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Cael Sanderson speaks to media after Penn State Wrestling opens the season with a blowout win
Dec 3, 2024
Cael Sanderson speaks to the media after #1 Penn State Wrestling defeated Drexel 41-3. Sanderson gave an update on the injury status of 133 pounder Braeden Davis and fans not getting to see star freshman Luke Lilledahl make his debut. Carter Starocci and Levi Haines also spoke after both picked up season debut wins. #WeAre #PennState #PSUwr #CaelSanderson #LeviHaines #CarterStarocci
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last night uh I feel pretty good uh
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enjoy the process of of making the
0:06
weight and uh yeah just do good excited
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for something different
0:16
next um Carter same question for you you
0:19
mentioned last week that at this new
0:21
weight class you spend less time uh late
0:23
nights cutting weight does this mean do
0:25
you feel more energized or stronger on
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the mat now that you don't spend all
0:28
that time possibly draining cutting
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yeah uh I don't mind training too much
0:32
so um that aspect it's it's kind of
0:35
whatever but just I just feel a lot
0:37
better at at the new weight class so
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it's more exciting to and um over the
0:41
years I feel like our lineup keeps
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getting better and better and so I mean
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we have guys like Levi that's pretty big
0:47
up two-way classes now so um it kind of
0:49
just made sense for the team as
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well thanks in the
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back thank you um this is for kale
0:59
obviously
1:00
successful season opener Drexel
1:03
especially in the first half looked
1:04
tough how would you rate the way you
1:06
guys wrestled today and also the way uh
1:08
Drexel came out and competed yeah I
1:10
thought Drexel did a really nice job I
1:12
mean Matt as AO is a great coach and um
1:15
there's yeah they just Scrappy a lot of
1:17
a lot of close matches coming down to
1:18
the end there early so that's some good
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experience for our guys some of our guys
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uh you know got chances to wrestle that
1:26
that haven't had a lot of opportunities
1:27
in the past so I think it's a great
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experience for them um but yeah it's you
1:31
know the first week of the season for us
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so it's all just uh doesn't really
1:35
change but we just compete and see where
1:36
we're at and try to get better but yeah
1:38
I thought uh coach AO and the team um
1:42
yeah they look good they were hon us
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especially like you said that first the
1:45
first half
1:47
next Jim Carlson right here make it
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right
1:52
here thank
1:55
you for both you guys um did was there
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ever a doubt that you wrestle today what
2:01
went into that decision you could have
2:02
the day you
2:04
want yeah uh there was no doubt for me
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uh I just love to compete and uh I think
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it's a great opportunity kind of uh two
2:11
WS back to back like a tournament
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setting so I just want to make the most
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of that opportunity and uh just use it
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as
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practice yeah I mean I I would I would
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agree with Levi um I think training is
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fun but obviously I think competing is
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the most fun so um I'd rather do this
2:27
any day than wrestle and Levi those guys
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at practice so um and it's just fun too
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we get to experience our fans and and
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things like that and just go compete
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because I feel like um your best
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training is when is when you're
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competing and so it's kind of hard to
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mimic um like that whole feel so it's
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always good getting out there
2:46
next right
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here kale between last night and today
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would you uh like to see this become
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more of a thing where it's kind of like
2:54
an opening weekend between the class and
2:57
the first old
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meet uh I don't know I don't know I mean
3:00
we just kind of roll with the punches
3:02
with the the the All-Star match I mean
3:04
that's something that gives our you know
3:06
our fans a chance to be here when and
3:09
you know have to travel around the
3:10
country we don't have to travel to the
3:12
event um it's an awesome event obviously
3:14
a lot of great matches
3:17
um but it's a lot also right because you
3:20
know you don't know who's wrestling and
3:21
it's you're jumping into uh um
3:24
back-to-back matches yeah I think I
3:26
think it's it's worked out and um is
3:29
something we're just going to you know
3:31
set in concrete probably not I mean
3:33
that's just uh each year we'll kind of
3:35
be dependent and they might not want to
3:37
host it here again I don't know I mean
3:38
it's uh it's not really 100% our call
3:40
but but I think it went well and you
3:42
know we were happy with the turnout we
3:44
appreciate the fans uh coming you know
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they did a great job for us and we
3:48
appreciate him being here today another
3:49
another great crowd go uh Carter Levi
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can you just talk about what it means to
3:56
be part of this you could say Murderers
3:58
Row if your guys' line up here second
4:00
half of this you know the lineup with
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you know starting with Mitchell going
4:04
out through you guys just talk about how
4:05
that is and you know maybe a a sense of
4:08
ease if God forbid something were to
4:10
happen where you guys are down in a
4:12
D um yeah I mean I think our whole
4:14
team's pretty solid um it from start to
4:17
finish and things like that so um
4:19
obviously when it gets into the heavier
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its weights um it's more exciting for me
4:23
just because I know I'm about to compete
4:24
soon but other than that I mean I just
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feel like our whole team is pretty solid
4:27
um all the way up through and I just
4:29
feel like as as season goes on R to uh
4:32
keep getting better so that's going to
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be the exciting part um so yeah this is
4:35
only our first one or our second one
4:39
now yeah I think it's pretty cool
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opportunity um like Carter was saying
4:43
there I think all 10 guys are Murderers
4:46
Row um I just appreciate the opportunity
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to be a part of such a a special team
4:51
and uh I like anytime I get to watch our
4:53
guys can so I know that they're going to
4:55
go uh compete to their best and I can
4:56
really appreciate that um I know not
4:59
everybody's always at their best so um
5:01
every time one of our guys steps out
5:03
there I know he's going to give his best
5:04
on that day so U that's something I'm
5:07
very thankful for and I don't think a
5:09
whole lot of other teams have that on
5:12
the end hold on go ahead sir this one's
5:14
for Coach uh what did you see out of
5:16
Lucas Cochran today I know a tech ball
5:18
is really nice but was there anything in
5:19
particular that you took away from his
5:22
match oh yeah I think he's he's been
5:24
really good for a long time I think he
5:26
just kind of uh has really started
5:29
started figuring that out last last year
5:31
when he filled in for us and wrestled
5:33
heavyweight and in the off season um so
5:35
you just want to see them wrestle with
5:37
the little confidence and and enthusiasm
5:40
and I you know he he went out um went
5:42
out on fire and just did what what he's
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capable of doing so it's fun to watch
5:47
him and see him do that um I mean we see
5:51
him every day so it's not like a huge
5:52
surprise to us but was great to see him
5:55
have that opportunity and to go take
5:56
advantage of it like that Andy go ahead
5:59
K it looked like um after take injury
6:01
time bra was a little tentative is that
6:04
anything to worry about him tweaking
6:05
that leg or is he is that just adjusting
6:07
to some discomfort uh I think you know I
6:11
I don't have the answer to that I think
6:12
he'll be fine I think he's uh you know
6:14
if you're able to finish the match and
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and uh he just had to you know kind of
6:18
wrestle through that and you know we'll
6:20
take care of it and make sure he's you
6:21
know has the time he needs to get back
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to to full speed if he's not full speed
6:25
soon um but you know it's early November
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so I I I haven't uh you know I don't
6:31
think they've given him you know a full
6:33
look yet so we we'll figure it out but
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you know we have just uh you know Dan
6:37
mle's a really really good trainer and
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and uh pretty much what he says is is
6:41
Gospel you know I mean he's not really
6:43
been off ever that I remember um calling
6:46
a knee or a shoulder or something on the
6:48
mat so um if he says um you know you're
6:52
good to go if he gives me the look then
6:54
we know you know at this time of the
6:56
year you're you're throwing the brick in
6:58
and just kind of uh Moving on but um but
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yeah we'll see you know I can't really
7:02
speak to it because I I don't really
7:04
have the answer and if I had the answer
7:05
I probably won't tell you anyways but
7:08
but yeah I think it'll be
7:10
good um unfortunately obviously we
7:12
didn't see Luke russle today um kind of
7:14
question for all three of you guys but
7:16
what have you seen so far from him this
7:17
offseason in the room and like how's he
7:19
grown into the group um and what can we
7:21
expect for him the rest of the season
7:23
hopefully when he does get that chance
7:24
to
7:26
compete who wants to take that one um I
7:29
just think think that uh I've noticed
7:30
too just like for my freshman year you
7:33
would think um as each year goes on you
7:35
kind of lose some stars on the team and
7:37
then like always the next year um it's a
7:39
team always gets better and those
7:42
freshman just always step in ready to go
7:45
and just even last year I mean I feel
7:47
like our team was pretty good but I feel
7:48
like this year our team's even better
7:50
and not thinking ahead but I think even
7:52
after this year I think the team next
7:53
year is going to be even better and I
7:55
just think that's a shows a good job
7:56
that our coaches do to make sure those
7:58
guys are always ready to go
8:02
let me I'll talk you know answer on Luke
8:04
I think Luke's uh you know we were
8:05
really excited to watch him wrestle I
8:06
think probably a lot of the crowd was um
8:09
but 25 is just one of those weights
8:11
where they had two guys and I think they
8:13
were both they were both injured and um
8:16
and I know we figured everyone would be
8:17
a little disappointed but Luke's just
8:18
he's been awesome for the program he
8:20
brings in very positive energy all the
8:22
time doesn't take a lot to make him
8:23
smile uh he's obviously an incredible
8:25
wrestler and we're super super happy
8:28
that he's uh in our program and will be
8:31
in our lineup yeah he's he's he's really
8:33
a great great
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kid one more here last
8:40
one yeah kale I'm sure Carter and Le
8:42
back can touch on this too having fundo
8:44
and vaness actually like fully back
8:46
what's that mean for you
8:48
guys uh it means we have two uh really
8:51
great wrestlers um competing in in in
8:54
that weight class and uh you know when
8:56
you you care about both of them and they
8:58
both have you know the ability to go win
9:00
a National Title uh it makes things a
9:02
little a little tricky and complicated
9:04
but um you know this is wrestling so you
9:07
know you get to kind of go wrestle each
9:09
other and kind of decide who who ends
9:11
who's going to end up being that guy um
9:14
you know we uh they're both they're both
9:15
awesome and we love both of them but uh
9:18
but yeah it's just uh they're you know
9:20
they're both competing at the same
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weight and you know in the next little
9:23
while that'll you know they're going to
9:25
have to you know wrestle and see see how
9:27
that turns out
9:30
we good all right thank you guys very
9:32
much everybody
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