Penn State wrestling notebook: Cael Sanderson on victory in Michigan, Aaron Brooks & more
It’s safe to say that Penn State wrestling had a very successful weekend, improving to 13-0 with its 29-6 victory over No. 3 Michigan on Friday followed by a 28-9 win over Michigan State.
According to head coach Cael Sanderson, Penn State’s success is an all-hands-on-deck approach. The Nittany Lions have had to be surgical in their opportunities to claim wins the entire season in building a deep roster. All-American transfer Drew Hildebrandt (125) and Brady Berge (165) stepped in midseason to continue to build onto the already strong team.
“It’s a team sport and we need 10 guys — the most that we can get out of 10 guys, if we want to compete for a national championship,” Sanderson said on Tuesday. “We saw that last year. We’re just trying to get better as we move along this season here and everybody is obviously important to compete in dual meets, but also Big Ten and nationals.”
Berge broke down Caleb Fish multiple times in the Michigan State dual. The 165-pound battle saw Berge finishing with three takedowns, but Fish battled back multiple times. Berge won with a 7-4 victory against Fish to improve to 3-0 on the season. The senior defeated Michigan wrestler, No. 12 Cameron Amine, 3-1 on Friday and Rutgers’ Andrew Clark by a score of 5-1 on Jan. 16.
With Berge returning from a coaching stint with South Dakota State, he’s had high expectations for himself. Berge compiled a 35-10 record with the Nittany Lions, prior to deciding to step away from the sport before his senior season in 2021.
“I think that first and foremost, he has eligibility and he felt really good and feels healthy,” Sanderson said of Berge. “He wants to just see what he can do. If you watched him over the last few years, you know that he has the ability to go deep in the tournament and has the ability and potential to win. That’s his goal. I think that’s everybody’s goal. It’s just one match at a time, you have to get better in every match and be ready to go in March right now.”
Aaron Brooks continues to raise his stock at the national level
It’s very hard to become better than the best, but 184-pound Penn State wrestler Aaron Brooks has achieved it so far this season.
Brooks defeated Michigan Olympian wrestler Myles Amine (San Marino) 3-1 in the 184-pound match. Amine won a bronze medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics and Brooks was the 2021 NCAA champion in the 184-pound weight class. The Michigan 184-pounder was able to get on the board in the second period with an escape, leading 1-0. Brooks tied the match with an escape of his own in the third period, before taking down Amine for the victory with just 15 seconds remaining.
Sanderson thinks that won’t be the last time the two giants of Division I level will face off against each other.
“It was a great match and something that I think Aaron and everyone else is looking forward to seeing the same thing again,” Sanderson said while discussing the match on Tuesday. “I think Aaron can make some adjustments. Obviously, I think they can make some adjustments and that’s what makes competition fun. What a great battle. Aaron’s offense and defense was really top-notch. Some of the positions that they were in were world class positions and (it was) world class effort. (It was) a great matchup.”
The junior is currently 49-2 in his career and sits at 11-0 on the year. He won his second match of the weekend with a 4-0 decision against Michigan State’s Layne Malczewski.
Drew Hildebrandt’s early success
Hildebrandt is 4-1 since joining the program before the spring semester. He defeated Michigan State’s Tristan Lujan 8-0 with three takedowns and an escape on Friday. According to Sanderson, Hildebrandt’s leadership with the Nittany Lions is unmatched, as the Central Michigan transfer and All-American has pushed his teammates weekly in practice.
“I think leadership is just being consistent and just basically sharing your passion with the rest of the squad by being yourself,” Sanderson said. “I think he’s a great example of those things. He’s just very consistent and obviously a very good wrestler and just gives a great effort every time and is going to be himself, regardless of the circumstances or situation. He’s been very valuable to us and he’s just a fun guy to have around and to have on the team.”
The senior transfer holds a mindset of consistently attacking. He looks to get on the board early and often, attacking his opposition with a number of shoots, takedowns and pins. His relentlessness and confidence is something that he looks to carry into matches for the remainder of the season to win a national championship.
“I just think that my mindset approaching matches — I’ve got to really start getting my offense going more and compete and I want to score more points,” Hildebrandt said. “Knowing that I’m that guy, I can win a national title.”
Hildebrandt owns a 4-1 record as a Nittany Lion with his lone loss coming at the hands of Michigan wrestler No. 2 Nick Suriano in a 2-1 match on Friday. He previously defeated Rutgers’ Dylan Shawver, Indiana’s Jacob Moran and Maryland’s Zach Spence.
Sanderson’s relationship with Bills head coach Sean McDermott
Sanderson has impressed a number of coaches with his success at Penn State, including ones outside of his sport. One of those coaches is Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott, who has a wrestling background as two-time national tournament champion in high school, compiling a record of 61-0 at La Salle College.
Following the Bills’ nail-biter divisional-round loss Sunday to the Kansas City Chiefs, Sanderson reflected Tuesday on the time McDermott took a visit to Rec Hall before the Nittany Lions’ departure for the 2019 Division I wrestling tournament. During the visit, Penn State wrestlers played dodgeball to clear their minds and enjoy themselves, and McDermott told reporters last week he was impressed with Sanderson’s approach of getting his wrestlers ready “to perform at their best in mind, body and spirit.”
Penn State would go on to win the national championship, their eighth in nine seasons.
“(McDermott) was really impressive and he’s our kind of guy in the way that he runs his program,” Sanderson said. “He obviously has a wrestling background — that’s how I met him. But the whole way he came in here, he texted me and said, ‘Hey. I’m here.’ I’m like, ‘Oh, where are you at?’ He was outside of Rec Hall. He had his hat down and no entourage. I would’ve been happy to just sit there, listen and watch. We were happy and eager. We were trying to learn from him and then, we were asking him questions at the same time.”
