Head coach Cael Sanderson and 184-pound starter Rocco Welsh meet with the media prior to Senior Night No. 1 Penn State vs. Princeton on Friday, February 20 at 7 p.m.
Kyle Sanderson – Head Coach
Challenge rules and review calls for consistency
I have no idea. I think it’s a little tricky because it just goes from one extreme to the other, so I don’t really have any answers. I think it’s slightly different depending on each person’s reference. Some referees will be a little slower than others, but you just have to obviously make sure to knock them down and keep them under control. (00:12 – 00:37)
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Limited number of wrestlers participating in Senior Day
You’re right, we don’t have a lot of people walking, which is good for the program. If you’re trying to bring in new guys and you have a roster cap, that’s not great, but obviously you’re planning and you’ll see what happens in the future. We have a special group of people who will be walking and they obviously mean a lot to this project. They’ve done really well here over the last four or five years. (00:54 – 01:21)
Early impressions of Levi Haynes and his recruitment
When you watched him in high school, he was just a kid that kept improving. Everything we heard about him matched everything you look for in a student-athlete. He’s getting better every year and he’s a kid who just wants to be here. I remember the conversations I had with him when we were able to recruit him — it was very early, like July or something — and he wasn’t worried about scholarships. We agreed at the time to provide a half scholarship and promised him we would do our best for him, and he wasn’t worried about that. He just wanted to be here. We did our best to take care of him and he obviously took good care of us too. He just keeps getting better. He is a great leader. From a leadership standpoint, he’s not a guy that you’re going to be excited to see graduate, but you’re going to be excited for him. I think every stage of life is designed to be more exciting. He puts in a huge effort every day he’s here, every time he steps on the mat. We like that. (01:38 – 02:43)
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M2 Training Center and family influence on Levi Haines
I think the M2 means a lot to him. Obviously, there are great training partners and coaches out there. His father was a huge resource to him. It’s just his approach that helps. Levi [Haines] Loves competition and is very positive about him. This makes a big difference because parents lay the foundation for their children and how they respond to competition, for better or worse. I don’t think his parenting could have been better. Obviously, M2 and his high school program were great, but he was a kid wrestler — his dad wrestled at Lock Haven and did great there — but he just had a great leader for him. So does his mother. It’s a whole group of guys that do a great job, but it’s really fun to see him go through the system and then come out here and kick ass. (02:48 – 03:43)
Levi Haynes trains for future with Nittany Lions Wrestling Club
We haven’t had that conversation with him, but we’ve actually had that conversation. He is someone you can’t leave. We will do everything we can to keep him here, to be part of the project and to train here. (03:46 – 04:00)
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Levi Haynes’ qualities as a leader and teammate
He is everyone’s friend. He’s kind and has a big heart, which is really cool. He’s a great competitor and very consistent every day. He is very genuine, a caring person, and a fierce competitor. What you see in him is what you get. When you do an interview with him, you know he’s a good guy. (04:06 – 04:31)
Evaluate team’s playoff readiness
We are just sharpening our spears now. Obviously we have a big game on Friday and then one more before we start focusing on the playoffs. (04:41 – 04:50)
Brayden Davis’ status and his path to peak performance in March
I think he started late, so training was a little different for him. He will be at his best in March which is something we are excited to see. (05:04 – 05:18)
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Lessons Brayden Davis Learned from Jesse Mendes Game
He knows what not to do in certain situations and makes sure he has a better game plan. The most important thing is not to lose heart or die of shame. It’s just one game, it’s history and we’re on to the next game. (05:22 – 05:44)
The role of external passions, such as the search for Levi Haynes
I’d rather he was in a tree stand hunting and checking his camera than in a bar downtown. that goes without saying. This requires a lot of patience. You have to have other passions and other things that give you life and joy, and that’s what he really likes. Obviously he loves wrestling, but it’s also important to be well-rounded and have other expectations. He’s a great guy and you’ll recruit new members, but you have to plan ahead because you want him to do what he loves. He loves to hunt, so you want him to be in a tree stand on recruiting weekends. all is well. He loved it, he was a good guy, and obviously in central Pennsylvania, a lot of kids love to hunt and fish here. (06:01 – 07:08)
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Marcus Blaze’s takeaway from his win over Ben Davino
You have two of the best guys in the country. this is a tough game Marcus [Blaze]the nature of competition. This may not be the way we want to complete the task, and we may see that person multiple times. Book [Davino] is a great competitor, but we can get a knockout or score within the rules. It was a great game that showcased his composure and ability to find his feet in difficult situations and figure things out. (07:25 – 07:59)
Marcus Blaze’s patience and scoring approach against Ben Davino
You can watch the film and see him going forward and being aggressive. We just need to figure out how to delete it. (08:11 – 08:18)
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Cole Mirasola’s Confidence and Consistency
I think he’s consistent. He was excited, obviously excited to beat a national title contender in front of a record-breaking crowd. But he is the same person. He’s very consistent whether he wins or loses, and he continues to improve as he goes forward. We are happy for him. (08:32 – 08:58)
The development of Cole Mirasola’s big game mentality
He is a sincere, honest man who loves to compete. He loves those big games – that’s why he and his brother are here. If you like that vibe and you can be yourself, everything will work out. He will always be great in those big moments. He’s going to be at his best when we get to the playoffs. (09:15 – 09:44)
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The relationship between Nate Desmond and 141-pounder Braeden Davis
They are good. They didn’t look at it as a trading point. Nate [Desmond] He was ready and filled in when we needed him and did a great job for us. (09:52 – 09:59)
Encourage outside interests and Kyle’s artistic background
It’s good to find something that allows you to mentally relax and enjoy it. We don’t really encourage anything; just do what you love. I studied art in school, so I spent a lot of time drawing. Looking back now, it was probably a good opportunity to relax and go to a completely different world for a while. That’s good because wrestling ends quickly, even if you take coaching or freestyle wrestling. You have to find other hobbies so that you don’t put all your eggs in one basket. If someone is passionate about something, don’t wait until wrestling is over to get out there. It’s just the discipline of time. Part of a proper high-level training program is spending time doing things you enjoy so that when you compete, you’re energized and ready. (10:16 – 11:25)
Rocco Welsh – Sophomore, 184 pounds
Post-transfer experience integrating into Penn State programs
It’s easy to blend in. They accepted me from day one and I felt like a family from the beginning. It was never a challenge to adjust, but over time I started to really feel more comfortable. After being here for a while I started to feel more comfortable and felt like I could fit in better here now, but it was never a challenge; it just became more and more comfortable. (00:12 – 00:42)
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Key to late-game recovery and securing two knockdowns
I think no matter what happens in the game, never really put yourself down. Obviously, this is a worst-case scenario: he gets ride time, gets thrown down, and then escapes. I don’t really have any negative thoughts; I just stay positive. I feel like I can still win no matter what. I feel like I always have more to give, especially at the end of the game. I knew if I sprinted I could get one. I caught him pretty quickly, so I thought, “Let’s go get another one.” He looked tired, and I could feel that he was tired, so once he was tired, it became easy. (00:54 – 01:33)
Dealing with the match against his old club
Facing my old team, I had some thoughts about it, but I just tried to behave like any other game. I treat it the same way because at the end of the day, it’s not a big deal. They’re just another team. I was a wrestler at Penn State and I wrestled on different teams, so I tried not to think too much about it and just act like the other teams. (01:44 – 02:07)
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The rewards of overcoming adversity against high-level opponents
I think this is positive. The first quarter wasn’t great, but the whole game was positive because I overcame adversity and came out victorious against a tough opponent in a pretty crazy environment. He struggled to score – watching him against other players, always in overtime and close games – but when I needed to, I was able to score twice in less than two minutes. I thought the outcome of that game was very positive. I just had to fix a few little things in the first quarter and then I could really dominate that game. (02:27 – 03:03)
Impressions of the environment during the game
That’s crazy. That would be absolutely fantastic. Being in this environment is like a dream come true. So cool. (03:05 – 03:13)
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Rethink your original recruiting process and make commitments elsewhere first
Kyle [Sanderson] I was indeed recruited. I was young and didn’t really know what I was doing. I committed too soon. I have no regrets, but if I could do it all over again, I would definitely do it all over again. I think God pointed me in this direction and brought me here; it was all part of His plan. I made my decision very quickly, I was thinking about who was here and if I had to fight to get a spot. Everything is going great and I’m happy where I am now. (03:22 – 03:59)
How growing up in Waynesburg and coal mining culture shaped his work ethic
It’s interesting that you said coal mines, because my grandfather, my dad, and my uncles were all coal miners. It’s a tough field and everyone works hard. Waynesburg produced good wrestlers and strong kids. Even the kids who weren’t wrestlers were tough. For a sport like wrestling where you have to be strong, it becomes easy. There’s not much to do there either, so you just have to train or you might end up going down the wrong path. You just have to stay focused, train, and get better at what you do. (04:13 – 04:51)
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Lessons Learned Working with Associate Head Coach Casey Cunningham
I love working with coaches kathy [Cunningham]. Great from the start. He never really tried to change that much; some coaches will try to change you, but he wasn’t going to do that. He sees what I’m doing well and then he adds what I need. He has been very helpful in my progress and reaching the next level. (05:06 – 05:25)
The confidence gained from reaching the NCAA finals as a freshman
It really helps to be in this situation because not many people have been to the national finals before. This definitely helps with confidence because I’ve done this before. Hopefully I can change the outcome in the final, but just being in this situation helps. (05:32 – 06:02)
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Penn State Current Training Partners
me and Josh [Barr] Warm up before every game. He wrestles very fast; you have to lock in because he’s going to pick up the pace. me and Levi [Haines] Yesterday; we went from top to bottom and he was hard to get rid of. Everyone in this room is nice. You have Mitchell [Mesenbrink] And he’s always shooting, so you have to be ready to stretch. (06:15 – 06:46)