Penn State-Iowa: What did Tom Brands, Cael Sanderson say after the Lions topped the Hawkeyes?
Penn State wrestling coach Cael Sanderson secured his 200th dual meet victory as a Nittany Lion on Friday when his team knocked out No. 3 Iowa 29-6 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. It was Sanderson’s 200th dual meet win in State College and the team’s 53rd consecutive match victory in a row. It was also the Lions’ third consecutive victory over the Hawkeyes.
What did those involved have to say about the match?
“We felt pretty good,” Sanderson told PennLive. “You just never know; a lot can happen. A lot is going on in these kids’ lives and travel and making weight and you’re in somebody else’s gym. But I think the guys who wrestled well are happy and some are thinking they can do better.
“You can see the guys that lost were upset but that’s good. If you lose a match and you’re not upset, that’s more of a concern because they’re competitors and you want to compete well on the big stages and this obviously is a big stage.”
More: Penn State coach Cael Sanderson wins 200th dual meet with the Lions in big win over Iowa: Takeaways
Iowa coach Tom Brands, on the other hand, was rightly frustrated by his team’s effort despite scoring quality wins at 125 and 149 pounds.
“We got to score more takedowns and get off the bottom,” Brands said. “We’re ready. They have a high-powered team. They score a lot of points. You have to be beyond ready. “That’s not me putting them on a pedestal; that’s not me conceding anything. We gotta be better when we go out there.”
The Hawkeyes, to the surprise of many, did not wrestle freshman Gabe Arnold at 184 pounds. Brands would only sat that he would be on the mat when he was ready to be. But, Arnold later tweeted that “Health comes first, but I love my team, coaches, and the family that I have built here. Go Hawks til the day I die.”
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)
