Valid questions were posed to new ISU wrestling coach Cael Sanderson last Friday – questions about his experience, the University of Iowa and the future of the ISU program.

Yes, he feels he is ready to lead the team, and no, he wasn’t contacted by Iowa last week about its coaching vacancy.

As for the future, his plans for the Cyclones include national titles.

“We want to be the dominant program in the country,” Sanderson said. “That’s been our goal and that’s been [former coach] Bobby Douglas’ goal. We are expecting to compete for a national title next year.”

Sanderson assumed head coaching responsibilities Friday, and is preparing for another busy week, his first as the team’s leader.

His first priority, he said, is to fill his coaching staff, but he is juggling recruiting obligations, as well.

Those are his initial tasks, but he is also looking long-term.

“The whole picture is what excites me – the business side, getting the alumni back supporting the program, developing the Cyclone Wrestling Club to where we are a national power in international wrestling,” Sanderson said. “Those are the things I’m looking forward to in addition to coaching.”

Sanderson isn’t the only that believes he is ready to coach the Cyclones.

Douglas said he trusted his former wrestler’s ability when he retired from the position.

Zach Thompson, a former ISU assistant coach with Douglas and Sanderson, is also confident in the new man’s ability.

“Cael Sanderson has big shoes to fill,” Thompson said. “But I’ve known Cael for a decade, and he is up to it.”

Sanderson said his understanding of the sport is one his biggest attributes.

“I’ve been around wrestling my whole life, and I’ve been around some great coaches,” Sanderson said. “My father is a great high school coach, one of the best in the nation. And Coach Douglas, I’ve been here for eight years under Coach Douglas, and I’ve been learning every day from it.”

Sanderson said he enjoyed the interaction with the wrestlers during his past two years as an assistant.

“Everybody is coming from a different background, everybody has been programmed in a different way,” he said. “And you’ve got to figure out how to get every one of them to reach their potential, and that is the challenge.”

Sanderson said he knows every detail of at least one of his wrestler’s histories. His youngest brother, Cyler, will be a freshman next fall.

“I know he’s going to fight, and that’s what we want out of our wrestlers,” Sanderson said. “That’s all we want out of our wrestlers. We want their best effort, and that’s the standard we are going to set.”