Recap: Penn State wrestling holds final news conference before NCAA Championships
Penn State wrestling is holding its final news conference in State College before leaving for this week’s NCAA Championships. The 2025 event is being held at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Before it, head coach Cael Sanderson and some of his wrestlers are chatting with reporters at Rec Hall. Find updates from the media session below. Note: This page does not update automatically. So, please refresh your browser often for the latest information.
Watch Cael Sanderson’s news conference here
03/17/2025 12:18:00 PMYou can see it below.
Why are Cael Sanderson and his staff so good at getting wrestlers to peak at the right time?
03/17/2025 12:12:01 PM“It just comes with experience,” Penn State freshman Luke Lilledahl said. “I think that has helped him as a coach, just knowing what to do. He’s done a pretty darn good job of it. One of the things is, he just wants to keep getting better as well. He wants to get better as a coach every day. That’s one of the things that separates him.”
Luke Lilledahl on his first NCAA championships
03/17/2025 12:05:48 PM“I think wrestling some different guys that I haven’t wrestled yet [is exciting],” Lilledahl said. “I wrestled every guy besides Matt Ramos at Big Tens that I wrestled during the season. So seeing how much better I am than these guys from other conferences and have fun as well. I think I’m a higher level than all these guys.”
Carter Starocci on the drive for five NCAA titles
03/17/2025 12:03:07 PM“I was talking with Coach Cael about it,” Starocci said. “It’s never about winning a national title. I enjoy competition.”
What is the maximum potential for this Penn State team?
03/17/2025 11:54:34 AM“I don’t even think about that kind of stuff. We want all of our guys to be happy, healthy, take whatever comes out of this tournament, and run with it. We know what their goals are. As far as anything specific beyond that, you only have so much energy, time, focus, that we don’t waste a lot of energy using our imagination and what if this or that. We got 10 guys and we hope they go wrestle with enthusiasm.”
On Bartlett, Starocci, and Kerkvliet going into their final NCAAs and the risk management of it
03/17/2025 11:52:59 AM“I think it’s tricky,” Sanderson said. “It’s just perspective. It’s not, this is your last chance. It’s, we have another chance to go win a national title. We don’t have anything to protect. No one’s wrestled in the 2025 NCAA tournament yet. All of our guys, it’s one opponent at a time and score more points than whoever is in front of you for seven minutes.
“Pressure changes perspective. That’s even why during the season, we don’t worry too much about ours wins and losses, and sometimes losing a match can be a great blessing. Sometimes winning a national title is a great blessing. Sometimes it isn’t. It’s all just moving forward, take what you learned here, and apply it to the next part of your life. We go give our best effort and let the chips fall where they may.”
On Mitchell Mesenbrink’s season
03/17/2025 11:50:12 AM“He’s a student of the game too,” Sanderson said. “He wants to be the best in his world. We’re still trying to learn from every match. Wherever you’re at, that’s the fun of competing. We’re trying to be better prepared for our opponents the next time we wrestle them. We go to continue to try and separate ourselves from them. That’s the kind of mindset he has.”
On having the tournament back in Philadelphia for the first time since 2011
03/17/2025 11:48:04 AM
“I don’t think too much about where the arena is,” Sanderson said. “Travel has gotten a lot easier today. It’s pretty similar. We don’t think a whole lot about the arena. Cool that w’re going back to Philly and being in Pennsylvania. I think it means more to the Penn State fans to have it close. But our job is being the same wherever it’s at.”
On Braeden Davis
03/17/2025 11:42:19 AM“I think he had some valuable experience last year. He lost two matches,” Sanderson said. “One was less than 10 seconds of riding time was the difference. It’s details. Little things matter. Details matter. As far as health, I think he’ll be even better this week then he was at the Big Tens. He was feeling better and ready to go there. It’s very competitive. You just have to decide that it’s your day and go score points. But as far as health, I think he’s ready to go.”
On the Penn State staff preparing each wrestler for NCAAs
03/17/2025 11:42:05 AM“There’s a lot going on,” Sanderson said. “Each individual has their specific things and needs. We’ve done this. Things change every year. Our training plans, the circumstances around each individual change every year, but we still have a foundation for what we follow. It still comes down to the individuals choosing to go out there and be themselves. And, that’s a year-longd plan.”
Sanderson on Carter Starocci ahead of his quest for a fifth NCAA title.
03/17/2025 11:38:23 AM“Naturally, he’s going to be at his best in the biggest moments,” Sanderson said. “He always has been. He’s blessed to have another opportunity that we hope never is again available. It’s just seizing the moment. He has a pretty good mindset about it. It’s a healthy challenge. He’s solid and you just try to keep things simple, and let everything else work out. Carter’s a supreme competitor. He loves to compete.
Is Penn State peaking at the right time?
03/17/2025 11:36:03 AM“It comes down to each individual kid,” Sanderson said. “I think they’re prepared and we’re excited for this and I think we’re excited. We don’t get too high or too low. There’s something special about the national tournament. I don’t think there’s a more fun wrestling tournament in the world. I think right now, things look really good.”
The latest quote from Sanderson
03/17/2025 11:35:07 AM“The last however many years have been a lot of fun. We’ve had a lot of great moments and relationships. Just have fun with it. Things are going to work out with it if you have fun and surround yourself with the right people. All is well. Some simple message like that.”
–Cael on what he’d tell the version of himself when they won NCAAs in Philly before.
On Luke Lilledahl
03/17/2025 11:33:33 AM“I think he’s getting more confident every time he wrestles,” Sanderson said about Luke Lilledahl. “It’s just his approach to the sport. He looks at every match as an opportunity to get better. That’s what he does. As a true freshman, he’s just going to keep getting better.”
On Luke Lilledahl
03/17/2025 11:33:33 AM“I think he’s getting more confident every time he wrestles,” Sanderson said about Luke Lilledahl. “It’s just his approach to the sport. He looks at every match as an opportunity to get better. That’s what he does. As a true freshman, he’s just going to keep getting better.”
On the team’s mindset
03/17/2025 11:32:18 AM“We’re united in our mindset and focus. It’s always on to the next challenge. It’s not every week you have a chance to go win an NCAA Championship. I’m guessing our guys are ready for the opportunity.”
–Sanderson on the mindset of the team leading into nationals.
How healthy is the team? And Barr?
03/17/2025 11:30:38 AMJosh has been working really hard. We got Dan Monthley as our trainer. I can’t believe there’s a better trainer in the world. Josh is going to be ready to scrap.
Cael Sanderson will kick things off
03/17/2025 07:56:45 AMThe longtime and legendary leader of the Nittany Lions wrestling program starts his news conference at 12:30 p.m. ET. His chat with reporters will feature feedback on how he thinks his program fared in the seeding process, the latest on injured 197-pound Penn State starter Josh Barr, and much more.
