Liminal Cafe and Community Center hosts INTERFERENCE SERIES

Top: A full house watches a jazz performance from guitarist John Stowell, accompanied by bassist Chris Finet and drummer Rob Wallace, at Liminal Flagstaff, Feb. 8. Left: Bassist Chris Finet and drummer Rob Wallace of the Interference Series, an experimental music collective, perform at Liminal Flagstaff, Feb. 8. Chloe Legay | The Lumberjack

What pure dominance looks like

Back in 2009, Penn State University wrestling hired a coach that would boost this team quickly. Cael Sanderson’s dominance as a wrestler came before any of his other accomplishments. Later, Cael’s coaching career began at his alma mater, Iowa State University.

In his three years as head coach, his team placed within the top five each year. Additionally, each year all 10 wrestlers qualified for the NCAA tournament. Then he started the dynasty of Penn State.

The immediate impact Cael had on the Nittany Lions program was amazing. In his first season, he led them to a ninth-place finish at the NCAA tournament. Also in that tournament, he finished with three allAmericans including a national finalist. But this was only the beginning of the dynasty to come.

Penn State had many names on that roster in 2010-11, including Ed Ruth, David Taylor and Frank Molinaro. The Nittany Lions won their first national championship under Cael. As the head coach that season he led them to the school’s firstever Big Ten championship, was named Big Ten and Big 12 coach of the year and won Penn State its first national championship since 1953.

Since being under Cael Sanderson, the Nittany Lions have won nine out of the last eleven national championships as a team, while producing many national champions as well as All-Americans too.

Along with always having a loaded team, Cael has produced 17 national champions. Many of them being multiple-time champs, 32 of the national titles have been won by the same 17 people.

There have been three separate wrestlers to acquire three national championships: Jason Nolf, Bo Nickal and Zain Rethorford. There are also current Nittany Lions that are close to that mark as well, each with two titles currently: Roman Bravo-Young, Carter Starocci and Aaron Brooks.

In the 2022-23 season, the Nittany Lions are still as dominant as ever, and as a team, still sit at No. 1 in the country. Their most recent team victory was over the No. 2 team in the country, the Iowa Hawkeyes. Penn State won that duel 23-14.

This was a heavy dual for both teams with a total of 18 ranked wrestlers. There were many big matches that showed us insight into the battle that will go down at the NCAA tournament in March. It will be a battle between Penn State and Iowa to see who can take home the national championship this year.

Penn State’s reign doesn’t seem to be coming to a stop anytime soon with the dominance this team is showing. The Nittany Lions have nine out of the ten weight classes ranked in the country as of right now and look strong coming into the tournament. Cael’s and the Nittany Lions’ dominance will continue and he will go down as a coaching legend.

Left: Sophomore forward guard Olivia Moran (22) leaps for the rebound during the Big Sky Conference against Eastern Washington University at the Findlay Toyota Court, Feb. 16.

Gwen Costello | The Lumberjack

Right: Freshman Christian Mutengela jumps over the pole during one of his attempts at the high jump on Findlay Toyota Field, Feb. 17. Mutengela finished in fifth place with the mark of 1.83 meters.

Victoria Medina | The Lumberjack

Bottom: Sophomore guard Trent McLaughlin (24) leans on his teammate, graduate student Xavier Fuller (2), after the referees approve Portland State’s final shot before the buzzer went off at the end of the game at Findlay Toyota Court, Feb. 11. With the referees’ approval, Portland State beat NAU by one point with the final score being 87-88.

Victoria Medina | The Lumberjack