What We Learned From Penn State Coach Cael Sanderson's Weekly Press Conference

The Nittany Lions wrestling coach discussed Senior Day and the team's regular-season finale.

Penn State Nittany Lions head coach Cael Sanderson watches his team wrestle the Iowa Hawkeyes at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

The top-ranked Penn State wrestling will host Princeton on Friday for its annual Senior Night match, which the rest of college wrestling might watch wistfully.

Coach Cael Sanderson brings one of his best teams ever into another postseason that could be record-breaking. And yet, the Nittany Lions start just one senior in Levi Haines.

Sanderson held his weekly media availability Wednesday in State College, where he discussed what this Senior Night means, Haines' future with the program and freshman Marcus Blaze's breakout win against Ohio State. Here's what Sanderson had to say.

RELATED: How Penn State wrestling remains dominant in the NIL era

What Senior Day says about Penn State's future

Penn State Nittany Lions senior Levi Haines, center, holds the trophy as the team celebrates its sixth consecutive Big Ten regular-season wrestling title after defeating Ohio State. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With a win over Princeton on Friday. Penn State will complete its sixth consecutive undefeated season and claim its NCAA-record 86th consecutive victory. And it will do so with a lineup that returns nine starters (not counting redshirting All-American Tyler Kasak).

Haines, a three-time All-American and 2024 NCAA champ, is Penn State's only starter in his final season of eligibility. In fact, the entire program has just three wrestlers listed as senior: Haines, Lucas Cochran (285) and Sam Beckett (165).

As a result, Penn State's 2026-27 roster doesn't have much wiggle room to add new wrestlers. Penn State has just two recruits in the 2026 class so far: third-ranked Jayden James and 27th-ranked Sam Herring. Unless there's some transfer movement, Penn State's roster will look almost identical next season.

"We don’t have a lot of guys walking, which is good for the program," Sanderson told reporters in State College. "It's not as good if you’re trying to bring new guys in and you have a roster cap. But obviously you’re planning and you see what’s going to happen in the future. But this is a special group of guys that will be walking. They obviously have meant a lot of to the program. The last 4-5 years they’ve been here have been remarkable."

Not quite farewell for Levi Haines

Penn State Nittany Lions wrestler Levi Haines, right, competes against Ohio State's T.J. Schierl in a Big Ten wrestling dual at the Bryce Jordan Center. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Haines, ranked No. 1 at 174 pounds, has been a Penn State staple for four seasons. A three-time All-American and three-time Big Ten champion, Haines is wrestling at peak form in his final season.

Haines (17-0) has won 15 bouts with bonus points, including nine technical falls. He is on course to win his second NCAA title after placing third last season, his first at 174 pounds. Haines also has an everlasting key to the wrestling facility, Sanderson said.

"We did our best to take good care of him, and obviously he’s taken very good care of us," Sanderson said. ... "You don't let a guy like that. We'll do everything we can to keep him here and keep him part of the program and training."

Marcus Blaze is a title contender

Penn State's Marcus Blaze, right, defeats Ohio State's Ben Davino at 133 pounds during a Big Ten wrestling dual at the Bryce Jordan Center. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Freshman Marcus Blaze climbed to second in the InterMat Wrestling rankings at 133 pounds after his 3-2 tiebreaker win over Ohio State's Ben Davino, the former No. 2. Blaze reversed Davino in the scond tiebreaker to remain unbeaten and announce himself as a contender at a stacked weight class.

Sanderson said Blaze (18-0) learned plenty from the win, notably how to position himself better for takedowns in tight bouts. He also scouted Davino's style, as the two expect to see each other again in the postseason.

"[They're] two of the best guys in the country, and it was a tough match that showed Marcus’ competitive nature," Sanderson said. "... Not really probably the way we want to get it done. We’re probably going to see the guy a couple more times. ... But it shoted [Blaze's] poise and his ability to land on his feet in a tough spot and figure it out."

Noteworthy Nittany Lions

Penn State's Cole Mirasola, left, wrestles Nebraska's AJ Ferrari in the heavyweight bout during a Big Ten dual meet. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Cole Mirasola (285) made a huge leap in the rankings with his 4-1 win in sudden victory over former No. 3 Nick Feldman of Ohio State. Mirasola, a redshirt freshman and first-year starter, improved from 12th to sixth. Mirasola (19-6) has beaten two wrestlers who were ranked in the top five at the time they wrestled.

Nine Penn State wrestlers are ranked among the top 6 at their weight classes in the latest InterMat rankings. That includes five at No. 1: Haines, Luke Lilledahl (125), Shayne Van Ness (149), Mitchell Mesenbrink (165), Rocco Welsh (184) and Josh Barr (197).

Mesenbrink still holds a slim lead over Ohio State's Jesse Mendez in the latest Hodge Trophy standings, according to Wrestlestat. Barr is third, Haines fourth and Van Ness sixth in the standings.

Up next

Penn State closes the regular season against Princeton at Rec Hall. The match begins at 7 p.m. ET and will be streamed on B1G+.

Watch Sanderson's entire media availability here, courtesy of Locked On Nittany Lions.

What happens next for Penn State? Stay on top of all the Nittany Lions news by subscribing to the Penn State on SI Daily Digest. The newsletter is your free daily window into Penn State sports.

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