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What did Penn State wrestling coach Cael Sanderson say about Iowa on Monday?

Greg Pickelby:Greg Pickel•01/27/25•

GregPickel

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Penn State wrestling coach Cael Sanderson. (Carr/BWI)

Penn State wrestling will put its No. 1 ranking and 65 consecutive dual meet victory streak on the line Friday night when it welcomes No. 2 Iowa to the Bryce Jordan Center. The undefeated Hawkeyes meet the Nittany Lions at 7 p.m. ET. Big Ten Network is televising the match. On Monday, head coach Cael Sanderson held his first and only news conference before the marquee showdown. His team is fresh off a 35-3 win over Rutgers.

“Obviously, you know, Rutgers has a really good team, and they have a great environment,” Sanderson said Monday. “So you got to really wrestle well in there. I think it’s a good experience for guys.”

Nine of 10 bouts between Penn State and Iowa will feature ranked wrestlers competing against each other. Top matches will include No. 2 Kyle Parco vs. 4 Shayne Van Ness at 149 pounds, No. 1 Jacori Teemer vs. No. 3 Tyler Kasak at 157 pounds, No. 2 Mikey Caliendo vs. No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink at 165, No. 5 Gabe Arnold vs. No. 1 Carter Starocci at 184, and No. 1 Stephen Buchanan vs. No. 4 Josh Barr at 197.

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What did Penn State coach Cael Sanderson say about Iowa on Monday?

Here’s everything he said about Tom Brands’ Hawkeyes, courtesy of BWI reporter Thomas Frank Carr:

On Barr gearing up to face Buchanan:

“He’s got a lot of great opponents coming up, but, I mean, we see him in the room every day,” Sanderson said. “He’s just trying to get in the right direction. And you know, he’s going to compete hard, and he’s going to use every second.”

On what makes the Hawkeyes so challenging:

“It’s just a great program,” Sanderson said. “And they’re always prepared for these matches. They obviously have a lot of talent. Just good, solid, tough wrestlers. The coaching staff is obviously very good. They do a good job. I mean, they show you what we need to work on. Obviously, this Friday, we want to wrestle great and compete well and score points. But it’s also a great opportunity for us to see where we’re at and kind of be able to make adjustments from there leading into the postseason. It could be eight top 10 matchups.”

On Penn State-Iowa at the BJC:

“A lot of energy, a lot of history, two great programs,’ Sanderson said. “Iowa’s going to bring it. We’re going to bring it. It’s going to be a lot of fun. And you got two of the teams that are competing for the national title facing off, and it’s good stuff. That’s what we do. That’s why we come here every day. We’re excited. I think it’ll be a great environment, and we’re going to have fun.”

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