi Haines, a takedown away from getting in there, finishing third.

“Guys finishing third, there’s a lot of honor in that. That’s a really big deal, something that obviously we really value them kind of battling back as a team. Then you saw Carter and Barr and Greg I already talked about. Great team effort.

“Just super proud of them and happy for them. We’re excited to get back to work. It’s all a process. We just keep getting better as coaches. We’ve got to take our own medicine and figure out how we can do things better.”

Is there anything in particular that stands out about this team?

“I’ll have to reflect on that,” Sanderson said. “It was just a lot of fun. It was a great team. Just 10 quality tough, 10 All-Americans is super hard to do. You have guys coming in here with injuries. And obviously if everybody’s talking about the expectations and this is the point record or whatever it is, we don’t talk about that stuff. But kids live on their phones. So they’re seeing it and hearing it all the time.

“It’s hard. Being expected to do something and do it is probably the toughest thing in sports, right? But that also makes it a fun challenge. Just a great team. All of our teams, we feel they’re special. And we’re excited for next year, too. We just keep getting better.”

What’s next for Penn State wrestling after winning the title in the world of NIL and the portal?

“It doesn’t really change for us,” Sanderson said. “Our coaching staff will be in the room on Monday and we’re working, the way everything’s set up. We love it. We just love what we do and we love the sport.

“Yeah, everything’s changed a lot. But our values haven’t changed. What we focus on as coaches and what we offer and bring to the table, that’s not going to change. As everything else changes, and maybe it’s hard. But it’s not hard for us because we know what’s most important to us and what is the most important thing at the end of the day for us. That’s just take care of our guys and help them be happy and reach their goals.”

What are Cael Sanderson’s thoughts on dynasties (like his) in sports?

“I just know what my job is,” he said. “My job’s to put together the best staff we can at Penn State and recruit the student-athletes that fit the character and the focus and the mold that we’re looking for, and just be the absolute best we can be.

“If we do that, we’re going to continue to be successful. But that’s what I’m focused on. Anything else, it’s just not something we think about.”