Sanderson so far...

[Chickenman Testa]

Ohio State returns the next most points.

But we return 70 more points than Ohio State. So there is no challenger.

Have you factored in that all of them will improve and none of our guys will?

 

[matter7172]

The biggest difference between Gable and Cael is that Gable took over a program that had just won two consecutive titles under the previous head coach and Cael took over a Penn State program that was floundering. Two entirely different situations.

 

[nerfstate]

The biggest difference between Gable and Cael is that Gable took over a program that had just won two consecutive titles under the previous head coach and Cael took over a Penn State program that was floundering. Two entirely different situations.

That’s a difference for sure. I think there are quite a few—especially after reading that SI oldie @Chickenman Testa posted yesterday.

 

[PSU_Lion_Fan]

Total misread. My mind replaced HVI with GIA, or maybe I just never really recognized this as HVI…

Carry on, ignore my idiocy

Am I the only one who sees GIA and thinks Gallagher-Iba Arena?

 

[Roar More]

Am I the only one who sees GIA and thinks Gallagher-Iba Arena?

For some reason, I see GIA and think of this:

 

[Cali_Nittany]

How about the record in 3rd, 5th, and 7th place matches? That's one of the other really impressive things. Even when the kids lose, they wrestle hard to the last match and no one white flags any of the rest of their matches.

I haven't had time yet to update this but here's through last season.

I forget which thread and who posted it but there was a video link discussing Penn State's excellent winning % in finals matches compared to other schools. This gave me the idea to dig a little deeper. The base data from 2012 through 2023 comes from the Penn State Wrestling Club website. 2010 and 2011 came from other sources. In the spreadsheet below, you'll find the following:

>NCAA tournament team scores during the Cael Era. You'll see a few different tiers with obviously Penn State at the top by themselves and Iowa, a clear 2nd. For cells that are blank, that means either the school didn't have any NCAA qualifiers or the school didn't have a D1 team.

>The All-American totals during the Cael Era. Note how close behind Iowa is to Penn State in the total number of AAs. I added a column for % of AAs that finished 1st or 2nd. Penn State's % of high placing AAs is impressive.

>The win-lose and % columns is for final AA matches. I wanted to see who was finishing the tournament on a win (1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th). We already know about Penn State's impressive championship match %, their 3rd, 5th and 7th place win %s are just as impressive.

>The last columns, I was just playing around with the stats a little bit. You'll see the placement points and advancement points for the AA wrestlers. Note, the advancement points aren't perfect. A wrestler who loses his first match and then finishes as an AA loses .5 advancement points.

(Here's a link to view the below better: link )

View embedded media

 

[Random4598375]

I haven't had time yet to update this but here's through last season.

As of last year, it was 21-6, which is over 75%, which is nuts, especially considering there are a small handful of MFFs in the losses. This year, they were 2-0 (Kasak 3rd, Truax 5th), bringing the record to 23-6. The 65% of PSU AAs in the finals is crazy, too, but this year, it was 6 of 8 or 75%.

 

[AgSurfer]

The biggest difference between Gable and Cael is that Gable took over a program that had just won two consecutive titles under the previous head coach and Cael took over a Penn State program that was floundering. Two entirely different situations.

I think that’s a little misleading. Gable hired on as an assistant coach for Iowa and had an immediate impact on their performance and recruiting. That’s why they started to win national championships before Gable became head coach. It was also pretty obvious who would be the successor to Kurdelmeier when he stepped down.

 

[Pennstate1985]

I think that’s a little misleading. Gable hired on as an assistant coach for Iowa and had an immediate impact on their performance and recruiting. That’s why they started to win national championships before Gable became head coach. It was also pretty obvious who would be the successor to Kurdelmeier when he stepped down.

I think I agree with a little of what both of you are saying. On the one hand, if Iowa's success under Kurdelmeier was mainly due to Gable, then it took him three years to get his first title. Cael took two. On the other hand, when Gable officially became head coach, the team was already rocking and rolling. PSU not so much when Cael joined.

I can see Cael passing Gable's 15 titles before the calendar hits 2030. This monster recruiting class will take us at least through 2029 and I feel good about our chances in each of those years.

 

[AgSurfer]

I think I agree with a little of what both of you are saying. On the one hand, if Iowa's success under Kurdelmeier was mainly due to Gable, then it took him three years to get his first title. Cael took two. On the other hand, when Gable officially became head coach, the team was already rocking and rolling. PSU not so much when Cael joined.

I can see Cael passing Gable's 15 titles before the calendar hits 2030. This monster recruiting class will take us at least through 2029 and I feel good about our chances in each of those years.

Yes I concur with what you’re saying too. What I posted may have also been a bit misleading. Kurdelmeier was a good coach by himself. Gable didn’t step into a declining program and turn it around. However, both Kurdelmeier and the Iowa AD were smart enough to recognize a gemstone when Gable came knocking, so they didn’t make the same mistake as Iowa State by passing on the opportunity. Of course everyone knows what happened after that.

 

[Pennstate1985]

Yes I concur with what you’re saying too. What I posted may have also been a bit misleading. Kurdelmeier was a good coach by himself. Gable didn’t step into a declining program and turn it around. However, both Kurdelmeier and the Iowa AD were smart enough to recognize a gemstone when Gable came knocking, so they didn’t make the same mistake as Iowa State by passing on the opportunity. Of course everyone knows what happened after that.

I looked at the record and Kurdelmeier was only coach from 1972-76, and Gable was his lead assistant all four years. Kurdelmeier won titles his last two years. So it would be hard to separate Gable and Kurdelmeier as to who had the most influence during those years (72-76), especially with what Gable did post-1976.

 

[PSUbluTX]

Am I the only one who sees GIA and thinks Gallagher-Iba Arena?

Me too, and then this happy image comes to mind.