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Photo by Tessa Torres-Hoffman | Onward State
Penn State Sports, Penn State Wrestling
It’s officially that time of the year when Penn State wrestling looks ahead to two of its biggest meets of the season: the Big Ten Championships and the NCAA Championships.

As Cael Sanderson and his team look ahead, they express a lot of confidence in their ability to show up and perform as a team and as individuals. The Big Ten Championships are set to take place this weekend at Northwestern’s Welsh-Ryan Arena. With a Penn State wrestler competing in every weight class, Sanderson is excited for the challenge ahead.

“We’ve got a great team, and they’re excited to wrestle,” Sanderson said. “They love to compete. We’re happy, we’re healthy, we’re grateful. So, let’s just see what we can do.”

With an undefeated record this season, where Penn State outscored its Big Ten opponents for a combined score of 279-40, it comes as no shock that Sanderson and the team feel ready for the Big Ten Championships. However, a lot of this confidence comes from the trust the team and coaching staff have built throughout the season.

“We trust the coaches to prepare us in a good way. We trust our training partners. They are really selfless. They are showing up every day, and they want to see us win because we all win together,” Beau Bartlett said on Monday. “We all get rings, we’re all national champs, and it’s really cool.”

Mitchell Mesenbrink expressed similar feelings regarding the coaching staff’s decision on who will attend the Big Ten Tournament as training partners.

“Whoever they bring and the decisions they make, I can have complete trust that that is the best and soundest decision that they’re going to make and that it’s the best decision for us too,” Mesenbrink said. “The best decision for us and the team, that’s what I feel like every decision they make is for.”

For Mesenbrink, one of the reasons he chose to wrestle at Penn State was because of the level of trust he felt with the coaches and his teammates early on. Before he even stepped in the gym, Mesenbrink could feel that level of trust through the way each wrestler performed.

“Where does that trust in our process here of peaking at the right time come from? I have literally seen it my entire life,” Mesenbrink said. “Remembering those guys doing it every single time they step out there. I feel like that’s kind of what we are talking about. No matter if it’s freestyle or folkstyle, they are always bringing it. That’s what I want to do too.”

Not only has trust been key for Penn State when developing strong wrestlers, but it has also been the key to building strong relationships within the gym. According to Mesenbrink, these relationships are what contribute to the team’s growth and overall success.

“I think it’s really cool to have that as the foundation of your relationship, and then you can only build up from there. It is not a coincidence that we have really good guys and that they can go out and do what they do,” Mesenbrink said. “When we are in there helping each other out, talking about technique or whatever it is, we all know the ego is removed so that we can just get better.”

As Sanderson and the team go into this weekend, they will work to clinch their third consecutive Big Ten title. They will also enter the tournament with four Big Ten champions from the 2024 team returning to compete this year.

The Big Ten Championships are set to begin at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 8. The two-day tournament will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.