Cael Sanderson
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Cael Sanderson (born June 20, 1979 in Salt Lake City, Utah), pronounced "Cale", is an American wrestler. He was the third of four Sanderson brothers to win high school state wrestling titles in Utah while wrestling for Wasatch High School in Heber, Utah. Sanderson had a 127-3 record with four state titles. He was coached by his father Steve.
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After graduation from Wasatch High in 1997, Sanderson matriculated to Iowa State University. He redshirted the 1997-98 season. The following season, Sanderson won all 39 matches and the NCAA title at 184 pounds. He became the first freshman in NCAA tournament history to be named outstanding wrestler.
Sanderson continued having success in 1999-2000. He completed the season 40-0 with another NCAA title. He also won the Dan Hodge Trophy as the best college wrestler. He was the first underclassman to win the Hodge Trophy. In the off season, he won the World University title in Tokyo, Japan.
As a junior, Sanderson went 40-0 raising his record to 119-0. He broke Dan Gable's record of 100 consecutive wins. He was also named outstanding wrestler in the NCAA tournament and was the first two-time winner of the Dan Hodge Trophy.
Sanderson's 2001-02 campaign was a coronation of sorts. He again went undefeated at 40-0, becoming the first NCAA wrestler to go undefeated with more than 100 wins. He became the second wrestler to win the NCAA title in four consecutive years. He also won his third Hodge Trophy as outstanding wrestler. Sanderson set the school record with 159 wins. His success brought attention even from non-wrestling fans. Sanderson was featured on Wheaties cereal boxies for his achievement.
After his graduation, Sanderson worked with the wrestling team at ISU while training for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. Sanderson won gold at 84kg (185 lbs) at the 2004 Olympics, defeating Eui Jae Moon of South Korea in the finals.
Sanderson is now an assistant coach at Iowa State. In addition to wrestling, Sanderson has done remarkable work as an art and design major. He is planning to pursue a career in advertising design.
External link
- Official Site (http://www.teamsanderson.cc/Cael_Sanderson.htm)