Cael Sanderson: ‘Blessed’ to have AD Pat Kraft bought in on Penn State wrestling machine

Cael Sanderson and Penn State wrestling just won their 11^th National Championship in the 13 seasons last weekend. The Nittany Lions dominated the competition and put themselves in the conversation for possibly the greatest team ever assembled. But the success on the mat extends beyond the work put in the Penn State wrestling room. After stepping down from the winner’s circle in Kansas City, Sanderson made sure to highlight the impact that Nittany Lions athletic director Pat Kraft has made on the operations in Rec Hall.

Cael Sanderson: “Blessed” to have the support of AD Pat Kraft

Penn State wrestling broke multiple records at the NCAA Championships en route to clinching the program’s 12^th National Championship. The Nittany Lions scored the most points in NCAA history (172.5), had the largest margin of victory of (100 points), and had two four-time National Champions on the same team (Carter Starocci and Aaron Brooks).

While much praise is heaped on Cael Sanderson and the dynasty he has built in Happy Valley, credit must be paid to the buy-in at the administrative level at Penn State as well. After clinching another national title, Sanderson made sure to highlight athletic director Pat Kraft and the role he plays in the Penn State wrestling machine.

“We have a lot of support, [and] we have the best athletic director in the country right now, and we’re very blessed with Pat Kraft,” Sanderson said, in part, as captured by Blue-White Illustrated’s Greg Pickel. “He loves the sport. He’s extremely competitive. It’s just been a huge refresh.”

Kraft’s impact can be felt across Penn State athletics

Pat Kraft took over for Sandy Barbour as the athletic director in April 2022. Since then, the energy around wrestling and athletic competitveness as a whole has been noticed by many. Penn State football coach James Franklin has referred multiple times to how the “alignment” between his program and school has never been better.

It seems Cael Sanderson feels the same way about Pat Kraft. Using “refresh” is an interesting choice of words, and emphasizes Kraft’s return to a championship mentality in State College.

Anyone who sees Kraft at any Penn State athletic event – whether it be football, wrestling, basketball, etc. – knows how passionate he is. There are plenty of viral videos of an emphatic athletic director who appears ready to jump into the game at a moment’s notice.

This is a passion that Nittany Lion fans haven’t seen in quite some time. It appears that one of the greatest coaches to ever step foot in University Park also feels the same way.

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