Coming off its first two-dual weekend of the year with wins over No. 14 Lehigh and Drexel, No. 1 Penn State wrestling has its longest road trip of the season ahead with a dual on the road against No. 18 Wyoming. And the timing couldn’t be more demanding for its wrestlers.

With a cross-country flight, finals week, and the ever-constant struggle of wrestlers maintaining their weight, many teams would crumble under the pressure. Cael Sanderson, however, sees this challenge as an opportunity for growth.

Sanderson views the upcoming week as a test for how his wrestlers can handle everything that comes with being a part of an elite program.

“They’re professionals now,” Sanderson said. “They know what they’re doing.”

Sanderson noted that challenges off the mat are just as important as the ones in the circle. Beyond the struggles that come with such a trip, the long travel and weekend could give the wrestlers on the team time to grow closer.

“It’ll be a good, nice, long trip for our team. It’s good for team bonding and all that fun stuff,” Sanderson noted.

Wyoming will be one of the bigger non-conference duals for Penn State. Not only is it a long trip for the Nittany Lions, but the Cowboys have high-profile talent, including Joey Novak and Christian Carroll, who both rank inside the top ten individually for their weight classes, according to Intermat.

Rather than tailoring preparation during the week to its next opponent, Penn State tries to keep the same approach regardless of who’s next on the schedule.

Even with the tremendous start so far, the Nittany Lions have been missing players due to injury, namely Josh Barr and Aaron Nagao. Luckily, Barr seems to be on the come-up and “should be back soon,” according to Sanderson. Nagao still “needs time.”

In addition to preparing for the upcoming week, Sanderson mentioned developing younger talent as the season progresses. Even with the influx of talent on the team, the luxury of having underclassmen who can step up and be relied on can’t be understated, especially with injuries to key guys. Freshmen PJ Duke and Nate Desmond are two guys who have risen to the opportunity and excelled so far this year.

“He’s [Duke] a competitor, he’s gotten better consistently,” Sanderson said. “We’re very confident in him [Desmond].”

Penn State’s depth allows it to continually reload and keep winning even when faced with adversity.

With the eventful week ahead for his team, Sanderson is sure his team isn’t fazed, and their goals remain the same: get better every day and rise to every challenge they face. While Wyoming is the next stop on the road, this team’s season won’t be defined until March.

Until then, Penn State has its eyes set on the Cowboys, who the Nittany Lions will face off against on Saturday, December 13, in Laramie, Wyoming. The match is set to begin at 8 p.m. and will be broadcast on FloWrestling.