Few opponents understand the atmosphere cultivated by Iowa fans better than Sanderson. The four-time NCAA champion was a subject of Iowa’s ire during his competing and coaching career at Iowa State. Sanderson has returned to Iowa multiple times for personal matters since moving to Centre County. But he hasn’t brought his new program into the state because Penn State wasn’t invited to this month’s NWCA National Duals in Cedar Falls. “Emotions? It’s not too emotional,” Sanderson said. “They love wrestling there. It’s a tough place for teams to compete. As a competitor, there’s not a better atmosphere in the country. They show up and they love their team. “You don’t get too many opportunities in life to wrestle in front of crowds like that. It’s obviously fun. I want to compete with those guys. We want to beat them like everybody else. Being from Iowa State, beating them is ingrained into you.”
Sanderson’s three Iowa State teams stumbled against Iowa. The Hawkeyes thumped the Cyclones 24-6 before 13,732 fans at Carver-Hawkeye in 2006, Sanderson’s first year as a head coach. The meet included a feisty exchange between then-Iowa assistant coach Dan Gable and Sanderson. The meet moved to Ames in 2007, and Iowa State lost 20-13. Sanderson’s frustrations increased last season, when an experienced Iowa State team lost 20-15 before 15,955 fans at Carver-Hawkeye. “It’s an awesome rivalry,” Sanderson said. “Not many schools have something like that. We want to build up a rivalry with the Iowas, Oklahoma States, Ohio States. We want to get back into that.”
Sanderson’s current team is different than the Iowa State teams he coached. Penn State’s lineup includes six ranked wrestlers and four weights it must improve before the postseason. All three of Sanderson’s Iowa State teams featured 10 eventual NCAA qualifiers. Iowa’s current team could be as solid as its past three. When fully healthy, the Hawkeyes send nine top-10 wrestlers to the mat. Iowa displayed its prowess last weekend, hammering Michigan 36-0 and Purdue 41-6 to increase its winning streak to 54 matches. “They are solid. No question about that,” Sanderson said. “You look at their team on paper and they have a good team with talented guys who wrestle hard. They know what they are trying to do.” The Hawkeyes are also ruthless, a trait instilled by fiery coach Tom Brands, who has led the program to two straight NCAA team titles. Brands, by the way, isn’t affected by Sanderson’s presence at Penn State nor does he think it will be different seeing him lead another team into Carver-Hawkeye. “No, it’s going to be the same,” he told the Cedar Rapids Gazette. “It’s a team coming to our arena to perform the best they can.”
Penn State and Iowa have competed in other realms since last April. The teams eyed many of the same recruits during last November’s early signing. Iowa’s haul included two top-20 recruits — Council Rock South’s Josh Dziewa and Blair Academy’s Mike Evans — with Pennsylvania roots. Brands also heavily pursued Central Mountain’s Andrew and Dylan Alton, who committed to Penn State a week after Sanderson’s hiring. “They come to where the kids are,” Sanderson said. “Pennsylvania kids are proven, tough kids who excel at the next level.” With the Nittany Lions primed to keep many of Pennsylvania’s best wrestlers home, Sanderson might get one of his wishes: Penn State-Iowa matches should include large, boisterous crowds. “With the recruiting class coming, I know he feels good,” Brands during Iowa’s preseason Media Day in November. “I’m not real concerned about it. You still have to give good money in scholarships to the best kids in the country whether they are from your backyard or not. You still have to communicate your philosophy. “He did a great job of that at Iowa State and he’ll do a great job at Penn State. But our focus is on what we do here. When we meet, let the best team win.”
Thanks to Guy Cipriano and the "Centre Daily Times" (State College, Pa.) for the article