By Andy Elder

For the Mirror

UNIVERSITY PARK — The last time Penn State wrestled in the NCAA Championships at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia was 2011, the second year of the Cael Sanderson Era.

Penn State had compiled a 17-1-1 regular season record but in its two biggest duals, the Nittany Lions couldn’t quite get over the hump in a loss to Iowa and a tie with Minnesota.

However, Penn State went 5-0 in the Big Ten Championship finals and earned crucial bonus points in consolation wins to edge Iowa by a point for the Nittany Lions’ first Big Ten title.

So, heading to Philly 14 years ago, Penn State was among the favorites, but most thought it was a year away from a title.

One moment from one wrestler sparked the Nittany Lions in their march to the first of what became 11 titles under Sanderson.

That moment was in the semifinals and that wrestler was redshirt sophomore Quentin Wright, now the head coach of the Tyrone Area High School wrestling team. Wright was emerging from a difficult season. He struggled with an injury but found his stride in the postseason and won a Big Ten title.

Paired with Iowa’s Grant Gambrall, the ninth-seeded Wright locked up a standing cradle, rolled the Hawkeye to his back and pinned him in 3:53. The roar from the partisan Penn State crowd was deafening.

Sanderson remembers the moment and the significance.

“I think that was probably the moment when we thought ‘hey, we’re winning, we got it, we won,'” he said earlier this week at the team’s pre-NCAA media day.

“I think what made that special was Quentin Wright obviously (did) things in dramatic fashion the way he got that fall. I just feel like that was the moment when we thought we were winning and it being pretty darn special.”

Wright went on to win the first of his two national championships out of three trips to the finals and became the Nittany Lions’ first of 38 champions under Sanderson.

Penn State enters this year’s NCAA tournament, today through Saturday back at the Wells Fargo Center, as the prohibitive favorite to win a fourth consecutive title and the 12th in the past 14 championships.

This time around, the Nittany Lions don’t figure to need dramatics like Wright provided.

With all 10 of its wrestlers seeded in the top eight of their respective weights — Luke Lilledahl (1st at 125), Braden Davis (8th at 133), Beau Bartlett (2nd at 141), Shayne Van Ness (3rd at 149), Tyler Kasak (1st at 157), Mitchell Mesenbrink (1st at 165), Levi Haines (2nd at 174), Carter Starocci (1st at 184), Josh Barr (4th at 197) and Greg Kerkvliet (3rd at 285) — Penn State could take a run at another NCAA record, a year after setting the mark for team points — 172.5, and margin of victory, 100.

The Nittany Lions are aiming to become just the second team in NCAA history to crown 10 All-Americans in the same tournament, a feat only Minnesota achieved, in 2001.

“I think it’s a stepping-stone for one of the things that the program hasn’t done yet. I think it’ll put it into another status, to where we separate ourselves from wrestling teams and just sports in general,” Kasak said.

“I think this program is just doing things that no sports program, regardless of the sport or the level, that anyone could possibly do. I think it’s special and it’s a real possibility.”

To even approach that record, the Nittany Lions will have to enjoy good fortune, as well as good health. While no wrestler is truly 100 percent healthy at this point of the season, one Lion in particular exited the Big Ten Championships on March 9 a little worse for wear. Barr suffered what appeared to be a left leg injury in a consolation semifinal match and had to injury default. He medically forfeited his next match. He needed help to exit the mat and didn’t appear on the medals podium.

“Josh has been working really hard. We’ve got Dan Monthley as our trainer. I can’t imagine there’s a better trainer in the world,” Sanderson said. “He’s put a lot of time and effort into Josh. Josh is gonna be ready to scrap on Thursday. He’s looking good.”

The dominant storyline of these championships will also involve Penn State — Starocci’s pursuit of a fifth NCAA championship, something no one has ever had the opportunity to attain.

“Naturally, he’s going to be at his best in the big moments. He always has been,” Sanderson said.

“It’s an unusual situation. He’s a four-time national champion. That’s kind of the ultimate goal for kids when they’re looking at NCAA wrestling. He’s just blessed to have another opportunity to do something that we hope never is again available. It’s just seizing the moment. He has a pretty good mindset about it. Carter’s the supreme competitor.”

Starocci isn’t the only Nittany Lion who has been his best at the big moments. Since 2011, Penn State has won 38 individual championships from 56 finalists. Over that same time frame, the Nittany Lions have compiled a 56-8 record in semifinal bouts.

Starocci has been pretty consistent about emphasizing the competitive nature of the sport over the accolades.

“For me, it’s never about winning a national title or anything like that. I really enjoy competition and I’m very competitive. One thing I want to make sure of is before I go, that I kill all these guys,” he said.

“If you take (out) the guy in front of you and you win a national title, that’s earned. I know NIL’s getting big, but there’s one thing that all these guys have to remember; you can’t buy a national title. That comes from within.”

Sanderson, who said the NCAA tournament is his favorite of any wrestling tournament, said these three days present a unique opportunity.

“It’s not every week you have the opportunity to go win a national championship. So, I’m guessing our guys are pretty excited for that opportunity and the fun part is seeing what they do with it,” he said.

“One thing I love about the nationals, I think as a competitor … you can talk about winning the nationals your whole life. You can talk about it all season long. People ask you about it. You can actually do something about it right now, like this week. You can go win the national title. I think that’s really refreshing and freeing. There’s no more talk or speculation or this or that. You just get to go do it. That’s the fun part.”

NCAA wrestling

What: 2025 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships

When: Today-Saturday

Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia

Schedule: Today–Noon, Session 1 (ESPNU), pigtails and Round of 32; 7 p.m., Session 2 (ESPN), Round of 16 and consolations. Friday–Noon, Session 3 (ESPNU), quarterfinals and consolations; 8 p.m., Session 4 (ESPN2), semifinals and round of 12 consolations. Saturday–11 a.m., Session 5 (ESPNU), placement matches; 7 p.m., Session 6 (ESPN), championship finals.