By Dick Kelly

No one in college wrestling has matched the standards set by Cael Sanderson when he competed for the Cyclones.                                               

Sanderson, now the head coach at Iowa State, compiled a 159-0 record and won four national championships from 1999 to 2002. Three of those titles came at 184 pounds and the fourth at 197.

            Iowa State junior Jake Varner won’t match his coach’s accomplishments either, but in all likelihood, his career will be such that he will often be compared to Sanderson because of the many similarities with his coach.

            Varner finally got the elusive national championship, March 21, at the NCAA Division I National Championships in St. Louis where he beat Nebraska’s Craig Brester 2-1 in the 197-pound title match; avenging a 4-3 loss to Brester in the Big 12 Championships.

            “Everyone expects you to win and I just went out there and wrestled my match. It feels good to finally do it,” said the Cyclone.

            “He did a great job,” Sanderson said. “You like to see a kid that’s as dedicated and focused and hard-working as he is get what he deserves. I’m real happy for him. It’s nice for him being there twice and losing those tough matches. It’s awesome for him to be the national champion.”

            Varner had every reason to be relieved that he finally owned a title. He’s been to the finals three years running, but had lost his two previous title matches. Varner dropped a 6-1 decision to Jake Herbert of Northwestern in the 184-pound championship match in 2007. Last year, six seconds of riding time gave Ohio State’s Mike Pucillo a 4-3 win against Varner in the finals at 184.

            Varner said he felt like he let family and friends down in coming up short previously.

            “When you lose, people are going to be disappointed in you and you can’t let those things get you down,” he said. “People still love you, everyone’s still proud of you so you pick yourself up.

            “I’ve been waiting the past two years. Coming up short makes you want it more, especially taking second two years in a row. It makes you want to train harder. I wanted to get back after I lost last year. I couldn’t wait to get back in the room and maybe change some things, but I just wanted to get better, that was my main goal.”

            Varner, who is 90-10 in his three seasons at Iowa State, including a 29-1 mark in 2007-08 and a 31-2 mark this past season, said working with a coach who has won four national championships and an Olympic gold medal has helped him throughout his career.

            “He’s been through all of this, what you have to focus on and how you prepare and train for this,” Varner said. “It’s hard not to trust a guy like that, especially what he’s done. You just believe in him, believe in his coaching, his philosophy and you’ll achieve your goals.”

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