Penn State wrestling placed second to Iowa in both this year’s Big Ten Championships and NCAA Championships, but multiple star wrestlers’ finishes to the season showcase why the Nittany Lions have been at the top of the sport for so long.

Cael Sanderson’s squad couldn’t take home the team title in St. Louis, but finishing with national champions in four different weight classes is no small feat. Just ask Iowa fans about that one.

In all seriousness, those Hawkeye fans were right in their assessment that Penn State wrestlers are some of the best-coached in the nation. For evidence of that, look no further than Nick Lee and Carter Starocci.

Both Lee and Starocci lost their conference championship bouts to Iowa stars just a few weeks ago. But this past weekend, the pair won both of their bouts against the same Hawkeyes for national championships.

Lee took down No. 1 Jaydin Eierman in a 4-2 decision after falling to him by one at the conference championship, while Starocci beat No. 1 Michael Kemerer in a 3-1 overtime upset.

“I don’t really think about my previous losses that much, but losses are definitely important to learn from,” Lee said. “It was nice to show myself that I’ve kind of learned some lessons from that match and took them into this tournament.”

As rare as they may be, Sanderson clearly makes sure his wrestlers take away as much as possible from each of their defeats. Over the past few years, star Nittany Lions such as Mark Hall, Vincenzo Joseph, and Anthony Cassar avenged losses from the regular season or conference finals at the national championships.

Cassar, for example, fell to Oklahoma State heavyweight star Derek White 3-2 during the 2018-19 regular season. The Nittany Lion bounced back with ease and dominated White to the tune of a 10-1 major decision for the national championship.

Powerhouses like Oklahoma State and Iowa are both dominant in college wrestling. Sanderson’s ability to manage his wrestlers through defeats and help them learn from their mistakes, however, is what can put Penn State a tier above other programs in the sport.

While it would be easy to understand if the pressure of a “revenge match” on such a big stage would be too much for some wrestlers, it never seems to go that way for the Nittany Lions.

“I’m the best, and that’s what I believe,” Starocci said. “It’s a big credit to our coaches. We have the best coaches in the corner. When I had to dig deep in that match, I looked in our corner and was like, ‘Dang, all these guys won this match, so now I’m about to go and do it.’ That’s pretty cool, and I feel like that’s a lot of energy and power in it itself.”

As the Nittany Lions continue to build a historic dynasty, mindsets like that need to continue. Sanderson and his staff instill confidence in their wrestlers but also have the skills and experience to help them bounce back from defeats.

Despite the second-place team finish, don’t be surprised if even more Nittany Lions sit atop of the podium soon.

“My job as a head coach is I want to see those guys happy,” Sanderson said. “I want to see them smiling, and you want them to win, obviously, cause that’s gonna make them happy. But there’s also that bigger picture of their persona and their attitude and their focus…Winning just adds obviously a lot more to that. It’s obviously been something they’ve been dreaming about since they were little kids.”