Cael Norman Sanderson is an American former folkstyle and freestyle wrestler who is the current head coach of Penn State's wrestling team.
17 Facts About Cael Sanderson
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Sanderson was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Steve and Debbie Sanderson, Cael attended Wasatch High School in Heber City, Utah, where he was coached by his father, a former wrestler at Brigham Young University.
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Cael Sanderson was the first freshman in NCAA history to be named the Outstanding Wrestler at nationals.
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Cael Sanderson was named the Outstanding Wrestler in all NCAA tournaments he competed in.
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Cael Sanderson did lose 1 match in his career while redshirting and wrestling unattached at the UNI open to Paul Glynn of Iowa.
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Cael Sanderson was a three-time Dan Hodge Trophy winner, being the first to win the award multiple times and the only person to win it three times.
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Cael Sanderson holds the longest win-streak across all NCAA divisions.
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In 2017, Cael Sanderson was inducted into the Iowa State Hall of Fame.
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Cael Sanderson was a two-time US Cadet World Team Member, placing third and fourth in 1994 and 1995, respectively.
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Cael Sanderson was a US University National Champion in 1999 and a University World Champion in 2000.
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Cael Sanderson became the US National Champion in 2001,2002 and 2003.
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Cael Sanderson was an original US World Team Member in 2001 and 2002 he chose not to participate at the 01' World Championships to focus in folkstyle, and the USA team chose to not compete in 2002.
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At the 2004 Summer Olympics, Cael Sanderson claimed wins over Magomed Kurugliyev, Siarhei Borchanka, Majid Khodaei, Yoel Romero and Moon Eui-jae to become an Olympic Gold medalist in Athens, Greece.
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In 2011, Cael Sanderson was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member.
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Cael Sanderson began his wrestling coaching career with the season ending in 2004 as a special assistant at Iowa State.
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In three seasons, Cael Sanderson led Iowa State to three Big 12 conference championships and NCAA Division I finishes of second, fifth, and third overall.
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Cael Sanderson coached his wrestlers to two individual NCAA Division I national titles.