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NCAA WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIP

March 22, 2019

Cael Sanderson

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

THE MODERATOR: Coach, you want to open it up with a statement? You have 5 guys going to the finals for the fourth straight year. Talk about your guys and how they performed tonight.

CAEL SANDERSON: I think overall the guys wrestled well. It's competitive, a lot of great wrestling, a lot of great competitors and a little tight tonight, but it's the national semifinals and you're wrestling great competition. Big day tomorrow.

Q. Coach, talk about Young getting The All-American status and in what people think is the toughest weight and from a powerhouse state?
CAEL SANDERSON: You gotta be careful when you talk about the west like that. Right? I think Roman did great. I'm happy for him. You wrestle a true freshman see them be successful and he wrestled a tough weight class, each match he was gaining more confidence and I'm excited about his future. I think he's going to continue to get better and better.

Q. Both Jason and Vincenzo talked about their experiences in the wrestling room helped them get through a close match tonight like what Jason did or Vincenzo has done in the past to get to this moment. Talk about the specialty of these guys, what's happening in that room?
CAEL SANDERSON: Well, they're training with each other, right? And they're training with guys like Coach Cunningham and Coach Cody and a lot of really good guys in the Elite Line Wrestling Club, and they push each other and feed off each other and it's a great opportunity for them and they're taking advantage of it.

Q. Coach, I would like to have your thoughts on Anthony Cassar and the journey that took him to where he has an opportunity to be a national champion. We knew he was good when could make a Junior World team a few years back and now he's getting the chance to have the showcase that he's worked on hard for.
CAEL SANDERSON: I think Anthony Cassar is really good. He's got a great mindset. Obviously he can wrestle. Just confident and relaxed before his matches and I think he can keep getting better and better, also. So it's exciting. Yeah, he has a chance to win a national title tomorrow. That was the goal. That's his goal and I'm happy for him.

Q. Coaches are always chasing championships, and it's one thing to win a championship, it's another thing to continuously win championships. What is your message to keep sustained success for so long?
CAEL SANDERSON: I don't know. That's something I would have to think about. I think if I stayed home and watched from the motel room it would make no difference. I have all the confidence in the world in our staff and in our team. They're just great people, and, yeah, it's something I would have to stop and think about for a little while.

Q. What have you learned about yourself, the team, the sport, since winning your first title with Penn State?
CAEL SANDERSON: Well, I think for me as a coach I want to stay hungry, right? You see, I think we were a little tight tonight. Expectations bring that, right? Nothing will take the wind out of your legs more than expectations, and I think these guys still found a way to get the job done for the most part. As a coach I think that's something that's important for us. We need to continue to be hungry to win and not be afraid to lose and that's something you have to work at.

Q. Coach, you guys are 20-1 in your last 21 semifinal appearances. You have 20 finalists in just four years which is a record that probably will never be touched. How do you get guys to avoid all these upsets that happen in the semifinals and just keep their focus so close to the finish line?
CAEL SANDERSON: Well, that's kind of what I was talking about just in staying hungry and being grateful for the opportunity and just going out and making the most of this opportunity, right? It could go either way and you're seeing one second here, one second there, it's a fine line. A lot of it's just about the decisions I think they make.

Nothing I can do for them. They have to make that decision as an individual and they have to make that decision as a team to be tough in those tough situations and fortunately our guys have been. And hopefully, you know, we've got a big day tomorrow, right? Those guys didn't come here to take second place.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Coach.

CAEL SANDERSON: Gotta keep wrestling is what I meant. Thanks.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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