Some purists — including many Penn State fans — happily refer to wrestling as the world’s oldest and greatest sport, and that may be true.
It’s also true that what the top-ranked Penn State wrestling team is doing this season (and for the past decade-plus really) might not be wrestling. It’s something more, something on another level because of the team’s dominance and excellence.
Most recently, Penn State completed a weekend road trip with victories over No. 4 Iowa, 32-3, and unranked and uncompetitive Northwestern, 51-0. The W’s pushed Penn State’s winning streak to 80 dual meets. It’s a streak that started on Feb. 2, 2020, and at this rate might not end for another six years, or more.
This past weekend Penn State won 19 of 20 bouts, and the victory at Iowa was especially impressive — leaving often emotional and outspoken Iowa coach Tom Brands both bewildered and impressed.
“That’s unlike any dual that I’ve been in since I’ve been the coach here,” Brands said. “We’ve been beat up before, but not like that.”
Brands, in his 20th season at his alma mater, has won national championships as a wrestler and coach in Iowa City, and Iowa’s longtime dominance previously prevented me from jumping on the bandwagon about Penn State’s wrestling dynasty.
While Penn State has a dozen national championships under coach Cael Sanderson, Iowa has 24 in its history under four different coaches. The Hawkeyes won 10 of 11 championships from 1975 to 1986 and then nine of 10 from 1991 to 2000.
They were the steady standard for the sport, a bunch of black-and-gold standouts who wore out opponents with grinding persistence. It was impressive.
That’s “was” and “were,” though.
While the sheer numbers allowed me to drag my feet and temper my bigger picture praise as Penn State piled up victories since Sanderson arrived, there’s no longer any reason for such caution.
Penn State’s dynastic effort has been spectacular, and it has distanced itself from the other college wrestling programs. Remember, Iowa was No. 4 before Penn State blew into Carver-Hawkeye Arena and blew the host team out.
Penn State has shut out five opponents this season. During its 80-match winning streak the average score has been 34-6.
Brands undersold things when he pointed out the “gap” between Penn State and the nation’s other programs — because opponents could, perhaps, overcome a gap. No, what Penn State has, thanks to Sanderson, his staff and standout wrestlers, is a mindset. Even deeper, it’s in the DNA of the program.
That’s much harder to overcome.
Sanderson and his roster of many faith-filled competitors might be good guys, but they’re aggressive, laser-focused and remorseless when competing.
“Penn State comes with a style where they’re hustling, they wrestle hard and they’re wrestling to score points,” Brands said. “That’s the gap.”
It’s a gap that might exist for a long time, too, because Penn State’s excellence and standard of success are reinventing the sport of wrestling.
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