Penn State wrestling podcast: What should fans expect when the Lions meet No. 3 Iowa?
The No. 1 Penn State wrestling team returns to the mat on Friday. Head coach Cael Sanderson’s Nittany Lions travel to Iowa then for a 9 p.m. ET dual meet. Big Ten Network will televise it. And, a new edition of the Blue-White Illustrated Penn State wrestling podcast gets you ready for it.
In this week’s episode, host Thomas Frank Carr and reporter Greg Pickel take a look back at last Friday’s 28-9 Nittany Lions win over Ohio State. What did the match tell us about where Sanderson’s team is in early February? And, is there any reason to be concerned about the pair of matches the team lost? From there, the duo dive straight into the top-five showdown coming up at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Will Sanderson win his 200th dual meet as the Penn State head coach? It would equal the 53rd consecutive win for the Lions in the process. After taking a big picture look at the match, the hosts discuss headliner bouts, lineup questions for the Hawkeyes, and what fans should expect.
The show concludes with a look ahead to Monday’s match with Rutgers at the Bryce Jordan Center. Watch the episode in the video player above. Want to listen? Podcast links: SPOTIFY, APPLE
More from Penn State coach Cael Sanderson
The leader of the Lions (8-0) spoke with reporters during his weekly news conference on Tuesday. It goes without saying that he offered some thoughts on the Hawkeyes.
“I think wrestling at Iowa is a lot of fun,” Sanderson said. “Their fans know the support. Their event staff is second to known. We watch and say what can we learn from this? And then they have one of the best athletic programs in all of sports in their wrestling team. So, it’s a great place to compete. Everywhere we wrestle, we generally see a big crowd. Here, it’s standing room only. So we wrestle in big environments all the time. So from that standpoint, it’s not as big of a deal.
“You kind of get what you focus on. If you’re focused on your match, then that’s probably the best idea. And, just keep things simple.”
Sanderson, despite his long history of success, is not focused on the possibility of winning his 200th match in State College nor the significance of it.
“It just means I’ve been here a long time, but we’ve had a lot of great memories,” Sanderson said Tuesday when asked about his first 199 wins at PSU. “My fondest memories are just the people. The coaches, alumni, kids on team, and just those relationships. Those are, by far, what I am most grateful for.”
Read our full notebook HERE. And, stay tuned for a match preview followed by updates as the match progressed on Friday morning and night, respectively.
