Feb. 11, 2009
In the past several years, Penn State wrestling has more than proved itself in the world of collegiate wrestling as one of the nation's elite programs. It's safe to say that much of this astounding success can be attributed to long-time head coach, Troy Sunderland, who has coached the Nittany Lions for over ten years. But there have been other notable changes made along way that have contributed to the success of the program, especially Penn State's relentless pursuit of dedicated, hard working assistant coaches and staff members to make its program exceptional. This year, two new faces and new responsibilities have the Nittany Lion staff younger, energized, and ready to face the challenges ahead.
With long-time top assistant Matt Dernlan still leading the way as top recruiter and the anchor among the assistants, Sunderland brought in Iowa great Mark Perry as second assistant coach. Former Penn State All-American Aaron Anspach, who spent last season as Director of Operations, has moved into the other assistant coach slot. That move created an opening in the Director Operations position and Sunderland once again looked outside the program, tabbing Lehigh-great Troy Letters.
Perry joins the Penn State wrestling program with an impressive history in collegiate wrestling. A two-time national champion and four-time All-American at Iowa, Perry really brings "a unique perspective to the sport of wrestling through his experience and previous coaches," says Coach Sunderland.
Perry agreed. "I use my experiences and those of others I have been associated with to help out our athletes," Perry said. "It is easy to draw off of the positive experiences in my career and apply them to our guys but the main issues I press are the mistakes I made and you see them made so often." Perry credits former coaches and mentors who brought him a long way and helped him develop as an athlete and a person. He hopes to fill the same role here for his team here at Penn State. "Everyone goes through tough times but I make sure they don't lose focus of the overall task of being a national champion each year," Perry said. "Believing in you is more important than any set of skills and that is the main thing I try and get across."
Although only a first year coach, Perry has made it clear that he has high aspirations for the program. "There can only be one goal and that is for each individual to be on a mission to win the national title. If everyone is doing that, the team title will come," Perry says. "That is not an easy task for any coach or school but as a coach I have to demand that out of myself and if it is not happening then I am not getting the job done." Determined and driven, Perry works to bring a relentless pursuit of excellence to the program, and it certainly doesn't go unnoticed.
Anspach, a former Nittany Lion All-American, takes on the role of assistant coach this year after serving the program as the Director of Operations last year. Affectionately nicknamed "Spaw" by the team, Anspach approaches his new role with a clear sense of gained experience and enthusiasm and, similar to other coaches on the Lions' staff, Anspach draws from his own "priceless" experience as a collegiate wrestler to bring a unique perspective to his coaching style.
"Since my responsibilities include training the athletes and developing our practices, I really feel that the experiences and knowledge I gained while competing have helped me to be a better assistant coach," says the coach. Anspach brings his determination and drive with him as he makes the transition from athlete to coach. "Personally my goals are the same as when I competed. I want to be the best and win every time we step on the mat," says the 2007 NCAA Runner-Up. "I want Penn State to compete for team trophies every year."
And while Anspach acknowledges his newness to the position of assistant coach, he considers the other staff members to be excellent examples for him to follow. "Each of these guys have come from successful programs and have had huge successes individually, so I have been able to use their insight and note what backgrounds they bring to the team," Anspach said. This new assistant coach also makes optimism one of his primary personal goals, saying he tries as hard as he can to be as positive as he can with the team. "I understand it is easy to start having a negative outlook when things are not going as expected. I really try and keep an optimistic point of view throughout the year."
Letters, a former three-time All-American at Lehigh University and their last national champion, joins Penn State's wrestling staff as the new Director of Operations. Letters brings with him an impressive history of wrestling experience, including a one-year stint at Princeton University as an assistant coach for their 2006-2007 season. Of his previous job Letters says, "Being the head assistant at Princeton, I learned how important recruiting is to a programs success, and now as a director I see how important the role is of every current wrestler to a programs success."
"They have to pave the way for every incoming athlete and show them how this team needs to gel, train, and work together," Letters continued. Letters, like Penn State's other young assistants, is able to draw upon his own experiences as a collegiate great, having earned numerous accolades at Lehigh. "Watching our team develop and mold together for a common goal [at Lehigh] has really helped me in learning how important team goals are compared to individual goals," says Letters. "That experience alone showed me that every guy on the team plays a crucial role in a team's success. So I'm making it a point to help every guy realize how important he is to this team's success."
Letters has quite a few goals for the team, which he conveys with confidence and an incredible determination: "I want to win multiple NCAA titles and be in the hunt to win it year in and year out."
Dernlan enters his fifth year with the Lions and his fourth as head assistant coach after beginning his Penn State career as the Director of Operations in 2003. He heads Penn State's recruiting program, which he has worked diligently with for the past few years. "We want the best kids in the country for Penn State," said Dernlan, who, with the assistance of Perry, works to coordinate all facets of recruiting to target future prospects. In addition to his role in recruiting, Dernlan makes it his own personal goal to lead by example by doing specific things on a daily basis to lead and inspire the team. "It has got to start with us," he said.
Perry, Dernlan and Anspach are engaged in Big Ten action earlier this year. |
Dernlan's passion and conviction are evident to all who work with him and his genuine devotion to what he feels is "the best university in the country" shows through his words and actions. His fellow coaches have taken note of his leadership, including Anspach, who says of Dernlan's coaching expertise, "He brings a soft spoken style to the staff but has that professional aspect that I believe is the hallmark of this staff."
Dernlan acknowledges the hard work that the entire Penn State staff puts in. "We're all doing this together," he said. "It's a collective effort. We all feed off each other and bring something different to the program. And the result is a pretty special product."
The talented coaching staff is playing a huge part in helping a young Nittany Lion team deal with this year's run of injuries and an influx of young wrestlers. Penn State started six freshmen and four wrestlers who were not in the opening day line-up in its dual vs. No. 1 Iowa on February 8. But Sunderland sees this staff attacking these challenges with vigor and pride. "We've got a great group assembled," Sunderland said. "Although," he admits, "we are still learning each others' coaching styles."
The long-time Nittany Lion mentor believes the staff this year complements each other well and each coach brings something unique to the table. From Troy Letters' dedication in the office to Mark Perry's "great wrestling mind," or Matt Dernlan's "continuously great job of evaluating talent" and Aaron Anspach's commitment to "do whatever is needed to be done to accomplish our goals," Sunderland's confidence in his elite staff is undeniable.
And why shouldn't it be? With coaches as dedicated and determined as these on its side, the Penn State wresting program will continue to be among the nation's best for years to come.