Cael Sanderson Named Coach of the Year | Final X & U20 Preview
Cael Sanderson Named Coach of the Year | Final X & U20 Preview  
Podcast: BWI Live: A Penn State football podcast from Blue White Illustrated
Published On: Thu May 28 2026
Description: Cael Sanderson has done it again. The Penn State wrestling head coach is the Open Mat Division I Coach of the Year — and at this point, the only real question is when they name the award after him. Mitchell Mesenbrink adds the Hodge Trophy to his national championship, capping one of the most dominant individual seasons in college wrestling history. Greg Pickel joins Thomas Frank Carr to break it all down, plus preview what's coming up for Penn State's wrestlers on the international stage this summer. Final X is set, U20 Nationals are this weekend, and U23 Nationals are right around the corner. We break down every Nittany Lion connection, the key matchups to watch, and what it all means for team USA heading into the World Championships. 00:00:00 - Intro: Cael Sanderson Named Coach of the Year 00:01:13 - Should They Just Name the Award After Him? 00:01:58 - Mitchell Mesenbrink Wins Hodge Trophy & Wrestler of the Year 00:03:11 - Mesenbrink's Rise: From Transfer to National Champion 00:03:48 - Why Is Mesenbrink Not Competing This Summer? 00:05:22 - Final X Preview: Nittany Lion Club Connections 00:06:24 - Luke Lucio vs. Spencer Lee & Key Matchups to Watch 00:07:13 - U20 Nationals Preview: Penn State's Recruits in Action 00:15:14 - U23 Nationals: Why It's So Convoluted Explained 00:15:46 - How Final X Results Impact the U23 Roster Spots 00:17:41 - Penn State's U23 Entries: Who Has the Best Chance? 00:19:10 - Final Thoughts & What's Coming Before Final X Subscribe to Blue White Illustrated on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3KzEcqK Check out the site too! - https://www.on3.com/teams/penn-state-nittany-lions/join/ Get 20% off and free shipping at Fanatics with our affiliate link: https://fanatics.93n6tx.net/OeZg2z Use Code BWI20 to get 20 percent off Rhoback’s Gameday Collection: https://rhoback.com/collections/pennsylvania-state-university-licensed-collection Want breaking news like this delivered straight to your inbox for FREE? Sign up today for the BWI breaking newsletter! You’ll also get daily updates with the top headlines of the day five times a week. Click here to sign-up! https://www.on3.com/teams/penn-state-nittany-lions/newsletter/join/ #PennState  #NittanyLions   JOIN Blue White Illustrated: https://www.on3.com/teams/penn-state-nittany-lions/join/?plan=annual SUBSCRIBE to Blue White Illustrated on YouTube and enable alerts - new highlights and videos uploaded regularly: https://www.youtube.com/c/bluewhiteillustratedvideo?sub_confirmation Bookmark our homepage: https://www.on3.com/teams/penn-state-nittany-lions/ Subscribe to BWI Magazine and Newsletters:  https://bluewhiteonline.com  Like us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/BlueWhiteIllustrated/ Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/PennStateOn3 Music and SFX from Zapsplat.com  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.