Penn State wrestling officially names Nick Lee its new assistant coach

The expected is now official: Nick Lee is the new assistant wrestling coach at Penn State. The school’s first five-time All-American joins head coach Cael Sanderson’s staff after finishing as the 65-kilogram runner-up at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in April. He won two NCAA titles, was a 2023 U.S. World Team member, and was accomplished at both the national and interantional levels in freestyle wrestling.

Lee replaces Jimmy Kennedy. A member of the Penn State coaching staff since 2021, first as a volunteer and then as a full-time assistant starting in 2023, he left the Lions earlier this month to join his brother-in-law, David Taylor, on the Oklahoma State coaching staff. Cael Sanderson returns to the Penn State bench, of course, along with longtime staffers Cody Sanderson and Casey Cunningham. Lee rounds out the four-man staff. The former 141-pound star will spend most of his time coaching and practicing with the 125-157 pound wrestlers.

“We’re going to fill the position ASAP,” Sanderson told show host and program play-by-play broadcaster Jeff Byers on the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club’s podcast Friday. “Obviously the position opened unexpectedly. We’re going to hire Nick Lee in that position. He has a knack for coaching. He has a taken a vested interest in helping the people around him get better. I think he’s going to do an outstanding job. He will be a great resource for the bottom five weight classes. You try to make sure you have people in all the positions. I’m really excited to work with Nick. We’re going to get him going as soon as we possibly can. He’s the guy. He’s excited about the job. And we’re excited for him to join the staff.”

Why is Nick Lee ready to join the Penn State staff?

Here’s what we wrote back on Friday:

Lee, who Sanderson said is a young mind who will offer different insight to the established staff of Cael Sanderson, Cody Sanderson, and Casey Cunningham, won the 2021 and 2022 NCAA Championships at 141 pounds. He was also the 2023 US champion at the 65-kilogram level and won the 2024 Pan-American games.

Lee lost his senior national team spot to Zain Retherford back in April at the US Olympic Team Trials in State College. Instead of sulking over the loss, he went to Istanbul, Turkey as Retherford’s training partner. Retherford, of course, won four matches in repechage to qualify himself and the U.S. for the 2024 summer games in Paris. Ultimately, Lee’s trials loss ended his competitive career. But, it opened this door to join Sanderson’s staff. And, it’s a key move. Thomas Gilman also followed Taylor to Stillwater. The former NLWC member was a big helper for the Lions who wrestle anywhere from 125-157 pounds despite not being on staff. Lee can now take that role, which he already had some part in, and will have name recognition on the recruiting trail. It’s a win-win for both sides as Lee starts his next chapter.

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