This afternoon, Head Coach Cael Sanderson, 157 lbs starter PJ Duke, and 165 lbs starter Mitchell Mesenbrink spoke to media ahead of Friday’s dual vs. Indiana in Rec Hall.
Transcript Readers: Be sure to watch the first few seconds of Mitchell’s video for a glimpse into his carefree way of being.
Cael Sanderson – Head Coach
Performance and takeaways from the weekend results at Iowa?
Yeah, I think the weekend went well. I think just a fun environment. Going on the road and competing is a lot of fun as a team. Obviously, a lot of little things we can improve on collectively and individually—just part of the process of figuring things out and I mean we say this every time we wrestle Iowa, but they do a really good job preparing and they kind of always give you an idea of what you need to get better at and just good competition, good wrestlers, good coaching staff there. So yeah, I think we come away with some ideas on how we can get better. (0:12 – 0:48)
Athletes’ confidence after significant road wins?
Yeah, I don’t know. I mean it’s always just preparation for the next match. So a match comes and goes quickly. Everything comes and goes quickly. So it’s all just preparation. And so I don’t know if anyone’s patting themselves on the back or anything as much as just seeing what can we do better and continue to approach things with enthusiasm and gratitude is kind of the key. (0:58 – 1:28)
Preparation and weight management changes after the final double-dual weekend?
Yeah, it just depends. I mean the double dual is a double weigh-in. You get a pound now that second dual enough to—I mean the guys love that obviously but I’m not a big deal. But yeah, we’ll just continue to improve our conditioning. I mean we have eight or nine weeks until the nationals, I believe. So we’ll, you know, we got a lot of time to get better and technique and then take our shape up a notch or two. (1:42 – 2:13)
Luke Lilledahl’s evolution as a wrestler in a year’s time?
I think Luke [Lilledahl] is just a competitor, number one. He just loves the sport. And he’s just going to keep getting better because that’s just his mindset and he has aspirations of being an Olympic champion and if that’s what you’re trying to do, it’s got to be little steps every day, every week, every month, each year obviously. So yeah, he’ll just keep getting better. He’s definitely the student of the game and a great competitor. Very technical in addition to just being a really good athlete and fast and just having a great feel. So yeah, he’s just a great competitor. He’ll just keep getting better and that’s just his plan. (2:30 – 3:19)
PJ Duke and Marcus Blaze performing as true freshmen in a hostile environment?
I think they both have done a great job. I mean, they’re competitors. They’re going to go out there and be themselves and the bigger the moment, the better they’re going to wrestle. That’s just what they’ve done their whole lives and that’s what we do as a program. Yeah, great matches. Marcus [Blaze] wrestled a guy he could see in the NCAA finals, right? And [PJ] Duke wrestled an All-American and so it could be the same kind of a situation but the trick is just be yourself regardless of when, where, whoever—just do what you do and they both are great examples of that. (3:42 – 4:18)
Perspectives on the program widening the gap over the rest of the country?
I don’t know. I mean, we have a special thing going here, right? I mean, kids know that. They see that. I think I have a pretty good idea of what we’re doing and what we’re not doing. I think in this era and the NIL era and all the different motivations to go to different programs, our kids know that they’re coming here because they want to be the best wrestlers they can possibly be. And so I think when we look back, we’ll see that this era has been good to us because we do our best to follow the rules and we’re going to get the kids that are coming here for the right reasons, right? Because the kids know, recruits know, parents know. So, although it seems like it’s an advantage, I think it’ll be an advantage to us just because kids are coming here with very high character, wanting to be the best wrestlers in the world. (4:34 – 5:35)
Importance of tough competition for Braeden Davis early in the season?
Yeah, we kind of just threw him in there right away as soon as that decision was made. And Braeden [Davis]is a competitor. He’s fine. He’ll just keep rolling with things and just improve. I thought he wrestled really well on Sunday, bouncing back from a tough loss. I mean, one takedown, there’s such a fine line between winning and losing. So, those are good lessons to learn. And just finishing a shot like you were saying before, getting a stalling call or getting a minute of riding time as opposed to 59 seconds. I mean, that’s just what makes sports fun is just the inches and centimeters that make a difference. He’ll keep competing and just keep getting better as we move forward. (5:44 – 6:36)
New insights on Rocco Welsh following Friday’s match?
I don’t know if there’s anything we didn’t know. He grew up in Pennsylvania, so you watch him—just again, I keep saying our guys are great competitors—but yeah, just a great competitor, very composed. Just wrestled tough and did an awesome job. And it’s just, alright, on to the next one. Obviously, you can’t win the nationals in January, so we’re preparing for the end of the season. And then when we get to the end of the season, it’s the same mindset—we’re just trying to compete to the best of our ability and really preparing for the next tournament because it just gets bigger. Everything gets bigger and things are quickly forgotten and you move on to the next thing. So, it’s just about progress. He’s just a kid that wants to be the best he can possibly be. He’s coachable and he listens, and he follows game plans. Just a tough kid and obviously very talented physically and mentally. (6:46 – 7:45)
Development of team chemistry this season with new faces?
I think the chemistry is really incredible right now in the program. Just like I said before, just a lot of good kids that are here for the right reasons. Kids that could have named their price and gone to other schools are here because of what the program represents and stands for. Those are the kids that are going to care about one another and care about the team. When you do that, obviously, you’re going to get your best self and your best individual results. But yeah, these guys, they want to obviously win as individuals, but they’re team guys. The more time they spend together, the better things get. Very good, very close group. Recruits ask how close the guys are, and I think they’re close, but this is a really close group. A lot of really good kids coming from great families, a lot of team mentality, and they want to see each other do well. If it wasn’t like that, it just wouldn’t be fun. It’s got to be bigger than yourself or you’re just going to be miserable all the time. (8:06 – 9:26)
Cole Mirasola finding his groove after a signature victory?
Yeah, I don’t think there’s been any surprises with Cole [Mirasola]. He’s just a really tough wrestler. Moves really well. And he’s learning how to wrestle heavyweight. I mean, he bumped up last year at heavyweight, and this would be his third year at heavyweight because his junior year [of high school] he was, but he’s just figuring things out. I don’t think anybody’s surprised. I think the big thing for us as coaches is just him having some nice signature wins for his own confidence. We obviously believe in him and know he can do really, really well and as well as he decides to do. So, yeah, great win for him. As a coaching staff, it’s more about him just knowing and believing that he can do that. So, we’re happy for him, too. (9:46 – 10:34)
Impact of training with Greg Kerkvliet and Lucas Cochran?
Greg [Kerkvliet] is not here anymore—he trains at Lehigh RTC now—but last year I’m sure they wrestled a lot. Greg [Kerkvliet] is a big, strong, athletic, tough guy. If he decides he’s going to win the Olympics, he’s going to win the Olympics. But even just being in the same room as him helped. And then we have a lot of good heavyweights in here and guys in the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club that do a great job. Even with Lucas Cochran, those two had to battle and prepare one another and they’re good friends. I think that was a huge blessing for Cole [Mirasola] to have a big hurdle even just to be the starter this year, which makes everybody stronger. Having a guy like Lucas [Cochran] to wrestle every day—he’s definitely one of the best heavyweights in the country. And everyone knows Coach [Casey] Cunningham is the “heavyweight tamer.” When he comes in, the heavyweights start hiding in the corners trying to get out of there. So, a lot of good training and he’s taken advantage of it all. (10:42 – 12:13)
The “nastiness” and competitive edge of Cole Mirasola?
I’m not really sure what he said, but yeah, Cole [Mirasola] is a nice guy. But just like anything, there was a cartoon my dad had in his office growing up—he was a high school PE teacher and wrestling coach—and it was like a “nice guys finish last” kind of cartoon. It’s not being dirty or cheap—you work within the rules 100%—but then you got to compete. You have to be tough and you have to fight. That goes for all of our guys. There’s never been a great athlete that hasn’t had to fight for things a little bit. Technique is just a small piece. As guys figure that out, it’s kind of fun to see. (12:24 – 13:10)
PJ Duke – Freshman, 157 lbs
Friday night atmosphere at Carver-Hawkeye Arena?
It was a pretty crazy environment. It’s like something you dream about your whole life, just Iowa has a good reputation for fans and putting on a good show. So, it was pretty cool to be a part of that. (0:00 – 0:17)
Significance of five shutouts against Iowa?
Yeah, definitely. I think it’s just amazing kind of what we’re doing and stuff and it’s just incredible to be a part of it. (0:18 – 0:37)
Processing the true freshman experience alongside Marcus Blaze?
Not really. I kind of just treat every match the same. I try to at least, and I’m sure Marcus [Blaze] is the same. We both have pretty similar mindsets. So, no matter kind of where it is, whether it’s in practice or an actual match or wherever, just try to be the same person as always. And that kind of just helps you stay grounded and don’t let the fans get into the match. But we’ve just been doing it our whole lives, so it’s kind of just regular for us now. (0:38 – 1:19)
Believing a top-three ranking was possible as a freshman?
Yeah, I would have definitely been pretty surprised. I’m grateful to be where I am now and I put in a lot of work in the past, so I think I hold myself to a pretty high standard. I would definitely be proud of myself but I would be like, yeah, I do deserve to be there. (1:21 – 1:50)
Team chemistry and the bench reaction during Rocco Welsh‘s match?
Yeah, it’s—I mean, just to be at such a great program and to have such good teammates. It’s something that’s unescripable and just it’s kind of special how close our team is. I would say a lot of teams aren’t like that where everyone’s successful and everyone wants each other to get better. Most of the time when people are successful it doesn’t break you down, but not here it’s way different. Everyone wants you to get better and to do better. (1:51 – 2:28)
Relationship with Coach KD (Khaled Dassan) and the future pipeline?
Yeah, it’s pretty special what KD is doing and his pipeline here is definitely amazing because he knows it’s the best place in the world for wrestling. He’s always going to believe that and he wants his guys to be the best in the world. So, he’s obviously going to love them to come here and there’s no better place to be. I’m super excited for those guys, too. They’re going to be really successful when they come here and I’m looking forward to having some fun with them for sure. (2:31 – 3:10)
Breakdown of the match against Jordan Williams:
I would say I was kind of chasing him a little bit. He was more defensive and I would say most of the Iowateam got more defensive the whole time. I kind of just had to be patient and I knew an opening would eventually come and once it did I took advantage of it, took him down and that was pretty much the match. I just again had to be patient and there’s going to be an opportunity every match to score and I just had to take advantage of it. (3:12 – 3:49)
Balancing patience with pushing the pace?
I obviously like scoring a lot of points. That’s the goal is to obviously try and tech or pin everybody I wrestle, but obviously not every match can be perfect. It’s hard to do bonus points every match when guys don’t want to really wrestle too much. Some matches are just going to go a little slower and you got to be patient, but I love to score points, so I’m always going to try and do that. (3:50 – 4:20)
Performing under pressure at Carver-Hawkeye Arena?
I tried to treat every match similar. So, obviously warming up and stuff, you’re in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, so it’s pretty special. As I was walking out, I was kind of like looking around like, “Wow, this is really happening.” I was talking with Marcus [Blaze] actually before the duel, and I was like, “Yeah, this is crazy. Like we’re literally on Penn State‘s team about to wrestle Iowa.” I think sometimes I do wrestle better under pressure. Having all those fans probably does add a little bit extra pressure, but I try not to let it affect me for the most part, and I’m pretty good about that. (4:21 – 5:07)
Memorable trash talk from the Iowa fans?
Honestly, I didn’t really hear too much to be honest, but we didn’t really give them too much to really chirp at, so they I don’t think they were saying too much. (5:08 – 5:21)
Hearing coach KD (Khaled Dassan) during the dual?
I did hear KD. I can always hear KD. It’s actually kind of crazy. Even with however many fans, I heard KD‘s voice. He’s got a pretty loud voice. (5:22 – 5:32)
Meaning of a dominant victory in the Iowa rivalry:
It’s definitely pretty incredible. Just being with this group of guys and being dominant and getting better every day is just so much fun. I think all of us try not to really look at the accolades and the scores and the matches and stuff and we just kind of look at how we can get better. It does mean a lot. Obviously we’re grateful that we did the job good, but we’re just kind of ready to get better and move forward. (5:33 – 6:15)
Mitchell Mesenbrink – Junior, 165 lbs
Why programs haven’t been able to close the gap against Penn State?
I don’t know. I don’t think there’s any secret sauce or anything. It’s just keep doing the same things and focusing on the bigger picture of things in terms of getting ready for the next match or preparing for things later in life, not just wrestling. Instilling values into your day-to-day that mean something to you and that mean something to God and that make a difference. Everybody knows them. They’re not some crazy fable or message that you’ve never heard. It’s just making the—what’s the quote? It’s something like extraordinary is just ordinary over and over. (0:18 – 1:10)
Team chemistry with younger wrestlers like Marcus Blaze and PJ Duke?
I just think it’s nice to be able to look down the line both ways and you got guys that are ready to go. They’re not only ready to go in the wrestling, but they’re enjoying it and they’re having fun. Maybe it’s competing against each other as well—not physically wrestling each other, but whether it’s “I want to get more takedowns than this guy” or whatever. It’s good. I think camaraderie is a big thing, making people feel like they matter and that they belong on a team. (1:27 – 2:03)
Getting tired of wrestling Mikey Caliendo?
Honestly, it’s whoever they send out. Set it up. (2:07 – 2:10)
What can be learned from wrestling the same opponent repeatedly?
You definitely learn a lot about a person and their coaching staff, like what they want to choose to try to throw out and employ against you the next time you wrestle and then the next time. You get to see their thoughts, but then you also get to see who they are when they do step out. Like what was it Mike Tyson said? “Everybody’s got a plan until you get punched in the face.” There is a part of that, but then there’s also a part of preparing. It’s been almost a year since we’ve wrestled, so you get to see things that they’ve tried to implement or they’ve done since then. I think you definitely get better. It’s easier to win once or beat someone one time than it is to continually do it and be successful. Cael [Sanderson] talks about that—it’s harder to win again and again and again. It definitely makes you level up for sure. (2:16 – 3:24)
Thoughts on the one-sided nature of facing an opponent seven times?
Making it a game is definitely fun, like making it enjoyable. It’s just like playing games. You learn a guy—it’s funny, we’ve never spoken, but it’s like we know a lot about each other about little tendencies and little things. I think that’s fun. At the end of the day, you try to make people out to be hero and enemy, but if things got serious and the world turned upside down, you’d want those guys on your team. You’d want to be able to go to battle with any wrestler that you wrestle or compete against. Keeping that in mind, too—no one’s really an enemy. (3:46 – 4:30)
Personal sense of pride or “business as usual” after sticking it to Iowa in their arena?
I know what you’re meaning. I just don’t think—I think pride is a very slippery slope and ego and things like that. Like I said earlier, paying attention to the things that matter. If you’re paying attention to things like that, it becomes a thing where you’re not treating everything the same. Then when you’re in NCAA finals and that’s the biggest thing ever, you can’t breathe and your stomach hurts and you’re going out there nervous. At the end of the day, it’s like making this an eternal thing and just like this is more than just a wrestling match. So more so to your point, it’s put who you are, not what you are, out there. (4:52 – 5:39)
