Cael Sanderson, Penn State wrestling chasing historic NCAA Championship in 2025

Over the last decade-plus in Happy Valley, Cael Sanderson has established one of the greatest dynasties we have seen in any NCAA sport. Penn State wrestling has won 11 of the past 13 National Championships, including a dominant showing in 2024, where the Nittany Lions set the all-time points record (172.5) and margin of victory record (100) at the NCAA Championships.

Now, Sanderson and Penn State enter the 2024-25 season with the opportunity to become the second program in NCAA history to achieve three separate four-peat National Championship runs this upcoming season. Sanderson led the Nittany Lions to this feat in 2011-2014 and then again in 2016-2019.

Who else has won four straight National Championships?

Oklahoma State is the only program to have won four straight National Championships on three separate runs. The Cowboys first did it from 1928 to 1931, then again with seven straight titles between 1937 and 1946, with a three-year championship hiatus for World War II.

The third and final run occurred in 2003-2006 and was the last time a non-Big Ten team won a national title.

The Iowa Hawkeyes, despite a rich program history, have only accomplished the feat twice. However, both runs extended well beyond four seasons, with a nine-year title run from 1978 to 1986 and another six-year streak from 1995 to 2000.

Can Penn State wrestling go for more than four in a row?

Cael Sanderson still has a long way to go if Penn State wrestling hopes to rip off a similar run to Iowa’s during the Dan Gable era.

But with the depth the Nittany Lions currently have and the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation soon arriving on campus, it isn’t unreasonable to think that winning more than four straight National Championships is the next step for the program.

Penn State has proven youthful talent, with National Champion Levi Haines maintaining two years of eligibility and NCAA Runner-Up Mitchell Mesenbrink with three more years in State College. Other wrestlers, such as Tyler Kasak, Shayne Van Ness, and Braeden Davis, will be in contention next season for individual national titles, and each has multiple years of eligibility remaining.

© Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK

So, the question is less: Will Penn State win five-plus NCAA Championships in a row, but rather, how many can Cael Sanderson rack up?

The Nittany Lions appear set up for at least three more years and could potentially win six straight titles. After that, there are too many unknowns between roster development and depth, especially with significant offseason moves like David Taylor’s departure for Oklahoma State.

But Sanderson and the Nittany Lions seem to have their heels on the necks of the college wrestling world for at least the foreseeable future. So, for now, all Penn State fans can do is sit back and enjoy dominance.

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