Cael Sanderson Has A Lot Of NCAA Wrestling Championships. Here's How Many
Cael Sanderson Has A Lot Of NCAA Wrestling Championships. Here's How Many
Legendary coach and Iowa State alum Cael Sanderson is in the hunt for his 12th NCAA Championship as a coach at the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships.
Cael Sanderson has been one of the biggest names in wrestling since he claimed his first Utah High School Wrestling State Championship title in 1994.
In high school, Sanderson was coached by his father Steve, who was a wrestler at Brigham Young University. He would go on to become a four-time Utah state champion, with an overall record of 127-3.
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Sanderson started his collegiate wrestling career in 1997 at Iowa State, and would proceed to go undefeated in his freshman year.
He won all 39 matches at 184 pounds that year, and would claim his first Big 12 and NCAA tournament titles.
Three years later, he would finish his final collegiate match at the NCAA Championships, becoming the first person in NCAA Division I history to finish with a perfect record at 159 wins and zero losses.
Sanderson claimed four NCAA titles in his time at Iowa State, becoming the second wrestler in history to do so.
After college, he would also become an Olympian in the 2004 Athens Olympics.
Sanderson would coach at Iowa State for three years before becoming the head coach at Penn State, where he has led the team to 11 team championships in 13 competitions.
Sanderson will look to add a 12th at the 2025 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, with the Nittany Lions entering the contest as the overwhelming favorites.
Here's everything you need to know about Sanderson and his journey ahead of the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships.
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How Many NCAA Championships Has Cael Sanderson Won As A Coach?
Cael Sanderson has been the head coach at Penn State since the 2009-2010 season.
Since taking the helm, Sanderson has led the Nittany Lions to 11 championship titles and one runner-up title.
The only times Penn State has not made the podium at the NCAA Championships were in 2010, Sanderson's first championship, 2015 and 2020, when the championships were cancelled due to COVID.
How Many NCAA Championships Has Cael Sanderson Won As An Athlete?
Sanderson won all four of his bouts at the NCAA Championships, becoming an All-American in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002, and becoming the second four-time champion in NCAA Championship history.
He also was a four-time title winner at the Big 12 Championships.
What Are Cael Sanderson's Other Accolades?
Sanderson is a four-time Utah State champion from his time in high school.
He won bronze in the 1994 Cadet World Championships and the 2003 Pan American Games, as well as silver at the 2003 World Wrestling Championships.
He won gold in 2000 at the University World Championships.
He would also become an Olympic gold medalist in 2004 at the Athens Summer Olympics.
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