Cael Norman Sanderson ( ; born June 20, 1979) is an American former

folkstyle Collegiate wrestling (also known as folkstyle wrestling) is the form of wrestling practiced at the college and university level in the United States. This style of wrestling, with some slight modifications, is also practiced at high school and mi ...

and freestyle wrestler who is the current head coach of Penn State University's wrestling team. As a wrestler, he won an

Olympic Gold medal Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

and was undefeated in four years of

college wrestling Collegiate wrestling (also known as folkstyle wrestling) is the form of wrestling practiced at the college and university level in the United States. This style of wrestling, with some slight modifications, is also practiced at high school and mi ...

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...

(ISU) (159–0), becoming a four-time NCAA Division I champion (1999–2002). He is the only wrestler in

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...

history to go undefeated in official matches with more than 100 wins. ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...

'' named his college career as the second most impressive college sports feat of all-time, behind the setting of four world records by

Jesse Owens James Cleveland "Jesse" Owens (September 12, 1913March 31, 1980) was an American track and field athlete who won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games. Owens specialized in the sprints and the long jump and was recognized in his lifet ...

in a single hour at the 1935

Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

track and field conference championship meet.

Early life

Born in

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

, to Steve and Debbie Sanderson, Cael attended Wasatch High School in

Heber City, Utah Heber City is a city and county seat of Wasatch County, Utah, Wasatch County, Utah, United States. The population was 11,362 at the time of the 2010 census. It is located 43 miles southeast of Salt Lake City. History Heber City was first sett ...

, where he was coached by his father, a former

wrestler Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat sport ...

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

. As a high school wrestler, Sanderson was a four-time UHSAA state champion (1994–97), like his brother Cody, and compiled a record of 127–3.

Wrestling career

College

Upon graduation, Sanderson followed his brothers, Cody and Cole, to ISU. After redshirting in 1997-98, Sanderson won all 39 of his matches to his first

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

and

Big 12 Conference The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its ...

titles at 184 pounds (his brother, Cody, was the runner-up at 133 pounds). He was also the first freshman in NCAA history to be named the Outstanding Wrestler (OW) at Nationals. His next three seasons were virtually identical, compiling 40 wins and no losses in each and finishing with the only perfect record in NCAA Division I history at 159-0. By winning all of his matches, he became only the second wrestler in history to that point to win four NCAA Division I titles. He was also named the OW in all of the NCAA tournaments he competed in. Sanderson was a three-time

Dan Hodge Trophy The Dan Hodge Trophy is awarded each year to the United States of America’s best college wrestler. The trophy is presented at the end of the season by W.I.N. Magazine (''Wrestling Insider Newsmagazine'') and Culture House. It is the collegiate w ...

winner (equivalent to the

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...

), being the first to win the award multiple times and the only person to win it three times. He holds the longest win-streak across all NCAA divisions. All of this combined, makes him the most accomplished collegiate wrestler in the history of the sport. In 2017, Sanderson was inducted into the ISU Hall of Fame.

Freestyle

Sanderson was a two-time US Cadet World Team Member, placing third and fourth in 1994 and 1995, respectively. He was also a US University National Champion in 1999 and a University World Champion in 2000. He became the US National Champion in 2001, 2002 and 2003. He was also an original US World Team Member in 2001 and 2002, however, he chose not to participate at the 01' World Championships to focus in folkstyle, and the USA team chose to not compete in

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

. In 2003, he won the Manitoba Open in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

in February, placed second at the World Cup in April, third at the

2003 Pan American Games The 2003 Pan American Games were held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, from August 1 to 17, 2003. The successful bid for the games was made in the mid-1990s, when Dominican Republic had one of the highest growth rates in Latin America. Al ...

and second at the

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

. In 2004, he once again claimed the Manitoba Open title and won the US Olympic Team Trials. At the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

, Sanderson claimed wins over

Magomed Kurugliyev Magomed Kurugliyev (born 16 January 1974 in Dagestan) is a Lezgin from Dagestan. He is a citizen of Kazakhstan. He was a wrestler who competed in the 1996 Summer Olympics, in the 2000 Summer Olympics, and in the 2004 Summer Olympics. He won a bro ...

, Siarhei Borchanka,

Majid Khodaei Majid Khodaei ( fa, مجید خدایی, born 26 August 1978 in Mashhad) is an Iranian former wrestler. Other Tournaments He participated at the following other tournaments: *2001 World Wrestling Championships The following is the f ...

Yoel Romero Yoel Romero Palacio (born April 30, 1977) is a Cuban professional mixed martial artist and former freestyle wrestler. He currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division for Bellator MMA. Romero formerly competed in the Middleweight division ...

and

Moon Eui-jae Moon Eui-Jae (Hangul: 문의제, Hanja: 文儀濟; born February 10, 1975) is a retired South Korean wrestler who won two Olympic silver medals in freestyle wrestling, Men's Freestyle 76 kg at the 2000 Summer Olympics and Men' ...

to become an Olympic Gold medalist in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

. While already a full-time coach at Penn State, Sanderson came out of retirement in 2011 and took home an Ion Corneanu Memorial title, won the US World Team Trials and placed fifth at the

. In 2011, Sanderson was inducted into the

National Wrestling Hall of Fame The National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum and hall of fame for amateur wrestling, headquartered in Stillwater, Oklahoma. In 2010, it began operating the Dan Gable Museum in Waterloo, Iowa. History The museum was awarded to Stillw ...

as a Distinguished Member.

Freestyle record

! colspan="7", World Championships & Olympics , - ! Res. ! Record ! Opponent ! Score ! Date ! Event ! Location , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Loss , 13–3 , align=left,

Albert Saritov Albert Ramazanovich Saritov (russian: Альберт Рамазанович Саритов; born July 8, 1985, in Khasavyurt) is a Russian-born Naturalized Romanian freestyle wrestler of Chechen descent. 2016 Olympics bronze me ...

, style="font-size:88%", 0–1, 0–3 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=6, September 17, 2011 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=6,

2011 World Wrestling Championships The 2011 World Wrestling Championships was held at the Sinan Erdem Dome in Istanbul, Turkey. The event took place between September 12 and September 18, 2011. Medal table Team ranking Medal summary Men's freestyle Men's Greco-Roman Wome ...

, style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=6,

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

, - , Win , 13–2 , align=left, Alireza Goudarzi , style="font-size:88%", 6–0, 1–0 , - , Win , 12–2 , align=left, Yermek Baiduashov , style="font-size:88%", 4–3, 0–1, 2–1 , - , Win , 11–2 , align=left, Yoon Chan-uk , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Loss , 10–2 , align=left,

Sharif Sharifov Sharif Naidhajavovich Sharifov (russian: Шариф Наидгаджавович Шарифов, az, Шәриф Шәрифов, italics=no; born November 11, 1988 in Gunukh, Charodinsky District, Dagestan) is a Russian-Azerbaijani male wrestle ...

, style="font-size:88%", 1-3, 1-4 , - , Win , 10–1 , align=left, Alejandro Gallardo , style="font-size:88%", 6–0, 7–0 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 9–1 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 3–1 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, August 28, 2004 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5,

2004 Olympic Games The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

, style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=5,

, - , Win , 8–1 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 3–2 , - , Win , 7–1 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 6–5 , - , Win , 6–1 , align=left, Siarhei Borchanka , style="font-size:88%", 9–1 , - , Win , 5–1 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 4–2 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Loss , 4–1 , align=left,

Sazhid Sazhidov Sazhid Khalilrakhmanovich Sazhidov (russian: Сажид Халилрахманович Сажидов; born 6 February 1980) is a Russian Olympic wrestler who represented his country at the world-level from 2003 to 2006. He won the bronze medal ...

, style="font-size:88%", 3–4 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, September 12, 2003 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5,

2003 World Wrestling Championships The following is the final results of the 2003 World Wrestling Championships. The Freestyle Competition was held in New York City, United States, while the Greco-Roman Competition was held in Créteil, France. Medal table Team ranking Medal su ...

, style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=5,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, - , Win , 4–0 , align=left, Rezav Mindorashvili , style="font-size:88%", 4–2 , - , Win , 3–0 , align=left, Mahmed Aghaev , style="font-size:88%", 3–0 , - , Win , 2–0 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 8–2 , - , Win , 1–0 , align=left, Tero Perkkioe , style="font-size:88%", 8–2

NCAA record

! colspan="8", NCAA Championships Matches , - ! Res. ! Record ! Opponent ! Score ! Date ! Event , - ! style=background:white colspan=6 , 2002 NCAA Championships at 197 , - , Win , 159-0 , align=left, Jon Trenge , style="font-size:88%", MAJ 12-4 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, March 21–23, 2002 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, 2002 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships , - , Win , 158-0 , align=left, Nick Preston , style="font-size:88%", MAJ 18-7 , - , Win , 157-0 , align=left, Jason Payne , style="font-size:88%", TF 23-8 , - , Win , 156-0 , align=left, Kyle Cerminara , style="font-size:88%", PIN 6:33 , - , Win , 155-0 , align=left, Eric Mausser , style="font-size:88%", PIN 3:32 , - , Win , 154-0 , align=left, Scott Barker , style="font-size:88%", TF 22-7 , - , Win , 153-0 , align=left, Tom Grossman , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 152-0 , align=left, William Gruenwald , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 151-0 , align=left, Jon Trenge , style="font-size:88%", 6-1 , - , Win , 150-0 , align=left, Jason Gore , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 149-0 , align=left, Unknown , style="font-size:88%", Forfeit , - , Win , 148-0 , align=left, Kyle Smith , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 147-0 , align=left, Will Gruenwald , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 146-0 , align=left, Bill Stouffer , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 145-0 , align=left, Tom Grossman , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 144-0 , align=left, Erik Gladish , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 143-0 , align=left, Jason Payne , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 142-0 , align=left, Lee Fullhart , style="font-size:88%", 5-3 , - , Win , 141-0 , align=left, Jon Trenge , style="font-size:88%", MD 16-5 , - , Win , 140-0 , align=left, Chris Skretkowlz , style="font-size:88%", TF 22-5 , - , Win , 139-0 , align=left, Nick Curby , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 138-0 , align=left, Jim Kassner , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 137-0 , align=left, Ryan Fulsaas , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 136-0 , align=left, Jareck Horton , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 135-0 , align=left, Bart George , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 134-0 , align=left, Unknown , style="font-size:88%", Forfeit , - , Win , 133-0 , align=left, Joe Compton , style="font-size:88%", TF 23-7 , - , Win , 132-0 , align=left, Aaron Granell , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 131-0 , align=left, Brent Miller , style="font-size:88%", TF 20-5 , - , Win , 130-0 , align=left, Greg Sawyer , style="font-size:88%", TF , - , Win , 129-0 , align=left, Daegen Smith , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 128-0 , align=left, Peter Mosley , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 127-0 , align=left, Nick Thomas , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 126-0 , align=left, Chris Skretkowicz , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 125-0 , align=left, Wallace , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 124-0 , align=left, Bietz , style="font-size:88%", TF , - , Win , 123-0 , align=left, Broadway , style="font-size:88%", TF , - , Win , 122-0 , align=left, Kovarik , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - ! style=background:white colspan=6 , 2001 NCAA Championships at 184 lbs , - , Win , 121-0 , align=left,

Daniel Cormier Daniel Ryan Cormier (; born March 20, 1979) is an American former professional mixed martial artist, amateur wrestler, and current commentator for the UFC. He is a former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight Ch ...

, style="font-size:88%", 8-4 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, March 15–17, 2001 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, 2001 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships , - , Win , 120-0 , align=left, Victor Sveda , style="font-size:88%", MD 21-7 , - , Win , 119-0 , align=left, Jessman Smith , style="font-size:88%", TF 21-6 , - , Win , 118-0 , align=left, Jeremy Wilson , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 117-0 , align=left, Kyle Hanson , style="font-size:88%", TF 24-9 , - , Win , 116-0 , align=left, Scott Barker , style="font-size:88%", TF 22-7 , - , Win , 115-0 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 8-3 , - , Win , 114-0 , align=left, Ry Stone , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 113-0 , align=left, Kyle Hansen , style="font-size:88%", MD 21-8 , - , Win , 112-0 , align=left, Matt Fletcher , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 111-0 , align=left, R.D. Pursell , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 110-0 , align=left, Ry Stone , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 109-0 , align=left, Josh Lambrecht , style="font-size:88%", TF 21-10 , - , Win , 108-0 , align=left, Shawn Scannel , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 107-0 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 10-3 , - , Win , 106-0 , align=left, Jessman Smith , style="font-size:88%", TF , - , Win , 105-0 , align=left,

Andy Hrovat Andy Hrovat (born January 21, 1980) is an American wrestler who specializes in freestyle wrestling. He was a 3-time NCAA All-American and wrestled in the 2008 Olympic Games. High school career Hrovat wrestled scholastically at St. Edward Hig ...

, style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 104-0 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", MD 14-3 , - , Win , 103-0 , align=left, Josh Lambrecht , style="font-size:88%", MD 16-8 , - , Win , 102-0 , align=left, Ed Aliakseyenka , style="font-size:88%", TF , - , Win , 101-0 , align=left, Ralph Everett , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 100-0 , align=left, Jason Rossotti , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 99-0 , align=left, Ralph DeNisco , style="font-size:88%", MD 17-6 , - , Win , 98-0 , align=left, Francis Volpe , style="font-size:88%", TF , - , Win , 97-0 , align=left, Nate Patrick , style="font-size:88%", MD 16-7 , - , Win , 96-0 , align=left, Viktor Sveda , style="font-size:88%", MD 14-5 , - , Win , 95-0 , align=left, Francis Volpe , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 94-0 , align=left, Marcus Schontube , style="font-size:88%", 16-10 , - , Win , 93-0 , align=left, Josh Bocks , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 92-0 , align=left, Jessman Smith , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 91-0 , align=left, Jeff Pangborn , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 90-0 , align=left, Adam Kellogg , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 89-0 , align=left, Bert Watford , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 88-0 , align=left, Paul Okins , style="font-size:88%", TF 19-3 , - , Win , 87-0 , align=left, Ben Blood , style="font-size:88%", TF 18-3 , - , Win , 86-0 , align=left, Anton Talamantes , style="font-size:88%", MD 20-6 , - , Win , 85-0 , align=left, Mike Odle , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 84-0 , align=left, Viktor Sveda , style="font-size:88%", MD 16-3 , - , Win , 83-0 , align=left, Josh Lambrecht , style="font-size:88%", MD 12-4 , - , Win , 82-0 , align=left, Ralph DeNisco , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 81-0 , align=left, Curcio , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - ! style=background:white colspan=6 , 2000 NCAA Championships at 184 lbs , - , Win , 80-0 , align=left, Vertus Jones , style="font-size:88%", MD 19-6 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, March 16–18, 2000 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, 2000 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships , - , Win , 79-0 , align=left, Brandon Eggum , style="font-size:88%", MD 16-5 , - , Win , 78-0 , align=left, Rob Rohn , style="font-size:88%", TF 20-5 , - , Win , 77-0 , align=left, Dax Pecaro , style="font-size:88%", TF 21-6 , - , Win , 76-0 , align=left, Adam Schaaf , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 75-0 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 8-4 , - , Win , 74-0 , align=left, Tom Grossman , style="font-size:88%", MD 17-7 , - , Win , 73-0 , align=left, Kyle Hansen , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 72-0 , align=left, Charles McTorry , style="font-size:88%", TF 22-6 , - , Win , 71-0 , align=left, Mike Marshall , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 70-0 , align=left, John Maze , style="font-size:88%", TF 27-10 , - , Win , 69-0 , align=left, Brandon Eggum , style="font-size:88%", 6-1 , - , Win , 68-0 , align=left, Tom Grossman , style="font-size:88%", TF 19-4 , - , Win , 67-0 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", MD 20-9 , - , Win , 66-0 , align=left, Brandon Eggum , style="font-size:88%", MD 8-0 , - , Win , 65-0 , align=left, Tom Grossman , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 64-0 , align=left, Lionel Halsey , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 63-0 , align=left, Jeff Knupp , style="font-size:88%", TF 21-6 , - , Win , 62-0 , align=left, Unknown , style="font-size:88%", Forfeit , - , Win , 61-0 , align=left, Dave Murray , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 60-0 , align=left, Cash Edwards , style="font-size:88%", TF , - , Win , 59-0 , align=left, Isaac Weber , style="font-size:88%", MD 16-7 , - , Win , 58-0 , align=left, Nate Patrick , style="font-size:88%", 7-2 , - , Win , 57-0 , align=left, Kevin Vogel , style="font-size:88%", MD 17-5 , - , Win , 56-0 , align=left, Lionel Halsey , style="font-size:88%", 5-1 , - , Win , 55-0 , align=left,

Sean Salmon Sean Michael Salmon (born September 11, 1977, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States) is a retired American mixed martial artist and a former columnist for MMA news site MMAjunkie.com. Salmon has competed for the UFC, Strikeforce and King of t ...

, style="font-size:88%", TF 20-5 , - , Win , 54-0 , align=left, Brian Falciglia , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 53-0 , align=left, Joe Cotant , style="font-size:88%", TF 20-5 , - , Win , 52-0 , align=left, Donavan True , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 51-0 , align=left, Paul Jenn , style="font-size:88%", DQ , - , Win , 50-0 , align=left, Joel Schrimpf , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 49-0 , align=left, Nathan Ackerman , style="font-size:88%", TF 17-2 , - , Win , 48-0 , align=left, B.J. Shelley , style="font-size:88%", TF 22-6 , - , Win , 47-0 , align=left, Chad Karnal , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 46-0 , align=left, Joe Terrill , style="font-size:88%", TF 23-7 , - , Win , 45-0 , align=left, Damion Hahn , style="font-size:88%", 4-3 , - , Win , 44-0 , align=left, Jessman Smith , style="font-size:88%", TF 17-2 , - , Win , 43-0 , align=left, Andorf , style="font-size:88%", MD 17-7 , - , Win , 42-0 , align=left, Swarm , style="font-size:88%", TF 24-5 , - , Win , 41-0 , align=left, Brandon Eggum , style="font-size:88%", 7-4 , - , Win , 40-0 , align=left, Schmauss , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 39-0 , align=left, Bouwman , style="font-size:88%", 20-5 , - , Win , 38-0 , align=left, Ryan Rettke , style="font-size:88%", TF 26-11 , - ! style=background:white colspan=6 , 1999 NCAA Championships at 184 lbs , - , Win , 37-0 , align=left, Brandon Eggum , style="font-size:88%", 6-1 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, March 18–20, 1999 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5, 1999 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships , - , Win , 36-0 , align=left,

Brad Vering Bradley Vering (born August 21, 1977) is an American former Greco-Roman and folkstyle wrestler. Early years Vering was born in Schuyler, Nebraska. He attended Howells High School in Howells, Nebraska and was a letterman in football and wrest ...

, style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 35-0 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 34-0 , align=left, Nate Patrick , style="font-size:88%", MD 18-6 , - , Win , 33-0 , align=left, Josh Dideon , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 32-0 , align=left,

, style="font-size:88%", 9-5 , - , Win , 31-0 , align=left, Tom Grossman , style="font-size:88%", MD 13-5 , - , Win , 30-0 , align=left, Ken Bigley , style="font-size:88%", TF , - , Win , 29-0 , align=left, Casey Strand , style="font-size:88%", 6-2 , - , Win , 28-0 , align=left, Tony Spiker , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 27-0 , align=left, Jason Moore , style="font-size:88%", MD 19-6 , - , Win , 26-0 , align=left, Matt Carpenter , style="font-size:88%", TF 22-7 , - , Win , 25-0 , align=left, Scott Coleman , style="font-size:88%", MD 17-7 , - , Win , 24-0 , align=left, Vertus Jones , style="font-size:88%", 6-5 , - , Win , 23-0 , align=left, Unknown , style="font-size:88%", Forfeit , - , Win , 22-0 , align=left, Tom Grossman , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 21-0 , align=left, Mark Munoz , style="font-size:88%", MD 10-2 , - , Win , 20-0 , align=left, Paul Jenn , style="font-size:88%", TF MD 10-2 , - , Win , 19-0 , align=left, Tom Grossman , style="font-size:88%", MD 20-8 , - , Win , 18-0 , align=left, Mark Munoz , style="font-size:88%", 5-1 , - , Win , 17-0 , align=left, Casey Strand , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 16-0 , align=left, Tom Ciezki , style="font-size:88%", 6-3 , - , Win , 15-0 , align=left, Nate Patrick , style="font-size:88%", 7-2 , - , Win , 14-0 , align=left, Ryan Rettke , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 13-0 , align=left, John Van Doren , style="font-size:88%", 11-4 , - , Win , 12-0 , align=left, Aaron Simpson , style="font-size:88%", TF 9-3 , - , Win , 11-0 , align=left, Greg Gingeleskie , style="font-size:88%", 5-0 , - , Win , 10-0 , align=left, James Brimm , style="font-size:88%", 5-0 , - , Win , 9-0 , align=left, Mike Gadsby , style="font-size:88%", TF 19-4 , - , Win , 8-0 , align=left, Tom Ciezki , style="font-size:88%", TF 23-7 , - , Win , 7-0 , align=left, Paul Jenn , style="font-size:88%", TF 19-4 , - , Win , 6-0 , align=left, William Rufis , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 5-0 , align=left, B.J. Shelley , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 4-0 , align=left, Brant LaGrange , style="font-size:88%", MD 21-8 , - , Win , 3-0 , align=left, Steve Burleson , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 2-0 , align=left, Joe Brougard , style="font-size:88%", TF 20-5 , - , Win , 1-0 , align=left, George Flannick , style="font-size:88%", TF 20-5 , -

Coaching career

Iowa State

Sanderson began his coaching career with the season ending in 2004 as a special assistant for the wrestling team at ISU. After short stints in associate head coaching positions, he became the head coach for the season ending in 2007. In three seasons, Sanderson led ISU's wrestling team to NCAA Division I national placements of second, fifth, and third. He also coached his wrestlers to two individual NCAA Division I national titles.

Penn State

Before the 2010 season ended, Sanderson became the head coach of Penn State's wrestling team. As of 2022, Sanderson's Penn State teams have won nine NCAA Division I team titles. During that time, he also coached his wrestlers to 32 individual NCAA Division I titles.

Coaching results

! colspan=6, Coaching Record , - ! Season ! Team Finish ! Dual Record !

All Americans The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

! National Champions , - ! style=background:white colspan=5,

, - , style="background:white; font-size:88%;", 2007 , style="font-size:88%", , style="font-size:88%", 13-3-0 , style="font-size:88%", 4 , style="font-size:88%", 1 , - , style="background:white; font-size:88%;", 2008 , style="font-size:88%", 5th , style="font-size:88%", 16-4-0 , style="font-size:88%", 7 , style="font-size:88%", 0 , - , style="background:white; font-size:88%;", 2009 , style="font-size:88%", , style="font-size:88%", 15-3-0 , style="font-size:88%", 4 , style="font-size:88%", 1 , - ! style=background:white colspan=5,

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvan ...

, - , style="background:white; font-size:88%;", 2010 , style="font-size:88%", 9th , style="font-size:88%", 13-6-1 , style="font-size:88%", 3 , style="font-size:88%", 0 , - , style="background:white; font-size:88%;", 2011 , style="font-size:88%", , style="font-size:88%", 17-1-1 , style="font-size:88%", 5 , style="font-size:88%", 1 , - , style="background:white; font-size:88%;", 2012 , style="font-size:88%", , style="font-size:88%", 13-1-0 , style="font-size:88%", 6 , style="font-size:88%", 3 , - , style="background:white; font-size:88%;", 2013 , style="font-size:88%", , style="font-size:88%", 13-1-0 , style="font-size:88%", 5 , style="font-size:88%", 2 , - , style="background:white; font-size:88%;", 2014 , style="font-size:88%", , style="font-size:88%", 15-1-0 , style="font-size:88%", 7 , style="font-size:88%", 2 , - , style="background:white; font-size:88%;", 2015 , style="font-size:88%", 6th , style="font-size:88%", 11-4-0 , style="font-size:88%", 5 , style="font-size:88%", 1 , - , style="background:white; font-size:88%;", 2016 , style="font-size:88%", , style="font-size:88%", 16-0-0 , style="font-size:88%", 6 , style="font-size:88%", 2 , - , style="background:white; font-size:88%;", 2017 , style="font-size:88%", , style="font-size:88%", 14-0-0 , style="font-size:88%", 6 , style="font-size:88%", 5 , - , style="background:white; font-size:88%;", 2018 , style="font-size:88%", , style="font-size:88%", 14-0-0 , style="font-size:88%", 8 , style="font-size:88%", 4 , - , style="background:white; font-size:88%;", 2019 , style="font-size:88%", , style="font-size:88%", 14-0-0 , style="font-size:88%", 7 , style="font-size:88%", 3 , - , style="background:white; font-size:88%;", 2020 , style="font-size:88%", DNC , style="font-size:88%", 12-2-0 , style="font-size:88%", 5 , style="font-size:88%", 0 , - , style="background:white; font-size:88%;", 2021 , style="font-size:88%", , style="font-size:88%", 6-0-0 , style="font-size:88%", 6 , style="font-size:88%", 4 , - , style="background:white; font-size:88%;", 2022 , style="font-size:88%", , style="font-size:88%", 17-0-0 , style="font-size:88%", 6 , style="font-size:88%", 5 , - , colspan="2" style="background:LIGHTgrey; font-size:88%;", Career , style="background:LIGHTgrey; font-size:88%;", 219-26-2 , style="background:LIGHTgrey; font-size:88%;", 90 , style="background:LIGHTgrey; font-size:88%;", 34

Awards and honors

;2011 * Ion Corneanu Memorial ;2004 *

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...

* Manitoba Open *John Smith Award as the Freestyle Wrestler of the Year ;2003 *

World Wrestling Championships The World Wrestling Championships are the Amateur Wrestling World Championships organized by United World Wrestling. The Men's Greco-Roman Wrestling tournament began in 1904, and the Men's Freestyle Wrestling tournament began in 1951. The Women's ...

Pan American Games The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is held ...

* Manitoba Open *John Smith Award as the Freestyle Wrestler of the Year ;2002 *

Best Male College Athlete ESPY Award The ESPY Award for Best College Athlete, Men's Sports, known before 2021 as the Best Male College Athlete ESPY Award, is an annual award honoring the achievements of a male individual from the world of collegiate sports. It was first presented a ...

winner * NCAA Division I Championships Outstanding Wrestler *

;2001 *

winner * NCAA Division I Championships Outstanding Wrestler *

;2000 *

winner * NCAA Division I Championships Outstanding Wrestler *

;1999 * NCAA Division I Championships Outstanding Wrestler *

Other honors

Iowa Sports Hall of Fame The Iowa Sports Hall of Fame, sponsored by the ''Des Moines Register'', honors outstanding athletes and sports contributors. To be eligible, members must have either been born in Iowa or gained prominence while competing for a college or universi ...

inductee *

Iowa State Cyclones Hall of Fame The Iowa State Cyclones Hall of Fame is a hall of fame that recognizes former student-athletes that achieved great success during their time at Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa ...

inductee *

Distinguished Member *''

'' cover appearancePalmer, Mark. (March 13, 2017)
15 years ago: Cael concludes perfect college career
''InterMat Wrestling''. Retrieved September 17, 2022. *

Wheaties Wheaties is an American brand of breakfast cereal that is made by General Mills. It is well known for featuring prominent athletes on its packages and has become a cultural icon in the United States. Originally introduced as Washburn's Gold Meda ...

cereal box appearance

References

External links

*
Cael Sanderson Official Site (caelsanderson.com)

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sanderson, Cael 1979 births Living people American male sport wrestlers American wrestling coaches Iowa State Cyclones wrestling coaches Iowa State Cyclones wrestlers Olympic gold medalists for the United States in wrestling Penn State Nittany Lions wrestling coaches Wrestlers at the 2004 Summer Olympics People from Heber City, Utah Sportspeople from Salt Lake City American Latter Day Saints Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics World Wrestling Championships medalists Pan American Games bronze medalists for the United States Pan American Games medalists in wrestling Wrestlers at the 2003 Pan American Games Medalists at the 2003 Pan American Games

Early life

Wrestling career

College

Freestyle

Freestyle record

NCAA record

Coaching career

Iowa State

Penn State

Coaching results

Awards and honors

Other honors

See also

References

External links