Penn State coach Cael Sanderson wins 200th dual meet with the Lions in big win over Iowa: Takeaways

Penn State coach Cael Sanderson won his 200th dual meet as a Nittany Lion on Friday night as the No. 1 Nittany Lions pummeled No. 3 Iowa 29-6 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The visitors won eight of 10 matches en route to a victory that all but secures another Big Ten regular season title. Our top takeaways are below.

It’s not just Cael Sanderson’s 200th win at Penn State

Cael Sanderson is the best wrestler and college wrestling coach of all time. There is simply no way to debate that at this point. But his 200th win as a Nittany Lion should not be credited just to him. And, he’d be the first to tell you that. College sports is filled with assistants looking to find their way to a top role, and rightly so. But, in State College, Sanderson has been joined by his brother, associate head coach Cody, and assistant head coach Casey Cunningham, for the duration. And, assistant coach Jimmy Kennedy has been around for quite awhile, too. So has trainer Dan Monthley, and other members of the program who do not have Cael Sanderson’s notoriety. None of it works without him, of course. He is the leader for a reason. But, this is a program mark that all deserve to share recognition for.

Beau Bartlett cements himself at No. 1

Penn State senior Beau Bartlett moved to No. 1 in the 141-pound rankings last week after Iowa’s Real Woods lost. He may have moved there by default. But, he cemented his spot as the nation’s top wrestler at that weight class against the Hawkeye on Friday night. The Nittany Lion scored first and last while dominating throughout to win 7-2. He will enter the postseason as the favorite to win his first NCAA title.

Penn State wins most of the toss up bouts

Penn State was favored to win this match. It did so convincingly. And that’s because it won most of the toss-up matches. Iowa’s Drake Ayalya beat Nittany Lion freshman Braeden Davis 4-2 at 125 pounds in one of them. But from there, the visitors won the rest. Aaron Nagao scored bonus points in an 11-0 triumph over No. 20 Cullan Schriever at 133. Bartlett won at 141. At 157, No. 1 Levi Haines secured a crushing 12-0 major decision over No. 5 Jared Franek. And, at 165, No. 7 Mitchell Mesenbrink put his scoring prowess on display in a 12-6 decision over No. 6 Mikey Caliendo. The only 50/50 bout the Lions lost saw freshman and No. 10 Tyler Kasak put up a worthy effort in a 7-6 defeat in sudden victory to No. 12 Caleb Rathjen.

Lions-Hawkeyes box score

125 pounds: No. 7 Drake Ayala, Iowa d. No. 2 Braeden Davis, Penn State, 4-2 (3-0 Iowa)

133 pounds: No. 6 Aaron Nagao, Penn State md. No. 20 Cullan Schriever, Iowa, 11-0 (4-3 PSU)

141 pounds: No. 1 Beau Bartlett, PSU d. No. 2 Real Woods, Iowa, 7-2 (7-3 PSU)

149 pounds: No. 12 Caleb Rathjen, Iowa d. No. 10 Tyler Kasak, PSU, 11-8 (sv) (7-6 PSU)

157 pounds: No. 1 Levi Haines, PSU md. No. 5 Jared Franek, Iowa, 12-0 (11-6 PSU)

165 pounds: No. 7 Mitchell Mesenbrink, Penn State md. No. 6 Mikey Caliendo, Iowa, 12-6 (14-6 PSU)

174 pounds: No. 1 Carter Starocci, Penn State md. No. 7 Patrick Kennedy, Iowa, 13-5 (18-6 PSU)

184 pounds: No. 6 Bernie Truax, PSU md. Aidan Riggins, Iowa, 8-0 (22-6 PSU)

197 pounds: No. 1 Aaron Brooks, Penn State d. No. 11 Zach Glazier, Iowa, 5-1 (25-6 PSU)

285 pounds: No. 1 Greg Kerkvliet, PSU md. Ben Kueter, Iowa, 9-1 (29-6 PSU)