Yet that's what happens just about every day in the Iowa State wrestling room. Cyclones coach Bobby Douglas pits Sanderson against numerous teammates simultaneously, the result of which is often a whipped Sanderson, keeled over on the wrestling mat gasping for air. It's a sight that has gone unseen for those outside the inner workings of the Iowa State program. Pretty badly, too. I'm just not much of a practice wrestler.
Nobody seems too concerned.
That's because when the fans fill the arena and the matches count, Sanderson is at his best. In the past three years, it has meant being better than everyone. Sanderson, the undisputed top collegiate wrestler in the country, has not lost since arriving on the Ames, Iowa campus. He's a two-time national champion, and the first person ever to win the NCAA's Most Outstanding Wrestler award in his freshman and sophomore years. Sunday against Hofstra, he'll put his 99-match winning streak on the line with hopes of tying Iowa State alumnus Gable's mark of 100 straight victories.