Penn State wrestling notebook: NCAA selection process a ‘flawed system,’ Sanderson says
Penn State head coach Cael Sanderson is set to send his team into battle on March 17 for the 2022 NCAA Wrestling Championships in Detroit.
The Nittany Lions are set to have four No. 1 seeds (Roman Bravo-Young, Nick Lee, Carter Starocci, Max Dean) with nine wrestlers competing in the event. Penn State finished second as a team in the Big Ten Championships with a score of 141.5 points. Each of the aforementioned No. 1 seeds took home an individual title, while Aaron Brooks (184 pounds) finished in second place to Michigan’s Myles Amine.
With the announcement of Wednesday night’s seedings, Sanderson was critical of how the process played out in respect to his team’s success against the field and how a few wrestlers, namely No. 16 seed Drew Hildebrandt (125), should be ranked higher.
“I think it was consistently inconsistent like it has been in the past years,” Sanderson said. “But, it is what it is at this point. I think it’s probably something that should be addressed. We kind of have a flawed system that lacks judgment, wisdom and consistency, but right now, we have our draw. We’re ready to roll. If you don’t take care of business, you kind of leave it up to somebody else — you leave it up to a committee or system that you just don’t know what you’re going to get.”
Creighton Edsell (165) is another wrestler that Sanderson believes was snubbed. Edsell finished 11-5 on the season. Edsell entered the Big Ten Championships as the No. 10 seed and took on Minnesota’s Cael Carlson, dropping the match 4-2. Despite Edsell’s end to the season, Sanderson said that the sophomore should’ve received one final shot to finish off his year in Detroit.
“It was close,” Sanderson said. “I think he was the next guy probably in and it could’ve gone his way, but again, you leave it in someone else’s hands and that kind of stuff can happen unfortunately. He was a great candidate for that wild card, but there were also some other great candidates who weren’t selected. It’s not much you can do about it now.”
Staying focused as a No. 1 seed
Lee (141) is set to take on the winner of No. 33 Dylan Cedeno (Virginia) vs. No. 32 Josh Mason (Bloomsburg). The senior won his first Big Ten championship on Sunday and holds a 17-0 record on the year and a 9-0 record against the field of wrestlers that are in his weight class in the NCAA Championships.
The goal for the experienced wrestler is stay focused, prepare himself like he normally would and take the event head on.
“I’ve got some homework and some video games and stuff that are going on,” Lee quipped. “Anxiety means that you’re doing something that’s worth doing, right? So, I don’t think about it too much. I don’t think it’s something to stress about. It’s a really fun opportunity — we’ll make the most of it. We’re excited.”
Dean (197) is also a No. 1 seed in his weight class. He will face the victor of No. 33 Matthew Waddell (Chattanooga) vs No. 32 Will Feldkamp (Clarion). The junior has had ample time to prepare for his matches. He first had a two-week break in between Penn State’s duals with Nebraska and Rider, prior to having nearly two weeks in between Rider and last weekend’s Big Ten Championship. Dean has an extra two weeks to prepare for the fight of his life. The opportunity to wrestle with fresh legs and a chance to scout his opponents is a welcome sight for Dean.
“I think it’s nice sometimes to have those weekends off because you can get some hard training in,” Dean said. “But when you’re wrestling matches, you want to use that like training too. There’s really no better practice than competition. We’ve really just got a couple more hard days of training here before we rest up for NCAA’s.”
Homecoming for Dean
Dean is set to return to his home state of Michigan for the NCAA Championships. The Lowell, Mich. native was a two-time state champion at Lowell High School and was the Grand Rapids Press Wrestler of the Year and the MichiganGrappler.com Regional Wrestler of the Year.
His family and a number of friends are set to make the trip to Detroit to watch him compete. He plans to stay focused on the opportunity to win a national championship, before worrying about who views his matches.
“I’m sure I’ll have a lot of family and friends there, but it’s nothing new,” Dean said. “I’m super lucky, I have a great support system — obviously among the Penn State wrestling family, but also my personal family back home. They’re always coming out to support me. In terms of wrestling, it doesn’t really change whether they’re there or not. I’ve got a job to do and (I’ve) got to go out and do it.”
This story was originally published March 10, 2022 at 4:25 PM.
