Penn State wrestling coach Cael Sanderson makes no secret that he and his Nittany Lions want to win every competition they enter, no matter what it is.
However, he’ll be the first to tell you that a team is measured more on its postseason tournament success than its ability to win regular-season dual meets.
Penn State finished its regular season by pounding Illinois (34-7) and Maryland (45-6) to wrap up its second consecutive undefeated regular season and secured the Big Ten regular-season title. While Sanderson agreed that this may be his most consistent team, he wasn’t ready to anoint it as one of his best just yet.
“A lot of the individuals are consistent. In the past, we’ve had some guys that were very consistent and we had some guys that weren’t, but turned it on at nationals. (This is a) very consistent team and that’s what we want. Those are the type of kids we recruit. This is a very good team,” he said.
‘All the important stuff is still ahead so we’ll find out how great of a team this is. We have a chance to have a lot of success in the next three events.”
The first of those three events will come at 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 19, in Stillwater, Okla., in the title match of the NWCA Dual Championship Series. No. 1 Penn State (13-0, 9-0 Big Ten) will walk into Gallagher-Iba Arena to try to repeat its win over No. 2 Oklahoma State (14-0, 6-0 Big 12) from a year ago.
“We are excited to be wrestling in the title event of the 2017 NWCA Dual Championship Series,” Sanderson said. “Dual meets matter and the NWCA Dual Championship Series gives fans one more shot to see 16 of the nation’s best teams face off against each other. We are looking forward to an exciting atmosphere in Stillwater and the chance to compete in an outstanding event.”
The Nittany Lions will put their 30-match winning streak on the line. The last time Penn State tasted defeat was on Feb. 15, 2015. It came at the hands of the Cowboys, 21-18, in Stillwater.
